the gray, rainy pics are from last week. The one sunny pic is from May when we saw Dr Angelou.
She was frail, but oh that voice. After being assisted onstage to a thunderous reception, she was seated and waited patiently until the room was still. Then that smooth deep voice broke out in a hymn that marked the beginning of a 90 minute journey of spoken words, poetry and song. Through the tears and the laughter, I never saw her reference notes or script, it just seemed to pour out of her.
She is truly a treasure and sharing that afternoon with her is among the highlights of my life ...
Happy to see photos coming from you! Wish I had some sort of connection with the area ...
I'm envious of your afternoon with M.A. -- sounds incredibly delicious. She IS a commanding figure, isn't she? :)
Your commenting on how she never glanced at a note made me think of a Mahalia Jackson concert I once attended -- she stepped on stage and one of the first things she said was that there wasn't a "program" per se because she just let the Lord tell her which songs so sing as they went along. I don't remember if she had a "band" with her (or orchestra) or not, but she must have, and they must have been familiar with that process.
As a performer, the thought of speaking for 90 minutes without at least a THREAD in mind is daunting, but then again, when you reach her level of not only stature, but also life experience, I guess you can trust your gut. I do find this especially remarkable, though, in light of the fact that she didn't speak at ALL for years as a child after being raped, the rapist caught and hung by a vigilante group. I guess she's developed a special trust in her words that really, few of us will ever attain.
MA spoke of her childhood, her brother, her grandmother and the rape .. she spoke of her loves and of some of the defining moments of her life. I would venture a guess that she's told those stories, recited those poems and sung those songs so many times that she could go for days and never reference a note.
She is truly an artist, able to weave a tapestry with only her voice, that is rich with emotion and wisdom.
I'd never seen Mahalia Jackson in person
-- Edited by nesea on Sunday 28th of June 2009 01:08:54 PM
Ok dangit .. I'm going to get a picture up here if it takes me all day.
Let's see ....
Here is our gray ocean view from last week and a shot of the Steel Pier (no more diving horse) and the inlet ...
And just for me .. two shots from the last time we went down which was in may. The sun was shining and we saw Dr. Angelou (who happened to absolutely wonderful)
great photos. love the choppy water and the steel pier! for some reason i am desiring cotton candy and fried dough..hmmm.. lol what was the occasion for dr angelou speech?
the gray, rainy pics are from last week. The one sunny pic is from May when we saw Dr Angelou.
She was frail, but oh that voice. After being assisted onstage to a thunderous reception, she was seated and waited patiently until the room was still. Then that smooth deep voice broke out in a hymn that marked the beginning of a 90 minute journey of spoken words, poetry and song. Through the tears and the laughter, I never saw her reference notes or script, it just seemed to pour out of her.
She is truly a treasure and sharing that afternoon with her is among the highlights of my life ...
Happy to see photos coming from you! Wish I had some sort of connection with the area ...
I'm envious of your afternoon with M.A. -- sounds incredibly delicious. She IS a commanding figure, isn't she? :)
Your commenting on how she never glanced at a note made me think of a Mahalia Jackson concert I once attended -- she stepped on stage and one of the first things she said was that there wasn't a "program" per se because she just let the Lord tell her which songs so sing as they went along. I don't remember if she had a "band" with her (or orchestra) or not, but she must have, and they must have been familiar with that process.
As a performer, the thought of speaking for 90 minutes without at least a THREAD in mind is daunting, but then again, when you reach her level of not only stature, but also life experience, I guess you can trust your gut. I do find this especially remarkable, though, in light of the fact that she didn't speak at ALL for years as a child after being raped, the rapist caught and hung by a vigilante group. I guess she's developed a special trust in her words that really, few of us will ever attain.
Ok dangit .. I'm going to get a picture up here if it takes me all day.
Let's see ....
Here is our gray ocean view from last week and a shot of the Steel Pier (no more diving horse) and the inlet ...
And just for me .. two shots from the last time we went down which was in may. The sun was shining and we saw Dr. Angelou (who happened to absolutely wonderful)
great photos. love the choppy water and the steel pier! for some reason i am desiring cotton candy and fried dough..hmmm.. lol what was the occasion for dr angelou speech?
the gray, rainy pics are from last week. The one sunny pic is from May when we saw Dr Angelou.
She was frail, but oh that voice. After being assisted onstage to a thunderous reception, she was seated and waited patiently until the room was still. Then that smooth deep voice broke out in a hymn that marked the beginning of a 90 minute journey of spoken words, poetry and song. Through the tears and the laughter, I never saw her reference notes or script, it just seemed to pour out of her.
She is truly a treasure and sharing that afternoon with her is among the highlights of my life ...
Ok dangit .. I'm going to get a picture up here if it takes me all day.
Let's see ....
Here is our gray ocean view from last week and a shot of the Steel Pier (no more diving horse) and the inlet ...
And just for me .. two shots from the last time we went down which was in may. The sun was shining and we saw Dr. Angelou (who happened to absolutely wonderful)
great photos. love the choppy water and the steel pier! for some reason i am desiring cotton candy and fried dough..hmmm.. lol what was the occasion for dr angelou speech?
Ok dangit .. I'm going to get a picture up here if it takes me all day.
Let's see ....
Here is our gray ocean view from last week and a shot of the Steel Pier (no more diving horse) and the inlet ...
And just for me .. two shots from the last time we went down which was in may. The sun was shining and we saw Dr. Angelou (who happened to absolutely wonderful)
Okay, that pic "got me" a little. She looks so happy, yet so frail. And everything is just so frail lately moreso than in such a long time. Nice pics, I'm glad to see you sharing them!
You know? It just hit me that I met her THIRTY SEVEN years ago! omg. :)
Ok dangit .. I'm going to get a picture up here if it takes me all day.
Let's see ....
Here is our gray ocean view from last week and a shot of the Steel Pier (no more diving horse) and the inlet ...
And just for me .. two shots from the last time we went down which was in may. The sun was shining and we saw Dr. Angelou (who happened to absolutely wonderful)
Okay, that pic "got me" a little. She looks so happy, yet so frail. And everything is just so frail lately moreso than in such a long time. Nice pics, I'm glad to see you sharing them!
Ok dangit .. I'm going to get a picture up here if it takes me all day.
Let's see ....
Here is our gray ocean view from last week and a shot of the Steel Pier (no more diving horse) and the inlet ...
And just for me .. two shots from the last time we went down which was in may. The sun was shining and we saw Dr. Angelou (who happened to absolutely wonderful)
