"Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness."
-Maya Angelou
It seems to be more than fitting to begin this month's activities and experiences with a quotation from the peerless and timeless Dr. Maya Angelou, a creative force of nature whose towering empathy, eloquence and endless education has worked wonders in the continuous process of lifting up all of humanity. Angelou passed away at the age of 86 on May 28th of this year and at this time, I wish to not begin this time on Synesthesia upon notes of sadness but of recognition and celebration.
Dear readers, this site and my fictional/virtual radio station WSPC are enormously proud to embark upon the annual event which celebrates the month of June as BLACK MUSIC MONTH.
I came upon this idea through a chance sighting of an advertisement broadcasted upon the Centric cable channel and within those moments, I wondered to myself that if I were to play DJ as I had been performing upon my Facebook page and attempted to feature the art and artistry of Black musicians performers, singers and producers, what exactly would I play? It was an undertaking that filled me with a tremendous amount of surprises and pride as I had intended to perhaps post a song or two a day and ended up posting an enormous amount of music on each day of the month.
When the month of June arrived last year, I felt compelled to try it again, to which I did, surprising myself in the process. And now, here I sit, preparing myself for the third year, with only scant ideas of what I wish to begin with and no ideas whatsoever of where the month will take me musically.
And that is precisely how I like it and how it should be.
My wishes concerning Black Music Month for my self as well as for all of you, is essentially the mission statement of this site as well as WSPC, that this is a home of celebration and appreciation. To take the time to pay homage to all of the Black artists from around the world who have ever given us the gift of music, regardless of genre or generation. While the topics and subject matter contained within the music may be fully representative of the Black Experience, I am thinking and feeling that despite any racial specifics, all of the music that I will play throughout the month are fully representative of the Life Experience!
In regards to this month's content on Synesthesia, I have some ideas of what to feature that may stick closely to the theme of the month, yet I will keep those cards close to my vest at this time. but all going well, I am hoping to forge some sense of discovery through the music I'll be listening to and the postings that I am hoping to write.
Black Music Month is designed to be received as a musical journey, a journey through art that will bring such vibrant light to the artists who have given so much of their spirits and talents to the world, gifts that we will forever be able to enjoy. And with the entertainment, I am hoping that the empathy, eloquence and endless education contained within the artists and the music they created illuminates even greater.
So, for now, I shall end these session notes as I began, with another quotation from Dr. Maya Angelou:
"Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances."
So it is and so it does...
...and remember, as always...PLAY LOUD!!!!!!!!!!!
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