aka Contrarian

So I should be impressed w rith freaks, and the perverts who hire them, huh. Like I said, they amuse me. But, whatever turns people on. Whoever said the best things in life are free? 😳

Well, Patrice sang a ballad but didn't show off her piano stylings. Gerri (?) worked out on the piano but she didn't sing. White girl Diana took this interplay genre and made it her own; that's how white folks steal black misic. Lol.

I'm not "impressed" by anybody who buys or sells sex. There's an element of desperation involved. And because I'm cynical, I'm amused by any such transactions.

Wouldn't it be more challenging to charm a woman with your swag and sensuality and score a freebie? A self respecting women could conceivably prefer pleasure over profit - an option that could make her feel better about herself - in more ways than one. 😉 Selling your body to a man kinda tarnishes one's self-esteem. Women are romantics and like being swept off their feet. Sometimes...

@richardmurray:Diana Krall

Also, Lester Holt, NBC's black evening news anchor is "stepping down". Don't know if it's voluntarily or not. I must admit, I always found Lester to be rather dull but I trusted him to tell the truth sooo - there's that. Heads are really rollimg. Who I think really needs to retire is Whoopi Goldberg. She's just taking up space in her capacity as moderator of ABC's popular daytime talk show "The View". Going on 70 years old, her contribution to the proceedings is just ho-hum. Joy Reid would make a good replacement for her by bringing more depth and journalistic professionalism to the table. i also hear that CBS is coming out with a program to compete with The View, giving equal time to the right wing conservative POV, trotting out Megan Kelly and Candace Owens as co-hosts. EU. 🤑 CBS also debuted "Beyond The Gates", its new daytime soap opera showcasing a predominately black cast of attractive, mostly light-skinned, DEI-free actors portraying a bunch of bougie negroes and the conflicted lives they lead. I watched the first episode and was semi-impressed.

I should point out that Diana Krall has enjoyed a long very successful career as a singer- pianist jazz musician. She's white, however. And Canadian, Go figure.

Ooops! Where to begin? First, thanks, Richard, for posting all the Dorothy Donegan material. Long time no hear! I enjoyed. Second, let me make myself clear, something I have been remiss in doing lately. I do believe dementia is finding a place in my mind because I meander off on tangents; hence my sidetracking your post into the jazz field which, as profD noted, had nothing to do with the question you posed. I just became fixated on the jazz angle probably because an instrument was involved, and I tend to associate jazz with any black soloist famous for playing an instrument. Little Richard being an exception. Lol But. - not surprising - I digress... back to your question. No, I don"t think anyone will duplicate Alicia Keyes' success. She's sort of a unicorn. And I also found Delano's take on her interesting. I, myself, noticed how at a certain point in her career, she stopped wearing heavy eye make-up seemingly to make a statement about being her natural self. I also want to give some props to Aretha who was a very gifted pianist, not classically trained but a natural talent who frequently enhanced her singing by accompaning herself on the piano. As for Roberta, i wasn't even aware until her recent death of her extensive musical history. I always just thought of her exclusively as a singer with a lush voice. Anyhow, bear with this ol girl. My vision is hampered by cataracts (which i am schedueled to have surgery for) and it's kinda hard to participate in forums via this Android phone. I need to get a lap top since my computer crashed but just haven't gotten around to it.

I didn't respond to the question about the currrent situation as it applies to black female jazz pianists in my first post because I was wracking.my brain trying to think of any current black female jazz pianists. I don't think Alicia Keyes fits this jazz category. So this pretty much prompts me to reach the conclusion that there is no such animal on the current jazz scene. I can't even come up with an up and coming young black male jazz pianist. But since I'm no longer up to speed, my not knowing of anyone who fits this "genre" means nothing. I'm simply under the impression that Jazz remains an acquired taste, its fans discriminating, its audience small, and its female participants limited to vocalists - which is regrettable. So, no, i don't see any signs of Hazel's, Dorothy's, Nina's or Roberta's shoes being filled.

There was another female who was Hazel Scott's contemporary and belongs with this group of classically-trained black female pianist who were equally at home playing jazz or the old masters. Her name was Dorothy Donegan. She was a child piano prodigy who grew up on Chicago's south side and at 5 years old had mastered the keyboard going on to study at Chicago's prestigeous Conservatory of Music and Chicago Musical college. She was later mentored by famous jazz pianists Oscar Peterson and Art Tatim Dorothy and Hazel Scott were also singers who went on to gain great popularity on the night club circuit appearing in exclusive cafes and hotel venues beginning in the 1940s, as well as releasing record albums and making cameo movie roles. They both also had their own jazz combos at one time and often sat in and recorded albums with jazz men like bebop trumpeteer Dizzy Gillespie. I remember them both quite well as a teenager. Dorothy was a very playful performer often mugging and seductively interacting with the keyboard. She died in 1998 at the age of 76. All of these women were phenomenal versatile talents. And Hazel and Nina Simone were civil rights activists. Hazel was at one time married to Adam Clayton Powell. Nina was born the same year as me. 1933.

Hummm. I, for one, have better things to do than to try and picture what kind of facial hair I prefer on a man. As if men would even be interested in the opinion of somebody my age who is out of the loop. To come up with an opinion, I have to go back in time to the days when I gave a damn about what men looked like.... Just for the record, I'm not big on facial hair. Neat mustaches, fine. close shaven VanDykes and goatees, okay, bushy or shaggy full-grown beards, - not so much. Solid dark color. preferred. Anything else a distraction because I simply don't like the wolf man effect of facial hair. My personal preference: clean shaven. I know I'm out of step with what is currently very popular. It's like guys nowadays take great pride in being able to grow a beard and like being envied by those who can't. 😴 As for the sub topic about the virtues and rewards of "confident" men... Again, back in the day, - I always gravitated toward the laid-back understated type; even a tad self-depricating. wry wit a plus. More often than not, these types had the most going for them, intellectually. To me, it was a compliment if one of them tried to seduce me. No accounting for tastes... Oh well. Chevedove and Mel, you can chime in. I'm going back to fretting over how too much of my energy is being consumed by despising Retrumpican MAGAs, - black ones in particular. Why am I even still alive??? I'm going for catarac surgery next week. So if they laze me to death, - it's been real, folks! 👋

Change is inevitable, and Time brings change - but not always for the better. America, as we know it, is dissipating and whether this is beneficial will undoubtedly depend on who you are. What I find so disturbing is the flawed, bigoted ineptitude of the person in charge of the change. It's a case of narcissistic meglo-mania being rewarded with the power to completely control. Disappointment reinforces my cynicism when it comes to Life's vicissitudes. I always secretly hoped I was wrong in disparaging the concern of the Universe. But it really doesn't give a damn. Your best bet is to just look out for #1.

An example of things to come begins with the newly inaugurated Trump's plans to round up and deport illegal immigrants who are presumed to be criminals, even as he issues a pardon to the thousands of January 6th rioting insurrectionists who tried to overturn a Presidential election and lynch the Vice President, seriously injuring several law enforcement officers in the process. "Our way or the highway" will obviously be the mission statement of the newly- elected regime and its bigoted and oligarch followers. (All under the supervision and approval of King Donald's Prime Minister, Elon Musk.) "Welcome to the new Golden Age that will make America great again," Trump proclaims. Puleeze. More like a Tarnished Era that will make America "grate" again. What a farce!

Where America is concerned, the term "Promised Land" is interchangeable with "the land of opportunity" phrase, both of which are connected with "the Americsn Dream" idea. All 3 are illusions associated with the element of luck and, of course, white skin. 🤪

STFU, nels. The more you snivel, the more irrelevant you sound with your non sequitur retorts. Apparently, the responses of the male posters left you too disarmed to take them on. Watta Wussy. And, I hate to disappoint you but the odds of me being around for the next "election" are pretty low inasmuch as I'd be close to 100 years old in 2028. So all of your smug predictions don't phase me. I'm sure you have a good "black" job to get you from pay day to pay day so run along and scurry back down into your rabbit hole and, like the hypocritical Evangelicals who inspire you, wait for an angry God to inflict more destruction on the detractors of tRump who personifies all of the worst traits of mankind that are now concentrated in the conservative, fascistic, MAGA-infested oligarchic Republicans.party thst you worship, a political cesspool that has drenched your mentality, - and overwhelmed the Democratic party and its Liberal good intentions. America deserves what it voted into power. This country is what it is. A big joke. źzzzzzzzzzzzz

Tell 'em, Harry! Like the good flunky that he is, nels is apparently parroting the narrative of the Project 2025 Evangelicals trying to paint themselves as the good guys whose enemies God is punishing. A lot of black folks will eat this stuff up, as usual, never questioning why God didnt come to the rescue of long suffering slaves.

Wonder if the spontaneous explosion of the recently launched StarShipXmoon probe is in anyway connectd to the UFO drone activity.? Will this question be brought up at the hearings ??? Ditto for the recent near-miss, mid air collision of 2 passenger Jet planes!

What a crock of pure, unadulterated Bull Shit. Considering the felonious spawn of Satan who is about to take control of America, and the clown car of inept lackeys who will comprise his cabinet and staff, it could be concluded that "the man upstairs" is more into rewarding evil rather than punishing it - for those of you who insist on personifying good and evil. I knew nels was a Retrumpican cult member in good standing but I didn't realize just how gullible and stupid he really is. I guess the rampaging winter weathet is to punish the Democrats who voted against that traitorous rapist and dishonest con man, tRump. And the imminent evacuation of all the hapless immigrants seeking a better life in the promise land will just be collateral damage when it comes to the wrath of God. Get outta here! A more logical scenario would be that The Devil has gotten the upper hand thanks to Trumpism and that it's now up to all people of good will to rise up against him and the hell fire that has always been his weapon!

@ProfD: Well, couldnt the New Orleans terrorist be an Arab-American; e.g. Lebanonese or Palestinian whose parents are immigrants from the middle east. There are plenty of second generation Arabs born in and living in America.

The new Orleans terrorist is African American?? His looks and his name appear to be Arabic/Semitic to me. Is he a Black Muslim?

Greetings, AALBC Forum Fsmily: Hope you all had a great Chrustmaa and I wish everyone a Happy New Year! Here's to a prosperoua 2025! 🍸🫶

It was rumored that recently while in France checking in with the French Leadership, noone wanted to sit near him because he reeked with the smell of feces. 💩 Speaking of which, what the crap is going on with Elon Musk? When did he become America's co-president-elect? America is on the brink of shutting down the Federal government, and Musk is in the thi:ck of it, calling the shots! He's an immigrant from South Africa and suddenly is now Trump's partner in crime. Unbelievable! America is in deep doo-doo!

My short attention span prevented me from doing anything other than cherry picking the topics I wanted to respond to in this marathon post that my late night curiosity prompted me to check out. All I can say is the longer I live, the more I realize how much the black experience can vary. I have never been around any black married couples who so desperately desired light skin children that the wife copulated with a white male in order to achieve this goal! People I knew, dealt with however their kids came out, (sometimes being guilty of showing favoritism toward their lighter-skinned offspring albeit.) In my social circle, guys were sometimes intimidated by fair-skinned girls, settling for brown ones. Girls often had a thing for what they perceived as the more masculine darker skinned guys. But none of these tendencies dominated customs. People liked who they liked, and ugliness came in all colors, just as good looks were good looks. This Neely Fuller sounds almost like a cult figure. Mysterious and dogmatic, proselytizing a color conscious doctrine that stems from personal experience and anecdotal examples, all of which enthrall his admirers. I wonder why he hasn't gained more popularity in the black community, why black leaders don't recommend his advice which is purported to be so wise? Not surprised Fuller is said to have mentored Frances Cress Wellsley. the original "angry black woman" with unorthodox views. I went to college with her sister who, unlike dark Frances, was tan colored. They had another sister, who was light skinned but they all 3 looked like each other. What am I to make of this? If I am to believe what was said here, it's possible that their mother was impregnated by a white man instead of her husband, and this accounted for the youngest sister being lightskinned. Get outta here. This may be the case with single women who get pregnant. But, since slave descendants come in various degrees of skin tones the great majority of them have white blood in them due to female slaves being raped by their white masters. So when 2 slave descendants procreate, they are bringing a whole history of bloodlines into the mix. This includes not only skin color but facial features:, hair texture and body builds and even non physical talents and skills. The hybrid slave descendants who comprise the negroid population of America can't be sure what color their children will come out because of "throwbacks". Let's not downplay the science of genealogy, in favor of rumors and superstition. I have actually seen cases where one mate is dark and the other light and their daughters were all dark and the sons all light or vice versa. Dominate and recessive genese may be somehow affected by the sex of the fertilized embryo. All kinds of factors influence how a child looks. Including how melanin reacts to certain conditions. Whatever the case, colorism won't go away. It ebbs and flows but never disappears. it is so pervasive in the "Afro American" community that the preoccupation with it has become neurotic. Even Beyonce has been accused of lightening her skin! Ironically; the ones most conscious of skin color seem to be those with dark skin. They have a love-hate relationship with "high yellow" people. I. personally, suspected that certain sistas didn't vote for Kamala because.they harbored feelings of resentment against her. It does seem that a preference for lighter skin spans all cultures. If Africa is the cradle of mankind, then any species that isn't black is a mutation of the original race. Perhaps it's in the DNA of the mutants to reject those whose skin is darker than theirs.

It's not unusual for people who have lived long lives, to attribute their longevity to having a nightly cocktail. My brother, who lived to be 87 years old, never stopped being a daily drinker. He outlived all of his friends, who frowned on his habits. Just like salt and sugar which are supposed to be bad for you in excess. I still have a heavy hand with the salt shaker and don't skimp on sugar either. At 91 years, I am surprised that I don't have diabetes. My vices are my pleasures. So be it.

An occasional goblet of red wine can mellow you out and, in doing so, temporarily chase your cares away. How bad can that be? What do medical authorities know? They're just people who the wine industry doesn't have in their pockets. Put em in check, RFK! Drinking a little of "the grape" can't be any worse than getting a covid vaccine! CHEERS! 😛😵