Image: The Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble

FunTimes Magazine Culture & Entertainment, Week of April 24, 2023

The end of April is teeming with music, health, and history. Indulge in the sweetness of spring with these splendid low-cost or free activities. But before venturing out to any in-person events indoors, please respect the ongoing pandemic safety protocols, and check individual event-attending instructions with the organizers. 

Sisters of Service serious about wellness

May 6, 2023. What happens when a group of women in Philly informally unite with a mutual purpose and passion? And their focus is on health issues impacting Black women? The answer is the Black Women’s Wellness Forum and Expo hosted by Sisters of Service. The event will feature a panel of local experts from Cocolife. Black (maternal health) and Gift of Life (organ donation), along with an expert that will focus on long-term COVID. WHYY-FM Radio host and news anchor Cherri Gregg will be the panel moderator. Check out valuable healthcare information about free mental health screenings, maternal health, organ donations, and other critical resources. Family-friendly, free, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Center in the Park, 5818 Germantown Ave., 215-356-1990 or e-mail: [email protected] or giftoflife.org.

The Holiday and Scott connection

The unifying power of Simone’s music

April 30, 2023. Jazz siren Nina Simone fastened art and activism together like strings to a guitar. Enjoy Four Women – an afternoon of evocative song, dance, poetry, and visual art featuring performances by Bethlehem & Sad Patrick. With passion and purpose, Simone’s voice shone a glaring light on racism, segregation, and inequality. She played an enduring part in the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s through the powerful bond and conviction of her music. The event is part of The Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy’s Philly Celebrates Jazz 2023 of free jazz events during nationally-recognized Jazz Appreciation Month in April in Philadelphia. Free, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Harriett’s Bookshop, 258 E Girard Ave., 267-241-2617, creativephl.org or https://bookshop.org/shop/harriettsbookshop.

Jazz holds court with opera

April 30, 2023. Check out Jazz Up, Down and Around and find out that opposites attract. And find out the answers to questions like: What is jazz opera? What does it sound like? Can opera and jazz co-exist? The Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble merges two genres for an exciting marriage that explodes all musical stereotypes. Listen to excerpts from Warren Oree’s jazz opera, “Never Back Down,” (2010), and works from his inaugural opera, “The Dream Tree,” (1997). Join a discussion afterward. Free, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Southside Events, 1410 Mt. Vernon St., 215-421-3688, e-mail: [email protected] or http://www.lifelinemusiccoalition.com/blog/.

All-day HBCU college fair is fab

May 20, 2023. Drumline battles, majorettes, cheer squads, and Chill Moody. Catch them all in one place. March down to the HBCU Festival Presented by TD Bank – where The Mann will be converted to a huge all-day campus community celebration of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The college fair features representatives from national and regional HBCUs and highlights “the rich and varied performing arts integral to HBCU culture.” Enjoy performances by guest artists, live HBCU choirs, marching bands, majorettes, cheer squads, and Community Artist-in-Residence Chill Moody. Take classes by choral and band directors and panel discussions on college affairs. Immerse yourself in fare from food trucks, face painting, balloon making, and crafts. Sport your favorite HBCU sorority and fraternity apparel. You also can bring your food and non-alcoholic beverages. Free but register online, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., The Mann, 5201 Parkside Ave., MannCenter.org/HBCU, universe.com or manncenter.org.

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A lost story of America’s Black founders

Through November 26, 2023. Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia exhibit features James Forten and his descendants as they experienced the American Revolution in Philadelphia -- emerging as leaders in the abolition movement before the Civil War and women’s suffrage era. The exhibit explores the Fortens’ roles in the Revolutionary War, business in Philadelphia, as well as abolition and voting rights over a decade, beginning in 1776. That’s when the Fortens heard the Declaration of Independence read out loud for the first time. James Forten was a prominent businessman and philanthropist. Born a free person of African heritage, his finest role was as an American abolitionist. It’s a keen look at “the history of the American experiment of liberty, equality, and self-government,” notes the promotional material. Family of 4: $55, adults: $21 (seniors, $19), youth: 17 and under: $13, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, Museum of the American Revolution, 101 South 3rd St., 877-740-1776 or amrevmuseum.org.

Tips from pros in the field of the arts

The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Cultural Campus are celebrating Black artists who bring their talents to the Philadelphia region. They call it “Celebrating Black Artistry All Year Long.” They asked participants in the field of arts and culture who have or will be performing locally to answer questions regarding the impact of the arts on their lives, how they use their positions to affect progress, and what advice they’d give to a young person starting out in arts and entertainment. Check out the insight imparted by actors Darian Sanders (Disney’s Lion King), Britney Coleman (Beetlejuice), Taylor Harris (CATS), Amina Faye (SIX), Terica Marie (SIX), Eugene Lee (A Soldier’s Story) and Phyre Hawkins (Come From Away) and singer-musicians Anthony McGill (Philadelphia Chamber Music Society), Lisa Fischer, Carlton Singleton (Ranky Tanky), dancer Jeroboam Bozeman (Alvin American Dance Theater) and Kim Bears-Bailey (artistic director, PHILADANCO). Free. See their advice: kimmelculturalcampus.org.