Harlem Arts Alliance Presents: On the “A” w/Souleo
Singer-songwriter and syndicated radio host Keith Sweat doesn’t just sing about love, he now writes about it too with the release of his relationship advice book, Make it Last Forever: The Dos and Don’ts. On Wednesday, Feb. 20, the Harlem native will appear at MIST Harlem for a special book signing event presented by Hue-Man Bookstore.
While promoting the event, Sweat reflected on his past, admitting that as a younger man he wasn’t always practicing healthy relationship behavior. “In the past there were trials and tribulations that had to do with infidelity. I talked at the person and should have talked to the person and [not] handled things in a hotheaded way … [I] should have been calmer,” he reveals.
Now Sweat declares that he has matured and is ready to share his wisdom. One of his key pieces of advice is to urge people to soul search before making a commitment. “I think I’m where I need to be now. I learned everybody should not be in a relationship … You have to ask yourself, ‘am I built for this relationship and the person I’m with, do we see things eye-to-eye?’ ”
Let’s hope that your mate is compatible enough with you to enjoy Apollo Club Harlem, a throwback to Harlem’s hottest clubs of the ’30s and ’40s, where jazz reigned supreme. Beginning Monday, modern jazz legend, Dee Dee Bridgewater will headline the event, which marks her debut performance at the Apollo Theater. While she is excited about bringing attention to the history of jazz, she is also concerned about the genre’s present and future state. “They say that jazz holds its own like classical music but it doesn’t enjoy the sales of pop music so record companies close down the [jazz] departments,” she notes. “There is no forward thinking about the music. If individual artists want larger exposure, then they have to do it by working with people outside of the jazz world.”
While such collaborations have led to greater mainstream success for jazz artists such as Herbie Hancock, don’t expect Bridgewater to try that strategy on her next album, which will be all blues. “I’m pursuing my own direction and have to be true to my sprit and soul. … “I want to understand what my music is made up of and who I am,” she says.
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