posted by Annette Daniels Taylor. If you see the show, please post your comments on it here.
HIP-HOP THEATER COMES TO BUFFALO!
ANNETTE DANIELS TAYLOR PERFORMS MAMA SONGS AT THE 2005 BUFFALO INFRINGEMENT FESTIVAL WITH DJ REAZON.
FRIDAY AUGUST 5, 9:00-10:00P; SATURDAY AUGUST 6, 9:00-10:00P
ADMISSION IS ONLY $2.00
AT THE ALLEN STREET DANCE STUDIO, 85 Allen
Mama Songs is a theatrical hip hop performance piece. A sparse set, handful of props, music and sound effects, two performers: singer/storyteller and a DJ.
Originally commissioned by the Arts In Education Institute of Western New York, Mama Songs is a musical-memory –hip-hop-love poem of story songs inspired by stories about Cora Lee, a mother; Cilla mae, a grandmother, and Reatha .
While growing up in the forgotten New York City borough of Staten Island and annual trips to North Carolina to visit her grandparents, Annette Daniels Taylor regularly heard stories about her family's past. Sometimes she wrote them down, sometimes she didn’t, but she always tried to remember because they were important to her.
“Mama Songs is my mother’s story more than anyone else's; most of the stories are about her: what she, my father, or grandparents would tell me. I enjoy translating the stories into poems or songs; it’s very challenging to try and capture a big emotion into a few lines, a few words.”
Dj Reazon aka Jason Redding is a native to Buffalo and cofounder of Flawless Records, a local independent hip-hop label. In Mama Songs DJ Reazon layers sound with blues, funk, soul, gospel, rock and jazz beats to compliment Annette’s voice and range of emotions. Annette wanted to work with DJ Reazon because, she says, “He could create the sound I wanted for the piece.”
“After I saw Annette in A Symphony Down In My Soul I told her that I wanted to work with her. When she asked me about doing this I was excited but a little nervous because I had never worked in theater before, but after we recorded the cd and I really heard which poems she turned into songs, I was able to do what I do. It was easy producing music with her because she lets me do what I do and everyone that hears the Mama Songs cd or sees the show loves it!”
Mama Songss will be touring schools throughout Western New York this November, with a free public performance at Niagara Falls High School in December, and another at The Albright Knox Art Gallery on December 30 as part of their Friday night Gusto at the Gallery series.
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1 comment:
Okay I haven't seen Mama Songs yet but I saw Annette at Nietzche's with The FLawless Records crew doing The Love/Hate Spoken Word Hip-hop show, and she was amazing! her songs and poems were powerful and her intensity was strong I'm going to check out Mama Songs just because of the preveiw at Nietzche's, She did 2 poems that led into songs that she said was from Mama Songs one called Jump Jim Crow which was more of a rap and a sad ballad called I remember you beautiful. Try to see one of her shows.
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