Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 2 January 2004 — Page 19

www.indianapolisrecoraeriom BOOKMARK Major spices up family affairs New novel hits bookshelves

this month

By ERICKA P. THOMPSON Staff Writer When I heard that Marcus M ajor was bringing back the characters from his Blackboard best sellingdebut novel, Good Peoples, 1 became overly excited. My excitement didn’t last long as disappointment set in. I expected to read about the now married couple, Myles and Marisa and the on-goings of their life. Instead, the novel centers around Myles’ parents, Peggy and Leonard who have been married for over 40 years and the trouble that surrounds their relationship. Major introduces a new nuisance to the Moore’s family, 16-year-old Jasmine. Jasmine’s mother is Peggy's drug addicted sister w ho is in jail, which forces her daughter to live by new rules and punishment in Peggy’s household. The story begins on a Sunday afternoon after the family has finished a soul food style dinner at Peggy and Leonard’s. As Myles and his older brother Amir joke with their father before a football game starts, Peggy, Marisa, Amir’s wif®, Kenya and their twin girls are out in the backyard enjoying the weather. The story doesn’t begin to unfold until Amir’s best friend, Carlos, spots Leonard creeping into a motel room with a much younger woman and Jasmine hooks up with 18-year-old trouble maker Darius w ho recently moved out of a group home run by Kenya and Carlos’ wife, Jackie. The story hits the fan when Peggy eavesdrops on Leonard’s conversation and hears him recounting his sexual escapades of the night before and when Jasmine runs away into the arms of Darius after she and Peggy exchange words and Peggy tries to knock some sense into her with her fist. Although I was a little disappointed that the story didn’t revolve around Myles and Marisa, the novel is called A Family Affair, not “Myles and Marisa.” Major skillfully touches on sensitive subjects and makes you laugh in the process. If he titles his next book, “More Family Affairs,” I wouldn’t hesitate to pick it up, too.

Comics • Super Crossword • People & Trends

ArtsBEntertainment A&E 2003 Year in Review

C SECTION

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2004

By JOSHUA COHEN Staff Writer A whole new year is upon us, and before we move forward to what lies ahead, it is customary to look back at what has already transpired and review the stories and issues The Recorder covered in 2003. Indianapolis had its fair share of celebrity visitors including musicians the Four Tops, Al Green and the Dells, Morris Day and the Time, jazz legend Wayne Shorter, B2K, comedians George Wallace and Tommy Davidson, actors Lisa Rave, LeVar Burton, Boris Kodjoe and A.J. of BETs "106 and Park.” Walter Mosley headlined the “Meet the Artist” Gala in Indy and spoke on the state of Blacks in Amercia. The Legacy Theater at the Indianapolis State Museum hosted the documentary “For Gold and Glory” on Charlie Wiggins, the “Negro speed king” racer of the “20s and ‘30s. The theater also put on an exhibit about the Hoosier Renaissance which included short plays based on the experiences of Blacks who moved to Indianapolis to pursue a better life. Michael Jackson made a trip to Indianapolis, but it wasn’t to entertain. Indiana natives Elvy and Ivan Woodard sued Jackson for not receiving credit

on music they claimed to have written during the Jackson 5 era on the album “Pre-History: The Lost Steeltown Recordings." Jackson claimed to have nothing to do with the album's song selection. A hip-hop forum to discuss the impact of the music on Black culture took place at Glendale Mall. “Behind the Music: Hip-hop and Our Community...A Public Conversation” hosted many community leaders voicing their views on the subject. Two Indianapolis natives made national news when songwriters Will Baker and Pete Woodruff were nominated for the Songwriter of the Year Grammy for their song “Good Man,” performed by artist India.Arie. In other national news. Spike Lee criticized BET for its lack of w hat he called “serious entertakt ment.” Lee felt the abundance of rap music being played on the channel promotes ignorance in today’s youth. Michael Jackson found himself in trouble again, facing accusations of molesting a child. He was arrested and made to pay a $3 million bail. Oprah Winfrey, in an effort to promote AIDS awareness and begin her initiative to helping bring better schooling traveled to Africa and met with hundreds of children, as well as South Africa’s Ministry of Education.

Indy poet passes down tradition to others

By JOSHUA COHEN Staff Writer

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Mijiza Soyini (left) was the featured poet at The Cozy where she performed many of her pieces for a packed house. Mama Parker (above) performed at the open mic during the beginning of the show. (Photo/J. Hurst)

The spot was packed with standing room only available, am

was still a line at the door. Was this a Colts game? Was this a Jay-Z concert? No, it was Blue Moon’s poetry and jazz at The Cozy on a

Sunday - that’s right, Sunday. The featured artist Mijiza Sovini

was on hand to speak, sing, flow' and shout her writings to the full

house.

M ijiza did not start out performing in front of a crowd. Inspired by her father, a former Indianapolis artist who used to read the likes of African-American poets Claude McKay and Countee Cullen to her, Mijiza would write poetry for just her mother. Today, she writes for a much larger audience and has focused a lot of her poetry on political issues. “I felt compelled to write because of injustices,”she said. “ I want

people to understand they are not alone. There’s always someone feeling'and going through what they ave. We must pass on knowledge

to each other.”

To Mijiza, poetry is a vehicle for healing. It is also an oral tradition passed down through the genera-

tions.

“In ancient African kingdoms, there w r as a trained poet w'ho would talk about the king’s accomplishments,” said Mijiza. A large aspect of her poetry is audience participation. She likes for her show' to be interactive and to get people involved. “I’m competing with the media,” she explained. She tries to inspire in many of her current poems such as “I dig you brother” and “Brother live on,” a poem about Black men where she asks the questions, “Why are you killing? Where’s the anger coming ► See POET, Page C4

CD REVIEW

New album by the Manhaltans is refreshing

By BRANDON A. PERRY Staff Writer The year 2003 was marked by fresh albums from classic R&B artiSTs such as the Chi-Lites, Aretha Franklin, Jeffrey Osborne, the Isley Brothers, Al Green, the Dells, the Average White Band, Mother’s Finest and many others. It also highlighted a decade since the Manhattans reunited and to the joy of those longing for “real” music, resumed their recording career. Fans have even more to celebrate with the release of “Even Now,” their first CD of new material in six years. For those who might be uninhibited or don’t remember, the Manhattans are one of the ultimate smooth harmony groups of the 1970s and early ‘80s, an era full of plush male vocal groups such as Enchantment, the O’Jays and Ray, Goodman and Brown. Between 1973 and 1983 the Grammy Aw ard winning quartet gave us such soulful hits as “Kiss and Say Goodbye” (1976), “Shining Star” (1980) “There’s No Me Without You,” and my favorite, the passionate “We Never Danced to a Love Song.” I was excited to discover that

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the Manhattans had a new album, but was somewhat apprehensive as to whether they would be able to keep their exquisite sound in the 21st century. My concerns quickly dissipated after I turned the player on and listened to the latest lineup, which includes Gerald Alston, Blue Lovett, Troy

May and Dave Tyson (brother of current Temptations member Ron Tyson). Honorable guests featured on “Even Now” include jazz saxophonist Gerald Albright, keyboardist Billy Preston (of’Will ► See MANHATTAN, Page C4

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Singer Kelis 'Milkshake' album is sexy and suggestive

By COLLEEN LONG NEW YORK (AP) - Maybe having such a sweet “Milkshake” has a downside. During a recent interview, the singer Kelis is somewhat curt and visibly exhausted from traveling to promote her wildly popular single and her new album, “Tasty." It’s clear that she would much rather be sleeping. All the work is paying off, though. “Milkshake” was No. 4 and rising on the Billboard I lot 100 chart, and Kelis (pronounced Kah-LEECE) is touring next year with both Lenny Kravitz and Britney Spears. “Tasty” includes production by The Neptunes, Andre 3000 and Raphael Saadiq. Despite

its somewhat gimmicky premise (the liner notes show her posing with “tasty” things like ice-cream and lollipops), the album is sexy and suggestive. The beats are stripped and daring; songs like “Trick Me” and “Millionaire” sound almost retro. The 24-year-old New York native had her last hit in 1999 with “Caught Out There” (featuring the memorable chorus “I hate you so much right now!”), from her debut record, “Kaleidoscope.” But her followup record, 200Ts “Wanderland,” was never released in the U.S. due to drama with her record label at the time, Virgin. Now she’s on Arista, and is her own executive producer. Kelis is engaged to the rap superstar Nas. and wears an excep-

tionally large diamond ring as proof, but prefers to keep the details of their relationship private. And even though she’s visibly worn out, she still manages to look like a diva wearing gray pants and hoodie with multicolored embroidery. What exactly is a milkshake? Kelis: A milkshake is the thing that makes women special. It’s what gives us our confidence and what makes us exciting. Your CD is pretty suggestive. How much should women use their sexuality? There’s a very’ fine line you have to walk, but men do it all the time, and cross the line, and it’s totally acceptable. Women are entitled ► Stt KELIS, Page C4