A Celebration of the
History of Music in Trenton
Posted
on September 28, 2014
The
College of New Jersey School of the Arts and Communication, together with
support from the Department of Music, African-American Studies, Women’s and
Gender Studies, First Seminar Program, English, and the Office of Equity and
Diversity are pleased to announce two events held in celebration of the rich
history of music in Trenton this fall.
Please join us on Wednesday,
September 24 from 11-12:00PM in Mayo Concert Hall (Music Building)
for a free public lecture by singer and actress Ms. Sarah Dash of the iconic genre-defying trio Labelle.
Along with fellow Labelle members Patti Labelle and fellow Trenton native Nona
Hendryx, Ms. Dash has been recognized by scholars and journalists as an
important contributor to trends in music and popular culture in the 1960’s and
70’s. Beginning as the Bluebelles, they garnered critical acclaim in the early
1960’s with soaring renditions of standards such as “Danny Boy,” “Somewhere
Over the Rainbow,” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” They reinvented themselves in
the 1970’s with elaborate stage shows, glam rock costuming and a bold
repertoire that included their best known hit, “Lady Marmalade.
In
her lecture, Ms. Dash will speak about how her upbringing in the
African-American church in Trenton, as well as the city’s public schools,
contributed to her early musical development. She will discuss some of the
challenges she faced as a black woman in an industry rife with tales of race,
gender and financial exploitation. She has also promised to share rarely seen
performance footage and photos.
Clifford Adams was born and raised in Trenton, NJ and
briefly attended Trenton State College to study trombone. Since then, he has
played with many of the jazz greats, names that resound throughout history and
remain vibrant in the present by their influence on modern music forms such as
tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons, bebop era saxophonist Sonny Stitt and trumpeter
Freddie Hubbard. Most notably, Mr. Adams spent decades in the horn section of
the long-time pop-funk band Kool and the Gang and is recognized for his solos
in hits such as “Joanna,” “Jungle Boogie,” and “Hollywood Swinging.”
http://music.tcnj.edu/a-celebration-of-the-history-of-music-in-trenton-coming-to-the-college-of-new-jersey-this-fall/