When Smalls Had It All by  Daniel  Carlton

as part of Harlem  Jazz Shrines 2012 

http://www.jazzmobile.org/

When we hear that a show is educational , its easy to think that it won't be fun, or too young, or whatever associations we have with being asked as kids( or as the adult chaperon ) to see something that is good for us. I would like to shatter that perception or reality by inviting you to this highly , musical piece being presented by yours truly as part of the Harlem Jazz Shrines 2012 festival. My show "When Smalls Had It All" is being sponsored by the wonderful organization Jazzmobile (with funding on a commission from :*Commissioning support from Charlie Parker Jazz Festival 20th Anniversary, and City Parks Foundation and Jazzmobile..

HARLEM JAZZ SHRINES FESTIVAL 2012

MAY 7-13, 2012

Celebrating Harlem’s Historic Jazz Venues:  Apollo Theater, Club Harlem, Havana San Juan, Lenox Lounge, Minton’s Playhouse, Monroe’s Uptown, Park Palace, Showman’s Jazz Club and Small’s Paradise.

Concerts by amazing musicians will take place at night in many sites in Harlem to recreate these seminal hotbeds of innovation and tradition.  My venue is Smalls Paradise..Harlem's longest running nightclub....from the 1920's -the 1980's.   I will use  live music ( from masterful musician's including Claudia Hayden on Flute, master Bassist Booker King,  sax player, and a keyboard) to create an atmosphere of song and dance. I will use fictional characters who interact  with the audience as if they( the audience) are sitting or waiting to dance at Smalls throughout the different eras. The dialogue will be verse. Images from the different eras in Harlem will be projected . Dancing encouraged. History taught through characters like a caretaker who sees Small's last day, different MC's , A numbers runner in the 1920's, A WWII soldier returned looking for his girl-and describing how Charlie Parker and the new music Be-Bop got him through the war, Wilt Chamberlain's right hand man in the 1960,s, A rapper in the 80's who comes to Smalls looking for the perfect break-beat..and many more..all played by moi. Did I mention live music? 

Check out the Harlem Jazz Shrines Link for all of the great offerings and venues ...but for an early morning good time , bring your classes ( 6th grade and up) a group , or yourself to : Harlem USA 124t and St Nicholas ( in the building that hosts the Magic Johnson Theater)  2nd floor  May 10th or 11th 10:00 A.M -11:15  

FREE    FREE FREE ..but call Jazzmobile for reservations

http://harlemjazzshrines.com/calendar

Small's Paradise Education/Public Programs

Wednesday, May 9, Thursday, May 10, Friday, May 11 10 a.m. |  Registration Required

Poet/actor/narrator Daniel Carlton will illuminate the history of this famous venue with the superlative presentation, "When Small's Had It All*," an interactive, multimedia theatrical work that salutes and recreates the electric atmosphere of the club with music, visuals and storytelling. 

For Grades 6 -12

Registration Required:  Teachers Call 212 866-4900 ext. 31

Commissioning support from Charlie Parker Jazz Festival 20th Anniversary, and City Parks Foundation and Jazzmobile.

"Where do broken hearts go?"

Sometimes there are hurts, that create holes so big in the heart, that fame can't fill them, that money can't cover, that adulation temporarily puts a bandage on . Really big talented hearts , can show through the art what it feels like. They can turn these things into beauty....but the hole itself creates bigger breaks...and sometimes we laugh, because we mistakenly interpret the sounds of the new breaks as that heart laughing with us. We may even worry about the holder of that precious breaking thing, knowing the signs because of our own soul fissures. A breaking heart tries to fill itself with things that are not so good for it . The hole doesn't care. It just wants to be filled. One can only hope , that after it collapses in on itself , that as it flies back home to it's source.. it can finally understand , that it was loved in ways , that the hole never let it truly see / That it is whole again.

...R.I.P Whitney Houston, Etta James, Don Cornelius, Amy Winehouse , and MJ

The Moon Over Harlem: Haiku,Afro-Bits and other poems by Daniel Carlton

In December 2011, I finally accomplished the goal of putting a book together of some of my poems. I decided to test the market with haiku and mostly shorter poems ( although I do have some long pieces in there too).

Why Haiku you ask? Well even if you didn't , here are the answers:

1) I have always loved the economy of this form of poetry. As a storyteller , I can go on for a bit in order to both unfold the narrative and create dramatic tension. Haiku are an exercise in brevity for me. I now write one daily as a writing warmup.

2) About 3 years ago , I discovered Richard Wright's haiku. Black Boy, Native Son, Uncle Tom's Children, and many of his other books are some of the most incisive reflections of the Black male's psychological and emotional psyche( particularly from his time period. His haiku had deeper levels too. On the surface they are as beautiful as any nature reflection coming out of Japan( the originators of the form) On a deeper level, he was writing from the perspective of a very sick man who was grappling with issues of mortality. His haiku also reads very soulful. The funky twists and turns that he manages to present in 17 syllables , speak volumes to his mastery of both rhythm and vision. African American and universal meet in 3 lines. It inspires me to try to do the same.

3 ) I love Harlem.I take daily walks up and down its streets for creative inspiration. This village in Manhattan inspires my acting, storytelling, play writing , and poetry. These are mostly Harlem haiku.

4) The moon fascinates me. Unlike the sun, it changes form , and you can stare at it without going blind. It is everyone's personal night lover.

5) I wanted a place for my afro-alliteration to live. Read the book to see what I mean

6) It is self published. Amazon makes it very easy to do this . The book is available on Kindle( and kindle apps). Practically everyone with a smart phone , program on their computer, or a variety of other devices can read it.

7) Some other forms of my poetry are included. Love, lust, political, historical, and other afro-bit reflections are presented throughout.

8) The price is right. Under 5 bucks.

So what are you waiting for?...the moon awaits........remember That it is Kindle only (for now

The Moon Over Harlem: Haiku,Afro-Bits and other poems.

The moon chases me

Across my Harlem rooftop

She wants attention

You can sample more at www. Amazon.com

"Harlembound" Claudia Hayden Featuring DANIEL CARLTON

Daniel Carlton Storyteller'sthe sun,moon, rain Creation story intro and ...

January Harvest-

January 2011 has turned out to be the most creative month of my life . It feels like harvest time in terms of projects that I've either created and pitched last year, or folks interested in my participation in their events, and lastly the flow of inspiration that has stemmed from being so busy dancing with the spirits of creation.

I started this month on the 3rd rehearsing my verse play: A block of Time pt1: Pigfoot Mary Says Goodbye To The Harlem Renaissance. Last summer I saw a notice for submissions for plays that referenced the time period of that fertile age of cultural magnificence in the 1920's of Harlem , New York. My submission idea ( which was accepted) is not what I ultimately ended up doing. Initially I was going to group together a series of monologues that had the common theme of characters encounters with real icons from the Negro , Mecca". I was then going to plug those stories into a larger play called "A Block Of Time" after the festival was over. In December, while having a conversation with my dear friend the actress Benja K, a light bulb went off in my head about what the piece was missing; It needed a central character who the men could relate to. Benja , once told me the story of the entrepreneur Pigfoot Mary who made a small fortune selling pigs feet and other eats on the street corner of 135th and Leonox Avenue in Harlem during...... The Harlem Renaissance! Voila! The added bonus was/is being in a show with my friend too. I started out writing Ms Mary in a rhyming cadence. This led me to dismantle all of the previous monologues, and rewrite them in verse too. Details of where you can see this:

The Metropolitan Playhouse (212) 995 8410 for reservations www.metropolitanplayhouse.org 220 E 4th Street Between avenues a and B New York, NY
	Written by Daniel Carlton* Performed by Daniel Carlton* ,and Benja K* as Pigfoot Mary Is today Pigfoot Mary's last day selling her eats on the streets of Harlem in the 1920's? Who are Hot Fingers The Piano Player, The Garveyite, Crispus The Numbers Runner, and General Wilson the street veteran? How do Langston Hughes, Paul Laurence Dunbar, A'lia Walker, Countee Cullen Zora Neale Hurston, and many more Harlem renaissance figures fit into their lives? All told in Verse! Starring Daniel Carlton* and Benja K* Added bonus voiceovers featuring Harrison Lee, Queen Esther, Cornelius Bates , Bruce Hawkins and Genovis Albright - All for only $18 or use your Equity card* $10 for youth under 18 *Appear courtesy of Actor's Equity Dates: Jan-19th ,25th, 28th , 7 PM except Jan 30th at 4pm Harvest 2 : The Schomberg Center For Research in Black Culture NYC I am directing a children's play called " The Dream Inn that will be performed as part of Langston Hugues's birthday celebration , This play is a collection of Mr Hughes poetry that I have woven into a narrative about the Great Migration into Harlem in it's early days. I am also presenting a work in progress of a documentary that I am filming called " Langston in Harlem" This is based on a series of interviews that I am doing with a variety of Harlem folks about the way that they view him, his impact on their lives, and lastly a creative piece of his that they remember well enough to recite. Harvest 3 : I am participating in an event called Medicine Men at the Dwyer Cultural Center in Harlem I have written , and will perform two pieces for this_I'm really going out on a limb for one of the pieces called "Bury Me Pretty" come see what I mean Harvest 4 The Schomburg Center's 85th Anniversary Gala and Tribute to Howard Dodson www.youtube.com The Gala Evening on January 24, 2011 at Aaron Davis Hall 138 Convent Avenue (West 135th Street and Convent Avenue) New York, NY 10031 For information call 212-491-2206 or visit schomburgcenter.org The anniversary celebration will feature the premiere of a multimedia performing arts work. Directed by the amazing George Faison . I am one of the narrators at this event that has some SERIOUS star power up on the stage too. No name dropping of course but-some of these folks-I've dreamed of working with Feb- ( I'm aiming to release my book of poetry "Harlem Haikus and afro bits" on Amazon's Kindle e reader platform More to come! Tell me about your harvests too-ok -and thanks!

A repeat -my annual Harlem X Mas poem-but it could be anywhere

Was The Night Before Christmas ( and all through the hood) A Daniel Carlton Joint

Harlem Christmas

By Daniel Carlton

It was the night before Christmas

All through the hood

Things were type quiet

You could say all good

The crack fiends were chilling

The weed heads and alkies too

It was so chill

Like the whole block took medicine for the flu

Windows were blinging

With colorful lights

It was like being in Times Square at midnight

The kids sleeping hard

But keeping their cool

On none of their mouths could you see any drool.

Dreaming about X boxes, dolls, and play stations too

Don’t Dreaming make the world feel brand new?

My shorty who is as fine as can be

Was looking flavalicious delicious

Hanging lights on the tree

I was about to give a hug you know, get me some love

When I heard this sound on the fire escape above

I grabbed my bat and ran to the window

Somebody is trying to get hurt messing with my flow

I looked up and saw this dude who was big like fat Joe

Or was it a pimp?

I kept hearing ho, ho,ho

Below on the street was a raggedy ride

I must of been tripping

It looked like it could fly

It was tagged up with some crazy names

Like dancer and prancer and does that say Rick James?

I needed a closer look to see what was up with this dude

But my Grandma would pop me if she saw me being rude

Then he looked at me with bight shiny eyes

I could tell that it wasn’t because he was high

He had on a red suit that looked real nice

His white belt was so big -on me- it would wrap around twice

His beard game was smooth

His sideburns were tight

Something about him was chill

Not looking for a fight

Then it hit me

I swear that it did

I hadn’t thought about him since I was a kid

He said “I see that you recognize who I am”

Then he rubbed his big belly full of mac and cheeses, fried chicken and ham

“ It’s good to be back in Harlem

This much is true”

“The Schomberg, Apollo, and Lenox Avenue too.

I,ve got to get over to Slyvia’s and get some soul food for my boo.”

“But first it ‘s time to pass out these gifts”

“The folks of Harlem need things that uplift”

“I can’t give out apartments that people can afford.

Somebody better get it together before they become null and void”

“I can’t teach the children how to read

Recognize that in your house video games aren’t a need”

“A book is the way to travel real cheap

You don’t even have to leave your couch and the stars you can reach”

“Everybody in life wants to have fun

How does that work if you have a gun?”

“Parents when they take time with young ones

Become the youth’s connection to the sun”

“Kids need to be kids

They’ll grow up soon enough

They’ll find out that without love

Life can be rough”

“Love has to work two ways though

Or you’ll find yourself in a hole face down and covered with snow”

With that said I have to bounce-you know time to go”

“Ho, Ho , Ho”

He was gone like a ghost.

Without leaving toys his presents were still the most

The gift of knowledge was what he dropped

If we use them and share them

We can’t be stopped.