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September 2021

Monthly news from the Billie Holiday Project

Dear Friends of the Billie Holiday Project,

Summer break is over and we are excited to launch a new season of programming, beginning with the 3rd annual Billie Holiday Tribute Jazz Concert. The performance will be in person this year and it's an event not to be missed. We are also thrilled to announce the arrival of a brilliant cohort of Fellows, who will be working with us on research, public art and black heritage projects throughout the year. More on that later. In the meantime...

Mark your calendar to join us at Lafayette Square Park (W Lafayette & N Arlington, Baltimore MD) on Saturday, September 11th from 2:00 - 6:00 pm for "Jazz on the Square".

See you there!

What's New at BHPLA?

Baltimore’s Billie Holiday: A Musical Tribute to Lady Day

The Billie Holiday Jazz Concert at Lafayette Square is a musical celebration of the rich and important legacy of Billie Holiday. With generous support from Johns Hopkins University, the performance is free and open to the public. By taking jazz out of the symphony hall and returning it to its nesting place near Pennsylvania Avenue -- the neighborhood of Holiday's youth -- this one-of-a-kind concert establishes a new center of gravity in Sandtown for fine arts and culture.

The performance will feature renowned vocalist Maimouna Youssef a.k.a “Mumu Fresh”, accompanied by The Nasar Abadey Quartet. Band members include Nasar Abadey (Percussion), alongside Sean Jones (Trumpet), Herman Burney (Bass) and Richard D. Johnson (Piano). Jazz on the Square is hosted by "The Bassman" Marcellus Shepard, and DJ Terry Thompson will spin on the turntables between performance sets.

Featured Vocalist Maimouna Youssef aka Mumu Fresh is a Baltimore born Grammy nominee and Indigenous Music Award winner. Maimouna has performed to sold out audiences in renowned venues around the world, electrifying stages alongside countless musical giants including Common, The Roots, Sting, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Billy Ray Cyrus, Femi Kuti, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Raphael Saadiq, the National Symphony Orchestra, Dave Chappelle, and others. Watch Maimouna Youssef aka Mumu Fresh on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series.

Learn more about the Nasar Abadey Quartet! (Below, L to R) Nasar Abadey (Percussion); Sean Jones (Trumpet, Chair of Peabody Institute Jazz Studies Program); Herman Burney (Bass); and Richard D. Johnson (Piano).

In partnership with CharmTV public access television, BHPLA created an educational video to educate high school youth about Baltimore's jazz roots and Billie's early years in the city. The video, entitled "Billie Holiday's Baltimore: Classic Jazz and African American History in Charm City," features highlights from our 2020 jazz concert and the amazing musicians who will return to perform again this Saturday. We are pleased to share this video now with the wider public.

Click below and contact liberationarts@jhu.edu if you would like to receive the accompanying lesson plan to share with your students and community.

This monthly newsletter was sent on behalf of the
Billie Holiday Project for Liberation Arts

Johns Hopkins University
Krieger School of Arts and Sciences
3400 North Charles Street, Gilman 90A, Baltimore, MD 21218

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Billie Holiday Project for Liberation Arts · Johns Hopkins University · 3400 N. Charles St. Wyman, Gilman 90 · Baltimore, Md 21218 · USA