WHERE THE LOVE IS...

For many years now I have witnessed a trend in popular culture regarding the way it deals with human sexuality.  In my opinion modern culture has shifted from one which celebrated and supported the elusive but unmistakably powerful concept of love to a culture that downgrades romantic love in lieu of a baser and meaner sensibility driven primarily by sex. 

It has always been my belief that it is far more difficult to manage the awesome responsibility that comes with sex once it has been removed from a loving and romantic context.  That is why we find ourselves developing an interpersonal relationship even with the most casual of sex partners, it is how we humans socialize and sex, is a very keen dimension of human socialization.  Sex taken straight with no chaser is after all merely a verb; it lacks a subject, its raison d’etre…

When I hear someone brag about sleeping with someone else’s partner it deeply disturbs me for two reasons, the first being  that it lacks any semblance of classiness and the second is that it is fundamentally immature.  This of course is only my opinion…

I am far from Victorian in my understanding and expression of sexuality but to me love is a very private affair unless you are being paid to have sex in front of an audience...  In a desperate attempt to achieve some manner of uniqueness some twenty-first century humans are willing to cast away their privacy, their individuality in order to be a generic entry in the daily affairs of complete strangers.    Yesterday I overheard at least 3 explicit conversations in the mass transit system o’er blue tooth.  The first time someone publicized a naughty affair it was novel… now it is just another generic and impotent grasp for sexual bravado, at least in my opinion. 

The dynamics of love and sex are always very complex so a mature person would never jeopardize their sex or life partner’s stability by putting their business out on the street; this is a matter of individual choice.  For instance, if I reference a sexual experience I would never mention any names or offer any obvious hallmarks by which my partner could be readily identified out of respect for their privacy.  Anyone can understand that it is unwise to expose their partners personal business without their consent knowing the possible ramifications and understanding the unspoken covenant of honor and privacy that should be emblazoned upon any relationship if intimacy.  There must be some respect should the data ever reach their partner or spouse, children or other loved ones…  To ignore these obvious and critical concerns is not mature, again in my opinion.   What mature person would be willing to score sexual game points against the happiness of others?…  Perhaps only someone who is profoundly insecure and immature…

So where is the love?  Where is the politeness and maturity in our complex highly technologically and socially evolved culture?  Now that the shock of scandal is long since over… a numb society appears to be lost in a downward spiral of degrading reruns of history…   If culture is like a pendulum swinging from one extreme to the other, when will it begin to move back to a point of social decency and humanity? 

I am not saying that an affair and especially a brief, perhaps one time sexual escapade is wrong by suggesting it be kept private nor am I endorsing it.  In my opinion, and to borrow a decidedly over-used cliché, “It Is What It Is,”!  I will not attach any moral or ethical judgments on sexuality because I believe it should be free to explore…  But because I am a humanitarian and a gentleman I will add that because we know that humans are sensitive, emotional beings sex and sexuality must be always handled with as much gracefulness and tact as can be managed.   To approach it with no decorum at all is, in my opinion unworthy of the centuries long lessons we have learned as human organisms on this planet, it is Barbaric!

I hearken back to the lyrical content of a song I cannot wholly recall save that it said something like, “I slept with your man and when we made love last night he was my man.”  As I pondered the utter ignorance of this lyric disclosure I wondered if the writer or the singer even realized how it contradicted itself.  All I heard was Your Man ”and“ Was my Man two clues that in spite of the sexual charms of this media temptress she ultimately did not wield enough erotic power to successfully and permanently pluck this fruit from its nuptial vine!  At the end of the day she was just a quick fuck!  Her claims to this man relegated to the dubious lyrics of a song but devoid of the tangible prize itself… the man!  How adults could ever become entangled in such sophomoric nonsense is hard for me to understand now that I am a mature gentleman…  but even harder is when I see men emulating this same posture, the posture and swagger, (if in fact women can have a swagger), of a female bragging about the virtues of her, “Pussy Power”!  Again, gentlemen, this is only my opinion and it is not intended to offend anyone but I had to ask myself, as a man, if this was a posture a proclamation worthy of and exemplary of a man and of a gentleman.   My conclusion was that it was not manly at all, not gentlemanly, not even womanly… it was Barbaric! 

I think old-timers continue to listen to doo-wop and mid 70’s soul ballads, to go to hand-dancing cabarets and concerts rather than participate in the patently unfriendly night life of this new era not merely because they are caught in a time warp, which even were it so would be their prerogative, rather they are intelligent and sensitive enough to recognize that something has gone measurably wrong with music and culture in this early twenty-first century.  Used to love, they are hearkening back to a place where love was and is figuratively, still…  

The world is not devoid of love by any stretch of the imagination, although society has moved to an antiseptic sexual reality there are still people, artists and places that know what love is and celebrate it every second of their lives as a shining example to us all, whether we are paying attention or not!  It is not merely my intent to set up a scenario in which we are poised to somehow judge how lovely the world is or is not…  though as citizens of the world we are duly so vested to freely express our opinions.  I want to inspire every one to express themselves because most of all those places and people where love can be found are you and I.  We uphold the tenets of romantic love, we observe gentlemanly, civilized rules of social engagement.  We are where the love is….

FIN

Written by David Vollin on 7-27-12

A BACHELORS BRUNCH: AT THE GENTLEMAN'S TABLE...

A BACHELORS BRUNCH:  A SMALL BRUNCH MENU INCLUDING A CHOICE OF MARTINI OR BLOODY MARY, OMELETTES, HOME FRIES, SALAD AND A DESSERT WORTHY OF A GENTLEMAN…

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.       <!--[endif]-->BLOODY MARY:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->OLD BAY SEASONING

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->CLERY STALKS

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->CLAMATO JUICE

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->FRESH LEMONS

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->HOT SAUCE

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->HOT RED PEPPERS

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->CAYENNE PEPPER

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.       <!--[endif]-->MARTINI:  BLOODY MARTINI OR FRUIT INFUSED MARTINI

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->VERMOUTH

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->COCKTAIL OLIVES

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->FRESH MANGO OR PINEAPPLE

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->FRESH PEACHES

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->FRESH LIME SOURS

<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.       <!--[endif]-->OMELETTES:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->HAM (MINCED)

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->ONIONS

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->GARLIC ROASTED AND MINCED

<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.       <!--[endif]-->HOME FRIES:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->POTATOES

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->BLACK PEPPER

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->ONION

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->GREEN OR OTHER PEPPER

<!--[if !supportLists]-->5.       <!--[endif]-->SIDE SALAD:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->MUSTARD GREENS

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->WHITE ONION

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->RADISHES

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->CELERY

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->FRESH UNCOOKED RED BEET SLIIVERS

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->DRESSING OF CHOICE

<!--[if !supportLists]-->6.       <!--[endif]-->DESSERT:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->FRESH PEACH FRY

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->ICE CREAM

<!--[if !supportLists]-->7.       <!--[endif]-->COFFEE/DEMITASSE: 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->FRESH ROASTED AND GROUND COFFEE OR EXPRESSO

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->LEMON ZEST

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->CREAM

<!--[if !supportLists]-->ü  <!--[endif]-->SUGAR

HOW TO MAKE THE COCKTAILS:

FRESH FRUIT MARTINI:  Carefully chose the vodka or gin that best suits the flavor of the fruit.  Unless I personally infuse the vodka I rarely purchase pre-flavored products because they are often made from artificial ingredients.  Infusions can be effective after only a few minutes, hours or days depending on the amount of time you have to prepare them.  The quickest way to infuse vodka is to puree it and strain it several times before finishing the cocktail.  If you have time using this method you can allow any matter that was not excluded  by the filter to settle to the bottom of a tightly sealed vessel and pour the clear fluid from the top straining as a precaution as you pour.  One of the easiest ways to infuse vodka is by simply muddling it into the vodka.  If the cocktail will use sugar a good technique is to add sugar granules to the fruit adding a small amount of vodka or simple syrup just before muddling, this will pulverize the fruit and release its essences into the vodka.  If more clarity is desired or a cocktail without visible fruit but fruit flavor is desired strain the fruit from the vodka or simple syrup mixture you have just muddled.  It is often a good idea to use a fruit press to get all of the juice and flavor from the muddled mixture.   Be sure to carefully pick the cocktail glass to suit your cocktail… pack the glass full of ice or for a martini simply pour the mixture into the chilled goblet.  Garnishing your cocktail is the easiest of all, simply pre-cut some of the fruit even adding additional fruits by slicing them and fitting them onto the rim of the goblet or by skewering them with a cocktail pik.  For the best results  you should always practise making the cocktail beforehand so that you have a feel for the correct admixture and ratio of ingredients.   Cheers!

HOW TO MAKE THE OMELETTES:

FRENCH OMELETTES:  The proper way to make an omelette is, of course, the French way.  The eggs should be beaten in a pan or bowl until they are enlivened by the introduction of tiny oxygen bubbles immediately before the mixture is added to the heated pan.  Preparation and timing are the key elements of a successful omelette.  Omelettes are an entrée that demand your constant attention, they are a meal that is quickly made but preparation for them is time consuming.  All of the elements must be in place before cooking begins because the omelette takes only two or three minutes or less to be cooked there is not time to make last minute preps or find cooking implements because in a few seconds over the fire the omelette will be cooked or burnt. 

Other crucial factors that must be in place for a successful omelette are the pan, the heat and the vehicle or oil.   An omelette pan should be perfectly flat with rounded sides but one can always improvise.  The pan should be coated with fresh butter melted upon its inner surface and spread evenly across the entire bottom and sides up to a height of at least one half inch to an inch.  Be sure that the butter has clarified sufficiently before adding the eggs and also be sure not to burn the butter.   In order to get certain unique flavors it is often desirable to season the butter or oil in the pan well before the omelette is cooked or while it is being prepped at a low heat.  I prefer to use unsalted butter but remember to add salt if you do use this ingredient unless you have already added salt to the fillings.  Remember that cheese and other ingredients already have salt in them so as not to make the omelette too saline.  To season the oil sauté garlic, onions, capers, peppercorns, hot dry or fresh peppers, rosemary, thyme, sage, etc., and remove the seasoning prior to cooking or leave it in to paint the façade of the egg pie.  An omelette is always cooked over a high flame and the temperature is regulated by placing he pan over the fire, holding it slightly away or removing it altogether.   As soon as the pan is hot enough it is time to add the eggs.  Eggs should only be beaten immediately before they are added so wait until the pan is hot enough before beating the eggs.  Eggs can be bruised by being beaten too long a lively mixture can be achieved by beating vigorously for a few seconds.  The French method of preparing an omelette requires that the fillings be prepared prior to making the egg pie save for cheeses which should be added last of all allowing the sealed heat of the omelette to melt it.  Vegetables, meats, poultry, fish and sauces should all be prepared well before the omelette is constructed and should be placed close by because the egg pie will be ready to receive the fillings after only a minute or two after the beaten egg mixture has been added to the pan.  Use a rubber spatula or fork to pull the cooked egg from the edge to the center of the pan and rotate the pan so that the liquid egg can quickly replace the congealed egg taken from the edge.  Continually check to be sure the egg is not sticking to the pan, constantly remove the pan from the fire to keep it from sticking and burning.  Shake the pan horizontally to allow the egg pie to float over the surface of the pan moving over the hot butter vehicle.  In only a few seconds the egg pie will have assumed the shape of the pan and before it reaches its full hardness the ingredients should be added by removing the pan from the heat and then placing it over the heat again only once all the ingredients have been added evenly across the surface of the egg pie similarly to a pizza.  Do not only add the ingredients to the center at the fold because this will not allow the flavors to be evenly distributed within he omelette.  When the omelette has been cooked to the desired extent shake the egg pie laterally to be sure it has not stuck.  Now it will be easy to simply tip the pan over the plate and fold the first half over the last or roll the egg pie in the same manner as a crepe.  When the omelette is completed plate it and garnish with fresh herbs or cheese. 

HOW TO MAKE THE HOME FRIES:

Home fries are a simple dish to prepare and as in all recipes preparation and timing are critical.  Whether the potatoes are blanched prior to frying or not they must be cut to the desired shape prior to cooking.  The larger the cross section of the potatoes the longer they will take to cook.  You may wish to season the pan prior to cooking the potatoes but remember that potatoes will take longer to cook so the seasoning must be removed at a certain point to avoid burning in the oil; they can be added again later when the mixture is substantially done.   Garlic should be added before Onions and peppers and fresh herbs should be added last of all.  If whole garlic cloves are added then they should be roasted beforehand and may be simply mashed and added to the mixture when it is done.  Garlic burns easily and will surely singe under the heat required to cook the slow cooking potatoes; nothing tastes or smells worse than burnt garlic in an entrée.   While the potatoes fry they may produce some juice.  Be sure to salt the potatoes so they will sweat while cooking and as soon as they begin to sweat add the chopped onions and peppers.  I like to cook home fries in bacon fat but any oil/vehicle can be used.  If you wish to brown the mixture you must constantly watch it and turn the mixture as soon as it browns so that it does not burn.  Like omelettes, home fries require your constant attention.  You will know when your home fries are ready because everything will be hot and robustly browned.  Some chefs prefer a drier or most texture; this is a detail that is designed by the cook himself.  Please do check to be sure that the potatoes are fully cooked as they may brown over high heat well before they are tender all the way through.  After the home fries are done they are ready to serve or you can mix fresh herbs into them, sprinkle with cheese or add hot sauce or some other sauce to add flavor. 

FRESH PEACH FRY:

In a large pan heat up bacon fat and or butter until it is melted then remove heat.  Slice at least 4 to 5 fresh ripe peaches if you do not desire the skin peel them after slicing.  Place the peaches into a large bowl and pour sugar over them to taste.  Mix the peaches into the sugar until they are coated.  Return the pan to high heat until the oil is very hot then add the peaches covering them up and reducing the heat until the mixture sweats and forms syrup.  Allow the mixture to simmer  adding any desired spices such as cinnamon, anise seed, nutmeg, etc. and add a half teaspoon of fresh lemon or lime juice to the mixture then stir being careful not to mash or bruise the peach halves.  Return the top and allow to simmer and cook down to a soft texture in the syrup of the combined sugar and the fruits own natural juices.  At this point the mixture is ready and you can add bacon bits or leave it as it is.  To plate the entrée simply add a scoop of ice cream to the bowl or vessel in which it is being served then spoon the peach mixture over the ice cream.  You may top with a teaspoon of heavy cream or whip it and top the entrée.  Another nice touch is to drizzle peach brandy over the entrée once it is plated. 

MUSTARD-GREEN SALAD:

The delicately frilly foliage of mustard greens allows them to retain tiny granules of dirt and grit so they must be carefully washed and rinsed.  Taste a piece of the foliage prior to cutting and arranging in the salad to be sure it is properly cleaned.  Raw  mustard greens have a spicy mustard flavor and after you have cleaned and cut them for the salad place them into a  bowl and pour fresh lemon juice over them.  While they are still in the bowl crack coarse ground black pepper over them, sprinkle sea or kosher salt over them and mix them with your hands to get it all even leaving the foliage in the bowl until you are ready to add them to the salad mixture. 

Wash and cut the fresh beets, celery and radishes and place them in bowls to drain and dry.  Next add the cut beets, celery and radishes to the mustard green foliage and mix them delicately.  Now you can plate the salad at any time using your favorite salad dressing or creating one of your own design.

PRESENTATION OF THE BRUNCH COCKTAILS AND ENTREES AND GENERAL COURTESIES: 

The most desirable thing about the Bachelors Brunch is that it is an informal event designed for just two to four guests.  There is no table setting for this brunch, each guest will plate their own food from dishes containing the various entrees.  At the bachelors discretion cocktails may be prepared in advance in pitchers with glasses already garnished and ready or they may be made to order by the host as a special courtesy to his guests.  Since it is a festive event celebrating the end of the weekend you can be as opulent as you like with decorations or simply provide none.   The main hallmark of your brunch after the fine cuisine will be the conversation.  If your guests like have coffee or demitasse and you may even wish to offer them an aperitif, brandy or cognac to finish the meal.  Depending on the household rules guests should be advised of their ability to enjoy a cigar, pipe or cigarette indoors or be shown an outdoor area where they may indulge themselves after their meal.  If guests have bought alcohol be sure to offer these libations to guests during or after the meal.  If flowers, small gifts or tokens including cards are presented be sure to thank your guests for their thoughtfulness, opening all gifts and cards after the meal in front of your guests, then place them in a prominent place at least until your guests have all gone.  Be sure to send thank you cards to all guest who bought gifts and cards and be sure to promptly reply to all thank you cards sent by your brunch guests. 

FIN

Written by David Vollin for “FOR THE BROTHAS” A Virtual Cultural Intellectual Salon… on 7-21-12

ACTUAL KITCHEN RESULTS AND REMARKS:

I prepared each entree as planned in my kitchen early Sunday Morning beginning with the preparation of the various ingredients.  I began by washing all of the fruits vegetables and potatoes in the sink then set them asise to dry.  The first prep was for the home fries since it represented the longest cooking time and I chose to share the ingredients I planned as filling for the omelette with the home fries in order to save time... it worked out especially well.  I chopped the onion first then prepared the oil for the vegetable saute, next i diced the potatoes and cut the red and yellow peppers in half cleaning them out and drying them out. 

HOME FRIES & VEGETABLE SAUTE:

When one is cooking in a small kitchen several preperations and cooking processes must be managed simultaneously.  After deciding to combine the vegetable mixture and use it for both the omelette and the home fries I set out to quickly prepare these entrees to clear the kitchen freeing space up for the other preperations and entrees.  After first washing the potatoes I diced them into sections about 1/4 in. square by 2 in. long. Before I began to dice the potatoes I started a large pot of boiling water to which I added salt so the water would be ready to recieve the potatoes by the time I finished dicing them.  I finished dicing long before the water came to a boil so I placed the roasted red and yellow peppers over the fire of the stove roasting them by blackening them on the outside using tongs to rotate them so they would roast evenly.  I aloso started to season the oil for the vegetable saute placing 1/4 stick of butter and 1/4 cup of bacon fat into a saute pan and adding fresh garlic, hot chilli peppers at a low temperature.  By the time the water was ready for the potatoes the peppers had fully roasted and I dropped them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and let the sit so that the skin would begin to seperate from the meat.  I then pored the potatoes into the boiling sated water to blanch them waiting for them to come to a full boil before removing.  Now I increased the heat on the seasoned oil and added the chopped onion.  after allowing teh mixture to sweat at high heat for about two minutes I reduced the heat allowing it to cook slowly.  I added the crimini mushrooms last of all after teh onions had clarified.  At this point it would be a wonderful idea to add wine or other liquid to season and finish the dish allowing the steam to cook the mushrooms fully once take from the heat. 

The vegetable saute was finished before the potatoes were done so I removed the pot from the stove and in the interim peeled the roasted peppers under the cold sink rinse and placed the peppers onto a cold plate cutting one one of he halves to a quarter and dicing it for the omelette.  Now the omelette fill was ready and when the potatoes had fried suffieciently I would add the vegetable mix once it had been removed from the heat and stirred lightly.  I added some of the drippings from a chicken I had roasted the previous day to the home fries and vegetable mix consisting of white onion, garlic and hot red pepper and the result was astoundingly tasteful.  Bravo! The hardest part is over...

PEACH FRY & FRESH MUSTARD GREEN SALAD:

After cleaning all utensils and clearing the stove and counter tops it was time to simultaneously prep the Peach Fry and Salad.  First I cut the peaches into small slices, set them in a deep bowl, covered them with sugar and pured about 3/4 cut of Flor de Cana dark rum over them and let them sit.  Meanwhile I got a large skillet and began to melt 1/4 cup of butter and 1/4 cup of bacon fat at low temperature.  All of the vegetables and fruits had been cleaned before the cooking and prep began so they had been waiting in the refridgerator ready to go.  Using a  timer I set it for about 3 minutes after which I cut the heat off the skillet and continued to prep and arrange the salad.  While the skillet heated up I chopped the mustard greens and added them to the salad plate, chopped the fresh leeks thinly topped the greens, sliced the radish and added the slivers to the top of the salad then sliced the tomato adding it along the rim of the plate.  Now I sqeezed fresh lemon juice over the entire salad, sprinkeled it with Kosher salt, fresh cracked black pepper and set it in the refridgerator, the salad was done. 

It is a good practice to use a timer to stay connected to cooking that is in process so that you do not forget and ruin the dish or componant.  After the salad was completed I added high heat to the skillet and waited for it to begin to pop.  Knowing that the rum would cause a quick flash of fire when added to the hot grease I made sure I had the top in one hand and had cleared any flammable objects including covering or distancing  facial, arm or chest hair from the flames. 

When you add the mixture of peaches, pineapple slices, sugar and rum to the hot grease it will flame up in a great flash and you must immediately quench the flames by placing the top onto the skillet or wait until the mixture has carmelized to taste. 

ON THE CONTEMPLATION OF BEAUTY...

Painting by Alma Thomas, American School

The black experience has been one, admittedly with more than its share of tragedy, but as we move into the 21^st century the increasing outcry of Black men will not be to share their stories of pain and struggle only but to express their exaltation of “Beauty” to be counted among the ranks of intellectuals in their own right.  By tradition a Black man had always to work… and work he did… but when he did he was always expected to labor like a slave although he had freed himself from bonds… The struggle to sustain self and family via utilitarian means of employ had condemned this man to the rut of survival… no room was left for creativity or self-expression… it was deemed to be superfluous, a thing for dilettantes and was not added to cache of manly pursuits expected of or to be expected by Black men in America…  His worldly options were presented as those of James, the father of the mid 1970’s series “Good Times”.  Soon he would rise to George Jefferson status still working too hard and too long to pursue art as a career and passion but now able to provide the means by which his children might escape the labor sentence of the great American automaton with the possibility that they might be able to live as artists in their own right or have time at least to devote to artistic pursuits…  On close examination of 1970’s popular media it appears that only Chicken George, an aged slave, retired and no longer viable to the plantation, was fully able to realize his artistic manifest destiny… but he did so seemingly without any compensation at the will of his master…  Surely there was no Decca or Def Jam Productions to liberate this Antebellum musician circa 1790.   Within the last century economic empowerment has allowed Black men to pursue the one thing held so far away from their grasp…  The contemplation of sheer beauty.  And for once, there is a growing field of patronage allowing them not only to live their dreams but to make them sustainable…

Close To Trees by Sam Gilliam American School

Increased economic and intellectual success will have the effect of adding gold and the broad spectrum of colours to the grey-scale of the Black Experience, not that it hasn’t  been celebrated heretofore by countless artisans and aesthetes of the past and present… it is just that the pure contemplation of beauty has yet to become, in my opinion as an artist, a viable and sustainable role for Black men in America save a few… and to that end I would greatly desire to see a veritable revolution of Black men pursuing careers as artists… whether it be painting, sculpture, poetry, prose or otherwise, to include the fields of engineer-inventor, scientist-inventor, and culinary artist, the focus on production of a work of art, (functional or nonfunctional), as a product of pure intellect establishing the Black man as an “INTELLECTUAL”.  But such a cultural revolution in this capitalistic mecca requires patronage… so simultaneously Black people must recognize the need to support the arts that edify their culture.

The Eclipse... Alma Thomas, American School

I have often said that it is the products, inventions and physical legacies of a civilization that make it stand out as a memorable episode of human effort and cooperation.  The monoliths of the Great Zimbabwe, Abu Simbel, Tiahuanaco or modern structures such as The Hoover Dam, The Eiffel Tower or the Suez Canal are indelible hallmarks that a great civilization was once there and great intellectual thought was focused on the realization of magnanimous ideals.  Furthermore, the art and literature of cultures long dead… forgotten… save for their visual gifts to humanity, the text of the ancient Egyptian Book of The Dead, the ancient Mayan Codex’s;’ Chilam Balam and Popol Vuh, the Benin Bronzes or the Caryatid Gate remind us that not only did humans exist in the past but they far exceeded daily subsistence… they left us tangible evidence of a complex society and its technology that did not merely subsist upon the tokens of creation already available to them… rather they expounded upon nature and in effect created technology and beauty from natures good example…

James Baldwin writing...

The Greeks are renowned for their tragic plays but juxtaposed against these was the creation of a fabulously artistic and beauty-conscious society.  The Egyptians were a sober culture seemingly o’er focused upon death and afterlife but through their contemplation of mortality came about one of the most exuberant and creative evolutions of art, literature, architecture, and technology… yes technology… a culture is not viable and is not sustainable, will not be remembered if it does not create technology… BROTHAS… let us ask ourselves if a crack-pipe is technology?  Or even better… if it was created by crack-heads at all?  What crack head was the glassblower who manufactured the pipe?  Did crack heads create crack?  Or were they merely the sad victims of a technological innovation to which they became enslaved?  What culture five thousand years from now, (allowing that humanity is still extant), will hallmark Black American culture because of its creation of a makeshift crack-pipe?  I digressed BROTHAS  to make a simple point.  The history of Black men in America has been otherwise replete with creative, innovators of art, music, theater, literature and technology and the momentum must be kept up in order for us to remain a viable segment of civilization… this, of course, means education and the pursuit of higher artistic goals rooted in intellectualism, the pursuit of knowledge and art or beauty for its own sake… Art for the sake of Art and Art for the sake of the advancement of human civilization…  it means a philosophical abandonment of the “Crack-Pipe” culture which has come to replace the one set in place by the fathers of ligitimate Black American culture…

Sam Gilliam American Painter and Sculptor, American School

If I did not make the connexion between the contemplation of beauty and the perpetuation of civilization itself then let me here make pause… if only to reiterate my argument…  The innate passion of man appears to be rooted in his inexorable pursuit of some lofty ideal of aesthetic perfection… In order to attain his goal mankind necessarily improves the world around him which he deems to be in a state of rusticity… having solved the mysteries of mere survival mankind may exalt himself to the “polishing” of himself and his environment via, the arts; literature, sculpture, painting, architecture, engineering, performance, and ultimately art for the sake of art… merely as an expression of his satisfaction with life in specific to say, “Ah! Yes! The world is beautiful”!  Not only has man created a thing of beauty but he has built the foundations of culture itself by creating tangible artifacts that are the practical and philosophic basis of civilization itself. 

Alma Thomas, American Painter  and one of the founders of The Washington Color School

Onaje Gumbs, Jass Musician/Composer

The twentieth century and the twenty-first have fully captured the anguish and the pain of that genre of man known as the Black American man… Also, it has captured him in his grandest expression of sheer unbridled beauty…

play on Ellington…

write on Baldwin…

paint on Gilliam… 

into infinity not oblivion…

The continuum of expression, of contemplation of pure beauty must continue and expand and become more and more complex as a form of expression… These recitals entreat all men and most assuredly Black American men to take time to contemplate beauty… and to create it…

John & Alice Coltrane

 FIN

Written by David Vollin on 7-7-12

George Lewis Ragtime Musician/Composer

Sam Gilliam, The American School

1776 A VIEW FROM A SLAVES CABIN...

An American colonial plantation typical of the kind constructed in the countryside of Philidelphia in the 18th Century. 

Benjamin had been working since 4:00 A.M. to get Mr. Jefferson’s effects together for the next day.  On such official trips as this one this would have included his portable writing desk including all of the accessories such as ink, parchment, wax, at least six quills for writing, a silver letter opener, (freshly sharpened and polished) a couple of candles and two silver candle holders.  His master’s wig must be powdered; his breeches, waistcoat, cravat, hat, shoes and buckles must all be made ready for an early morning departure.  His master had dined in the countryside just outside of Philadelphia last night at a gracious plantation and so Jefferson would be delivered back to congress in a luxurious carriage but Benjamin would ride his horse in tow.  Furthermore, the horse, Trajan, would need to be fed early and groomed for trip into town. 

Thomas Jefferson's portable writing desk

Benjamin was up early and he was fully refreshed because he did not have to wait upon Mr. Jefferson last night as the hospitality of the house servants had fully accommodated him.  Sometimes when he had free time in the evening, traveling with Mr. Jefferson, he would wander into a rare tavern owned and patronized by free men of color and there exchange stories of his travels with the locals there.  Tonight he dusted off his city clothes and jumped right onto Trajan headed back to Philadelphia for just a couple of hours thinking to get back early enough so that he would go to bed by 8:00 P.M. 

Map of Colonial  Philadelphia,  Blacks had settled to the north and south of the city just outside the grid.

Once he entered the city on the northwest end it was nothing for him to locate the quaint little tavern on the southeast end just before the outskirts of town.  It was located within a row of industrial buildings used to store grain and other retail produce prior to being shipped out of The Port of Philadelphia to the entire world.  There a group of Black farmers and businessmen had owned some land and a small import-export business shipping commodities between Haiti, Jamaica, a dozen other small Caribbean islands and the mainland of the American colonies.  The buildings were owned by a Black entrepreneur named Rev. Richard Allen, a prominent minister and proprietor of considerable rental properties.  Benjamin had actually negotiated rental arrangements between his master, Mr. Jefferson and Messrs. Allen and Jones to lease a small two story carriage house with an adjoining workshop which Mr. Jefferson used for storage and to manufacture many of his inventions, or at least to have them manufactured.  Also, the premises doubled as comfortable lodgings for Benjamin during protracted stays in Philadelphia which were becoming more frequent since the first debacle between the small Revolutionary Army and the Redcoats in 1775.  His head was already awash with the mumblings and grumblings of Mr. Jefferson concerning the Colony of New York’s failure to come on board with the Revolution before its ratification by Congress, which had inadvertently voted to support it in spite of them.  But most of all he was gravely distressed that essential wordage regarding the abolition of slavery had been edited from the Declaration of Independence at the 11^th hour…  When the gravity of Jefferson’s ramblings became fully clear to him his heart sank, nonetheless and especially owing to this unfortunate turn of events he was all to happy to be rid of his masters care if only for a few hours to gain some lucidity for himself… a clarity that he would do well to be sure, would not become clouded by too much rum…

The tavern was little more than a long shed with a low wooden roof having huge roughly hewn beams running from a low, crudely fashioned masonry wall along the high end to a lower wall of timber.  The beams rested upon enormous wooden posts with the axe marks still clearly incised upon their visage.  At the entrance there was a small sign painted hastily upon a short wooden plank that read, “Gumbs Tavern” with an image of a well-dressed Black man holding up an oversized pint of beer.  Along the high-walled side of the tavern opened a huge fireplace fully outfitted as if it had been once the kitchen of a great hall.  The pit of its chimney extended out and a low granite bench encompassed the fire pit covered by a great hood of stone projecting out from the masonry wall on great stone brackets.  There were no windows at all save a small peep-hole gashed into the doorway just at eye level.  Provisions were stored in a large cellar underneath the floor and running its entire length; the floor had therefore a hollow rickety sound as one walked upon it and a cool, dry earthy smell wafted up from between the old shrunken floor boards at times or if the hatch doors were opened outside when someone had to climb down the ladder into the deeply dug cellar for provisions. 

Benjamin checked his fine French pocket watch given to him by Mr. Jefferson after one of his trips abroad, discovering that he had arrived at approximately 6:15 P.M.  When he arrived he sat down at a long low wooden table where a fresh pint had already been set for him.  His arrival was betrayed as he tied Trajan up.  The horse was restless for some strange reason and was furthermore very vocal about it.  He was nearly two sips into the elixir when two familiar faces walked his way joining him each with a pint of their own.  Absalom Jones and Richard Allen sat across from him eyeing his mood… quietly assessing him but withholding their greetings for some reason, he knew not why.  Strangely and to his amazement the gentlemen without ever greeting him formally simply burst forth with the same question. 

“So what news of Congress?  Will the Colonies declare independence from Great Britain? When will Black men be given their equal rights with white men?”

Benjamin stared at them for some few seconds gauging their moods as well… without an utterance he emptied the pint never allowing his eyes to unlock their welded glance upon the men.  As if it had been anticipated, a man standing behind Benjamin immediately replaced the pint and Benjamin also emptied it straightly as he did the first before responding,

“We are now free from Great Britain but are thus enslaved to America… they have cut us out of the deal.  My master recited to me the very passages that would have bathed us in the sweet perfume freedom and had he not been so distraught himself, having been forced to compromise our liberty you should have smelled me from miles away, the olfaction of freedom so very potent upon my presence.  I come from a lovely plantation just outside the northwest corner of this city where he has retired the night, himself to recover from this untimely betrayal to justice, to drink and to curse fate as we do here.  Our brothers fight in this war as do white men but they fight only to perpetuate their unholy condition.  Would that I could summon them here now to plead again our cause… but would it matter to those who see only a shilling?”

By now Benjamin was standing up, the two entrepreneurs were still standing awed and profoundly bruised by the tidings of the hour.  Their brows heavied with the grievousness of a dreadful loss… one that could not be quantified by money or numbers nor thereby sated… 
Turning around Benjamin noticed that none other than his mentor had been serving him.  Benjamin had become connected with the local black entrepreneurs of Philadelphia through his mentor.  To his surprise these men were now all gathering at Gumbs Tavern to discuss the troubling news that had bought him hither though at the time they did not know the outcome until this very moment Benjamin had been keeping them all abreast of the news...

Benjamin woke Thomas Jefferson early that morning around 6:00 A.M. for an early breakfast he had arranged to be prepared by the servants.  Jefferson ate alone and was waited upon only by Benjamin.  After he had dressed his master he implored him to take ten minutes to gather his thoughts and his, “Owns and Earns” as he called them referring to all the things that Jefferson ritually bought along with him even on the shortest and simplest of trips anywhere…   Benjamin truly loved his master and Jefferson loved Benjamin, it was a complex companionship, a brotherhood which under any other circumstances save those that defined them as slave and master would have allowed them to speak freely at this time.  Jefferson looked at Benjamin as an equal if only for an instant, and apologized for what appeared to be a preternatural glitch in the fate of men, one apparently out of his power to change.  He had filled his heart with such imaginings…  He asked him how he felt… knowing the answer…  Benjamin looked at Jefferson for a time and then spoke…

 “I had seen great things to come, great hopes for black people and for white people as well… It was a beautiful view but nothing more than a view from a slaves cabin…”

FIN

Written by David Vollin on 7-4-12