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SOUTH MIAMI-DADE CULTURAL ARTS CENTER AND
delancyhill LAW FIRM
PRESENT 8TH ANNUAL BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION
THE LANGSTON HUGHES PROJECT FEATURING THE RON MCCURDY
QUARTET AND CELEBRITY SPOKEN WORD ARTIST MALCOLM
JAMAL-WARNER
South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center (SMDCAC) celebrates
Black History Month with a presentation of the Langston
Hughes Project, Ask Your Mama, Twelve Moods for Jazz on
Thursday, February 23 at 8p.m. on the main stage. The
performance features the Ron McCurdy Quartet with celebrity
spoken word artist Malcolm Jamal-Warner. As part of this
special evening, delancyhill law firm will host their 8th
Annual Black History Month Celebration with a VIP reception
honoring Miami-Dade County Commissioner Dennis C. Moss at
6p.m. in the Black Box Studio. Proceeds from the VIP
Reception will benefit SMDCAC’s education and outreach
programs.
Tickets to the performance are $30, $20, $10 ($5 tickets
www.CultureShockmiami.com ), $5 off orchestra
level seats for students seniors and active military service
members. Tickets to the VIP reception are $50 and includes
entrance to the performance. The public should contact
SMDCAC’s Box Office at 786-573-5300 or visit
www.smdcac.org . SMDCAC
is located at 10950 SW 211 Street, Cutler Bay.
The Ron McCurdy Quartet performs Langston Hughes’
insightful, wise, poignant, funny and soulful, poem
accompanied by celebrity spoken word artist Malcolm
Jamal-Warner, most famous for his role on “The Cosby Show”
and his recent sitcom, “Reed Between the Lines”. The
performance includes video images of the Harlem Renaissance
by African-American artists and photographers including
Jacob Lawrence, Gordon Parks and Romare Bearden.
Ask Your Mama is an 800-line, twelve part
poetic suite written by noted African American
poet/writer/playwright Langston Hughes in 1961. This work is
described as a multimedia presentation that recreates
Hughes’ vision of the global struggle for freedom in the
coming, turbulent decade.
The piece itself is an original work conceived by USC
Professor and Chair of Jazz Studies Dr. Ron McCurdy . A
scholarly exploration of the original work by Dr. McCurdy
revealed that Hughes had originally included musical cues to
accompany his poem, intending to work with musical
contemporaries on a full production; regrettably, Hughes
died in 1967 before a production could be developed.
“I felt that the unrealized work had enormous potential, not
only to entertain, but more importantly to introduce modern
audiences to the power of Hughes’ words and the eloquence of
his political discourse,” said McCurdy
A collaborative effort between McCurdy and film maker Damani
Baker expanded on Hughes’ original concept, adding an
accompanying jazz suite based on Hughes’ original notes,
composed and arranged by McCurdy and Eli Brueggeman. McCurdy
presents The Langston Hughes Project in both performances
and master classes on the college circuit and for African
American Heritage celebrations throughout the nation.
Information about The Langston Hughes Project is available
at:
www.ronmccurdy.com/about_hudges_project.htm .
“As children of the South Miami-Dade County, my law partner
and I are proud to return home to our community where the
South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center shines as a jewel for
our artistic soul and heritage. We are thankful for a
community that gave us so much,” stated Marlon Hill,
founding partner, delancyhill, P.A.
Sponsors and community partners of the 8th Annual Black
History Month Celebration will include Bilmor with
Advertising Specialties, Caribbean Today, Chef Irie Spice,
Circle of One Marketing, Community Bank of Florida, Mercedes
Benz of Cutler Bay, Invizio, Medium Four, Richhaus Media,
and South Florida Caribbean News.
About the Artists
Malcolm Jamal-Warner
Emmy-nominated actor and director
Malcolm-Jamal Warner
has become known in the entertainment business for not only
his seasoned acting talents, but also his accomplishments on
the music, directing, and producing fronts, making him one
of the most accomplished talents in the industry today. As a
staple in television and film for over twenty-five years,
Warner first rose to national prominence by starring on the
celebrated and long-running classic television series “The
Cosby Show.” His work on the show garnered him a Primetime
Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy
Series, and set the stage for him to have a long career in
the public eye. Most recently, Warner has been seen on some
of the hottest television series on television, including a
notable, recurring role on NBC's hit show “Community,” and
guest star roles on TNT's “Hawthorne,” CBS' “The
Cleaner,”and Showtime's “Dexter.” In October 2011, Warner
will return to television, starring on the highly
anticipated, BET original series “Reed Between the Lines.”
The series will follow the lives of Alex, an English
professor, [played by Warner] and Carla, a psychologist,
[played by Tracee Ellis Ross] as they navigate life's ups
and downs with wit and humor.
As a seasoned director, Warner has worked on an abundance of
television series, including being a regular director [and
producer] on the comedy series “Malcolm & Eddie,” and also
having directed several episodes of “The Cosby Show,” “All
That,” “Keenan & Kel,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,”
“Sesame Street,” and the AIDS awareness video “Timeout: The
Truth about HIV, AIDS, and YOU” [which starred Magic Johnson
and Arsenio Hall, and earned Warner the NAACP Key of Life
Image Award]. His short film, “This Old Man,” received
critical acclaim on the theater festival circuit. Warner is
continuing his passion of directing now, and is slated to
direct episodes of his upcoming series, “Reed Between the
Lines.”
In addition to his television credits, Warner made his
feature film debut in Paramount Pictures DROP ZONE, and was
also seen in Warner Bros Pictures FOOLS GOLD opposite
Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson, and Donald Sutherland. He
also co-starred in the independent films RESTAURANT with
Adrien Brody, A FARE TO REMEMBER, and THE LIST with Wayne
Brady. On stage, Warner has starred in the off-Broadway
plays “Three Ways Home,” “Cryinʼ Shame,” for which he
received the NAACP Theater Award for Best Supporting Actor,
“Freefall” at the Victory Garden Theatre in Chicago, and in
“A Midsummer Nightsʼ Dream,” at the La Jolla Playhouse in
California. Most recently, Warner received critical acclaim
for his West Coast debut of his one-man theatrical
production of “Love and Other Social Issues.”Warner's voice
may be as well known as his likeness, for four seasons he
was heard as the voice of the “Producer” on PBS' “The
Magic School Bus.” Currently, he can be heard on the audio
book version of “The Marvelous Effect” published by Berkley
Trade, as well as in Simon & Schuster's “Fatherhood” by Bill
Cosby. When not acting and directing, Warner is a poet and a
bass player. His jazz-funk band Miles Long has performed in
several major jazz festivals, including the Playboy Jazz
Festival, and has opened for high profile artists including
Earl Klugh and the late Luther Vandross, and he recently
performed at the historic Apollo Theater. Both of Warner's
independently distributed CD's, “The Miles Long Mix Tape”
and “Love and Other Social Issues,” which have become
popular on the underground music scene, can now be purchased
on iTunes and
www.MalcolmJamalWarner.com . Warner currently lives in
LosAngeles, California.
Dr. Ronald C. McCurdy
Dr. Ronald C. McCurdy is Professor of Music in the Thornton
School of Music at the University of Southern California (USC)
and is Past President of the International Association of
Jazz Educators (IAJE). Prior to his appointment at USC he
served as Director of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz
at USC. He has served as Professor of Music and chair of the
Afro-African American Studies Department and served as
Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Minnesota. In
1997, Dr. McCurdy served as Visiting Professor at Maria-Sklodowska-
Curie University in Lublin, Poland. In 2001 Dr. McCurdy
received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University
of Kansas.
Dr. McCurdy recently released CD titled, Once Again for the
First Time on the INNOVA label and is author of Meet the
Great Jazz Legends, published by Alfred Publishing Co. Dr.
McCurdy is co-author of a vocal jazz improvisation series
titled Approaching the Standards, published by Warner Bros.
He is currently touring The Langston Hughes Project, Ask
Your Mama: 12 Mood for Jazz. The multimedia presentation
features jazz quartet, spoken-word and images from the
Harlem Renaissance.
Dr. McCurdy is in demand as a guest clinician, soloist,
speaker, director of honor Jazz Ensembles and Choirs
throughout the United States and Canada. He has directed All
State Jazz Ensembles in New York, Texas, Arizona, Vermont,
Nebraska, Ohio, Nevada, Illinois, Oklahoma, and Florida to
name a few. Dr. McCurdy received his undergraduate degree
from Florida A & M University and his Masters and Ph. D.
degrees from the University of Kansas.
Dr. McCurdy is a consultant to the Grammy
Foundation educational programs including serving as
director of the National Grammy Vocal Jazz Ensemble. He
served as Director of the Walt Disney All-American Summer
College Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Singers in Orlando, Florida
for seven years and continues to serve as a consultant for
the college program. A few of the guest artists he has
worked with include Joe Williams, Rosemary Clooney, Leslie
Uggams, Arturo Sandoval, Diane Schuur, Ramsey Lewis, Mercer
Ellington, Dr. Billy Taylor, Maynard Ferguson, Lionel
Hampton, and Dianne Reeves. He has served as a member of the
Jamey Aebersold Jazz Camp faculty. Dr. McCurdy is a
performing artist for the Yamaha International Corporation.
The South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center is managed by the
Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, with
funding support from the Office of the Miami-Dade County
Mayor and Board of County Commissioners. The Center is
dedicated to presenting and supporting arts and culture and
providing access to the arts to the entire Miami-Dade County
community.
About the Building
South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center serves as a showcase
for the performing and media arts, welcoming people from all
backgrounds and economic means. The facility includes 966
seat state-of-the- art theater, which features a fly tower,
orchestra pit, front of house spaces (box office, lobby,
concessions, etc.) and back of house support spaces
(dressing rooms, storage and work areas, administrative
offices, etc.). The site also includes an activities
building which houses lab / experimental theaters, and may
be used for classrooms, rehearsals, and small-scale
performances. A beautiful outdoor plaza allows for
festivals, art shows, and other outdoor activities. The
concert lawn “back yard” slopes to the Black Creek Canal,
and can host outdoor concerts, performances and events.
About delancyhill, P.A.
With satellite offices in the downtown Miami, Kendall-Dadeland,
and Miramar, Florida, and the innovative use of cloud office
technology, delancyhill, P.A. serves as outside general
counsel to corporations, entrepreneurs, small businesses,
and municipal corporations in civil and commercial
litigation and transactional matters. The firm practices in
the areas of commercial, real estate/construction, and
administrative litigation, as well as, general corporate,
real estate, intellectual property, government, and
immigration transactional matters. For additional
information about the Firm, please call (786) 777-0184 or
visit
www.delancyhill.com .
The Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the
Cultural Affairs Council develop cultural excellence,
diversity and participation throughout Miami-Dade County by
strategically creating and promoting opportunities for
artists and cultural organizations, and our residents and
visitors who are their audiences. The Department directs the
Art in Public Places program and its board, the Art in
Public Places Trust, commissioning, curating, maintaining
and promoting the County’s award-winning public art
collection. Through staff, board and programmatic resources,
the Department, the Council and the Trust promote,
coordinate and support Miami-Dade County’s more than 1,000
not-for-profit cultural organizations as well as thousands
of resident artists through grants, technical assistance,
public information and interactive community planning. The
Department receives funding through the Miami-Dade County
Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, The Children’s
Trust, the National Endowment for the Arts, the State of
Florida through the Florida Department of State, Division of
Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and
Culture, and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Other support and services are provided by TicketWeb for the
Culture Shock Miami program, the Greater Miami Convention
and Visitors Bureau, the South Florida Cultural Consortium
and the Tourist Development Council.
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