Master Class with Robert Shahid

17/11/2021

“My father had a very high work ethic. He insisted on band rehearsals – which jazz musicians hate to do – and was among the first professional artists to actually practice in order to make his act look spontaneous.”

Camay Calloway Murphy, 94, daughter of entertainer Cab Calloway and a community activist in Havre de Grace. (Kenneth K. Lam)

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/harford/harford-magazine/bs-mg-ha-murphy-20211109-5xkrsjqf4jekdipreqhl35lda4-story.html%3foutputType=amp

27/10/2021

TUNE IN Today at 1PM for a WEAA Masterclass w/ Jazz vocalist and DC-native Akua Allrich & Robert Shahid. Listen from anywhere in the world at www.WEAA.org or tune in at 88.9 FM to hear Akua discuss her upcoming show at Keystone Korner Baltimore on Wednesday, October 27th! Get your tickets or streaming passes at https://bit.ly/AATTKKB

13/10/2021

Jefferson Drew (my Cuz) talks Birmingham history...

The children who grew up in a segregated Birmingham, Alabama returned home to tell their stories together, making connections that were strictly forbidden wh...

09/10/2021

CINDY BLACKMAN SANTANA on Masterclass with Robert Shahid Thursday Oct 7th 12noon-1pm WEAA 88.9FM / Listen "live" at weaa.org and DON'T MISS her engagement at Keystone Korner featuring Marc Cary-piano, Felix Pastorius-Bass, David Gilmore -guitar, & Emilio Modeste-Saxophones

Get your tickets or streaming passes at https://bit.ly/cbsbkkb

07/10/2021

26/09/2021

The saxophonist arranged and co-wrote such classics as “Cold Sweat” and “Say It Loud — I’m Black and I’m Proud.”

23/09/2021

Everything you wanted to know about Rick James but was afraid to ask. I join Robert Shahid of WEAA's Master Class to talk about James and his life in music. I am joined by Paul Porter, the author of "

17/09/2021

The marquee of the Uptown Theater in May 1963. Photograph by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images.

If you find yourself in conversation with a Philadelphian of a certain age, chances are you’ll hear a tale about a night at the Uptown Theater.
During its heyday from the 1950s until it closed its doors in 1978, the theater— located on Broad Street between Susquehanna and Dauphin — featured performers ranging from gospel legends to comedy titans to Motown royalty.

For a ticket price that modern-day concertgoers couldn’t even imagine — an evening with Diana Ross of the Supremes cost $2.50 in the ’60s — legendary WDAS radio personality and producer Georgie Woods put on shows featuring the likes of the Jackson Five, the Temptations, “Little” Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles and the Four Tops.But the Uptown hasn’t been in use for concerts since the 1980s, when acts such as New Edition and RUN DMC took the stage during a short-lived revival. After that, True Light Community Ministries used the building for services until 1991.THE UPTOWN GOT its start in 1929 as a movie palace for the Warner Brothers/Stanley Theaters chain, according to the book Designed by the Philadelphia firm of Magaziner, Eberhard and Harris, the five-story building included a theater with high ceilings, stained-glass windows, terra-cotta walls and velvet seats. It was a classy, elegant place to bring a date to the movies and maybe go out for a bite afterward.
In the 1950s, the theater was one of the go-to sites on the Chitlin’ Circuit, a group of venues that gave African American performers the chance to entertain audiences at a time when segregation kept the likes of comedians Redd Foxx and Flip Wilson out of venues considered more mainstream.
In the ’60s, the Uptown was at the height of its relevance, hosting night after night of legendary acts. Many of those shows were performances with a purpose. Because Georgie Woods was a friend of civil rights leader and Philadelphia NAACP president Cecil B. Moore, the Uptown was the setting for “Freedom Shows” that featured high-profile performers like Jackie Wilson and raised money to further civil rights causes.
The theater was active as a concert venue until closing in 1978.

10/09/2021

Once again, the jazz master is blending his fluency in jazz and matters of race.

06/09/2021

THANK YOU! "live" at Keystone Korner Baltimore 9-5-2021 So appreciate all of our many friends & fans for making Sunday special and packing the house ...so good to see U ALL, Stay Safe / You can still purchase the live-stream at kestonekornerbaltimore.com

31/07/2021

06/07/2021

"The Summer of Soul," is a documentary by Questlove. The Harlem Cultural Musical Festival was hosted and created by Singer Tony Lawrence. He staged the event from June 29 – August 24, 1969 (Mostly ove

02/04/2021

I met Mike some years ago playing with The Tim Ouimette Nonet, and we had a magnificent interview. Mike is best known for his Herbie Hancock years, and he t...

24/03/2021

BALTIMORE, MD (WEAA) — Master Class host Robert Shahid honors musician Bob James while exploring the impact Black music has on American culture. "Black

20/03/2021

Defining Black Rock: Its loud, its bodacious, its social commentary, it’s funky, it’s sexual, and “afro-futuristic.” Your mama won’t like it, and your friends may think its offensive. Guitars are its

19/03/2021

Dedicated to the one and only Pat Martino who is not in the best of health and could use a little help from his friends. Featuring Baltimore musicians Paul H...

11/03/2021