FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 2017

Von King Park, Brooklyn, with New York City Parks Department

photos by SeanJamar.com

photos by LaRonda Davis

Prince was one of us. A rocker. Black and musically outspoken with depths that plumbed generations. That’s why we celebrate him. For us, he is more than a symbol, more than Purple Rain, more than a pimp rag, tootsie pop, and a cane (thankfully). He was living, breathing possibility. Giant inspiration in a 5-foot-plus frame. A roadmap to a different way.

In celebration of what would have been Prince’s 59th birthday, The Black Rock Coalition Orchestra dipped into the vault for IT’S GONNA BE A BEAUTIFUL NIGHT, a rousing remembrance under the musical direction of lifetime fan and rock-royalty-in-her-own-right, Tamar-kali. This bittersweet reflection, paced out by show-stopping bandleader Jerome Jordan, conjured B-sides, bootlegs and bonuses from over 11 album eras. With a Supergroup-backing band (including Cassandra O’Neal from the New Power Generation, Sylvia Black of Betty Black, Sharief Hobley of Sharief in Burgundy, and Mark Robohm), a parade of top-notch vocalists (such as Corey Glover of Living Colour, and Gordon Voidwell of WILLS, and a full slate of special guests on horns and strings, this soul-satisfying, booty-shaking performance reminded us all of what music can do when the people who make it are free to create outside the lines. Following the performance, there was a screening Purple Rain. All in partnership with New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.