Tag Archives: Technology

Coded Bias: Must-See TV

March 21, 2021 Faye Anderson

Paul Laurence Dunbar was the nation’s first celebrated Black poet.

Dunbar’s poems include “We Wear the Mask.”

Computer scientist Joy Buolamwini, founder of Algorithmic Justice League, had to wear a white mask to have her face detected by a facial recognition program. Buolamwini’s groundbreaking research is showcased in the documentary Coded Bias.

Coded Bias premieres nationwide on PBS on Monday, March 22, 2021. The documentary will be available on PBS, PBS.org and PBS Video App. Check your local listing here.

400 Years of African American History, Advocacy, Blog

The Pedestal Project

February 7, 2021 Faye Anderson

Public art matters. Confederate monuments were installed to change the narrative about slavery and the Civil War, and to romanticize insurrectionist leaders of the “Lost Cause.”

In cities across the country, citizens have organized to take down symbols of white supremacy.

In some places an empty pedestal is all that remains.

Color of Change has launched The Pedestal Project, an Augmented Reality experience that replaces symbols of hate with symbols of equality:

Contentious statues have been torn down all across America, leaving behind empty pedestals in their wake. It’s time to place new symbols in their stead. The Pedestal Project is born of the vision to repurpose these ill-conceived pedestals by using technology to help people choose the statues that should go up on them. Statues of people who have dedicated their lives to fighting for justice and equality. So that beacons of hope and progress can stand where symbols of hate, oppression and inequality once stood. And that people everywhere can have an active voice in the movement for racial justice.

To find an empty pedestal near you, go here.

Advocacy, Blog, Cultural Heritage Preservation

Jazz Foundation Musicians’ Emergency Fund Concert

May 10, 2020 Faye Anderson

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.

Advocacy, Blog

Bix the Jazz Bot

January 21, 2018 Faye Anderson

All That Philly Jazz stems from Music Hack Day, a music-related hackathon. So innovation is in our DNA.

I am excited to report that All About Jazz has launched Bix the Jazz Bot, a chatbot that curates personalized online content. The chatbot was created in collaboration with Gupshup, the world’s leading chatbot and bot development platform. Michael Ricci, founder and president of All About Jazz, said:

Bix is a convenient way to get the stories and news our readers value most. Whether it’s album reviews, live reviews, or interviews, Bix is your personal guide and takes you on a deep dive into our website.

Beerud Sheth, CEO of Gupshup, added:

Consumers are looking for new ways to explore and engage with new and recognizable artists and content, and publishers are likewise looking for ways to retain and attract new readership. Chatbots are the future of consumer engagement, and we’re excited to work with All About Jazz to make their content accessible and available on-demand.

For information on how to access Bix, visit All About Jazz.

Blog, Cultural Heritage Preservation, Main Channel

Let’s Do Philadelphia’s Jazz Heritage Justice

June 21, 2016 Faye Anderson 1 Comment

On the first day of summer, I had to report for jury duty at the Juanita Kidd Stout Center for Criminal Justice. As I stood in line to go inside the Jury Assembly Room, I noticed a panoramic mural. I made a mental note to check it out during the break.

Words cannot convey my shock and awe to discover some of the images depict Philadelphia’s legendary jazz clubs, including the Blue Note, the Showboat and Pep’s.

It is clear the details only could have come from folks who were there. So it was no surprise to learn the mural was conceived by Doug Cooper in collaboration with “Philadelphia elderly.” Cooper wrote:

I brought together more than 40 elderly residents to complete it, and I worked jointly with them at the Center in the Park in the Germantown district of Philadelphia. Local artist, Deborah Zwetsch and I assembled their memories over the previous 80 years.

[…]

The memories of the elderly are highly personal. Some are sentimental, some painful, some humorous, some ordinary.

There is nothing ordinary about the depiction of the Ridge Avenue jazz corridor.

Ridge Avenue is ground zero in the Philadelphia Housing Authority’s plan to transform the Sharswood neighborhood. There is widespread concern that PHA has no plan to preserve the neighborhood’s cultural heritage and historic resources.

Cooper’s mural, showcasing Pep’s, the Showboat, Blue Horizon, Uptown Theater and jazz clubs on Ridge Avenue, tells part of the story of Philadelphia’s rich jazz heritage. We must capture the rest of the story while the folks who were there are still here. If we don’t, their stories will be lost for current and future generations.

Blog, Main Channel

Mary Lou Williams, Jazz Icon

July 2, 2015 Faye Anderson 1 Comment

This year marks the 115th anniversary of the birth of Mary Lou Williams. Since 1995, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has paid tribute to the legendary pianist and composer with the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival.

Williams is the subject of a new documentary, Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band. The film premiered on public television on April 1.

Missed it? If you’re in the Philly area, you’re in luck. There will be a screening of the documentary on Tuesday, July 14, at the International House. Hosted by the Scribe Video Center, the screening and conversation with director Carol Bash is co-sponsored by the Leeway Foundation, Philadelphia Jazz Project, Ars Nova Workshop and Reelblack.

Sadly, luck is running out on the Women of Jazz mural, which depicts jazz icons including Williams, Billie Holiday and Nina Simone. This cultural asset is on the Philadelphia Housing Authority’s chopping block.

On June 1, I provided public comment before the Philadelphia City Council Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development and the Homeless, which is chaired by Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell. I brought to Blackwell’s attention the Philadelphia Housing Authority plans to demolish the mural. I made it clear the goal of increasing the availability of affordable housing and preserving the City’s jazz heritage is not mutually exclusive.

COUNCILWOMAN BLACKWELL: Thank you very much. So you’re saying they’re slated to tear down the mural?
MS. ANDERSON: Yes. The Women of Jazz mural at 3200 [block] of Arlington. It will be torn down sometime this year. The date to be determined.
COUNCILWOMAN BLACKWELL: All right. I’m happy to work on that.

The complete transcript is available here. Clap along if you’re happy.

Blog, Cultural Heritage, Cultural Heritage Preservation, Main Channel

John Coltrane on ‘Giant Steps’

May 12, 2015 Faye Anderson

Blog, Main Channel

All That Philly Jazz Presentation at Open Access PHL

March 20, 2015 Faye Anderson 1 Comment

Faye Anderson, director of All That Philly Jazz, made a presentation at the March convening of Open Access Philly.

Jazz Venues, Main Channel

Blue Moon Jazz Club and Restaurant

January 28, 2015 Faye Anderson

Musicians who appeared here included Johnny DeFrancesco, Norman Connors and his Starship band, guitarist Paul Jackson Jr., Nnenna Freelon, Kim Waters, Jean Carne, Frank Morgan, Dexter Wansel and Pieces of a Dream.

Experience the freedom to listen to your favorite music songs from anywhere, anytime on the go with CloudDesktopOnline with excellent support from Apps4Rent.com to store, stream and share your gigs.

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