Reclaiming the Past While Being Future Forward The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a selection of what are called “period rooms.” As in many other... Read More
The Inherited Strength in Mind, Body and Soul of Our African Ancestors A rich new culture blending old and new rituals, style and music has... Read More
On Halloween 2020, amidst the height and dread of the COVID-19 pandemic, I received a telephone call from Munich, Germany. The caller was Hartmut Geerken.... Read More
Futurism or more specifically AfroFuturism?
2 min read
Finding a way forward As I’ve worked with the Routes‘ team to put the February edition together. I’ve found myself encountering a recurring theme “futurism”... Read More
Hollywood films are not my first viewing choice; they tend to be too violent, race baiters and in many cases superficial. I don’t claim to... Read More
In the world of art museums, the biennial and triennial exhibitions generate a lot of buzz. These art survey shows bring together a variety of... Read More
Through the 20th century and into the 21st century, a string of African-American male singers have graced stages throughout the United States — singing the... Read More
🍾Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan Parks, born November 30, 1912, was known as a photojournalist. However, he also wrote books on photography, memoirs and fiction. In... Read More

Musicians Launch “Dear American Orchestras” Campaign
Pianist Kenny Barron is an exceptionally creative musician
A Night of Jazz, Legacy, and the Unexpected at Unterfahrt
Cultural Wrap-Up May 23, 2025 | Patti LaBelle …
✨Cultural Wrap-Up: James Brown, Friday, May 2, 2025
✨ Cultural Wrap-Up: Duke Ellington, Aretha Franklin, Muddy Waters – April 29, 2025
February 28: Sarah Vaughan
February 25: Paul Robeson
February 23: Marian Anderson
February 22: Berry Gordy
February 20: Duke Ellington
February 19: Nina Simone: The Power of Protest Through Music
February 18: Bessie Smith: Jazz’s First Superstar
February 17: Thomas A. Dorsey
February 16: Ma Rainey
February 15: John Coltrane
February 14: Scott Joplin
February 12: Art Tatum
Fatoumata Diawara: A Fusion of Tradition and Modernity
February 11. Ella Fitzgerald
February 8: Louis Armstrong
February 2: Mahalia Jackson
Sylvester: Beyond the Gimmick | 1980-1-1
The Ntu Sound Chamber: A Spiritual Jazz Journey with WDR Big Band and Nduduzo Makhathini
Music: WRVR-FM JAZZ RADIO | 8/1978
Part 3. – Miles Davis and the Evolution of Jazz Fusion from Classical Roots
Part 2. — How the Modern Jazz Quartet Blended Jazz and Classical Music to Create Something Timeless
Part I. Blending Jazz and Classical Music: Schuller, Davis, and MJQ
Introducing the Series: Jazz at the Crossroads of Innovation
🎉 Happy Birthday to the Legendary James Mtume! 🎶
February 26: Sidney Poitier
February 25: Paul Robeson
February 6: Lorraine Hansberry
George C. Wolfe: Shaping American Theater with Unapologetic Truth
James Augustus Van Der Zee — Harlem Renaissance Historian
February 4: Augusta Savage
February 1: Jacob Lawrence
✨ Sneak Peek Alert! ✨— Jacob Lawrence
AfroFuturist Period Room “almost woke” at the MET?
Transgenerational Trauma and Healing for African-Americans
Hartmut Geerken’s Sun Ra Archive Finds A Home in Germany
“The Forty Year Old Version” and “The Jenkins Family Christmas”
NYC’s New Museum Triennial and Pan African Artists Today
Oscar Brown Brought African-American Daily Life into Focus
Happy Birthday Renaissance Man and Media Master Gordon Parks