Poetry, Reading, Writing, Music, Family, Friends, Beauty, Children, Living my life like it's golden, etc.
Anyone interested in love as a verb and noun, and soul revival. Hearing/reading/viewing/experiencing the work of others sustains me like water and air. Creative minds and hearts inspire me endlessly.
Jazz Songbirds (Sarah,Ella,Dinah,Carmen,Nina,Nancy...)Great Players (Coltrane,Davis,Monk,Parker,Silver,Rollins…) Just about all folk/funk/soul/R&B/blues/rock from the 60s&70s. A few faves: Anything Motown,James Brown,Marvin Gaye, Minnie Riperton,Stevie Wonder,EW&F,Al Green,Joni Mitchell,Steely Dan,P-Funk,Con Funk Shun...) 80s pop, the golden age of hip hop (Tribe,De La,P.E.,Rakim,Latifah,Lyte,etc.) Neo-soul sirens like Badu and Scott, the brothers too (D'angelo! Where art thou? Come back, put the pipe down)...I love more indies than mass sellers these days, love world music--reggae,afro-cuban jazz, brazillian music...Fela Kuti rocks,love me some Tito and Willie. Cassandra Wilson moans magic. Three M's I like: Marley, Me'shell N'degeocello,Hugh Maskela. This question is wayyy to hard for me to narrow down, so let's just say almost everything.
The Color Purple, Frida, When Night is Falling, Like Water for Chocolate, Eve's Bayou, Daughters of the Dust, most of Spike Lee's outings(except She Hate Me--wtf? nice soundtrack, though), most of Denzel Washington's and Morgan Freeman's star turns. From childhood: The Wiz, Grease, Goonies, E.T., The Never-ending Story, Gremlins, etc.) And I like cult favorites--Purple Rain and Coming to America are the first ones that come to mind..."just let your soul glo, baby, feeling oh so silky smoove..."
I can sing just about any theme song from shows between 1975-1995 if asked (what would we do, baby, without love....sha-na-na-na). Not so much these days.
Same as music question; maybe one day I'll start a brief list of favorites. Until then, I will say that Morrison and Baldwin are no-brainers in the top five. And I am reading many, many contemporary poets that I am *positive* will have a lasting impact.
My family