Author Archives: ddaymedia

A Special Memory: Meeting Mrs. Coretta Scott King and Dr. Benjamin E. Mays

I am a proud Fisk University graduate and getting to meet and have lunch with Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, widely regarded as one of Morehouse College’s most esteemed alumni, remains one of those memorable moments in my lifetime.
  Our chance acquaintance occurred in Atlanta at an Adult Education conference held at the then new Marriot hotel. It is the site in which former World Heavy Weight Champion Muhammed Ali made his return comeback fighting Jerry Quary in Atlanta 1970. Atlanta’s elite citizens and celebrities from all over the country attended the fight and the gala gatherings it spawned, and many observed the weigh-in. On that memorable Day, I also met Mrs. Corretta Scott King as she entered the hotel foyer, greeting and being warmly greeted by throngs of her admirers. I politely greeted her and she asked me if I was here for the fight. I explained that I was in Atlanta for the education conference hosted by the University of Chicago where I was in Graduate school. Mrs. King noted that Dr. Mays was also at the Hotel and that he too was once a grad student at the University of Chicago. I beamed because I had only recently read his autobiography, and I was well acquainted with Dr. Mays’ personal narrative and affiliation with the University of Chicago. Mrs. King mentioned she had talked with her good friend Dr. Mays earlier that morning and he had stated he’d plan to have lunch at the New Marriot Hotel, the first hotel to possess the bubble elevators. She directed to the café and I felt such hospitality and encouragement as a young grad student. I was elated. We talked about education at the University of Chicago and its value. I ruminated on some of the highlights in his book Born to Rebel, which I had recently read. His advice to me as we parted was that he wished me well in my studies and said “I hope you can focus on learning to listen as well as you know how to talk and present your ideas.” Advice that I try to carry with me. Here’s a quote from a post by Black Men in Higher Education: “Dr. Benjamin E. Mays emphasized scholarship, academic rigor, and a well-trained mind as essential to the education of young Black boys. He anticipated they would pursue excellence and high academic achievement in all their endeavors without excuses or reliance on crutches. As he stated: “Whatever you do, strive to do it so well that no

Award-Winning Composer Pianist Lalo Schifrin and His Roots in New York Jazz

On Thursday this week, the jazz community lost a kindred spirit. Boris Claudio (Lalo) Schifrin (June 21, 1932 – June 26, 2025) was an Argentine-American and best known for his large body of film and TV scores, incorporating jazz and Latin American musical elements alongside traditional orchestrations. Lalo Schifrin The international jazz community, and specifically… Continue Reading

Throwback Thursday LIVE at Visiones 1992

Throwback Thursday Memory: Today I pay homage to some of the great artists musicians I’ve been privileged to know as friends and work with as compatriots along the journey in jazz. Drummer Chip White made his transition during the Covid pandemic but not before seeing a string of his recordings rise to respectable positions on… Continue Reading

East Chicago’s Black Churches

This Easter season, in today’s national conversation around religion, Christian nationalism, Critical Race Theory, and the intersection of race and politics, here is an article that I contributed to The Times of Northwest Indiana in the late 1980s. Churches in American life then, as today, have been central to the political dynamics that affect our… Continue Reading

A Great Night in Harlem: Music & Tributes to the Best of the Best

Tonight’s “Great Night in Harlem” fundraiser remains one of the City’s premier music galas of Spring. The event, sponsored by the Jazz Foundation of America (JFA), is the organization’s largest annual fundraiser. Held at the Apollo Theater in the heart of Harlem, this year’s program and star-studded post-concert celebration should once again live up to its… Continue Reading

Remembering Paul Kwami

Today I join in celebrating my friend Dr. Paul Kwami, who made his transition two years ago. Paul Kwami was former Director of the Fisk Jubilee Singers for 27 years. Although I’m not present in Nashville to honor him today, I reflect on our shared triumphs by introducing new audiences to experience concerts held by… Continue Reading

HBCU Marching Bands – An African American Hallowed Tradition

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) football culture and marching bands remain legendary within the nation’s African American community. Not only are historic conference and regional rivalries prime arenas for showcasing some of our nation’s finest grid ironers, grooming athletes as potential Heisman trophy prospects and future NFL Hall-of-Famers, HBCU football games are also unique… Continue Reading