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Living Jazz (formerly Rhythmic Concepts), with thegenerous support of Target, will present “In the Name of Love”, the 10th Annual Musical Tribute honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In honor of our 10th anniversary, the tribute has been moved to the historic Paramount Theatre in downtown Oakland. In the Name of Love remains Oakland’s only annual non-denominational musical tribute to Dr. King. It is an extremely significant civic and cultural event for the city, bringing our diverse community together to pay tribute to Dr. King’s message of community, equality and inclusion. “In the Name of Love” showcases both international and local talent, children from Oakland public schools, local non-profits and businesses working to make a difference, and honors an outstanding humanitarian through the “Oakland Citizen Humanitarian Award” presented by a prominent dignitary. The event embodies diversity, joy, and accessibility, and provides an intergenerational experience, using music at it’s core, to celebrate and honor the great teachings of MLK, Jr. Diverse members of our community leave feeling unified, inspired, and positive about our collective and personal potential.
Born in Chicago in 1939, Mavis Staples began her career with her family group, the Staple Singers, in 1950. Initially singing locally at churches and appearing on a weekly radio show, the Staples scored a gigantic hit in 1956 with “Uncloudy Day” for the Vee-Jay label. Upon her high school graduation in 1957, the Staple Singers took their music on the road. Led by family patriarch Roebuck “Pops” Staples and including Mavis and siblings Cleo, Yvonne and Pervis, the Staples were often referred to as “God’s Greatest Hitmakers.”
POPLYFE is leading the next generation of gifted musicians and artists emerging from the San Francisco Bay Area. They are ready to carry on the Bay Area’s history of delivering new styles of music and artistry to the entertainment industry. They are learning the business of music from a host of mentors including producer D’Wayne Wiggins of Tony Toni Tone following in the footsteps of Destiny’s Child and Keyshia Cole. Already being recognized as the “Lil Tony’s”, …POPLYFE’s style ranges from Classical and Jazz to R&B and Hip Hop.
The Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, with its exquisite vocal harmonies and stirring gospel repertoire, is a multiracial interfaith group of 55 vocalists united in their love of gospel music with its message of hope, joy, unity and justice – under the direction of Terrance Kelly. Created in 1986 by Rhythmic Concepts, OIGC went on to form it’s own independent corporation in 1991 and is an international touring and recording group. From 1999-2003, the OIGC earned the Gospel Academy Award for “Best Community Choir of the Year.”
Oakland Children’s Community Choir is a music education project provided completely free of charge by RCI to Oakland elementary schools with little or no access to the arts. Over 240 children from Glenview and Cleveland elementary schools participated this season in a four-month music education and performance project under the Musical Direction of Melanie DeMore and accompanist Ben Heveroh. These schools were selected because of the diversity of the population and the lack of funding for cultural programming. Tonight’s event is the culmination of their work.
Founded in 1996 in San Francisco, Youth Speaks is the leading nonprofit presenter of Spoken Word performance, education, and youth development programs in the country. Presenters of local and national youthpoetry slams, festivals, reading series, and more, Youth Speaks also offers a comprehensive slate of literary arts education programs during the school day, in the after-school hours, on weekends and evenings, while providing numerous opportunities for youth to be published and heard. All told, Youth Speaks works with 45,000 teens per year in the Bay Area alone, and has helped create partner programs in 47 cities across the United States. Youth Speaks creates safe spaces to empower the next generation of leaders, self-defined artists, and visionary activists through written and oral literacies.
The Oaktown Jazz Workshops is a multifaceted presentation, and preservation organization dedicated to celebrating the artistic and cultural significance of America’s Classical Music – Jazz. Under the musical direction of Khalil Shaheed, OJW was formed in 1994 and celebrates jazz music as an American indigenous art form of profound artistic & cultural significance. The purpose of OJW is to promote, preserve, and present this music so that all youth, and especiallyAfrican American youth, develop a sense of ownership and pride in jazz music as a uniquely American cultural tradition.
