tour – Mitch's Muse

In a recent news release, Black Liberated Arts Center (BLAC) Inc. in Oklahoma City announced that the “Have a Mary Mary Christmas Tour” show scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011, at Frederick A. Douglass auditorium, had been cancelled due to medical concerns surrounding the pregnancy of Erica Campbell, who is due for delivery in February. The announcement is also posted on Mary Mary’s website (http://www.mary-mary.com/us/home).

The announcement issued by Mary Mary to BLAC Inc. indicated that the gospel duo had been on an unprecedented run of award shows, nomination, non-stop travel for holiday performances and a television series taping was forced to cancel their much anticipated first ever “Have a Mary Mary Christmas Tour” as Erica’s due date was approaching.

Anita Arnold, executive director of BLAC Inc., said that buyers of Mary Mary tickets should take their tickets to the place where they were purchased to claim their refund. Online purchases, mail and telephone credit card purchases will be refunded through BLAC, Inc. For more information, call (405) 524-3800 to obtain specific instructions on refunds.

BLAC Inc. extends thanks to everyone, especially, Saraa Kami, who worked hard to bring this show of excellence to the community. An announcement of BLAC Inc.’s full season of performing arts will be made in early 2012.

Jazz pianist/composer Helen Sung

According to a recent news release, award-winning jazz pianist/composer Helen Sung has announced a run of East Coast tour dates, which will include the debut of her experiment with all things electric titled “Wired” at the 55 Bar in New York City on April 26 and May 25, 2011. Other New York area dates include Sung with her trio at WBGO Radio’s “Jazz For Kids” series at the Montclair, N.J., Museum on April 16, 2011, presenting the program “I Got Rhythm, You Got Rhythm, We All Got Rhythm” with special guest tap dancer Maurice Chestnut. Sung will also perform in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Chamber Jazz Series in Washington, D.C. on April 12, 2011.
Sung recently released a collection of re-worked jazz standards from the American songbook, titled (re)Conception. Sung said in a release, “Nils Winther, owner of Steeplechase Records, called me on a Thursday in October 2009 asking if I’d like to do a trio recording session for him that coming Sunday: there’d been a cancellation. I’d done a couple of Steeplechase sessions before with other bands (Greg Tardy, Ronnie Cuber) and enjoyed them; besides, recording is always a terrific multi-faceted learning experience: producing, arranging, composing, the whole studio setting with its constellation of booths, mikes, the control room. Thus, I accepted this last minute opportunity.”
“I’ve always felt the American songbook is one the great proving grounds in jazz artistry,” Sung said. Referred to as “jazz standards”, these songs are timeless and have a strength that can withstand almost any type of treatment. For more information on Sung’s tour dates, go to http://www.helensung.com/.