INSIDE THIS ISSUE THE BUZZ ............... 1 HAPPENINGS .......... 3 CURRENT EVENTS................... 5 THE ARTS ............. 12 Art ............................ 12 Film .......................... 12 Music and Dance ...... 12 HEALTH AND FITNESS ................ 13

THE WORD P.O. Box 170847

Boston, MA 02117 (617) 775-4273

pat@thewordboston.com www.thewordboston.com

THE BUZZ “Jazz music is America's past and its potential, summed up and sanctified and accessible to anybody who learns to listen to, feel, and understand it. The music can connect us to our earlier selves and to our better selves-to-come. It can remind us of where we fit on the time line of human achievement, an ultimate value of art.”

~ Wynton Marsalis

AN INTERVIEW WITH GEORGE CABLES by Pat Williams

As a child growing up in the Addisleigh Park section of Queens, New York, George Cables was in good company. A number of well-known African American musicians (Count Basie, Brook Benton), athletes (Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson) and other notable people (W.E.B. Du Bois, Roy Wilkins) lived in the area. Cables’ mother, an elementary school teacher, played both the piano and organ and encouraged her young son to play piano, “I watched [my mother] play piano and tried to mimic her. I took piano lessons first in nursery school,” Cables said.

Although Cables did not know a lot about jazz, while a student attending the prestigious High School of Performing Arts in Manhattan, he became familiar with the works of jazz greats Art Blakey, Dave Brubeck and Thelonious Monk, “I started listening and playing the music later than my peers. I always felt like I was playing catch-up. I had been playing classical music. Jazz was serious music that started out of the black experience. People play this music all over the world. It’s the kind of music that invites people to be themselves and do their thing,” Cables said. Two years after graduating high school, Cables, along with rising stars Billy Cobham, Lenny White and Clint Houston formed The Jazz Samaritans and the band performed in clubs around New York City.

As a result of his impressive play, in 1969 Cables landed a West Coast gig with Sonny Rollins. By the mid-70’s, Cables had collaborated with many of the genre’s greatest performers, “When I played with Art Pepper, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson and Dexter Gordon, I knew that in a small way, depending on who I was working with, that what I did was an important part of that music,” Cables said. Although Cables was impressed by keyboardists Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea, it was two jazz legends, John Coltrane and Miles Davis, who he admired the most, “Miles and Coltrane were so special because they had great pianists and great bands and it was the music that was of paramount importance and they were great personalities. Their concepts overrode everything, they were so strong,” Cables said.

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Friday, November 20, 2015 Volume 11, Number 21

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THE BUZZ (cont’d) AN INTERVIEW WITH GEORGE CABLES (Continued from Page 1) In 1980, Cables released his third solo album, Cables’ Vision, which the artist counts as one of his best, “Cables’ Vision was a great record. I was smart enough to get the best people I could find, Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson, Ernie Watts, Peter Erskine, Vince Charles and Tony Dumas,” said Cables. Morning Song, a single from the album, was inspired by a visit to close friend Eddie Henderson’s home in Northern California, “I was at Eddie Henderson’s house in the Oakland Hills. It had a great view. He and his wife had gone to bed. I was still up and was downstairs tinkering with the piano. I looked over at the piano and the sun was starting to come over it. I saw the sun peeping through and I touched the piano, and [the song] almost wrote itself. I was inspired by that sunrise. Then I woke Eddie up,” said Cables.

Since the debut of Why Not in 1975, Cables has recorded over 30 albums as a solo artist and appeared on nearly 200 as a sideman. His latest, In Good Company, was released this summer, “This CD was basically compositions by pianists. I did some Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn and John Hicks,” Cables said. However, Mr. Anonymouse pays tribute to one of Cables’ elusive roommates, “I went to this hotel in Chicago and it was a very cheap room. There were two beds so I figured that the safest place for my suitcase was on one of them. After a few days, I was getting ready for the gig and I opened the suitcase and out popped a mouse. It scurried over to the wall and ran along the top of the baseboard and got out of the room before I could even get its name. You want to know your roommate’s name,” said Cables.

The 71-year-old pianist remains a major voice in modern jazz who enjoys working with young musicians “as long as they are serious.” In October, he was invited to Harvard University where he performed and talked with student musicians, “I really had a great time and I think I bonded with the band members,” Cables said. Cables returned to the school last week and took part in an interview with Ingrid Monson, Quincy Jones Professor of African American Music. He also performed in a special concert with Harvard jazz bands.

When not making music, Cables enjoys watching classic black and white films and visiting museums, “I love to travel. I’m a museum rat. I was just in Madrid for ten days this August and I was at Prado, it’s a great museum. The Thyssen-Bornemisza was something special. They have a really great impressionist collection,” Cables said. As for the current state of jazz, the prolific musician is optimistic, “I’m glad [jazz is] breathing and still around. Jazz invites everybody to express themselves. There are people these days who are playing all kinds of jazz and in a sense, I think that’s great because it opens up a broad spectrum of things that are possible to listen to,” Cables said.

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HAPPENINGS ELDER STORYTELLING AND ART PROJECT/MOTHER AND FATHER WIT: LIFE LESSONS PERFORMANCE The storytelling performance, art exhibition and reception for the Elder Storytelling and Art Project/Mother and Father Wit: Life Lessons will be held Friday, November 20, 2015 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Dudley Branch Library, 65 Warren St., Roxbury, MA. For more information, call Valerie at (617) 445-1231. This is a FREE event.

ARTSEMERSON PLAY READING BOOK CLUB ArtsEmerson presents a Play Reading Book Club on Saturday, November 21, 2015 (A Midsummer Night’s Dream performed by South Africa’s Isango Ensemble); Saturday, January 23, 30 and February 6, 13 and 20, 2016 (An Octoroon performed by Company One Theatre); and Saturday, April 16, 23, 30 and May 7 and 14 (Daughter of a Cuban Revolutionary by Marissa Chibas). The Play Reading Book Club will be held from 12:00 Noon to 3:00 p.m. at the Dudley Branch Library, 65 Warren St., Roxbury, MA. To register, visit http://bitly.com/DUDLEYPRBC. For more information about each play, visit www.artsemerson.org or call Charles Jabour at (617) 824-3071 or email charlesjabour@gmail.com. This is a FREE event.

5TH ANNUAL TITO’S THANKSGIVING TURKEY GIVEAWAY Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson will hold the 5th Annual Tito’s Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway on Sunday, November 22, 2015 from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center, 1350 Tremont St., Roxbury, MA. The event will provide families with a turkey for Thanksgiving. Please come early, turkeys will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, one turkey per household. For more information, call Monica Cannon at (857) 269-9340 or email titojacksoncommunityfund@gmail.com. This is a FREE event.

KENNEDY LIBRARY FORUMS The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Columbia Point, Dorchester, MA is pleased to present the Kennedy Library Forums, a series of public affairs programs on a diverse range of historical, political and cultural topics reflecting the legacy of President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy. Doors open an hour before each forum begins. For more information or to make a reservation, call (617) 514–1643 or visit www.jfklibrary.org. Reservations guarantee a seat in the building, but not in the main hall. Once the main hall is full, audience members will be seated in an overflow theater where the forum will be streamed live. This is a FREE event. • Monday, November 23 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. – A Conversation with Maura Healey. Massachusetts Attorney

General Maura Healey discusses her first year in office and legal challenges facing the Commonwealth.

INVESTING IN BONDS AND EQUITIES Investing in Bonds and Equities will be held Tuesday, December 1, 2015 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Central Library in Copley Square (Abbey Room), 700 Boylston St., Boston, MA. Dan O’Neil and Lee Souter explain the function of markets and why companies issue stocks and bonds. They discuss the reasons for owning both stocks and bonds and how to evaluate buy and sell decisions. The different ways to invest in stocks and bonds through mutual funds and ETFs is outlined. A Q&A session follows. To register, visit http://bit.ly/1P0A02V. This is a FREE event.

TURNING BLUE HILL AVENUE PURPLE The Women Survivors of Homicide Movement and the NAACP, Boston Branch present Turning Blue Hill Avenue Purple on Saturday, December 5, 2015 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 Noon at the Boys & Girls Club of Boston, 15 Talbot Ave., Dorchester, MA. Help bring awareness to unsolved murders, not forgetting those that have been solved. There are over 900 unsolved murders from 1970 to present in Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan. In remembrance of the victims, purple ribbons will be placed along a section of Blue Hill Ave. followed by a prayer for justice and purple wreath ceremony at the Boston Police Department, District B-3, 1165 Blue Hill Ave., Mattapan, MA. For more information, call (857) 600-1623 or email wsohmovement14@gmail.com. This is a FREE event.

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HAPPENINGS (cont’d) BABY DIAPER BANK A Baby Diaper Bank will be held Saturday, December 5, 2015 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the Grove Hall Branch Library, 41 Geneva Ave., Dorchester, MA. If you are a parent of a baby and cannot afford diapers, the Baby Diaper Bank may be for you. The Baby Diaper Bank seeks to meet the needs of income-challenged parents to make sure that they have clean diapers for their babies. For more information, call (617) 427-3337 or visit www.lanniesneighborhood.org. This is a FREE event.

MAHA HOMEBUYER CLASSES MAHA HomeBuyer Classes are held monthly at a variety of locations. Graduates from the MAHA classes will receive a certificate which will allow the participant access to a number of programs that assist first–time homebuyers. The certificate is also a requirement for acquiring lottery property and certain mortgage products in Boston and other cities and towns. Graduates are eligible for free one–on–one credit and homebuying counseling. The classes are 12 hours by either attending four evenings or two Saturdays and the cost is $50 per person and $75 per couple. For more information, email Hilda Fernandez at hfernandez@mahahome.org or visit www.mahahome.org. The class schedule is as follows:

• Saturday, December 12 and 19 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at MAHA, 1803 Dorchester Ave., Dorchester, MA • Saturday, January 23 and 30, 2016 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at MAHA, 1803 Dorchester Ave., Dorchester, MA • Tuesday and Thursday, February 2, 4, 9 and 11 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at MAHA, 1803 Dorchester Ave.,

Dorchester, MA

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20

7:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. Luciana Souza “Speaking in Tongues” at the Regattabar Jazz Club in the Charles Hotel, One Bennett St., Cambridge, MA. For tickets, call (617) 395-7757 or visit www.regattabarjazz.com.

8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. David Sanborn appears at Scullers Jazz Club in the DoubleTree Guest Suites Hotel, 400 Soldiers Field Rd., Boston, MA. For more information, call (617) 562-4111 or visit www.scullersjazz.com. David Sanborn also appears on Saturday, November 21 at the times listed.

Get $5 off tickets when you use promo code WORD5! To purchase tickets, visit www.hibernianhall.org.

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20 (cont’d)

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20 (cont’d)

Save $20 on tickets! Use code SATSUN20 at checkout. To purchase tickets, visit www.lyricstage.com/productions/production.cfm?ID=96.

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. Arturo Sandoval appears at Scullers Jazz Club in the DoubleTree Guest Suites Hotel,

400 Soldiers Field Rd., Boston, MA. For more information, call (617) 562-4111 or visit www.scullersjazz.com. Arturo Sandavol also appears on Saturday, November 28 at the times listed and on Sunday, November 29 at 4:00 and 7:00.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18 (cont’d)

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THE ARTS ART

BLACK CHRONICLES II ART EXHIBIT The Cooper Gallery installation presents the U.S. premiere of Black Chronicles II through Friday, December 11, 2015. This critically acclaimed exhibition was first shown at Rivington Place, London in 2014. The second in a series of exhibitions dedicated to excavating archives, Black Chronicles II showcases Autograph ABP’s commitment to continuous critical inquiry into archive images which have been overlooked, under-researched or simply not recognized as significant previously, yet are highly relevant to black representational politics and cultural history today. The exhibition presents more than 100 photographs, a majority of which have only recently been unearthed as part of Autograph ABP’s on-going archive research program The Missing Chapter. Presented alongside works from the Hulton Archive’s London

Stereoscopic Company collection is a selection of rare albumen prints, cabinet cards and cartes-de-visite that became popular collectibles in the late 19th century. These portraits depict dignitaries, servicemen, missionaries, visiting performers, known personalities and many as yet unidentified sitters – their collective presence bearing direct witness to Britain’s colonial and imperial history and the expansion of the British Empire. The gallery is located at 102 Mt. Auburn St., Cambridge, MA. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

FILMS (In Theaters)

CREED Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) never knew his famous father, boxing champion Apollo Creed, who died before Adonis was born. However, boxing is in his blood, so he seeks out Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) and asks the retired champ to be his trainer. Rocky sees much of Apollo in Adonis, and agrees to mentor him, even as he battles an opponent deadlier than any in the ring. With Rocky's help, Adonis soon gets a title shot, but whether he has the true heart of a fighter remains to be seen. Creed also stars Phylicia Rashad and Tessa Thompson. Creed opens in theaters on Wednesday, November 25 on the fortieth anniversary of the date of the opening of the original Rocky.

MUSIC AND DANCE

CULTURAL DANCE, RHYTHM AND PERFORMANCE WORKSHOPS Cultural Dance, Rhythm and Performance Workshops will be held every Saturday through November 28, 2015 from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Dudley Branch Library, 65 Warren St., Roxbury, MA. To register, call (617) 642-1870 or email deamabattle@gmail.com. This is FREE event.

MAKANDA PROJECT FALL CONCERT A Makanda Project Fall Concert will be held Saturday, November 21, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. at the Dudley Branch Library, 65 Warren St., Roxbury, MA. This concert will be the first time a guitarist has performed with the band. Michael Gregory Jackson will add a unique dimension to the music of the Makanda Project. For more information, call (617) 442-6186. This is a FREE event.

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HEALTH AND FITNESS THE FLU SEASON IS HERE – GET VACCINATED The Boston Public Health Commission has information on free flu clinics throughout the Boston area. For more information, call (617) 534-5050 or visit www.bphc.org/flu.

ADULT YOGA AT THE MATTAPAN BRANCH LIBRARY Join the Mattapan Branch Library for Adult Yoga every Thursday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 1350 Blue Hill Ave., Mattapan, MA. Instructor Tara Jackson will teach proper breathing, basic poses and help participants explore this ancient physical fitness tradition. This class is for older teens, adults and seniors. Comfortable clothes, sneakers, water, a towel and a yoga mat are recommended. For more information, call (617) 298-9218. This is a FREE event.

SWAP THE SALT Swap the Salt will be held Monday, November 23, 2015 from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. at the Uphams Corner Branch Library, 500 Columbia Rd., Dorchester, MA. A chef from Haley House Bakery Café will lead an interactive demonstration of ways to add flavor with less salt. For more information, call (617) 265-0139. This is a FREE event.

BOSTON REACH COALITION MEETING The mission of Boston REACH Coalition is to promote health equity and eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities in Boston. The Boston REACH Coalition is led by the Boston Public Health Commission in partnership with community residents. The Coalition partners with community groups, health care providers, health experts, businesses and faith-based leaders to improve the conditions in neighborhoods that shape the health and well–being of community residents. The Coalition meets on the first Monday of the month. In the case of a holiday, the meeting is held the following Monday. Dinner is served at 5:30 p.m. and the meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. The Coalition membership is open to all and children and youth are welcome. The next meeting will be held December 7, 2015 at the Grove Hall Community Center, 51 Geneva Ave., Dorchester, MA. Refreshments will be served. For more information, call (617) 534–2291 or visit www.bphc.org. This is a FREE event.

PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT GROUP MEETING Dana Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center offers a Prostate Cancer Support Group Meeting every second Wednesday of the month. The next meeting will be held December 9, 2015 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute (Smith Building, Room 308–309), 44 Binney St., Boston, MA. This support group focuses on the needs of Black men. Meet with prostate cancer survivors, talk with leading medical specialists and understand your treatment options. Everyone is invited, food will be served and parking is free. For more information, call Mark Kennedy at (617) 632–6694 or visit www.prostatehealthed.org. This is a FREE event.