Muddy Waters

Barbara Morrison: Still a Performer at the Center of Hearts

Kimberly Shelby, Contributing WriterMarch 2, 2023

One year after revered songstress, vocal teacher and community activist Barbara Morrison’s passing at age 72, her legacy is humming along in full swing. The City of Los Angeles has renamed the corner of 43rd Street and Degnan (where the Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center has stood for the past 14 years) “Barbara Morrison Square.” It was dedicated on the singer’s birthday last year, September 10, which also marked the date of the First Annual Barbara Morrison Jazz and Blues Festival.

Religion

Radha Botofasina’s New Album of Spirituals Soon Available on Vinyl

Kimberly Shelby, Contributing WriterFebruary 8, 2023

“The Spirituals, Vol. 2: Carry On,” a new release from Radha Botofasina, vocalist/pianist/harpist/composer and longtime collaborator of Alice Coltrane, will be available on vinyl March 1. The collection of spirituals in Botofasina’s singular, roots-based style meshes gospel sensibilities with contemporary and eastern influences to deliver potently unique renditions of such foundational songs as “Satan, We Gonna Tear Your Kingdom Down” and “Mary, Don’t You Weep.” The sonically revelatory album is a follow up to Botofasina’s similarly-themed 2009 release, “The Spirituals,” and each track is rooted in a Biblical story.