Harlem Arts Alliance Presents: On the ‘A’ w/Souleo
If you were a guest at singer-songwriter Amel Larrieux’s Thanksgiving Day dinner, you’d likely be served a heaping scoop of ice cream — the treat has become the source of inspiration for the songbird’s forthcoming album, Ice Cream Every Day. Larrieux will perform new songs from the album as well as past hits Nov. 26 through 28 at the Blue Note. The event is produced by Jill Newman Productions & Blisslife.
For Larrieux, the album’s title represents her search for peace of mind while managing life’s stresses, including being a mother. “I love being a parent, but it is the hardest thing I’ve ever done and often feel like I am going to crack or break, or I’m not feeling good enough,” she reveals. “My husband and I are foodies and I said to him ‘I wish I could have ice cream every day.’ That’s where the title became relevant in my own search as a mother, musician and artist living in this world to find my peace every day.”
The album will also reflect Larrieux’s recent self-discovery of how she’s grown as a woman. “Seeing the things you can handle makes you realize I am really grown up now. I realize I have stress and want to take control of it through meditation and being very regimented,” she says.
Actress Ruby Dee may not have ice cream to share but she has an abundance of wisdom. During her 90th birthday bash at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the artistic community came out to honor the Hollywood icon and activist. Guests including Melvin Van Peebles, Danny Glover, Angela Bassett, Courtney Vance, Rosie O’Donnell and more previewed the documentary film, Life’s Essentials with Ruby Dee, directed by Muta’Ali, grandson of Dee and her late husband, Ossie Davis. The film follows Muta’Ali’s quest for his grandparents secrets to love, art and activism.
“After Ossie left me, I began to contemplate being a human being. I found out that nothing is beyond our capacity to realize we are products of a miracle, sustained by it and live by it. Our job for this lifetime is to understand that we are God stuff. We are the power. Let’s get busy,” said Dee.
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