Dean profile picture

Dean

The Wailflower

About Me

2008: Little Rock Nine in Germany (January) / Laurent Bardainne group in Paris (February). Back to NYC in March/April before May in Mexico (solo with group from Mexico) and Australia/New Zealand and summer Europe tour (with Don Byron's Boomerang), followed by an engagement with/by UMO Jazz Orchestra in Helsinki a program of traditional Black spirituals arranged for big band by my dear friend and colleague James Weidman. Also teaching in Rome at St. Louis Conservatory (thank you Cinzia Spata) July 7-13, 2008.Respect to Paul Robeson, The Fisk Jubilee Singers, and Thurgood Marshall and the Little Rock Nine. Grateful to friends, family, and colleagues.

My Interests

People and Life

I'd like to meet:

Singers, producers, presenters, writers, collaborators, investors, real estate people, entrepreneurs, dancers, actors, directors, organizers, promoters, sound designers, builders, farmers/greenthumbs, holistic healers, people into fitness, and all-around positive people.

Music:

Noel Pointer Albert Ayler Marian Brown Bill Frisell Linda Jones Mahalia Jackson Sam Rivers Don Byron Craig Harris Gladys Knight and the Pips Little Eva Al Green Sly and the Family Stone Rael Wesley Grant John Scofield D.D. Jackson Bernice Johnson Reagon Lonnie Liston Smith The Family Stand Oliver Lake Roland Hayes Fontella Bass James Moody Jimmy Sabator Joe Bataan James Weidman Rido Bayonne Irma Thomas Alice Coltrane Bach Charles Mingus Sun Ra Jean Carn Gil Scott Heron and Brian Jackson Herbie Hancock Ray Charles The Rev. Gary Davis Bob Dylan Alan Dawson Son House Stevie Wonder Sister Rosetta Tharpe Jimi Hendrix Thomas A. Dorsey James Weldon Johnson H.T. Burleigh Big Maybelle Lee 'Scratch' Perry Carole King John Bonham Rahsaan Roland Kirk Milt Jackson James P. Johnson Nathaniel Dett Tania Maria Sonny Boy Williamson Dewey Redman Slim and Slam Marvin Gaye Alton Ellis Swan Silvertones Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers James Brown Judy Garland Bessie Smith Stevie Ray Vaughn Charlie Hunter Wax Poetic Soulive John McLauglin Buddy Guy Sandy Lopicic Orkestar Clifford Brown Louis Armstrong Pancho Quinto John Coltrane Carlos Santana Jacki Byard The Beatles

Movies:

Un Train Nomme Salsa/A Train Named Salsa by Sylvie Bayonne, Frida, Jimi at Monterey, Jimi at Isle of Wight, Jimi on youtube

Television:

C-Span (online)

Books:

Jesus and the Disinherited by Dr. Howard Thurman, To Stand And Fight by Martha Biondi, Deep River by Howard Thurman, The Books of Traditional Black Spirituals by J. W. and J. R. Johnson, Rich Dad Poor Dad, The Richest Man In Babylon, The 48 Laws of Power, A Higher Form of Killing, The Moors by Dr. Ivan Van Sertima, The Black Jacobins by CLR James, Bright Moments by John Kruth, Faith In Time: The Autobiography of Jimmy Scott, A People's History of the US, The Pity of It All, John Brown: Abolitionist, The Making of the British Working Class (recommended to me by Greg Tate--a helluva read!), The Pity of it All, Healthy Living

Heroes:

My Mother, My Father, my bro Guy Bowman (RIP), Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Paul Robeson, Robert Nesta Marley, James Weldon Johnson, James Earl Mumford, Dr. William E.B. DuBois, Dr. John H. Clarke, Mary Lou Williams, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Roberto Clemente, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Walter Dewey Redman, Alice Coltrane, James Brown (Merry Jamesmas!), Walter Rodney, Dr. Chiek Anto Diop, and Huey Long, and people who read books, think for themselves, and don't let the media think for them.

My Blog

Don’t Do It Barack!

Now that the Clintons somewhat see the handwriting on the wall, Clinton spin doctors are giving folks a reason to dream of a "dream ticket." Well, it says here, Barack Don't Go For It.The Clintons ha...
Posted by Dean on Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:39:00 PST

It’s Not Theory

HOOP SCHEMESConspiracy theorist? Who me? Get outta here! When I was a kid following Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley, and Earl The Pearl, we would hang out and talk hoops before school....
Posted by Dean on Wed, 15 Aug 2007 04:43:00 PST

Head To The Sky

Current mood: just arrivedHead To The SkySo much anger and fury buried beneath the smile in my eyes. Gotta keep smiling, styling, profiling, yukking and quakking, and yakkety yakking. Hope for the b...
Posted by Dean on Fri, 10 Aug 2007 02:38:00 PST

When my work is done, Lord I'm gonna rest

Junior Walker is a most under appreciated artist. His fat bogart-y sound amazes, and fills the house with love. What's not to love? His bouncing squealing belches on the tenor saxophone are a full ...
Posted by Dean on Mon, 23 Jul 2007 03:22:00 PST

One step forward

As I write this I become this. And as I say this to you I say this to myself. "take one step toward him and he'll take ten toward you."
Posted by Dean on Tue, 05 Jun 2007 05:49:00 PST

Keep moving!

Greetings All! Back again with another installment of the life! Or lifestyles of the rich in spirit. Just back from a wonderful tour of Europe. Had a wonderful engagement in Pantin outside of Paris...
Posted by Dean on Sat, 07 Apr 2007 07:49:00 PST

Dean, where ya' at?

Greetings Sports Fans! Below is my updated schedule for February through June 2007.  There are some recent changes and there will be more.  Please also note to contact me through my email, ...
Posted by Dean on Fri, 02 Feb 2007 09:14:00 PST

The Passport Epilogue

December 28th was a very interesting day. Mother drove me to get my birth certificate while Mahalia Jackson sang Christmas Carols on the car CD player. The voice of Mahalia soothed Mother and me, as s...
Posted by Dean on Thu, 01 Feb 2007 02:33:00 PST

The Worst of it was...

No, you don't know the worst of it&Three hours before I was to board a flight for CDG in Paris, I went to the internet cafĂ© to check-in online and print out my boarding pass.  I had my passport t...
Posted by Dean on Thu, 01 Feb 2007 02:19:00 PST

Let A Man Come In And Do The Popcorn

I didn't like James Brown very much when I was a kid. Scream that I was and am, I just couldn't take all the noise. There was quite enough of it in my life that James gave me more than this eight-ye...
Posted by Dean on Mon, 01 Jan 2007 12:41:00 PST