Bessie Smith: "They Called Her Empress!" with Beareather Reddy

Doors 8pm, Show 8:30pm$20 adv / $25 dos $35 for workshop + concert (see workshop details here) “They Called Her Empress!” Beareather Reddy and her band revisit the 1920s and 1930s, an era when Black female singers began to express their feelings freely through their lyrics and performances. These women were trailblazers of the Black feminist movement, singing openly about sexual freedom, domestic violence, and economic disparity. While there were many influential artists during this time, the most popular and highest-paid of them all was Bessie Smith—the "Empress of the Blues." Featuring: Ayodele Maakheru - Guitar/Banjo Alphonso Horne - Trumpet Willherm Delisfort - Piano Christopher Dean Sullivan - Bass This program is made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, The Howard Gilman Foundation, The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and the New York State Council on the Arts.