The band Mourning [A] BlkStar is a winner of this year's Emerging Artitst prize, which carries with a $10,000 award. Members of the eight person ensemble, FRONT L-R are Theresa May and William Washington. Rear, from left: Pete Saudek, James Longs, Kyle Kidd, Latoya Kent, RA Washington, Dante Foley Photo: Rob Muller
The music industry is built on categories. White artists placed into country, rock and its subcategory blues, are marketed to white audiences. Black artists get lumped into hip hop, neo- soul and R&B.
But Mourning [A] BLKstar, aka M[A]B, doesn’t fit in the industry’s boxes. Are they neo-soul? Yes, according to The Wire Magazine’s review of The Cycle, which was released last year.
“It’s the kind of music made for the frontlines of a protest, a theme that reoccurs (sic) throughout the album, notably on the neo-soul groove of “Whom The Bell Tolls” where we are greeted with the affirmation to “Hold on, rise up and stand our ground.”
Are they “supernatural gospel soul”? Yes, according to the manager of an Oberlin venue where the group performed in 2018.
Are they avant-garde? Yes, according to NPR’s recommendation of bands performing at SXSW 2019. Reviewer Stephen Thompson described M[A]B as “a rousing, genre-obliterating band dedicated to unpacking the experiences of marginalized people, the effects of police violence and gentrification and other top-of-mind concerns.
“But there's a wildness to the music itself, which careens from Afrofuturistic funk to jazz to punk to rock and soul, always with a spirit of liberation, revolution and even celebration,” he wrote.
The band calls themselves “... A multi-generational, gender and genre non-conforming amalgam of Black Culture dedicated to servicing the stories and songs of the apocalyptic diaspora.”
Since its creation in 2016, the group has released five studio albums. They’ve performed at SXSW in Austin, Texas, The Kennedy Center in Washington as well as at local venues like The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Their next show will be at the Beachland Ballroom on November, 19.
The band calls itself "a multi-generational, gender and genre non-conforming amalgam of Black Culture dedicated to servicing the stories and songs of the apocalyptic diaspora.”
Their mix of virtuosity, innovation, and purpose has brought M[A]B international recognition and one of the region’s highest honors. They are recipients of a 2021 Cleveland Arts Prize in the Emerging Artist category.
The award, which carries a $10,000 prize, recognizes two Northeast Ohio artists who show “remarkable progress and created significant work or projects,” in music, visual arts, literature, design or theatre and dance, according to the Arts Prize website. Past winners in the category include poets Kisha Nicole Foster, and Mary Weems, and playwright Michael Oatman.
“(M[A]B is outstanding, and their virtuosity is so apparent. I am so delighted that the prize gets redefined at their level,” said Scott Westover, who is an Arts Prize trustee. “Our prize begins to change its meaning and elevate, because of bands like this.”
Arts prize trustees don’t select winners. That task belongs to independent jurors representing or knowledgeable of the performing, visual and literary arts.
The band is the brainchild of Rafeeq Washington, a polymath whose creativity encompasses writing and music. It includes three lead singers: LaToya Kent, James Longs and Kyle Kidd. Instrumentalists include Theresa May on trumpet, William Washington on trombone, Pete Saudek on guitar and keys and Dante Foley on drums. Ra Washington provides samples and plays bass guitar.
The group came together organically, when Washington talked to Kent about starting an “orchestra.” He met James Longs through another friend and offered him a spot after a studio session on tracks Washington produced. Kyle Kidd joined Longs and Kent as singers. Saudek, and Foley were original instrumentalists. Eventually William Washington and May joined. Bit by bit the “orchestra” took form.
The project was also Ra Washington’s way to process the murder of his close friend Francois Fissi Bissi Okra Kongo. Snippets from their conversations became hooks and lines for lyrics.
“Once I remember (Francois) telling me, ‘I don't know why this place just won't let me live,’ ” RA Washington said. “He was like, ‘I don't want to be a man no more. ‘ and I was like ‘Aw man. That’s a hook.’ ”
“So I was like, you know, I was like, really channeling those feelings and little snapshots of it. And I knew if … we made it a band, it would be a band (Francois) wanted to be in. So I was like, ‘Damn, I’m in mourning.’ ”
That realization became the first word in the band’s name. The last word references David Bowie. Singer James Longs insisted the loops, samples and lyrics sounded like the artist’s final album “Blackstar.”
“And (Longs) was like ‘Mourning a Blackstar. Mourning a Blackstar,’ “ Washington said. “And (Longs) got on his phone and drew the logo. Right there.”
Washington said the group creates music via the “BLKStar Method,” a nod to the structured improvisation of free jazz from 60 years ago.
“We start with a sketch...whether it's a full beat that I made, or a loop that I snatched or a couple of sounds,” he said. He plays that sound until the others start to sync with it. From there the composing starts on the spot.
The result is music that honors African American creators like Albert Ayler and James Brown while transcending them. The music is accessible and original, said Lawrence Daniel Caswell. He’s a longtime member of Cleveland’s music, radio and dj scene, who Ra Washington credits as an early influence.
“M[A]B is kind of an intense band, while at the same time being really joyful. It's a band that if I didn't know them, and I left the show, I'd be like, ‘That was great. And that was a lot’,” Caswell said. “There's not a lot of bands like that, who give you a lot.”
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Looking for ways to hear Mourning [A] BLKstar’s music? Start here:
About Cleveland Arts Prize
The Cleveland Arts Prize (CAP), founded by the Women’s City Club of Cleveland in 1960, is the oldest award of its kind in the United States. The Prize is a testament to the standard of excellence and quality of artists in Northeast Ohio. In addition to artists, the Cleveland Arts Prize honors individuals and organizations that have expanded the role of the arts in the community. Since its inception, CAP has honored over 350 artists and arts leaders.
This year's prizewinners, announced in August, will receive their awards in a ceremony this evening at the Cleveland Museum of Art. CAP trustee Aseelah Shareef is chair of this year's event committee. For more information visit www.clevelandartsprize.org.
