We finally said goodbye to 2020, an annus horribilis. But what lies ahead might also be frightening.
How it started.
How it’s going.
Tag Archives: Coronavirus Pandemic
Merry Christmas
Christmas is my least favorite time of the year. The coronavirus pandemic has eliminated a lot of the fake cheerfulness.
While I don’t like the commercialism, I love the reason for the season – and Christmas blues.
Back to School 2020
Must-See TV: ‘The Sit-In’
For one week in February 1968, Harry Belafonte hosted “The Tonight Show,” then the highest-rated late night television show. Belafonte’s guests included Robert F. Kennedy, Bill Cosby, Lena Horne, Nipsey Russell, Paul Newman, Wilt Chamberlain, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Sidney Poitier and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
A documentary about that magical week of interviews and performances, “The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte Hosts the Tonight Show,” was scheduled to be screened at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival. But along came the coronavirus. Variety reports:
It was 1968, war was raging and racial tensions in America were at a boiling point, dividing the nation. In February, Harry Belafonte stepped in for Johnny Carson to host “The Tonight Show.” It was a monumental moment in which an African American would be the frontman of the most dominant program in late night — and perhaps all of TV — for an entire week. Guests included Lena Horne, Paul Newman, Aretha Franklin, Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy.
The doc was scheduled to screen in April at the Tribeca Film Festival, not far from where “The Tonight Show” was filmed in the ’60s, with an after-film discussion that was to have included Belafonte’s daughter, Gina. “We were so excited,” says Richen. “It’s a New York story, and I’m a New Yorker.”
But as with many eagerly anticipated independent films this year, the movie’s launchpad disappeared when the festival was canceled due to the coronavirus, making it a work about the events of yesterday informing today — trumped by the health crisis of the moment.
WHYY House Concert Series
With the coronavirus lockdown in its third month, WHYY recently launched a digital program to bring mini-concerts into your living room.
Musicians and songwriters in the Philadelphia region are invited to submit a song video for consideration on air in the virtual concert series and content in their weekly program, “You Oughta Know.”
Complete the submission form for a chance to be featured in the WHYY House Concert Series.
National Jazz Museum in Harlem Virtual Concert
The National Jazz Museum in Harlem is presenting a virtual concert to showcase the Museum’s broad community of artists. Curated by Artistic Directors Jon Batiste and Christian McBride, a native Philadelphian, the concert will feature performances by pianist Batiste, bassist McBride, vocalist Catherine Russell, among other artists.
The concert will be held on Wednesday, May 20, 2020, 7:00 pm ET on Facebook Live. To reserve a spot, go here.
To support the CRIB Collective Concert Series and other programming at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, text “Jazz” to 41444 or donate here.
Jazz Foundation Musicians’ Emergency Fund Concert
With stay-at-home orders in place, gig workers are among the hardest hit. With few exceptions, musicians are part of the gig economy. With the live music industry on lockdown, musicians can’t work. And if they can’t work, they don’t get paid.
On Thursday, May 14, 8pm to 10pm ET, the Jazz Foundation of America will present #TheNewGig Live!, a digital fundraiser benefiting jazz, blues and roots musicians who have lost gigs due to the coronavirus.
JFA has established a COVID-19 Musicians’ Emergency Fund to help musicians and their families survive the Coronavirus Lockdown. To make a donation, visit jazzfoundation.org/covid19.
All That Philly Jazz 