A parade performance conceived by Melvin Gibbs, Arto Lindsay & Greg Tate
The art parade starts with a performance at 5pm under the marquee of the legendary Apollo Theater.
From there, we dance our way to Marcus Garvey Park, and then over to Marcus Meets Malcolm Open Streets at 120th and Lenox.
Musical performances at the MMM Open Street:
7pm - Mambembé NY
7:30pm - Hellfighters 2
Plus an Open Rehearsal with representatives from HONK NYC! bands of “Descarga de la Diáspora,” a community piece composed for HONK NYC! by Elijah J Thomas.
FOOD & DRINK SPECIALS FROM SETTEPANI
Pizza or Pasta & Champagne = $20
Beer (Bottle) $5 * Wine $6 * Cocktails $10
Hellfighters 2 is named in hopeful honor of the 369th Infantry Regiment "The Harlem Hellfighters", a dynamic ensemble led by legendary Black bandleader and visionary James Reese Europe who brought ragtime, blues, and proto-jazz musics to the forefront of the United States and western Europe during World War I era. The legacy of this ensemble is most integral to the fabric and historical development of music in the United States; the cultural market of New York City; and the installation of the "street" band in the northeastern U.S. In memory of that heralded ensemble, Hellfighters 2 performs music of the Black Diaspora connected to the rich history and culture of New York City and guided by the spirit of Jim Europe and his radical vision of Blackness.
Hellfighters 2 in rehearsal, with Elijah J. Thomas (front & center).