Tamar Smithers sang classics from the soul music songbook as well some contemporary favorites.
Bravo to the Community Folk Art Center (CFAC) for breathing some life into Third Thursdays and spicing up things along the Connective Corridor (Midtown section) during their Journey Through Music of the African Diaspora series. The most recent installment of the Journey, which was called a salute to Women in Music, featured local divas Erika Lovette and Tamar Smithers. These sophisticated ladies belted out sweet soul music (from original compositions to spirituals to Lena Horne to Beyonce and Mary J) and worked the capacity crowd like it was the Essence Music Festival.
This was the final installment of the JMAD for the season. The series previously included acts such as Samba Laranja and Akuma Roots.
Erika Lovette gave the crowd just enough divatude during her performance and she also gave a shout out to local musicians Charles "CJack" Jackson and Eddie "EJ" Dowdell.
Abdul Karim Abdullah, a 2010 SU grad, and Cassandra, members of Be Great Foundation, address the students and crowd during the Save the Horn concert.
Here are some photographs taken during the Save the Horn concert at Syracuse University on Friday. Below find an interview with the concert organizer Kwaku Brown-Bonsu, a student at Syracuse University.
Syracuse MC World Be Free performs the SU Men's Basketball theme song on the eve of the team's Elite Eight game against Ohio State.
To the delight of a capacity crowd of students and members of the community, Brian Freeland, aka World Be Free, performed the SU theme song last night during a benefit concert that also included Cassidy and Fabolous at Goldstein Auditorium.
For one song Be Free shared the stage with soulful singer Erika Lovette. He also got a rousing response during a song called “Dear Music.”
World Be Free (left), his wife Aziza, and his manager Maestro
Fans, fellow artists, friends and family packed Sophistications Cafe in downtown Syracuse last night for singer Erika Lovette’s album release party. Her album is titled Love, Life and Everything In Between.
During last night’s gathering, she described the genesis for songs and various collaborations. She also mentioned that one of the songs was produced by Leonard Stephens, Jr. (who passed away last year).