By Allie Sadoff
May 7, 2024
Award-winning singer/songwriter and music educator Mavis SWAN Poole, dubbed “Little Ella” by legendary trombonist Curtis Fuller, was born in Durham, North Carolina, and attended North Carolina Central University. She prides herself on her unique style of music that embraces rough, rugged sounds and genuinely represents herself.
Read moreBy Alan Hunt
May 2, 2024
Thursday, May 2, 2024 By Alan Hunt “No immigration papers needed, just the will to dance!” That’s the slogan on the No Visa party series Instagram bio, the dance party series curated by brothers Alec Lomami and Mike Tambashe. Also founders of the music label and creative agency Immaculate Taste, they draw on their international […]
Read moreBy Tanner Arter
February 22, 2024
Missy Lane’s Assembly Room is a multi-dimensional music venue, coffee bar and yoga studio all wrapped into one that opened in January. Cicely Mitchell is the co-owner of Missy Lane’s and, before this, created the nonprofit The Art of Cool to broaden Durham’s jazz audience.
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
April 2, 2020
Editor’s Note: The Barbershop Revival, originally scheduled for March 27 and 28 at North Carolina Central University, has been postponed until fall. Barbershop singing likely brings to mind an image of four old-timey white men in striped suits and little straw hats. While that image has been fairly accurate for much of barbershop’s history, Andy […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
Despite school closures and government-issued stay-at-home orders, the Durham Kidznotes program is working to make sure their students and teachers can continue learning and teaching music in a virtual setting. “It’s been a really interesting and honestly kind of invigorating time for Kidznotes,” Nick Malinowski, the executive director of Kidznotes, said. The program, which partners […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
February 27, 2020
If you asked Austin Royale what he wanted to do with his life 10 years ago, he’d tell you he had no idea. But in 2020, he has a defined vision for a future where the children of Durham are free to explore all of their interests and have new ways to express themselves and […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
For more than 15 years, a group of dancers and drummers – some experienced, some not – have come together once a month at the Hayti Heritage Center on Old Fayetteville Street for its Hayti Rhythms dance class. The class offers community members the chance to practice movements from the African diaspora and listen to […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
February 13, 2020
“Our first rule is…?” Brett Chambers called over packed tables painted in dim lights from the stage. “Have fun!” the crowd shouted in unison. And fun they had. Laughter and conversation filled The Blue Note Grill, 709 Washington St, for over an hour before any performance. When the music did start, people grooved in their […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
January 30, 2020
Jazz legend Max Roach’s drums beat again Saturday night when five local musicians interpreted his rhythms to about 50 listeners at the Hayti Heritage Center. The concert, called “Freedom Day: A Tribute to Max Roach,” celebrated one of the most important drummers in modern jazz history, the Hayti musicians said. A North Carolina native born […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
February 27, 2019
After 47 years, “Swing School,” a community favorite production for many decades, returned to the stage at Hillside High School. The Hillside High School Drama Department – under the direction of Wendell Tabb – put on four performances of its new adaptation, called “Hallelujah! Swing School,” from Feb. 15-17. The production has long been a Hillside […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
February 13, 2019
On an unseasonably warm Saturday morning, Fayetteville Street was even busier than normal as hundreds of Durham residents showed up for the 17th Annual North Carolina MLK Black History Month Parade & Block Party. The event, presented by Spectacular Magazine, is held on the first Saturday of every February. For entertainment columnist Tameka Nichole, […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
The words, “You can do it” reverberated through Tiffany Agerston’s head. She never forgot those words of encouragement, spoken by her chorus teachers when she was younger in an effort to get Agerston to share her singing talent at the annual “An Evening of Entertainment” (EOE) put on by the Durham Public Schools. Agerston eventually […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
January 31, 2019
Kidznotes musicians used their opera voices to tell the dramatic French love story of Georges Bizet’s “Carmen.” The students performed as the children’s chorus alongside the stars of the North Carolina Opera on Jan. 25 and Jan. 27 at the Memorial Auditorium in Raleigh. The opera performance featured hypnotic choreography, human drama and popular hit […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
January 30, 2019
The white, vine-covered building situated along Durham’s American Tobacco Trail is more than it appears. What used to be an old, small Piggly Wiggly has been transformed into a community-focused dance, yoga and music studio. Threehouse Studios opened their doors to the public on Oct. 22, 2017. The idea of a multipurpose studio was developed […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
December 14, 2018
Kidznotes, the Durham-based non-profit music program devoted to giving kids a passion for music, is back with their annual Winter Concerts. This year’s first free concert will be held Fri., Dec. 14, 5:30 – 7 p.m. at Fayetteville Elementary School located at 2905 Fayetteville St. The second concert will be presented in the same […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
October 22, 2018
Located on 212 West Main Street is a unique recording studio. The “BlackSpace” is an Afro-futurism digital creation space home to Durham’s youth. This makerspace offers the youth a “wokeshop” series offering personal training in the digital and creative arts including videography, spoken word poetry, puppetry, coding, 3D printing and electronic music production. Kids, […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
April 16, 2018
The Chicago-born rapper who calls Durham home, “Go79man” (pronounced Goldman) Walter Gilmore is making big strides with his signature sound that steals the show every time he is on stage. When the crowd hears his raspy signature sound, they go wild. During his rap career, Gilmore started from the bottom like every other rapper […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
February 28, 2018
Nick Malinowski is in the profession of changing lives through music. He never imagined that his job would land him on a stage in Nashville, accepting an Emmy Award on Kidznotes’ behalf. Malinowski, the executive director of the Kidznotes program, is a North Carolina native who has a passion for kids and accessible music […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
December 4, 2017
There is no denying that North Carolina is on the come-up in terms of hip-hop, and Durham is in the heart of it. Baltimore-born, Durham-bred rapper Toon Rice, better known as Professor Toon, had his EP Release Party for his new project “Release,” Dec. 2, at Motorco Music Hall in Durham. “He’s a lively person […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
November 8, 2017
Over the years, the VOICE has told the stories of Kidznotes’ students and events. But, in looking back, there’s some stories that we haven’t shared yet. Since its start in 2010, Kidznotes has boasted influential and talented instructors and volunteers who have had a desire to make a difference through music. With that in mind, […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
The day after his 45th birthday, Queens-based rapper Pharoahe Monch settled into his seat in the Duke University Forum for Scholars and Publics. Monch is no stranger to Durham, his most recent visit being last spring when he performed at Art of Cool Fest. This time, however, his purpose was greater: a week in residence […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
October 18, 2017
On a clear and sunny Saturday afternoon, many Durham locals chose to join the second anniversary celebration of the LGBTQ Center of Durham. The event was held on the Rigsbee Avenue between Geer Street and Corporation Street in the form of a family-friendly block party free to the community. The LGBTQ Center of Durham, along […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
October 4, 2017
With a highly successful Kickstarter Campaign, and sponsorship from companies like Toyota and Bull Durham Beer under its belt, Beats ’N’ Bars hit the ground running to produce something special in its second year. The festival took over the section of Main Street along Corcoran Avenue on Sept. 22-23, occupying the Pinhook, Parking Lot #20, […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
April 19, 2017
For almost six years, Durham residents and close friends Noah Goyette, 40, and Sloan Meek, 29, have entertained seniors at the Durham Center for Senior Life. Meek and Goyette arrive every Tuesday and Friday at noon to play a variety of instruments for onlookers. “Noah jokes that we’ve outlasted three center directors and seen […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
April 5, 2017
What is your dream job? Is it to be a world-renowned chef, actor or maybe the CEO of a Fortune 500 company? Wendell Tabb has been living his dream for the past 30 years helping others reach their full potential. As Hillside High School’s, Drama Director Tabb has cultivated a thriving theater program, helping the […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
Ajua Arnette may only be 7 years old, but give her a microphone and a costume and she commands the stage. A first-grader at Sandy Ridge Elementary, Ajua was one of the many performers at Hayti Heritage Center in Durham for Wimmin@Work 2017—an afternoon of artistic performances in honor of “Wimmin’s History Month” celebrated on […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
March 1, 2017
Willis Brown playing an improvisational piece at Antioch Baptist Church. (Recording by Brian Shurney) At the age when most kids start going to school, Willis Brown was already on his way to becoming an accomplished organist. Brown is a musician and composer who has played in churches for all of his life. He’s most proficient […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
April 16, 2014
Drumlines from across North Carolina competed in the 2014 Mike Tilley Drumline Competition at Hillside High School on March 22. The competition was held in honor of former Hillside band and drumline member Michael Tilley, who died in 2005 from suicide. Greensboro’s Grimsley High School took top honors, with T.W. Andrews High School and Warren […]
Read more