The play opens with Wong recounting a real moment: her July 2022 interview with a Broadway producer to write the musical adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians, just two months after being named a Pulitzer Prize finalist for her seventh solo show Kristina Wong: Sweatshop Overlord. In retelling the experience, she pitches an exaggerated, Cinderella-style story about wealth, romance, and upward mobility.

The framing is intentionally absurd. Wong, a self-described activist artist with a history of working with marginalized communities, is painfully aware that she does not fit the mold of a mainstream Broadway storyteller. Her comedic desperation — “I can give you crazy and Asian” — sets up one of the central tensions of the piece: the pull between artistic integrity and the desire for financial security and recognition.

When she fails to land the job, Wong pivots. If she cannot write a glossy musical about wealth and aspiration, she will write her own musical — one that reflects her real life. In a clever structural move, she adopts the conventions of a romantic comedy (meet-cute, complications, resolution) and casts an unexpected love interest: her local food bank. This conceit becomes the organizing metaphor of the show. The “relationship” allows Wong to explore not only her personal history with food insecurity, but also the broader systems that shape access to food in the United States.

Hunger, Shame and a Struggle to Survive
Wong’s early adulthood as a struggling artist provides emotional grounding. In her twenties, she juggles low-paying jobs and inconsistent income, often relying on work that provided meals or improvising ways to get by.

Shame plays a central role. Cultural expectations and personal pride made it difficult for her to seek help. Even when assistance programs existed, they felt inaccessible and stigmatized. Through humor, Wong illustrates how people hide food insecurity, masking it with resourcefulness and silence.

Her story highlights a broader truth: hunger in America is often invisible, shaped as much by social stigma as by economic hardship.

The Meet-Cute: Discovering World Harvest Food Bank
The narrative shifts when Wong discovers the World Harvest Food Bank, a non-traditional food bank that operates like a grocery store. Unlike more institutional models, it offers flexibility and dignity — people pay what they can, volunteer, or simply receive food.

Wong describes this as a romantic “meet-cute.” For the first time, she experiences abundance without shame. The space redefines what food aid can look like, offering not just sustenance but autonomy.

Her affection for World Harvest extends to its founder, Glenn Curado, whom she portrays as an unconventional, almost mythic figure. Unlike leaders of large nonprofit food banks, he refuses restrictive funding, avoids bureaucratic oversight, and prioritizes accessibility for undocumented people and others who might be excluded from formal systems. Wong contrasts this model with the larger Feeding America network, highlighting tensions between scale, regulation, and flexibility. Through humor — comparing food banks to the Kardashian sisters — she critiques the hierarchies and branding within the nonprofit world.

Yet the play does not romanticize food banks uncritically. As the “relationship” deepens, Wong introduces complications. She examines the language of “hunger” versus “food insecurity,” noting how emotional appeals are often used in fundraising while obscuring systemic causes.

Dating the System: When Aid Programs Become Characters
Expanding beyond her own experience, Wong connects food insecurity to larger structural issues. She traces the history of U.S. food assistance, emphasizing that the country does not guarantee food as a basic right.

Stories from communities like the Navajo Nation illustrate “food apartheid,” where geography, race, and policy limit access to nutritious food. These examples reinforce that hunger is not accidental but systemic.

Wong critiques how food banks function politically. They offer powerful imagery for politicians while allowing deeper issues — low wages, housing costs, healthcare — to remain unaddressed. She suggests food banks act as a “Band-Aid,” providing relief without solving root causes. This dual role makes them both essential and problematic.

At the emotional peak, Wong realizes the food bank cannot be her “forever love.” While necessary, it cannot end hunger. This realization is framed as a romantic breakup. Food banks address immediate need but not systemic inequality. By dramatizing this, Wong captures the tension between gratitude and frustration.

The play ends with a vision of a world where food banks are no longer needed because basic needs are guaranteed. Wong imagines a society where food, housing, and healthcare are accessible to all.

This vision is aspirational but grounded in critique. It challenges audiences to think beyond temporary solutions and toward systemic change.

Comedy as a Call to Action
What makes Food Bank Influencer so compelling is its ability to hold multiple truths at once. It celebrates the lifesaving work of food banks while critiquing their limitations. It uses humor to make difficult topics accessible without diminishing their seriousness. And it transforms a deeply personal story into a broader call for systemic change.

In the end, Wong’s “love story” is less about a single institution than about a shift in perspective. By moving from charity to community, from scarcity to dignity, she challenges audiences to rethink not only how we feed people, but how we value them.

For more information, visit kristinawong.com

Read my article about Kristina Wong Food Bank Influencer where I originally wrote it in The Village View:

Inside Kristina Wong’s Food Bank Influencer

Kaju Roberto is an accomplished musician, singer/ songwriter, journalist, and an award-winning producer. He is the artist Rad Jet.

The post A Love Story About Hunger: Inside Kristina Wong’s Food Bank Influencer appeared first on Rad Jet's Historic Jazz Walking Tours.

This Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration featured musical performances by Atiba Kwabena Wilson with Kiyoko Yamaoka-Layne, Thelma Thomas, Judy Gorman, Gary Allard, and Lindsey Wilson, adding layers of inspiration and community expression throughout the night.

Elijah Dixon Owens: A Letter Across Generations
Opening with a warm acknowledgment from the event’s host, Owens immediately set a tone of intimacy and sincerity. “This is a letter that I wrote for Dr. Martin Luther King,” he began, bridging past and present. His words carried the dual spirit of homage and accountability, tracing the arc of American militarism from Vietnam to Iraq, Afghanistan, and beyond. Through his reflections, the audience felt the deep frustration of repeated cycles of war driven by profit and power, highlighting King’s prophetic warnings about the “giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism.”

Yet this was not a speech of despair. Its power came from its honesty combined with an unwavering moral clarity. Owens’ voice carried a steady indignation at injustice, but also a persistent hope that action — even small, sustained acts of solidarity — matters. He detailed the efforts of his generation: marches, advocacy, and participation in concerned committees, emphasizing that words alone are insufficient, but that they can inspire necessary action.

Reflections on History and Resilience
The program wove together history, music, and personal testimony. Drawing from a civil rights tour through the American South, Owens shared vivid experiences of slavery museums, the haunting symbolism of the sea, and the extraordinary resilience of both Jewish and African American communities. He reflected on the similarities and differences between these histories, emphasizing the lessons of courage, resistance, and moral perseverance that emerge when communities stand firm against oppression.

Music punctuated the evening, bringing the audience into collective affirmation. The chorus of Brian Claflin and Ellie Grace’s activist song invited listeners to join in with the line, “I’m gonna walk it with you,” transforming the café into a space of shared commitment and mutual support. The act of singing became a metaphor for solidarity across time, space, and struggle — an embodied reminder of King’s insistence that justice requires participation, not passivity.

Owens also invoked the words of historical figures and poets, from Harry T. Moore’s tireless investigation of lynchings to Langston Hughes’ guidance from mother to son. Each voice reinforced a central theme: resilience is not simply survival, but the continuous effort to carry others forward, to lift one another in the face of systemic cruelty and fear.

Bracha Lieberman: Kindness, Action, and Hope
Throughout the evening, the tone balanced reflection with moral resolve. The message was clear: the fight for justice is ongoing, often exhausting, and sometimes terrifying — but it is also meaningful, shared, and redemptive. The audience left with a sense of both the weight of history and the power of collective human action.

Following Owens, Bracha Lieberman brought a complementary perspective, infusing the evening with personal reflection and lived experience. Drawing on her background in social work and faith-based activism, she highlighted the imperative of resilience in daily life: the small acts of kindness, solidarity, and moral courage that sustain communities even when systemic injustices persist. Lieberman shared stories from her own engagement with voting rights, immigration advocacy, and civil rights history tours, connecting them to contemporary struggles. 

With warmth, humor, and deep humanity, she emphasized the call to act not out of despair, but out of hope — a hope grounded in the belief that collective effort and moral persistence can bend the arc of history toward justice. Her presence and words reminded the audience that Dr. King’s legacy lives not only in grand gestures but in daily, determined commitment to one another.

Music, Solidarity and a Night to Remember
In celebrating Dr. King, the event at People’s Voice Cafe did more than honor memory — it challenged those present to consider their own roles in shaping a more just and compassionate world. As Owens and Lieberman reminded the audience repeatedly, “It looks like it might be a hard road, but I’m gonna walk it with you.” The phrase became a mantra for the night, a promise of solidarity and hope that resonates far beyond the walls of the café.

The MLK Celebration concluded on a joyous and unifying note with a rousing Freedom Song sing-along led by soulful singer-songwriters Gary David Allard and Lindsey Wilson, highlighted by the classic song This Little Light of Mine. The performance was made even more special by an impromptu accompaniment on upright piano by composer Chris Oledude, who happened to be in the audience, creating a spontaneous and electrifying moment of communal celebration.

As the evening wound down, I ran into the “old-fashioned folk singer” and Village local music legend Steve Suffet. We had an animated conversation, sharing and reliving vivid music tales of the Village music scene in the 60s and recalling Suffet’s impromptu jams on his Harmony guitar. 

It was a perfect nostalgic capstone to an MLK Celebration at People’s Voice Cafe that had been poignant, powerful, and deeply moving.

Kaju Roberto is an accomplished musician, singer/ songwriter, journalist, and an award-winning producer. He is the artist Rad Jet on Spotify.

The post Walking Together through History and Hope: A Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at People’s Voice Café appeared first on Rad Jet's Historic Jazz Walking Tours.

The Tunisia88 Alumni Choir was born out of a revolution. In the years following Tunisia’s 2011 Arab Spring uprising, these students launched music clubs that are now in all 590 public high schools across 24 regions in Tunisia – places where student voices had rarely been encouraged. They wrote original songs, staged concerts, and created something lasting in a system that wasn’t built for them. Now, they’ve brought those stories, songs, and that spirit to American audiences for the first time.

Tunisia88, with 2,500 active members, is a Non-governmental Organization (NGO) started in 2015 by Juilliard-trained concert pianist Kimball Gallagher. Gallagher had been teaching music to high school students in Tunisia for a few years when he was approached by the Minister of Education of Tunisia who said, “I want to see a piano in every school.” The goal was to revive all the cultural clubs.

The tour was led by Gallagher, who founded 88 International, the nonprofit that helped support this movement. His own journey – crowdfunding his first piano (88 keys, 88 donors), performing at distinguished venues in 30 countries across seven continents – and turning performance into purpose – led to the founding of 88 International.

88 International’s Humble Beginnings
This all started when Gallagher – upon graduating from Juilliard – didn’t have a piano. One of his mentors said, “Why don’t you ask 88 people to sponsor each one of the keys?” The money raised from each key on the piano became an effort to buy a piano. It was the first time Gallagher really saw music, not only as something for performance and concerts, but as something that could build community.

88 International has become a global nonprofit that uses music to help young people essentially find their voice, build community, and lead their own positive change where they themselves live. That’s really why Gallagher built 88 International, to turn a sort of sense of personal impact and occasional intimate moments in concerts into more of a movement at some scale.

During an epiphany, Gallagher realized that as an individual artist, he could touch only a few lives at a time. But if he wanted to reach thousands at a much larger scale and to make a lasting change, it required structural partners, institutional partnerships, and some kind of vision that was far beyond one person.

“I had been working in Tunisia before the Arab Spring Revolution, and then throughout the revolution. I taught piano and songwriting. The classic way of having music clubs in Tunisia was with the teacher as the director of the club. We wanted to put the teacher as the facilitator – which in Tunisia was a big deal – and allow the students lead the clubs.” Gallagher said.

One or two particular songs became a spark for a national movement. With the Ministry of Education wanting to promote this program, Gallagher was able to bring in support and shape the curriculum.

How Tunisia88 became a Transformational Youth Music Program
Gallagher explained how Tunisia88 became a transformational youth music program. He said, “88 International needed an NGO partner for financial support. And through the Ministry of Education we did get that NGO partner – a Tunisian NGO called Action Solidarity Development. Then the European Investment Bank, and the U.S. State Department became involved, followed by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Canadian Foreign Service and many private Tunisian supporters.”

“One of the very interesting things about this program, which is part of its self-sustaining mechanism, is that the alumni of the clubs run the majority of the content of our program. Now the old club members, who became university students, were trained to give training,” he continued.

“It took about three or four years. We started with a pilot program and then had a huge acceleration from 2019 through COVID to early 2021 where we went from something like 100 to 500 schools in about a year and a half. We have 78 training sessions a year all the different regions. We have song contests on a national scale. All of these activities are managed in a large part by a group called the Executive Alumni. It’s actually the Tunisian youth who are driving the engine of this.”

Washington Square Park and The Yale Club
It was a beautiful experience to be part of the outdoor and indoor concerts held at Washington Square Park and The Yale Club of New York.;

Gallagher and a small team of musicians and conductors guided 26 alumni choir members from Tunisia, Morocco, Senegal, Myanmar, and the Gambia. They sang songs represented by these countries in English and native languages. Gallagher accompanied songs in Swahili on piano. On at least one song, the choir was joined by a percussion player. The night ended with alumni from Yale joining the choir to sing the Yale alma mater. 

Tunisia88 toured universities in eight U.S. East Coast cities from October 30 through November 10 on its highly successful inaugural U.S. tour.  

WATCH my full interview with internationally recognized Juilliard-trained concert pianist and 88 International founder  Kimball Gallagher on YouTube at the link below:

Read this article on Tunisia88 where I originally wrote it in The Village View:

Tunisia88: Transforming Youth Groups One Concert at a Time

Kaju Roberto is an accomplished musician, singer/ songwriter, journalist, and an award-winning producer. He is the artist Rad Jet on Spotify

The post Tunisia88: Transforming Youth Groups One Concert at a Time appeared first on Rad Jet's Historic Jazz Walking Tours.

This fascinating two-hour tour centered on the history of NYC particularly from the southern tip of Manhattan to where the north Greenwich Village ends. 

Mark is a walking encyclopedia of historical knowledge about New York City.

From 17th Century New Amsterdam to The Village Today
From how the Dutch first arrived in 1624 and named this land New Amsterdam, to how the Lenape traded goods, to the yellow fever epidemics that in the 19th century caused the land where Washington Square Park is today to be a grave site, to how Millionaire’s Row began, and how Canal Street was once an actual canal, Mark did not miss a single beat. For example, on Center Street where housing court is today, there was once a big fresh water pond that became so polluted it had to be drained into the canal now known as “Canal Street.”

Another intriguing fact Mark mentioned is that people would come to the west side in the early 1800s (where Hudson River Park is now located), and rent small cottages to escape the “bad air of yellow fever” of the central city. Supposedly, this early strain of yellow fever was so strong, you could be fine in the morning and dead by the afternoon. This was a time before sanitation existed, where pigs roamed the city streets and people threw their garbage out of their windows.

Under Dutch rule, there were slaves in Greenwich Village brought to the city by Sephardic Jewish traders and others. Eventually some slaves were allowed to buy their freedom by working. Some were even given fertile land on Thompson Street, which was known as “Little Africa” well into the 19th century.

In 1811, the grid pattern of the city streets we know today began with city legislation named “The Commissioner’s Plan.” There was no altruistic motive for this; it was purely devised to sell housing lots. Avenues running uptown and downtown and numbered streets starting from Houston Street began here. Until 1830 the north end of Washington Square Park was the northern edge of the city. Writers and artists were opposed to this plan, since the city at that time was filled with beautiful rolling hills, small lakes, and waterfalls.

Charles Street Prison and the Birth of Fifth Avenue
In the early 19th century, there was a prison on Charles Street. From there some inmates were sent up the Hudson River to Sing Sing, hence the origins of the saying “being sent up the river.” Work on Fifth Avenue started in 1830, but only reached as north as 23rd Street by the early 1840s. This is about the time the super-rich started moving to the lower completed part of Fifth Avenue.

The First Artists Settle in Greenwich Village
By the beginning of the 20th century, artists and poets began moving into the Village as rent was cheap. As early as the 1890s, there was an Arts Student League and the National Academy on 57th Street. 

Around this time, a group of artist pals from Philadelphia (which included John Sloan and Everett Shinn and led by Robert Henri) settled in Greenwich Village. They were later dubbed “The Ash Can School” painters since Henri encouraged them to paint what they would see, rather than the romantic depictions of nature scenes. This was a novel art concept at the time.

The Republic of Greenwich Village
We finally worked our way toward Sixth Avenue and turned east on 8th Street. Here Mark showed us a brick building with small windows where the Dadaist artist Man Ray lived in 1915. He was romantically involved with the American photographer Lee Miller. By accident, they discovered the surrealist photographic technique called “solarisation,” although Ray would take full credit for it. This caused their inevitable breakup.

We next moved on to MacDougal Alley where Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney purchased her art studio, which later became the first Whitney Museum.

Moving further along Fifth Avenue, we had come full circle back to the park. In 1889, the first Washington Square Arch was erected near its current location. This wooden structure was so beloved by the Greenwich Village community, that in 1893 it was rebuilt larger in its current location. Many years later would become the beacon for one of the most important Greenwich Village events.

January 23, 1917 witnessed the creation of the Republic of Greenwich Village. The French conceptual artist Marcel Duchamp had moved to NYC from France in 1915 to avoid conscription following his highly successful NYC Armory Show in 1913 – the first art show to expose European artists to American audiences. His showing of his radical painting Nude Descending the Staircase made Duchamp an international sensation.

The artist perpetrators led by Duchamp broke into the side door of the Washington Square Arch and climbed to the top. They partied there for 24 hours, bringing sandwiches, balloons, Japanese lanterns, and wine where the group declared Greenwich Village to be the Republic of Greenwich Village. It was a place of radical thinking, a place to be free and to create.

The Republic of Greenwich Village Walking Tour was the perfect way to learn so much about the history of the New York City and Greenwich Village. Definitely look up Mark Kehoe and take one of his walking tours.

For more information: thevillagetrip.com

Read this article Republic of Greenwich Village Walking Tour: A Seasonal Gem of NYC History where I originally wrote it in The Village View:

Republic of Greenwich Village Walking Tour: A Seasonal Gem of NYC History

Kaju Roberto is an accomplished musician, singer/ songwriter, journalist, and an award-winning producer. He is the artist Rad Jet on Spotify.

The post Republic of Greenwich Village Walking Tour: A Seasonal Gem of NYC History appeared first on Rad Jet's Historic Jazz Walking Tours.

Affectionately known as “Sco” to his admirers and fans, his work includes studio recordings and live performances with Miles Davis, George Duke, Herbie Hancock, Steve Swallow, Scary Goldings, Gov’t Mule, and a host of other luminaries and world renowned orchestras. John has left his indelible stamp playing so masterfully across so many different genres that are not only totally epic, but it would take two lifetimes to cover his career in-depth.

John is a great guy and I’m proud to say he was my former guitar teacher decades ago. However, that is as close musically as we will ever be. I became so excited when I heard he was slated for a Thanksgiving residency at the Blue Note from last November 27 to December 1.

“Sco’s” Blue Note Show

When I watched “Sco” perform at the Blue Note with the John Scofield Quartet, consisting of long-time stalwart Bill Stewart on drums, Vicente Archer on bass, and the incredible Nicholas Payton on trumpet, I became instantly convinced. At 73, the great John Scofield isn’t losing any of his edge. If anything, he is picking up a renewed steam!

It was my greatest thrill going backstage after the show, and having the rarest chance to meet again and become reacquainted with the legend himself, my former mentor, for the first time in over 40 years.

John Scofield Can’t be Copied

Many great jazz musicians and historians agree. John is one of the most creative jazz improvisers of all-time, a true artist and “Ultimate Chameleon” of music. His natural nuanced style rooted in blues, folk, and jazz has a “Sco” feel that is simply uncopiable. Take for instance John’s guitar solo in Thelonius Monk’s Rhythm-A-Ning, where he improvised in his fabulous signature angular bebop playing style. It was at times atonal yet delicious, peppy, jumpy, and full of energy.

Something that brought great joy to me during that wonderful performance was listening to John’s arrangement and improvised solo during Airegin composed by the great Sonny Rollins. After this classic’s quite complex opening rhythmic pattern, its fast-swinging solo section was irresistible. John’s genius in creating lines working with silences falling within odd places in the measure is uncanny.

That guitar solo was so nuanced and delightfully quirky as ever! John’s phrasing was unexpected, with “inside/outside” playing bebop mixed with country blues. Once again, the way he uses space in between the notes he plays is magical — a trait he claims he learned from Miles Davis. John was Miles’ guitarist from 1982-1985 during his late fertile “pop star” period, but during that time they recorded three amazing albums, Star People, Decoy, and You’re Under Arrest.

A Jazz Artist Whose Heart is in the Blues

John grew up during the early ‘60s listening, learning, and loving the early blues, folk music, The Beatles, and rock ‘n’ roll! Undoubtedly, growing up listening to such a confluence of diverse musical styles shaped the great player in a radical way.

Born in 1951, he began playing guitar at the age of 11, the perfect age to witness a “perfect storm” of cultural music icons – namely the real original “Beatlemania” with the Beatles debut American performance on the Ed Sullivan show, the folk blues movement and ‘60s rock scene, e.g. Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Albert King, the Grateful Dead and Jimi Hendrix. Falling in this “sweet spot” as a 13-year old greatly influenced John’s affinity toward folk, blues, and rock – which would ultimately become a constant repeating undercurrent within his later bebop and jazz playing he is most noted for.

During one leg of a tour, John could be playing Sonny Rollins in New York, then playing with an elegant European orchestra, then during the final American leg, playing Grateful Dead music mixed with jazz! Few great musicians in any genre have ever conquered a world of diverse sonic landscapes while bringing great joy to others like “Sco” has!

In 2020 John had a concert with the Danish Radio Big Band Orchestra in Denmark where this large fantastic orchestra performed several beautiful arrangements of his compositions. John played his accompanying solos and rhythmic cadences. I’ve never seen a conductor and an orchestra so joyous in playing another artist’s works. Particularly memorable was how the front line reacted at the end of Boogie Stupid where John played this ending quasi-Celtic classical hybrid picking cadence, which had the main chairs in the orchestra “beaming” with joy at him. And the Japanese conductor Miho Hazama was simply beside herself.

John Scofield is like a fine wine or bourbon. He is truly one of the greats that gets even better with age. Next time this legend is in your town, RUN out and get tickets fast. Witnessing his live performance should be on every true music lover’s Bucket List.

johnscofield.com/tour

WATCH my full interview with the living legend of jazz guitar John Scofield on YouTube at the link below:

Read this article on Jazz Legend John Scofield where I originally wrote it in The Village View:

John Scofield: Living Legend of Jazz Guitar’s Epic Performance at the Blue Note

Kaju Roberto is an accomplished musician, singer/ songwriter, journalist, and an award-winning producer. He is the artist Rad Jet on Spotify.

The post John Scofield: Living Legend of Jazz Guitar’s Epic Performance at the Blue Note appeared first on Rad Jet's Historic Jazz Walking Tours.

The Tel-Aviv born guitar sensation had an amazing lineup, with the destructively awesome Alexander Claffy, a.k.a “The Claff-inator” on double bass, and the great Mark Whitfield Jr. on drums.

Zinc’s Announcer Vowed to “Burn His Guitars”

The Zinc Bar announcer half-jokingly introduced the trio by saying when he first saw Silberstein play he immediately went home and “burned all of his guitars” knowing he would never be able to attain that level in a lifetime. His comment came as no surprise, as Silberstein had taken 5th Place in Downbeat Magazine’s 2024 Critics Choice Awards for Outstanding Rising Guitar Talents.

When they opened their first set with the 50’s classic They Say It’s Wonderful, I was struck by the beautiful clean tones coming from Silberstein’s semi-hollow body guitar and small amp.

Cross Cultural Journey in Contemporary Jazz

Between sets, these wonderful musicians guided their audiences on an evocative cross-cultural journey of a contemporary jazz world music lineage, emanating culturally rich timbres and sounds from the Middle East, North Africa, Brazil, and Argentina, emphasizing the idioms of jazz, choro, samba, tango, bebop and blues with a characteristic fire, passion, and intimacy.

The legendary James Moody “discovered” Silberstein in 2005 at a young age while attending a jazz workshop. He returned telling everyone about “this young Israeli kid who plays like an old man.” Soon thereafter, Moody would recruit Silberstein to play on some of his recordings.

Playing Style

To simply say that Silberstein is a highly skilled improviser would be painting an incomplete picture. His diverse musical folklore highlighting a deep global thrust from South America, North Africa, and the Middle East were highly evident in his spellbinding improvisations throughout the night.

When playing solos on his beautiful grey Bird’s Maple Benedetto guitar, Silberstein fluttered like a bumblebee with wild flourishes of incredible speed, while utilizing a soft touch. Throughout the evening, his articulate phrasing of melodically flowing lines characteristically incorporated quick slurs, dissonant double stops of wide intervals, abruptly broken up by rich chord melodies.

Beneath these flowing solos, the “Claffinator” agilely walked, then galloped pulsating angular lines up and down the neck of his gigantic double bass, while Whitfield kept up the fast swing. A great example of this was Silberstein’s arrangement of Duke Ellington’s In a Sentimental Mood. Later, he dedicated one of his original swinging jazz blues compositions to the late great guitarist Russell Malone, who passed away suddenly this summer. This unnamed composition featured some of Silberstein’s best inside/outside soloing. He followed this with a beautiful original ballad.

During the second set, Silberstein demonstrated more of his World Music influences, beginning with Brazilian bossa nova, followed by Francisco by the great composer Toninho Horta. His joyful interpretations and gripping finesse of these tunes were accentuated and highlighted by Whitfield drum solos.

My favorite was a quizzical and intriguing Arabesque introduction that segued into this beautifully elegant Moroccan tango, replete with juicy lines that morphed into deep exploratory fluttering jazz improvisations masterfully played by Silberstein and Claffey. There was a beautiful improvisational melodic interplay between Silberstein, Whitfield, and Claffey throughout the tune in a call-response fashion. It was gorgeous yet arresting.

Silberstein has worked in bands with some of the greatest figures in jazz including George Coleman, Charles McPherson, Jimmy Heath, James Moody and Roy Hargrove. The Yotam Silberstein Trio has toured all over the world in the most prestigious festivals and venues including the Tokyo, Umbria and North Sea Jazz Festivals.

His earlier releases include Future Memories (“catches you by the heart and never lets go” — JazzTimes), The Village (41/2 stars, DownBeat),the Brazil, Resonance and Next Page, which feature musicians on the order of Paquito D’Rivera, Toninho Horta, Roy Hargrove and Christian McBride.

Silberstein’s new record Standards with John Patitucci, Billy Heart, and George Coleman is out now released on JoJo Records.

Definitely check out the Yotam Silberstein Trio when they are next in town.

https://yotammusic.com/concerts/

Read this article where I originally wrote it in The Village View:

Yotam Silberstein, Israeli-Born Leading Jazz Guitarist, Performs at Zinc Bar

Kaju Roberto is an accomplished musician, singer/ songwriter, journalist, and an award-winning producer. He is the artist Rad Jet on Spotify.

The post Yotam Silberstein, Israeli-Born Leading Jazz Guitarist, Performs at Zinc Bar appeared first on Rad Jet's Historic Jazz Walking Tours.

The Man from Lake Baikal

Max hails from the unforgiving yet beautiful city of Irkutsk, a city of 600,000 near the shores of Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest lake, and known for its art and environment to harden its inhabitants with temperatures year-round ranging from -35 C to + 35 C.

This 20-year old, who was a prodigy at 13, has made a big name for himself among elite players, and has captivated online audiences worldwide on social media with his mind-blowing technique, a profound sense of musicality, and an astonishing never-ending barrage of improvised creative ideas that immediately flow from his brain to his fingers, thus transferring such ideas into incredible music.

Max is a young giant of the guitar world who certainly deserves to be a household name among the world’s top stringed elites, alongside Guthrie Govan, Matteo Mancuso, Bumblefoot, and a small list of other incredible guitar talents. Unfortunately opportunities to gain his deserved recognition are very limited compared to others living elsewhere.

Rocketing Max to NAMM 2026

Max is hoping to soon obtain his Extraordinary Ability Visa, a document he will to gain passage to America so he can debut his prodigious talent at the largest music merchandisers trade show in the world — the National Association of Music Merchants — or NAMM 2026. The show unites the entire global music industry for one spectacular week of exhibits, education and networking.

Watch this illuminating interview and join Max Ostro’s free Discord if you want to be continually amazed by his music and help this young rare talent reach his goal to showcase at NAMM 2026!

WATCH my full interview with Russian Master Guitar Phenom and shredder Max Ostro on YouTube at the link below:

Read this article where I originally wrote it in The Village View:

Max Ostro: An Astonishing Russian Musician Who Deserves your Attention

Kaju Roberto is an accomplished musician, singer/ songwriter, journalist, and an award-winning producer. He is the artist Rad Jet on Spotify.

The post Max Ostro: An Astonishing Russian Musician Who Deserves your Attention appeared first on Rad Jet's Historic Jazz Walking Tours.

Through its evocative lens, the film chronicles and examines the presidency of Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan’s first female president and events that happened during her tenure from 2016 – 2023.

Invisible Nation is a deeply penetrating film that shines a light on the spirit and resilience of Taiwan’s democracy in the face of an escalating military threat from China. It portrays President Tsai Ing-wen as an exceptionally smart, wise and tough leader. Unfortunately, it also reinforces the dread many of us feel towards the future of Taiwan as an independent nation.

The film’s length is 85 minutes and there are interviews from key Taiwan political figures and advocates including President Tsai Ing-Wen, Chu Chen, Yu-jie Chen, Bi-Khim Hsiao (Taiwan’s current vice-president), Freddy Lim, Audrey Tang, and Michelle Kuo.

According to IMDB, Invisible Nation gets an 8.4/10 rating.

So far, the film has been nominated for nine film awards, twice winning the 2024 Sun Valley Film Festival Award for One in a Million documentary, and the 2023 Middleburg Film Festival Audience Award.

Attending the First Screening

As host and producer of the longest running Taiwan-related podcast, my partner Felicia Lin and I were invited to attend the debut film screening as part of a larger Taiwanese group at the Woodstock Film Festival. That was a day of 8.65” record-breaking torrential rains in Central Park. We all rode up together in a chartered bus during the morning hours. Conditions on the New York State Thruway were quite treacherous.

What Inspired the Director to Create this Film?

On opening day we met director Vanessa Hope whose life changed in 1996. Hope was living in Taiwan from 1995-1996 when she was a PhD student taking part in a study abroad program during the inauguration of Lee Teng-hui, Taiwan’s first directly elected president.

1996 was indeed a very scary time to be in Taiwan. Scorched by Taiwan’s first direct presidential election and fledgling democracy, China attempted to intimidate Taiwan by firing missiles into the Taiwan Strait. Almost 30 years later, not much has changed.

After talking to her journalist friends, Hope became deeply concerned and obsessively curious about the future fate of Taiwan. She borrowed a newly purchased camera from her Chinese language teacher. Over that weekend, she was determined to film President Lee Teng-hui’s historical inauguration. She succeeded and her first short film embarked her on a film career.

Fast forward to 2016, Hope traveled back to Taiwan with an international delegation to witness the election of Taiwan’s first female president, Tsai Ing-wen. That’s when she came up with the idea to create a full-length feature film about Tsai Ing-wen’s presidency.

If anything, today the threat of a China invasion on Taiwan looms even larger. China President Xi Jinping has stated, “Taiwan is China,” and that reunification is inevitable. He also does not rule out using force. Taiwan is now once again a hot and important topic in international news ever since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022—a move which has only served to embolden China.

Challenges Making Invisible Nation

During our conversations with the director, we also talked about the challenges in making Invisible Nation and her personal motivations for making the film. Invisible Nation was filmed over a seven year period from 2016 thru 2023. This required an ongoing and highly detailed coordinated effort with the President and a great resolve by Hope and her team. They were given unprecedented access to Taiwan’s sitting head of state, which allowed them to investigate the election and Tsai Ing-Wen’s tenure.

This was not Hope’s first full length feature. Her first, All Eyes And Ears, examined relations between the U.S. and China through the stories of U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, his adopted Chinese daughter Gracie Mei, and blind legal advocate Chen Guangcheng.

Invisible Nation is currently playing in select theaters around the U.S.

For more information, go to: https://invisiblenation.net.

Read this article where I originally wrote it in The Village View:

Invisible Nation: A Film That Chronicles Taiwan’s First Female President, Runs for One Week at the Quad Cinema

________________________________________________________________________________

KAJU ROBERTO is an accomplished musician, singer/ songwriter, journalist, and an award-winning producer. He is the artist Rad Jet on Spotify.

The post Invisible Nation: A Film That Chronicles Taiwan’s First Female President, Runs for One Week at the Quad Cinema appeared first on Rad Jet's Historic Jazz Walking Tours.

At the center of ceremonies, stood the preeminent ballet dancer of our time, Mikhail Baryshnikov who was introduced to present the Culture Hero Award to Cora Cahan for her special contributions to New York artists over five decades.

Known to his friends as “Misha,” Baryshnikov became world famous and synonymous with ballet taking the world by storm in the 70s and 80s after defecting to the United States in 1974 from the Soviet Union, when he began a long association with the American Ballet Theater.

Baryshnikov’s Role in Revitalizing the New York City Arts Scene

Although most of the world has long recognized Baryshnikov as the quintessence of ballet and for acting in roles in The Turning Point and later as Carrie Bradshaw’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) dashing love interest in Sex and the City, most New Yorkers do not realize the immense contributions he has made toward revitalizing the local arts scene that helps New York artists thrive.

In 2005 at the age of 57, he opened the Baryshnikov Arts Center in Hell’s Kitchen to give people in the dance and theater world the time and space to create their art. Here was a place where struggling choreographers and dancers could work on their projects, whether it be for one day or up to several weeks.

When the Center first opened, Baryshnikov remained active by performing with the dancers. Approaching 60, remarkably he could still produce captivating performances at 100 percent capacity. Through the Center, he brought student dancers from Julliard and NYU together and they formed the Hell’s Kitchen Dance Group. Baryshnikov and the dance group would later go on to tour the U.S and Brazil.

He has been quoted saying that he wasn’t trying to change the New York arts scene, he simply wanted to give artists a space where they “can feel comfortable and produce something personal and beautiful.” As such, the center has long offered residencies for dancers and choreographers. “Luckily I’ve made enough money not to work for money. I work only when I really want to,” said Baryshnikov, now 76 years old.

Cora Cahan’s Extraordinary Contributions to the New York Arts Scene

In 2019, Baryshnikov asked Cora Cahan to take the helm of the Baryshnikov Arts Center. From 2019 -2022 during the worst of the pandemic, together they created a digital program that commissioned eight pieces from an incredible array of artists. All the artists and team collaborated remotely. During this most difficult time, through Cora’s extraordinary skills and determination, the Center survived. No jobs were lost and no salaries had to be reduced.

Baryshnikov also explained that for decades, Cahan had secured, renovated, and established extraordinary spaces for dance, theater, and art-making in New York City – one of the most challenging cities for securing real estate, particularly for making a home for artists.

When accepting the award, she joked she had known “Misha” for 50 years. And Baryshnikov joked that she only accepted his offer because “Bernie” (Cora’s husband) told her it was “okay.”

Other Great New Yorkers Who Were Celebrated

Council Member Justin Brannan won the Cultural Stewardship Award. Brannan has built his reputation as a fighter for the “little guy” and a champion for increased arts and music funding in public schools.

Before becoming an elected leader, Brannan worked in a range of cultural organizations. He started out as a musician before entering local politics, cutting his teeth during his college years playing in several NYC punk rock bands and gigging in clubs like CBGB’s. His band later toured the world performing in over 50 countries.

Brannan now serves as Chair of Finance of the most powerful committee representing southwest Brooklyn, overseeing the largest municipal budget in the country. The council has been able to pass record-breaking budgets for culture in four of the past five years.

Ruchira Gupta, an Emmy-Award winning journalist, filmmaker, and author who founded Apne Aap won the Artist Advocate Award for helping marginalized women and combating sex trafficking.

Read this article where I originally wrote it in The Village View:

New Yorkers for Culture and Arts Awards Gala 2024: Dance Legend Mikhail Baryshnikov Honors Cora Cahan

________________________________________________________________________________

KAJU ROBERTO is an accomplished musician, singer/ songwriter, journalist, and an award-winning producer. He is the artist Rad Jet on Spotify.

The post New Yorkers for Culture and Arts Awards Gala 2024: Dance Legend Mikhail Baryshnikov Honors Cora Cahan appeared first on Rad Jet's Historic Jazz Walking Tours.

Katie’s Mom was enjoyable to watch and had several hilarious scenes. The Graduate theme flipped was familiar yet the reversal of roles for the protagonist was quite a breath of fresh air. Although a few of the scenes were unbelievable, they were all highly entertaining nonetheless!

It made its big screen debut at the 26th Annual Dances With Film Festival in Hollywood, CA on July 2, 2023. The film’s length is 111 minutes and its cast is Dina Meyer, Aaron Dominguez, Julia Tolchin, Colin Bates, Jason Wiles, and Shannon Dee.

According to IMDB, Katie’s Mom gets an 8.6/10 rating. I would recommend going to see this comedy when it becomes available.

Meet Meryl Branch-McTiernan
I had the pleasure of first meeting and later interviewing the screenwriter/producer of Katie’s Mom, Meryl Branch-McTiernan, at the screening at Ideal Glass Doors on W. 8th Street in Greenwich Village.

Meryl is a super down to earth and highly likable person, who happens to also have a fantastic talent for writing comedy. Upon seeing the tremendous support she received by the collective of 150+ plus friends, industry people, colleagues, associates, and acquaintances who attended the screening, she surely doesn’t need any help from me.

Nonetheless, Meryl is someone who I am rooting for. She and co-writer/director Tyrrell Shaffner have worked relentlessly on this film for nine years. Short of getting picked up by one of the big studios, the harsh reality for indie film makers who don’t have the backing clout of a Barbie or an Oppenheimer, is that those same aspiring screenwriters, directors, and producers pray to land a deal for their films to go straight to streaming on Netflix or Prime—if they are so lucky.

Judging by the level of laughter and entertainment and the positive reactions from the crowd during the Q&A afterward, Meryl and her team might just fulfill their dream.

Sadly There Has Been a Paradigm Shift in the Indie Film Industry
Long gone are the days when an indie film could have a fighting chance of landing a solid run in traditional theaters.

I wondered why Meryl decided to screen this film in a private event space such as Ideal Glass Door rather than a traditional theater. During the audience Q&A, I asked, “Is this a new paradigm which reflects the current state of the industry?” Meryl artfully dodged my question, saying, “This is a really fun and lively place to screen a new film.”

However, later during our private one-on-one interview, I asked Meryl again if she tried to get a traditional theater to show her film. She shook her head and gave her sobering analysis.

Meryl told me, “Even big films are going straight to Apple or Netflix, so there is very little hope for smaller indie films. It’s really unfortunate, because the fun thing is hearing people laugh, hearing them react, being together, and having an experience together. It’s so hard to make that happen now.”

She added, “When conceiving this film, it wasn’t like streaming was my dream. But now even Scorsese is going to streaming. After COVID, it’s not like there’s less respect for it. Whether investors gave us $100 or $1,000, it’s really hard to make back that money.”

Five Years to Write the Film, Four Years to Market (and Still Trying)
Meryl told me this film was crowdfunded, however not according to a more familiar blueprint as so many indie films have raised money through donations. It was all done through a crowd equity campaign, where investors later will proportionally recoup the amount they’ve invested while hopefully realizing a nice profit from the proceeds.

Indeed, the excellent writing of the team behind the film is ultimately what has driven Katie’s Mom. The fact they were able to raise the indie film’s $500K budget through crowdfunding is quite a feat.

What’s most impressive is that Meryl and Tyrrell did not begin their crowdfunding efforts until five years into the project. Through their efforts, they were able to bring 170 investors on board to raise the first $100K using WeFunder. Then one day they struck gold and were able to get an angel to invest an additional $270K.

“For the first five years, the writing was all we had. People have been behind the film all along. They really love The Graduate concept,” Meryl stated.

Meryl and her team are currently working with a sales agent they signed the movie over to. Look for Katie’s Mom to be in theaters or available on streaming services soon.

For more information, go to Katie’s Mom IMDB Page: imdb.com/title/tt22307442

Read this article where I originally wrote it in The Village View:

Katie’s Mom-A New Indie Comedy that Resembles The Graduate

KAJU ROBERTO is an accomplished musician, singer/ songwriter, journalist, and an award-winning producer. He is the artist Rad Jet on Spotify.

The post Katie’s Mom: A New Indie Comedy that Resembles The Graduate appeared first on Rad Jet's Historic Jazz Walking Tours.