The Sargent Johnson Gallery in the AAACC is one of several host venues for the TAOLB. Currently, there is a satisfying exhibit entitled “Blues and Jazz Masters” by artist James Gayles. The vibrancy of his paintings was just the tonic I needed to recover from the disappointment of the cancelled screening. The time spent in the gallery amongst all those vivid renderings of jazz & blues giants helped to recover my mood. One can tell that this artist has a deep appreciation for the musicians and their craft. The image of Etta James was so realistic I could practically hear her crooning a few bars from “I’d Rather Go Blind” or pouring her heart out on “At Last”.
Fully recovered, I ventured upstairs to check out the newly opened African American Historical and Cultural Society library and listening room. The AAHCS mission “is to educate African Americans, and the public at large, about the history and culture of San Francisco‘s African American community.” The arts complex in general is an excellent source for obtaining current and upcoming Black arts information; the AAHCS in particular is a treasure trove of historical documents and recordings.
Visitors to San Francisco, (please don’t call it “Frisco”) who may be short on time do not have to venture too far from the Civic Center to enjoy many places of interests. In between film screenings I took an extended break down at the Ferry Building and as serendipity would have it, I encountered a Black elderly musician named Don Cunningham 
holding court with his B-flat clarinet amongst the al fresco diners. I stopped to chat with him about long ago Bay Area jazz musicians and his particular “art of living black” as a street performer. His clarinet playing sounded so fine I purchased his compact disc and asked him to autograph it for me. The CD titled “Clarinet, Candlelight, & Jazz” reminds me of the warm lit feeling one gets when savoring a 12-year old single malt scotch. It’s mellow, refined, elegant, and old school in a naughty speakeasy way. Yuh know blue lights and slow drag dancing–grown folks music.
I listened to the CD in the evening after having spent a few hours of sightseeing with my Canadian visitors. We’d taken the Golden Gate Ferry to Sausalito in the late afternoon just in time to enjoy the sunset on the return trip. After disembarking we strolled along newly renovated Pier 14 to view “Passage” a public art sculpture by artists Dan Das Mann and Karen Cusolito. We capped the evening with a scrumptious dinner at Osha Thai Restaurant on 2nd Street in SOMA.
The opening tune on “Clarinet, Candlelight, & Jazz” is a sultry bluesy evocative piece called “Creole Love Song”. The music combined with the imprint of the bay’s gentle rocking motion in my body; and the sun beneath my skin, lulled me into an early slumber—a smooth finish to an intoxicating weekend.
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February 24th, 2007 at 7:48 pm
Hello there!
I stumbled upon your blog while browsing the Kuma website. That is so interesting that I was at the SF Black LGBT Film Festival and I was thinking the same thing (about how festival should be applied loosely). I only made it to two films, and the second was very poorly attended. I LOVE film festivals, but I was highly disappointed with the SF one…I guess I have to wait until the Oakland one this summer!
Thanks for the trip down memory lane!