Newspaper Page Text
6
January 19, 1995
Artbeat
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Ladybug of Digable Planets and Brandy smile for photographer Malik Yusef at a recent taping of the Apollo Comedy Hour in NYC.
In Living Color star, Tommy Davidson
to perform live at Comedy House
Tommy Davidson will be ap
pearing liveat the Comedy House
Theatre, Feb. 3-5.
Few rising stars can claim a
more unique entrance into show
business than Tommy Davidson
... performing stand-up in a top
lessbar. It was not long ago when
Davidson got up to do a ten
minute set, though friends had
been encouraging him since he
was in junior high school. “That
first night was incredible,”
Davidsonsays. There was nooth
er choice for him but to surge
ahead with a diverse career in
stand-up, television, featuresand
music.
Within a few months, Davidson
had graduated from the small
club circuit to opening for major
stars like Patti Laßelle, Anita
Baker, Luther Vandross, Al
Jareau and Kenny G.
Having been voted one of the
Rising Stars of Comedy by Roll
ing Stone magazine in 1991,
Davidson’s popularity quickly
stemmed from selective appear
ances on The Robert Townsend
Special (HBO) and MTV, as well
as non-televised participation in
industry benefits and the 1994
International Just For Laughs
Comedy Festival in Montreal.
Well, Davidson’s making it all
happen ... and quite well, at that.
As one of the first cast members of
FOX TV’s In Living Color, the
American television viewers ex
perienced Davidson’s talented
characterizations weekly. He por
trayed characters for us including
Michael Jackson, MC Hammer,
and Spike Lee. He made his fea
ture film debut in Warner Bros.’
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Actor/Comedian Tommy Davidson brings his dynamic stand
up to the Comedy House Theatre Feb. 3-5.
Strictly Business. Cast as a street
smart mailroom clerk named Bob
by Johnson, Davidson gaveacrash
course in Black Lifestyles 101 toa
successful yuppie (Joeseph C.
Phillips) in order to gain the heart
of a beautiful girl (Halle Berry).
Improve your jazz savvy. Take the quiz.
1. Who was the great jazz trum
peter.nicknamed Little Jazz?
2. If Louis Armstrong was living
today, how old would he be?
3. Emmett Berry played with
Teddy Wilson and Count Basie.
He was born in 1916 in what city?
4. James “Bubber” Miley,
trumeter wasbornin Aiken,S.C.,
1903 and died in 1932. He was
the originator of the plunger
trumpet style. With what band
did he perform?
5. Oscar Moore played guitar in
what famous trio from 1937-47?
6. What famous jazz saxophonist
Davidson is currently getting
ready to executive produce and
star in yet another Showtime spe
cial.
Davidson’s dynamic ability as
a stand-up comedian has earned
him three one-hour solo specials
was in the movie Round Mid
night?
7. We are Maxine and Lisa, two
members of the Uptown String
Quartet. Our fathers are very fa
mous jazz musicians. Name our
dads.
8. A West Coast alto saxophonist,
his first name is Sonny. What is
his last name?
9. He conducted the Georgia All-
State Jazz Band on two occa
sions. A former member of the
Stan Kenton Band, who is he?
10. He pioneered the cool jazz
era and created “The Birth of the
art - music - literature - theatre
on Showtime. His first, titled
Tommy Davidson: Takin’ it to
D.C., and his second, Tommy
Davidson: Illin’ In Philly, aired
to rave review and impressive
numbers on Showtime. His third
is on its way.
On stage Davidson uses no
props, just the microphone. His
act encompasses a wide range of
comedic nuances that appeal to
all audiences. “As achild,” hesaid,
“I had a very lively imagination,
and even today, there is still a
child in me. I am constantly per
fecting my craft.” Like several
skilled stand-ups today, he cre
ates most of his material on the
spot and then goes back later and
polishes. Diversity is the key in
gredientto Davidson’ssuccess. His
additional talents in music were
inspired from endless hours of lis
tening to musical favorites during
his childhood, like The Jackson
Five; Earth, Wind and Fire; Stevie
Wonder. He is a gifted musician
whosetalents include playingkey
boards, percussion and bass. Sing
ing is also his passion, setting his
sights on writing and recording
music of his own.
In his spare time, Davidson
enjoys exercising, reading self
improvement books, studying
philosophy, writing and dabbling
in cartoon illustrations. He also
directs his energy toward help
ing “Anyone who’s neglected ..
American Indians, the Latino
community, black youth, the
homeless and the elderly.” I want
to bring all of my aspiration to
actualization. It’s going totake a
lot of work ... but it’s going to
move a lot of people.”
Cool”. Who was he?
11. What trumpet player blew
Miles Davis away one night, and
the next day had the favor re
turned by Miles?
12. A big time producer at Colum
bia, a brother. Who is he?
13. Whereis the famous jazz night
spot “Shelley’s Manne Hole” lo
cated?
14. Avery fine South African trum
pet player. Who is he?
15. He played a plastic pocket
trumpet. Who is he?
R b
B Answers on page 14
Winter Gathering of Writers at
Augusta College Jan. 20
The Augusta College Depart
ment of Languages, Literature
and Communications will
present the fifth annual Winter
Gathering of Writers on Friday,
Jan. 20,at 7:30 p.m. in the Butler
Hall Lecture Room. The event is
free and is supported in part by
the Authors’ Club of Augusta and
the Jean DeWitt Fitz Memorial
Fund.
Three writers, Anthony C.
Winkler, Lynna Williams and
Anthony Kellman will read se
lections from their works.
Anthony C. Winkler was born
in Kingston,Jamaica. In 1962 he
immigrated to the United States
and gained his B.A. and M.A.
degrees from California State
University. His novels are The
Painted Canoe (1983); The Lu
natic (1987), which was made
into a feature film by Island Pic
tures; and The Great Yacht Race
(1992). He is a free-lance writer
of college textbooks and lives in
Miller Brewing introduces 1995
Gallery of Greats calendar
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Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayesb and Marvin Gaye are among the
celebrities featured in Miller's 1995 Gallery of Greats Calendar.
Milwavkee to showcase the talents of the
Miller Brewing Company will
salute the achievements and con
tributions of African-American
performers in its Gallery of
Greats calendar. Now inits 12th
year, the calendar once again
celebrates African Americans in
the music industry. Among this
year’s featured artists are Curtis
Mayfield, Isaac Hayes and
Marvin Gaye. The 1994 calendar
saluted the producers, talent
scouts and managers behind the
scenes.
“We previously limited each
area of achievement to one year
but realized the world of black
music required yet another year
Yolanda King follows father’s
steps in her one-woman show
By Clarissa Walker
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
Yolanda King stepped out on
stage Friday night at the Atlanta
Civic Center wearing a straw
hat and camouflage pants, and
capturing all of the nuances of a
drunk taxi driver named Stone.
The audience quietly gasped be
cause, quite honestly, we expect
ed a podium, a microphone and
the delivery of a well-rehearsed
speech on “Keeping the Dream
Alive.” The daughter of the Rev.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., had
different plans for the evening.
She, along with Pamela L.
Goodlow and the Higher Ground
Productions crew, put together
Tracks, Yolanda King’s one-wom
an show. Angela Robinson of
WXIA-TV says that the inspira
tion for the production came, not
only from Dr. King but, “from an
elderly friend who told Yolanda
that‘thetracks have already been
laid, you just have to follow
them.” Ms. King has directed,
produced, and performed in sev
eral off-off Broadway productions
and has earned a Masters of Fine
Arts Degreein Theatre from New
Atlanta.
Lynna William’s collection,
Things Not Seen and Other Sto
ries, was named a Notable Book
of 1992 by The New York Times.
Her fiction has appeared in The
Atlantic, Lear’s and literary mag
azines. An assistant professor at
Emery University, she was the
1994 recipient of the Dobie
Paisona Fellowship from the
University of Texas and the Tex
as Institute of Letters.
Anthony (Tony) Kellman, from
Barbados, teaches English and
creative writing at Augusta Col
lege and is the Director of the
Sandhills Writers’ Conference. He
is the author of the novel The
Coral Rooms (1994), and Water
course (poetry, 1990), and is the
editor of the first major U.S, an
thology of Caribbean poetry,
Crossing Water(l992). Hisawards
include a Georgia Council for the
Arts Award and a National En
dowment for the Arts Fellowship.
musicians and vocalists whose
performances we have admired
and enjoyed, from classical per
formerstoblues,jazzand rhythm
and blues,” said Noel Hankin,
director of relationship market
ing at Miller Brewing Company.
Proceeds from calendar sales
will benefit the Thurgood
Marshall Scholarship Fund
which provides four-year schol
arships to students attending
historically black public colleges
and universities.
For more information or to ob
tain a calendar, call (414) 931-
4567,
York University.
Yolanda’s commitment to fol
lowing the tracks was showcased
in an extraordinarily unique
fashion. Her cast included 13
characters, all representing dif
ferent parts of the black reality,
and all of whom were played by
Ms. King. Although the produc
tion dealt with a number of is
sues like drug abuse, the dis
turbing distance between par
ents and black youth, and those
things that make black folk for
get where they come from, the
storyline developed around the
character Zandy, a single, preg
nant woman approaching the end
of pregnancy and the beginning
of an awakening. Zandy’s deal
ings with the other characters
allows for their development and
hers. Even though the demands
of these very rich characters
seemed at times to exhaust Ms.
King’s abilities as a dramatist,
the messages — old ones deliv
ered by Dr. King himself via the
life-size monitors and the new
ones expressed through this very
upbeat presentation — were ex
treré)ely necessary and appreci
ated.
