Year: 2011

Soulful Sundays: Lorraine Klaasen

Posted on by Marcia Mayne
Loraine Klaasen performing at Kola Note, March...
Image via Wikipedia

I realize now that I was meant to meet Lorraine Klaasen.

I had been in Jamaica for a week and when I returned to New York all I wanted to do was curl up in front of the television and find a Bond marathon or watch reruns of Bonanza. I had done nothing to get ready for my trip to Montreal. I hadn’t even bought my ticket.

As Wednesday turned to Thursday, I struggled with the temptation to stay put – and disappoint my aunt – or spend what I was sure would be an astronomical amount on airfare and get the introductions she was to facilitate. I searched for last minute weekend packages.

Before I left, my aunt asked if I wanted to go to an event with her that Saturday night. Why not? I thought.

I had no clue what I was in for.

Lorraine Klaasen comes from South African musical royalty. The daughter of legendary performer and Nelson Mandela’s favorite jazz singer, Thandie Klaasen, Lorraine has been described as one of few South African artists who preserve Township music.

From the first chord sounded at the Cabaret Mile End, people were on their feet but the real dancing started when Lorraine came on stage. She is an electrifying and energetic performer.

But beyond her performance, it was something else she did that touched me. It was surprising and I couldn’t remember seeing it done before – Lorraine invited several up and coming performers to the stage and gave them space so that each in turn could entertain her audience. I was impressed.

It was because of that openness (and the fact that she was sitting at a table next to mine) that I decided to approach her at an awards dinner the following evening. When I told her about my planned trip to South Africa, she promptly gave me her business card and told me to email her.

By the time I landed in New York, she had responded.

We met again when she performed at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park Summer Concert series. My traveling partners and I invited her to dinner. She gave us a list, not just of friends but also family members, including her mother and brother, and contacted them on our behalf.

Because of Lorraine, we had a welcome party waiting for us when we arrived in Johannesburg. She single-handedly opened up that city and Soweto for us.

Lorraine will be back in my city this weekend. She, along with Malika Zarra, will be performing the music of the Grammy Award-winning civil rights activist and South African musical great, Miriam Makeba, at Harlem’s famous Apollo Theater on April 1 and 2.

I can’t wait to see her perform again. Watch her here in the meantime.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXAuWM8Q_oE]

Enjoy!

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Ocean

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

We had requested rooms facing the Indian Ocean so we could watch the sunrise on our last day in Durban.

Sunrise on the Golden Mile, Durban

At eight floors up, we had a perfect, unobstructed view and spent the better part of the morning watching the sun as it climbed peacefully over the horizon.

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The Calendar Did Say Spring. Didn’t it?

Posted on by Marcia Mayne
The calendar said spring... photo by Marcia Mayne

But this is what my neighborhood looked like as I walked to the bus stop on Thursday morning.

My only consolation is that winter can’t last forever. I am ready for warm weather.

Aren’t you?

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Tasty Thursdays: Ambrosia

Posted on by Marcia Mayne
A photo of an Ambrosia salad, cropped from the...
Image via Wikipedia

Lately, nothing I cook satisfies my taste buds. But since I have to eat something and I’m not wealthy enough to eat out every night, I have to find something to eat.

I’ve switched to desserts. Well, one in particular – Ambrosia.

Ambrosia is a simple dessert that I can make almost with my eyes closed. What I love about it is the rich combination of sweet (I have a wicked sweet tooth), crunchy (chopped almonds), tart (orange segments and pineapple).

Basically, Ambrosia excites my taste buds and keeps them guessing.

See if you agree.

Ingredients

1 8 oz. can of mixed fruits, drained
1 8 oz. can pineapple chunks, drained
8 oz. Whipped Cream
¾ cup of almonds (or walnuts), chopped
Small jar Maraschino cherries, drained (Save a few to garnish)
Marshmallows and additional fruits, e.g. orange segments, seedless grapes cut in half, etc., can be used for color, texture and variety
Cherry syrup to sweeten the whipped cream and add color

Directions

Chop nuts, set aside
Spoon whipped cream into a bowl, sweeten to taste with cherry syrup
Add fruits and half of the chopped almonds, mix thoroughly
Cover with Saran Wrap and refrigerate at least an hour
Garnish with remaining chopped almonds and cherries, serve

Enjoy!

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Elizabeth Taylor’s Dead. Am I the Only Person Who’s Never Seen Any of Her Films?

Posted on by Marcia Mayne
Screenshot of Elizabeth Taylor from the traile...
Image via Wikipedia

Elizabeth Taylor, the much married, British-born, Academy Award-winning actress and humanitarian, died today. And as I watched a small tribute to her on television this morning, I realized that I’ve never seen any of her films.

That surprised me. I love going to the movies. How did I miss not seeing any of Ms. Taylor’s movies? I should have at least seen Cat on a Hot Tin Roof or National Velvet or Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf or Cleopatra.

No question then what I’ll be doing this weekend – catching up.

But even though I can’t remember seeing any of Ms. Taylor’s movies, I can’t deny her influence on the industry, her enduring beauty or her charitable work.

[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1698155858018752002#]

Thank you, Elizabeth Taylor, for all you’ve done to make the world a better place.

RIP.

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Spring Signs

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

Signs of Spring

I took these photographs last March in DC with my Blackberry. As I remember, it had warmed up a bit during the week but later turned cold, rainy and windy so most of the Cherry Blossoms I wanted to see had been blown away by the weekend.

The tulips, however, survived the bad weather and were just beautiful. All kinds of colors and color combination.

Purple Tulip

It was almost the same type of weather we had this time last year, warm one day, we had 70+ degrees last Friday, then back into the 30s and 40s the next.

Orange

Hope the spring flowers survive.

Enjoy!

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Pausing to Look Up

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

Walking around New York City last week with my sister and niece forced me to pause and look up at buildings I have come to recognize only from eye level.

Take the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower. I can’t count the number of times I have gone to the Flatiron District and never saw it because I hardly ever looked up.

It was the refreshingly bright gold of the cupola against the grey sky that caught my attention and caused me to look up.

Met Life Tower

Then I took in the rest of the building and wondered why I hadn’t noticed it before.

At 700 feet high, the Met Life Tower was, according to Wikipedia, the tallest building in the world from 1909, when it was built, until the Woolworth Building surpassed it in 1913. There are 50 floors.

Clock faces on each side of the tower measure 4 feet tall and 26.5 feet in diameter.

The gilded cupola provides constant illumination.

Next time you’re in the vicinity of 1 Madison Avenue in the Flatiron District, take a look up. I’m sure you’ll be pleased by what you see.

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Soulful Sundays [Bonus]: Milton Nascimento

Posted on by Marcia Mayne
Milton Nascimento
Image via Wikipedia

At some point yesterday (Saturday), I noticed that my subscriptions that had been posted on Saturday had been changed to Friday.

I didn’t think much of it until my Soulful Sundays post ended up date stamped March 19th instead of 20th. And I know I posted well past midnight.

I checked my time settings and realized that WP didn’t automatically update after the time change last week. I’m not sure why I didn’t notice this before.

So as not to break my perfect postaday2011 record, I’m posting a bonus Soulful Sundays pick.

I’ve been listening to the Buena Vista Social Club since yesterday and though I’m not playing now, I woke up humming a few songs. (I always wake up with music in my head.)

Since Buena Vista is in my head, I wanted to find something similarly atmospheric. I thought of Milton Nascimento. I haven’t listened to him in a while.

Whenever I hear Nascimento, I feel the need to learn Portuguese just so I can understand his message (Spanish only helps with a few words). Ditto Gilberto Gil. Here’s one of my favorite Nascimento CDs, Encontros e Despedidas. Again, I love every song on this CD so it was difficult to pick one. But here is Lagrimas do Sul.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52ZgT897YO0]

Let me know if you like it.

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Soulful Sundays: The Buena Vista Social Club

Posted on by Marcia Mayne
UK Single Cover for "Chan Chan" from...
Image via Wikipedia

In the summer of 1999 or 2000, my friend, Cathi, invited me to see a documentary film she said she knew I’d love. I had never heard about the Buena Vista Social Club before we got to the theater but I wasn’t disappointed.

From the opening scenes, I was transported to Havana. And the music struck a chord in my soul. I was so moved, I watched the documentary with tears close to the surface. On my way home, I bought a copy of the CD and for many months after, it was the only music I listened to. Each time, I created stories in my head based on the feelings the music evoked.

So, for today’s Soulful Sunday, my pick is the Buena Vista Social Club. Each track is a winner so it was hard to select just one. But take a listen to the opening track, 01 Chan Chan.

As a bonus, below is a video of the late Ibrahim Ferrer singing the heart stirring, Dos Gardenias Para Ti. Check it out.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rublV5LQ5Ds&feature=artist]

Hope you enjoy The Buena Vista Social Club as much as I still do.

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Spring

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

I love amaryllis and bought several bulbs two Christmases ago. After they bloomed, I left them on the window sill, watering them occasionally.

Several days ago, I noticed something reddish-brown against the blinds. I was shocked to see that a bud was beginning to peek through. The plant hadn’t bloomed in more than a year.

Excitedly, I grabbed my camera and began documenting each day’s progress. Here’s day #4

Amaryllis

As far as I know, amaryllis shouldn’t be blooming now, so I decided to check. According to Wikipedia, this is probably not an amaryllis at all but rather a hippeastrum, a flowering bulb that is able to bloom indoors.

But since it is blooming now, I taking it as a sure sign of Spring.