On Thursday May 9, at
6:30PM: author Paul Ferrante will speak at the Bigelow Senior Center on
100 Mona Terrace in Fairfield, USA about his latest novel, 30 Minutes in Memphis: A Beatles Story.
This tale of historical fiction for teens through adults centers on the
Fab Four's tumultuous - and final - 1966 tour, and the firestorm of
controversy in America that was touched off by John's Lennon's "We're
more popular than Jesus" remarks. It is also a coming-of-age story that
involves the struggles of its protagonist, 15-year-old Beatles fanatic
Marnie Culpeper of Memphis, TN, who not only has to deal with having to
choose between her beloved mop tops and their condemnation by her
friends and church, but also her chance uncovering of an extremist group
plot to harm the boys during their Memphis concert. Mr. Ferrante will
sprinkle his presentation with archival videos and music, as well as the
story of the book’s contribution from Julia Baird, the sister of John
Lennon.
Get Your Copy ... H E R E .
Don Was, Blue Note Records, Ringo Starr, Beverley Knight, Jacob Collier, Quincy Jones, Sons of Kemet, dodie, Simon Mayo, Makaya McCraven, BBC’s Dead Ringers, Steve Levine, Swing Out Sister, and Nubya Garcia were among the music and entertainment industry figures who featured in last night’s Jazz FM Awards 2019 – the most prestigious event in the UK jazz calendar.
Hosted by Jazz FM presenters Chris Philips and Jez Nelson, and coinciding with UNESCO’S International Jazz Day, the ceremony took place at Shoreditch Town Hall in East London, honouring a diverse list of artists ranging from elder jazz statesmen through to the next generation vanguards.
Don Was and Blue Note Records collected the prestigious PPL Lifetime Achievement Award, recognising the label’s supreme contribution to jazz history for the past eight decades. Was, also known for his production work with pop and rock stars including the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Elton John, and Bonnie Raitt, has been the label’s President since 2012 and played a tremendous role in its continued prosperity into the 21st century.
Ringo Starr was on hand to congratulate his good friend and collaborator:
“Good evening everybody, just wanted to say a few words on behalf of Don Was for the Jazz FM Awards”, Ringo said. “You’ve played on a lot of my tracks over the years… Congratulations, I’m sure you’re all having a great night. Peace and love – you deserve it, love you Don!”
Paul
McCartney has reacted to the UK government taking away £16 million in
funding away from his Liverpool’s Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) in
a new statement.
“I helped to bring LIPA into life during very
difficult times for Liverpool. It is now a highly respected institution
all over the world.
Our funding was recently affected by what to me, and the heads of every university in Liverpool, was a flawed process.
LIPA is my passion and part of my legacy. It would not be fair to allow
injustice to affect its future. I sincerely hope the Government will
correct this error and help us to continue our work successfully into
the future.”
An Office for Students spokesperson admitted the process but didn’t want to comment any further, saying:
“The OfS is cooperating with the Ombudsman’s ongoing investigation into
decisions made by HEFCE which pre-date the creation of the OfS.
This is a live investigation and it would not be appropriate to comment any further.”
