Alicia Keys‘ CD As I Am came out last Tuesday. I’m actually proud of Alicia Keys with this CD because in her first CD, Songs in A Minor sounds a lot like old R&B/Soul tunes and she basically just mimicked the people that influenced her. With Diary of Alicia Keys and this CD I think Alicia has found more of her own sound. My favorite songs off of this CD are “Superwoman”, “Like You’ll Never See Me Again”, “Lesson Learned”, “The Thing About Love”, “Prelude to a Kiss” and “Teenage Love Affair.” If you haven’t already, check some of this stuff out. There’s still some good mainstream R&B music out there. This is the video to “Like You’ll Never See Me Again” (Common is in it!!). Enjoy.

-Nakami

Rumor has it that grammy award winning rapper Jay-Z will be running for mayor of New York in 2009. Although some may roll their eyes at the 38 year old rapper who was apparently inspired by president-elect Barack Obama, I wouldn’t be so quick to pass judgement. As a New York native, Jay-Z teamed up with current Mayor Bloomberg and created a program this past summer called “Summer Streets” to keep young people active. Although this may be a bit of a stretch for the rapper, the idea doesn’t seem out of the question for me. Jay Z has articulated his intellegence over the years as a rapper, producer and founded or “Roc- A -Fella” Recording Company. 

Anyway, the whole rumor made me think of one of his tracks off of his 1996 Album “Reasonable Doubt”. It’s called, “Politics as Usual” … Will his street smarts land him a spot as the mayor of New York?  Only time will tell….

From the moment I stepped into the big gray building, I was lured into a world of croisees and leaps, hip rolls and splits, breaking and popping. There were dancers at every corner of the space - and the tapping and sliding of feet along the marble floors became the only sounds in my existence, each and every subtle movement setting off a pulse in my veins. For Choreogrpaher’s Evening, widely acclaimed routines and respected dancers will fill the hallways of the Walker Art Center and the McGuire Theater for a night of exceptional independent dance.

The show began with an installation called “Dances You Might Remember” by Galen Treuer. Dancers lined the hallways leading up to the McGuire Theater, each with their own unique style. Once everyone was seated in the theater, a video called “..Found You” by Patrick Pryor, featuring dancers/choreographers Emily Tyra and Caroline Fermin, showcased dancers that utilized paint in their choreography. This combination of mediums is representative of the beauty of a place like the Walker. I could feel that this was going to be a great performance… and it was. The show, curated by accredited dancer Sally Rousse featured 13 diverse performances. There were a couple of performances which I felt lacked substance while other performances really struck me. One of my personal favorites were the “Battlecats”. Their spin moves, popping and breaking was truly impressive and the choreography was exceptional. Their dance was entitled “Revolution” and featured music by Damien Marley. Their dance was not only fit to my taste, but also seemed to ignite the entire audience. Another one of my other favorites was, “The Evolution of Story” by Dustin Haug & Tamin Totzke, which is also merged mediums - theatrical as well as musical. The concept of multi-disciplinary was an overarching theme for this year’s Choreographer’s Evening. Choreography is more than a collection of movements; it is visual art, theatre, music, even film. I would like to congratulate curator Sally Rousse in her success and encourage you all to check out more performing arts events at the Walker.

So today a couple of my friends and I headed downtown St. Paul to see Jennifer Baldwin and Christina Baldwin do a FREE opera show called Opera Demystified with the Skylark Opera…and of course it was awesome. It was the show that they usually do for students when they come to schools and it’s pretty much just like an opera 101…but Jennifer and Christina Baldwin made it really fun/funny and if they haven’t come to your school…you should get them to come (even if you think your not that big on opera) …BECAUSE….

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