AfroSolo presents STANDING TALL, Aug 15-16 & 22-23

The AfroSolo Theatre Company continues its thirty-year tradition of showcasing the best in Black art and culture this month at Potrero Stage with STANDING TALL, two diverse programs featuring classical music, singing, theater, dance, poetry, hip hop dance and jazz by some of the foremost artists in the San Francisco Bay Area. Program 1, September 15-16 at 7pm PT, includes classical pianist Dr. Carl Blake, solo performance artist Algiin Ford, and San Francisco Poet Laureate devorah major. Program 2, September 22-23 at 7pm PT, curated by guest curator Preston Justice, includes jazz bassist Marcus Shelby, saxophonist Howard Wiley, poet Joyce Lee, vocalist Valerie Troutt, and dancer Algerion Bryant. “It bring joy to my heart to present share these talented artists as they explore of theme of ‘STANDING TALL’ providing searing testimony to Black joy, resilience and exhilaration.  These performance will  continue our legacy sharing our stories that spotlights the bonds we have in common,” said Thomas Robert Simpson, founder and artistic director of AfroSolo. All programs will be simulcast and available on-demand for one week. Admission is free (donations gladly appreciated). For more information and to reserve tickets, click here.

Program 1
September 15 & 16, 2023, 7pm PT
Featuring: classical pianist Dr. Carl Blake, solo performance artist Algiin Ford, & San Francisco Poet Laureate devorah major

Dr. Carl Blake will perform CLASSICAL MUSIC in VARIOUS FLAVORS: Music Influenced by Black American Traditions, Jazz Prelude, Ragtime, Spiritual, and Classical. Carl Blake is an internationally-renowned classical pianist. He holds three degrees in piano performance: Bachelor of Music (magna cum laude) from Boston University, Master of Arts from San Jose State University, and Doctor of Musical Arts from Cornell University. Dr. Blake has performed three times in Weill Recital Hall (formerly, Carnegie Recital Hall) and has toured in Russia, France, England, Central and South America, and the Caribbean Islands as Artistic Ambassador with cellist Kim Cook (Distinguished Professor of Music at The Pennsylvania State University) for the United States Department of State.  Currently, he serves as Director of Music of The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco and teaches piano in his private studio in Oakland.  Mr. Blake is a member of the Board of Directors of Noontime Concerts San Francisco.

Algiin Ford  performs the “Face of Grace.” Ford provides the testimony and hope we seek when dealing with adversity. “Face of Grace” is an intimate look at the process of recovering from drug addiction. Ford explores the societal and cultural obstructions and ultimate conquest of the demon. He points out the value of community, patience, and compassion as pivotal ingredients to support those that may stumble in those first brave steps. Most of all, he signals that victory is attainable. Algiin Ford has enjoyed being a local artist for the past 30 years. It began studying at night Jean Sheltons, While working a full-time job in early recovery. And after many plays , and even a few television roles. The new expression of writing and performing these last couple of years has felt like the greatest and most rewarding creative gift yet. 

devorah major will perform New and Renewed, a combination of new poems and revived works that spotlight Black life and the time in which we live in a thoughtful way that will make you smile, laugh and possibly shed a few tears. Born and raised in California, devorah major served as San Francisco’s Third Poet Laureate (2002-2006). In 2019 she toured Southern Italy where her sixth book of poetry with open arms was released in a bilingual edition.  A Willow Press Editors Choice her seventh book of poetry Califia’s Daughter was published by Willow Press in 2020.  devorah major performs her work nationally and internationally with and without musicians. http://www.devorahmajor.com

Program 2
September 22 & 23, 2023, 7pm PT
Curated by guest curator Preston Justice & featuring: jazz bassist Marcus Shelby, saxophonist Howard Wiley, poet Joyce Lee, vocalist Valerie Troutt, & dancer Algerion Bryant

AfroSolo guest curator Preston Justice has gathered an outstanding line-up of artists to enliven our theme of “STANDING TALL.” The evening will unfold with progressive performances by individual artists to be joined by another artist. We will highlight each artist and blend them with another artist to create some artistic gumbo. It promises to be an insightful, exhilarating, upbeat, and fun experience.

Preston Justice is a lifelong Bay Area resident whose perspective has been shaped by the generations of migration that preceded his arrival. Justice is passionate about intentionally cultivating space for connection. He has worked and played in many community arts spaces, notably supporting the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival in San Francisco and as curator and host of Friday Nights at OMCA in Oakland.

Joyce Lee is a poet with over thirteen years of experience cultivating culture in four countries. Lee is a professional storyteller on WNYC’s/NPR’s Snap Judgment. She has mentored young womyn (Girls Taking Action) and volunteered for the Minnesota Prison Writing Program and the Twin Cities Book Festival. Lee graduated with an MFA in Poetry and Creative Writing from Hamline University in May 2023 with a 4.0 GPA. Lee is now a full-time college professor and is working on two manuscripts.

Marcus Anthony Shelby is a composer, bassist, bandleader, and educator living in San Francisco, California. His work focuses on the history, present, and future of African-American lives, social movements, and music education. Shelby is the Artistic Director of Healdsburg Jazz, an artist in residence with the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, and a past resident artist with the San Francisco Jazz Festival and the Healdsburg Jazz Festival.

Valerie Troutt, a vocalist, has established herself as more than an artist but as a leader in the SF Bay Area’s famed creative community. She is the keeper and expander of a rich cultural legacy in music and consciousness‐raising. Troutt’s latest project, “Because of Black Music I Am,” gives voice to the future, exploring marginalization, Black Artistry, Womynhood, love, and hope. “We are building pathways for a world 5, 10, 20 years from now. There’s hope,” she proclaims. 

Howard Wiley, a saxophonist born in Berkeley, displayed a unique musical talent from a very young age, releasing his first album at 15. Wiley has toured internationally, recorded, and performed with artists including Miss Lauryn Hill, Sheila E, Cory Henry, Christian McBride, and Chester Thompson. He is a founding member of the new Bay Area collective BLACK LONDON. 

About AfroSolo

AfroSolo Theatre Company’s mission is to nurture, promote and present African American and African Diasporan art and culture through solo performances and the visual and literary arts. Since 1994, we have presented the annual AfroSolo Arts Festival, a forum for African Americans and the larger African Diaspora, as a way to give voice to the unique experience of being Black. Through art, we bring people of all ethnicities together to explore and share the human spirit that binds us all. For more information, visit https://www.afrosolosf.org.