American Originals: The Cincinnati Sound

Today, I have been surrounded by greatness. I was invited by Thea Tjepkema, a board member of the Friends of Music Hall to see American Originals: The Cincinnati Sound, an homage to King Records at Cincinnati Music Hall.

Former bandleader of the David Letterman Show Paul Shaffer and Cincinnati Pops Orchestra Conductor John Morris Russell pulled out all the stops to deliver Cincinnati's jukebox like never before. For two hours, these gentlemen made the audience feel as if they were visiting with neighbors as they talked of the history of King Records and introduced tunes from the Cincinnati songbook.

The two vocalists of the matinee, Mikal Kilgore and Morgan James, really delivered.

"Jambalaya" by Hank Ballard really got me moving-and later hungry (Forgive me, but I ended up going to Chipotle for dinner afterwards).

As usual, Shaffer came out of left field and did push ups during "Shout" by the Isley Brothers, who btw grew up in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Lincoln Heights. Kilgore and James wore different T-Shirts saying "A little bit louder now" and "A little bit softer now", respectively.

The one that really struck a cord with me was Morgan James' rendition of It's a Man's Man's Man's World (It's a Man's Man's Man's World/But it wouldn't be nothing/Without a woman or girl), with today being International Women's Day.

For the finale, "Twist", Shaffer and Russell danced their own version of the Twist and several legends and their families came out on stage to sing along.

What sets JMR apart from other symphony conductors is that he thinks outside of the box and does something way out of left field to deliver world class performances with hometown flavor.

In addition, there was also a moving exhibit displayed on King Records. Currently, there are efforts for build and open a King Records museum here in Cincy.

Today was a day that both I and Cincinnati have been  surrounded by greatness.

Sorry, but I had to sneak this in. I was invited to the Taft Suite reserved for selected patrons and their guests.

Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame & Museum

Now, I know that we are three weeks away from Opening Day here in the 'Nati, but I just wanted to get my party started early, so yesterday, I went to the Reds Hall of Fame & Museum to check out the Shades of Greatness exhibit as this year marks the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues. In August 2003, the Negro League Baseball Museum put out its one of a kind exhibit inspired by the Negro Leagues Baseball.

The RHFM contains exhibits showcasing both Reds and MLB history located on the 1st and 3rd floors, including one dedicated to the 1869 Red Stockings and was renovated in 2019. Guided tours of Great American Ballpark, Day Game Tours, Clubhouse tours, as well as private tours, are also available. There is also a gift shop as well as a theater.

I checked out both the Shades of Greatness and the Pursuit of a Dream exhibits, and let me tell you, these took me back to the glory days of baseball and being black where we dressed up and had respect for the game.

Oh, did I tell you that Cincinnati was the birthplace of American baseball?

If you want to jumpstart the party with me, here are some photos to get in the mood for the season. I'll try not to be too windy, but these are worth checking out! Enjoy and Go Reds!

DeHart Hubbard was the founder of the Cincinnati Tigers; yes, the same DeHart Hubbard who medaled in the 1924 Paris Olympics. 

Read more here.

P.S. & BTW, Barry Larkin led the Reds to win the 1990 World Series.

Schwartz's Point Jazz & Acoustic Club

These past several months have been whirlwind for me. I started a new job, which allows me to focus more on several personal projects, and my plate is only going to get fuller this year-more on that later.

In the meantime, I want let you in on a not so hidden Cincinnati gem: The Schwartz's Point Jazz & Acoustic Club. I had the pleasure of attending the jazz club as part of   the Over The Rhine Museum's Volunteer Celebration this past Thursday. I arrived about an hour early, but the owner Zarleen was gracious to allow me to hangout until the meeting got under way.

For some history of the jazz club. The building was built around 1870 and was initially used as a dental office by the Schwartz brothers after they purchased it. The brothers also made some changes to the building, most prominent are the clock and the cobblestones that once served for Liberty Street.

It opened legitimately in 2008 by Ed Moss, one of Cincinnati's premier pianists. When he passed away in 2016, he left the club to his daughter Zarleen, who grew up in the jazz club and other establishments that her father created.

What is very unique about this jazz club is that it offers healthy, nourishing fare through partnerships with local eateries, such as Dean's Mediterranean Imports (the stuffed grape leaves (dolmas), cheeses, and the pita chips, are so addictive!), as was the case for the Thursday meeting. The thing that really hit the sweet spot for me was the kombucha that was served along with the standard cocktails.

After the meeting, I decided to stick around for some of the performance of the Society Jazz Orchestra, which played the music of Moss, and for just $10 cover charge, I was treated to complimentary buffet of  lasagna and mac & cheese.

Many of the artists who grace this institution play original as well as some jazz standards, but whatever your taste, Schwartz's Point has it for you!

Underground Railroad Freedom Center

Photo by Farshid Assassi/ Assassi Productions

Happy New Decade! I just needed to recover from the madness of the holidays, regroup myself, and rethink my priorities in this new phase.

As we all know, today is the day to celebrate and give honor to one of America's civil rights icon, Martin Luther King Jr.

I made use of this great day and took advantage of free admission to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early to mid-1800s and used by enslaved African-Americans to escape into free states and Canada. The scheme was assisted by abolitionists and others sympathetic to the cause of the escapees.

Cincinnati was a very important city in the Underground Railroad as it was near the Mason-Dixon Line-that's the Ohio River for those who are not aware. The river served as a buffer between free (Ohio) and slave (Kentucky) states. Fun Fact: From Dixie Terminal (now Great American Insurance) to the Ohio River, a tunnel was constructed on the 3rd St side of the building on the site of the  former Lafayette & Franklin Banks for use for transporting bullion  by the Underground Railroad to transport slaves.

The NURFC opened in 2004 as part of a new group of museums of conscience, along with the Museum of Tolerance, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the National Civil Rights Museum.

There are revolving exhibits as well as lecture series, concerts, and other special events that take place here.

And now, for some highlights:

Exterior of slave pen

Inside the slave pen

The man artifact for the NURFC is this slave pen.

Built in 1830, it was the only known surviving rural slave jail, previously used to house slaves prior to their being shipped to auction. The structure was moved from a farm in Mason County, Kentucky, where a tobacco barn had been built around it. Visitors to the museum can walk through the holding pen and touch its walls. The first names of some of the slaves believed to have been held in the pen are listed on a wooden slab in the pen's interior; they were documented in records kept by slave traders who used the pen.

Now, that being said, Cincinnati has a very rich connection to Martin Luther King. He was close buddies with Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth, late pastor of the Greater New Light Baptist Church right here in Cincinnati.  King, Shuttlesworth, and the Rev Ralph Abernathy made up the Civil Rights "Big Three".

To learn more about their encounters, click here.

Today, we all need to step back and take inventory of the freedom that we Americans sometimes take for granted and strive to be our best everyday, no matter what we do for and within our communities. King gave his best so that we can be our best.