This article relies largely or entirely upon a single source. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. Discussion about the problems with the sole source used may be found on the talk page. (October 2010)

Freedom Now is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit, non-partisan organization that seeks to facilitate representation for arbitrarily detained individuals who have neither used nor advocated violence and whose detention violates fundamental principles of international law.

Its approach is to use focused legal, political, and public relations advocacy efforts^[1] designed to compel the release of individuals deprived of their liberty in violation of the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and other international human rights instruments.^[2]

A small organization with limited resources, Freedom Now works closely with other human rights organizations and lawyers^{[examples needed]} to identify high-impact cases that would benefit from the organization's approach.

Selected Current Campaigns[link]

Freedom Now represents prisoners of conscience worldwide, including:^[3]

• Abdulhadi Alkhawaja (Bahrain)
• Andrei Sannikov (Belarus)
• Akzam Turgunov (Uzbekistan)
• Liu Xiaobo,^[4] and Gao Zhisheng (China)

Selected Past Campaigns[link]

Prisoners of conscience previously represented by Freedom Now include:^[5]

• Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet (Cuba)
• Father Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly (Vietnam)
• Lapiro de Mbanga (Cameroon)
• Aung San Suu Kyi (Burma)
• Dr. Yang Jianli (China)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Freedom Now homepage

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Max Roach
Max Roach, Amsterdam 1979
Background information
Birth name	Maxwell Lemuel Roach
Born	(1924-01-10)January 10, 1924
Origin	Township of Newland, North Carolina, United States
Died	August 16, 2007(2007-08-16) (aged 83)
Genres	Jazz
Occupations	Musician, composer
Instruments	Drums, percussion
Years active	1944–2002
Associated acts	M'Boom

Maxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer.

A pioneer of bebop, Roach went on to work in many other styles of music, and is generally considered alongside the most important drummers in history.^[1][2] He worked with many famous jazz musicians, including Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, Billy Eckstine, Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins, Clifford Brown, Eric Dolphy and Booker Little.

Roach also led his own groups, and made numerous musical statements relating to the civil rights movement of African Americans.

Biography[link]

Early life and career[link]

Roach was born in the Township of Newland, Pasquotank County, North Carolina, which borders the southern edge of the Great Dismal Swamp, to Alphonse and Cressie Roach. Many confuse this with Newland Town in Avery County. Although Roach's birth certificate lists his date of birth as January 10, 1924,^[3] Roach has been quoted by Phil Schaap as having stated that his family believed he was born on January 8, 1925. Roach's family moved to the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York when he was 4 years old. He grew up in a musical home, his mother being a gospel singer. He started to play bugle in parade orchestras at a young age. At the age of 10, he was already playing drums in some gospel bands. As an eighteen year-old fresh out of Boys High School in Brooklyn, (1942) he was called to fill in for Sonny Greer, and play with the Duke Ellington Orchestra performing at the Paramount Theater.

In 1942, Roach started to go out in the jazz clubs of the 52nd Street and at 78th Street & Broadway for Georgie Jay's Taproom (playing with schoolmate Cecil Payne).^[4]

Roach's most significant innovations came in the 1940s, when he and jazz drummer Kenny Clarke devised a new concept of musical time. By playing the beat-by-beat pulse of standard 4/4 time on the "ride" cymbal instead of on the thudding bass drum, Roach and Clarke developed a flexible, flowing rhythmic pattern that allowed soloists to play freely. The new approach also left space for the drummer to insert dramatic accents on the snare drum, "crash" cymbal and other components of the trap set.

By matching his rhythmic attack with a tune's melody, Roach brought a newfound subtlety of expression to his instrument. He often shifted the dynamic emphasis from one part of his drum kit to another within a single phrase, creating a sense of tonal color and rhythmic surprise.^[1] The idea was to shatter musical conventions and take full advantage of the drummer's unique position. "In no other society", Roach once observed, "do they have one person play with all four limbs."^[5]

While that approach is common today, when Clarke and Roach introduced the new style in the 1940s it was a revolutionary musical advance. "When Max Roach's first records with Charlie Parker were released by Savoy in 1945," jazz historian Burt Korall wrote in the Oxford Companion to Jazz, "drummers experienced awe and puzzlement and even fear." One of those awed drummers, Stan Levey, summed up Roach's importance: "I came to realize that, because of him, drumming no longer was just time, it was music."^[1]

He was one of the first drummers (along with Kenny Clarke) to play in the bebop style, and performed in bands led by Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Coleman Hawkins, Bud Powell, and Miles Davis. Roach played on many of Parker's most important records, including the Savoy November 1945 session, a turning point in recorded jazz.

Max Roach, Three Deuces, NYC, ca. October 1947. Photography by William P. Gottlieb.

1950s[link]

Roach studied classical percussion at the Manhattan School of Music from 1950–53, working toward a Bachelor of Music degree (the School was to award him an Honorary Doctorate in 1990).

In 1952, Roach co-founded Debut Records with bassist Charles Mingus. This label released a record of a May 15, 1953 concert, billed as 'the greatest concert ever', which came to be known as Jazz at Massey Hall, featuring Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Mingus and Roach. Also released on this label was the groundbreaking bass-and-drum free improvisation, Percussion Discussion.^[6]

In 1954, he formed a quintet featuring trumpeter Clifford Brown, tenor saxophonist Harold Land, pianist Richie Powell (brother of Bud Powell), and bassist George Morrow, though Land left the following year and Sonny Rollins soon replaced him. The group was a prime example of the hard bop style also played by Art Blakey and Horace Silver. Tragically, this group was to be short-lived; Brown and Powell were killed in a car accident on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in June 1956. The first album Roach recorded after their deaths was Max Roach + 4. After Brown and Powell's deaths, Roach continued leading a similarly configured group, with Kenny Dorham (and later the short-lived Booker Little) on trumpet, George Coleman on tenor and pianist Ray Bryant. Roach expanded the standard form of hard-bop using 3/4 waltz rhythms and modality in 1957 with his album Jazz in 3/4 time. During this period, Roach recorded a series of other albums for the EmArcy label featuring the brothers Stanley and Tommy Turrentine.^[7]

In 1955, he was the drummer for vocalist Dinah Washington at several live appearances and recordings. Appearing at the Newport Jazz Festival with her in 1958 which was filmed and the 1954 live studio audience recording of Dinah Jams, considered to be one of the best and most overlooked vocal jazz albums of its genre.^[8]

1960s-1970s[link]

In 1960 he composed the We Insist! - Freedom Now suite with lyrics by Oscar Brown Jr., after being invited to contribute to commemorations of the hundredth anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. In 1962, he recorded the album Money Jungle, a collaboration with Mingus and Duke Ellington. This is generally regarded as one of the very finest trio albums ever made.^[9]

In 1966, with his album Drums Unlimited (which includes several tracks that are entirely drums solos) he demonstrated that drums can be a solo instrument able to play theme, variations, rhythmically cohesive phrases. He described his approach to music as "the creation of organized sound."^[10]

During the 1970s, Roach formed a musical organization—"M'Boom"—a percussion orchestra. Each member of this unit composed for it and performed on many percussion instruments. Personnel included Fred King, Joe Chambers, Warren Smith, Freddie Waits, Roy Brooks, Omar Clay, Ray Mantilla, Francisco Mora, and Eli Fountain.^[10]

1980s-1990s[link]

In the early 1980s, he began presenting entire concerts solo, proving that this multi-percussion instrument could fulfill the demands of solo performance and be entirely satisfying to an audience. He created memorable compositions in these solo concerts; a solo record was released by Baystate, a Japanese label, just about impossible to obtain. One of these solo concerts is available on video, which also includes a filming of a recording date for "Chattahoochee Red," featuring his working quartet, Odean Pope, Cecil Bridgewater and Calvin Hill.

He embarked on a series of duet recordings. Departing from the style of presentation he was best known for, most of the music on these recordings is free improvisation, created with the avant-garde musicians Cecil Taylor, Anthony Braxton, Archie Shepp, and Abdullah Ibrahim. He created duets with other performers: a recorded duet with the oration by Martin Luther King, "I Have a Dream"; a duet with video artist Kit Fitzgerald, who improvised video imagery while Roach spontaneously created the music; a classic duet with his life-long friend and associate Dizzy Gillespie; a duet concert recording with Mal Waldron.

He wrote music for theater, such as plays written by Sam Shepard, presented at La Mama E.T.C. in New York City.

He found new contexts for presentation, creating unique musical ensembles. One of these groups was "The Double Quartet." It featured his regular performing quartet, with personnel as above, except Tyrone Brown replacing Hill; this quartet joined with "The Uptown String Quartet," led by his daughter Maxine Roach, featuring Diane Monroe, Lesa Terry and Eileen Folson.

Another ensemble was the "So What Brass Quintet," a group comprising five brass instrumentalists and Roach, no chordal instrument, no bass player. Much of the performance consisted of drums and horn duets. The ensemble consisted of two trumpets, trombone, French horn and tuba. Musicians included Cecil Bridgewater, Frank Gordon, Eddie Henderson, Rod McGaha, Steve Turre, Delfeayo Marsalis, Robert Stewart, Tony Underwood, Marshall Sealy, Mark Taylor and Dennis Jeter.

Roach presented his music with orchestras and gospel choruses. He performed a concerto with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He wrote for and performed with the Walter White gospel choir and the John Motley Singers. Roach performed with dancers: the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Dianne McIntyre Dance Company, the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company.

Roach surprised his fans by performing in a hip hop concert, featuring the artist-rapper Fab Five Freddy and the New York Break Dancers. He expressed the insight that there was a strong kinship between the outpouring of expression of these young black artists and the art he had pursued all his life.^[11]

Not content to expand on the musical territory he had already become known for, Roach spent the decades of the 1980s and 1990s continually finding new forms of musical expression and presentation. Though he ventured into new territory during a lifetime of innovation, he kept his contact with his musical point of origin. He performed with the Beijing Trio, with pianist Jon Jang and erhu player Jeibing Chen. His last recording, Friendship, was with trumpet master Clark Terry, the two long-standing friends in duet and quartet. His last performance was at the 50th anniversary celebration of the original Massey Hall concert, in Toronto, where he performed solo on the hi-hat.^[12]

In 1994, Roach also appeared on Rush drummer Neil Peart's Burning For Buddy performing "The Drum Also Waltzes", Part 1 and 2 on Volume 1 of the Volume 2 series during the 1994 All-Star recording sessions.^[13]

Death[link]

The grave of Max Roach

Max Roach died in the early morning on August 16, 2007 in Manhattan.^[14] He was survived by five children: sons Daryl and Raoul, and daughters Maxine, Ayo and Dara. Over 1,900 people attended his funeral at Riverside Church in Manhattan, New York City on August 24, 2007. Max Roach was interred at the Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, NY.

In a funeral tribute to Roach, then-Lieutenant Governor of New York David Paterson compared the musician's courage to that of Paul Robeson, Harriet Tubman and Malcolm X, saying that "No one ever wrote a bad thing about Max Roach's music or his aura until 1960, when he and Charlie Mingus protested the practices of the Newport Jazz Festival."^[15]

Personal life[link]

Two children, son Daryl Keith and daughter Maxine, were born from his first marriage with Mildred Roach. In 1956 he met singer Barbara Jai (Johnson) and had another son, Raoul Jordu. He continued to play as a freelance while studying composition at the Manhattan School of Music. He graduated in 1952. During the period 1962–1970, Roach was married to the singer Abbey Lincoln, who had performed on several of Roach's albums. Twin daughters, Ayodele Nieyela and Dara Rashida, were later born to Roach and his third wife, Janus Adams Roach. He has four grandchildren, Kyle Maxwell Roach, Kadar Elijah Roach, Maxe Samiko Hinds and Skye Sophia Sheffield. Long involved in jazz education, in 1972 he joined the faculty of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Amherst. In the early 2000s, Roach became less active from the onset of hydrocephalus-related complications.

From the 1970s through the mid-1990s Roach taught at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.^[16]

Honors[link]

He was given a MacArthur Foundation "genius" grant in 1988, cited as a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters in France (1989),^[17] twice awarded the French Grand Prix du Disque, elected to the International Percussive Art Society's Hall of Fame and the Downbeat Magazine Hall of Fame, awarded Harvard Jazz Master, celebrated by Aaron Davis Hall, given eight honorary doctorate degrees, including degrees awarded by Medgar Evers College, CUNY, the University of Bologna, Italy and Columbia University.^[18] While spending the later years of his life at the Mill Basin Sunrise assisted living home, in Brooklyn, Max was honored with a proclamation honoring his musical achievements by Brooklyn borough president Marty Markowitz.^[19]

In 1986 the London borough of Lambeth named a park in Brixton after him.^[20][21] - Roach was able to officially open it when he visited the UK that year.

Discography[link]

As leader[link]

• 1953 : Max Roach Quartet (Fantasy)
• 1953 : Max Roach and his Sextet (Debut)
• 1953 : Max Roach Quartet featuring Hank Mobley (Debut)
• 1956 : Max Roach + 4 (EmArcy)
• 1957 : Jazz in ¾ Time
• 1958 : Max Roach/Art Blakey (with Art Blakey)
• 1958 : Max Roach Plus Four on the Chicago Scene (Mercury)
• 1958 : Max Roach Plus Four at Newport (Mercury)
• 1958 : Max Roach with the Boston Percussion Ensemble (EmArcy)
• 1958 : Deeds not Words (aka Conversation) (Riverside)
• 1958 : Max Roach/Bud Shank - Sessions (with Bud Shank)
• 1958 : The Defiant Ones (with Booker Little)
• 1958 : Deeds, Not Words (with all new cast Ray Draper, Booker Little, George Coleman)
• 1959 : Rich Versus Roach (with Buddy Rich)
• 1961 : Percussion Bitter Sweet (Impulse! Records)(with Mal Waldron)
• 1962 : Speak, Brother, Speak!
• 1962 : It's Time (Impulse! Records)(with Mal Waldron)
• 1964 : Live in Europe: Freedom Now Suite (with Abbey Lincoln)
• 1964 : The Max Roach Trio Featuring the Legendary Hasaan (with Hasaan ibn Ali)
• 1966 : Drums Unlimited (Atlantic) (Leader, with James Spaulding, Freddie Hubbard, Ronnie Mathews, Jymie Merritt, Roland Alexander)
• 1968 : Sound as Roach (Atlantic)
• 1968 : Members, Don't Git Weary (Atlantic)
• 1971 : Lift Every Voice and Sing (with J.C. White Singers)
• 1976 : Force: Sweet Mao-Suid Afrika '76 (duo with Archie Shepp)
• 1976 : Nommo (Victor)
• 1977 : Max Roach Quartet Live in Tokyo (Denon)
• 1977 : The Loudstar (Horo)
• 1977 : Max Roach Quartet Live In Amsterdam - It's Time (Baystate)
• 1977 : Solos (Baystate)
• 1977 : Streams of Consciousness - duo with Dollar Brand
• 1978 : Confirmation (Fluid Records)
• 1978 : Birth and Rebirth - duo with Anthony Braxton (Black Saint)
• 1979 : The Long March - duo with Archie Shepp (Hathut)
• 1979 : Historic Concerts - duo with Cecil Taylor (Black Saint)
• 1979 : One in Two - Two in One - duo with Anthony Braxton (Hathut)
• 1979 : Pictures in a Frame (Soul Note)
• 1980 : Chattahoochee Red (Columbia)
• 1982 : Swish - duo with Connie Crothers (New Artists)
• 1982 : In the Light (Soul Note)
• 1983 : Live at Vielharmonie (Soul Note)
• 1984 : Scott Free (Soul Note)
• 1984 : It's Christmas Again (Soul Note)
• 1984 : Survivors (Soul Note)
• 1985 : Easy Winners (Soul Note)
• 1986 : Bright Moments (Soul Note)
• 1989 : Max + Dizzy: Paris 1989 - duo with Dizzy Gillespie (A&M)
• 1989 : Homage to Charlie Parker (A&M)
• 1991 : To the Max! (Enja)
• 1995 : Max Roach With The New Orchestra Of Boston And The So What Brass Quintet (Blue Note)
• 1999 : Beijing Trio (Asian Improv)
• 2002 : Friendship - with Clark Terry) (Columbia)

With Clifford Brown

• 1954 : Brown And Roach Incorporated
• 1954 : Clifford Brown and Max Roach
• 1954 : Study in Brown
• 1954 : More Study in Brown
• 1955 : Clifford Brown with Strings
• 1956 : Clifford Brown and Max Roach at Basin Street
• 1957 : Clifford Brown with Strings
• 1979 : Live at the Bee Hive (Columbia Records)

With M'Boom

• 1973 : Re: Percussion (Strata-East Records)
• 1979 : M'Boom (Columbia)
• 1984 : Collage (Soul Note)
• 1992 : Live at S.O.B.'s New York (Blue Moon Records)

As sideman[link]

• 1944 : Rainbow Mist (with Coleman Hawkins)
• 1944 : Coleman Hawkins and His All Stars (with Coleman Hawkins)
• 1945 : Town Hall, New York, June 22, 1945 (with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker)
• 1945 - 1948: The Complete Savoy Studio Recordings (with Charlie Parker)
• 1946 : Mad Be Bop (with J.J. Johnson)
• 1946 : Opus BeBop (with Stan Getz)
• 1946 : Savoy Jam Party (Don Byas Quartet)
• 1946  : The Hawk Flies (with Coleman Hawkins)
• 1947 : The Bud Powell Trip (with Bud Powell)
• 1947 : Lullaby in Rhythm (with Charlie Parker)
• 1947 : Charlie Parker on Dial (with Charlie Parker)
• 1948 : The Band that Never Was (with Charlie Parker)
• 1948 : Bird on 52nd Street (with Charlie Parker)
• 1948 : Bird at the Roost (with Charlie Parker)
• 1949 : Birth of the Cool (with Miles Davis)
• 1949 - 1953: Charlie Parker – Complete Sessions on Verve (with Charlie Parker)
• 1949 : Charlie Parker in France (with Charlie Parker)
• 1949 : Genesis (with Sonny Stitt)
• 1949 : The Stars of Modern Jazz at Carnegie Hall
• 1950 : The McGhee-Navarro Sextet (with Howard McGhee)
• 1951 : The Amazing Bud Powell (with Bud Powell)
• 1951 : The George Wallington Trip and Septet (with George Wallington)
• 1951 : Conception (with Miles Davis)
• 1952 : New Faces, New Sounds (with Gil Melle)
• 1952 : The Complete Genius (with Thelonious Monk)
• 1952 : Live at Rockland Palace (with Charlie Parker)
• 1953 : The Metronome All Starss. MGM (with Billy Eckstine)
• 1953 : Mambo Jazz (with Joe Holiday)
• 1953 : Yardbird: DC-53 (with Charlie Parker)
• 1953 : Cohn's Tones (with Al Cohn)
• 1953 : Diz and Getz (with Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz)
• 1954 : Daahoud (Mainstream Records)
• 1954 : Dinah Jams Featuring Dinah Washington
• 1955 : Relaxed Piano Moods (with Hazel Scott)
• 1955 : Introducing Jimmy Cleveland And His All Stars (EmArcy)
• 1955 : New Piano Expressions (with John Dennis)
• 1955 : Herbie Nichols Trio (with Herbie Nichols)
• 1955 : Work Time (with Sonny Rollins)
• 1955 : The Charles Mingus Quartet plus Max Roach (with Charles Mingus)
• 1956 : Sonny Rollins Plus 4 (with Sonny Rollins)
• 1956 : Introducing Johnny Griffin (with Johnny Griffin)
• 1956 : The Magnificent Thad Jones (with Thad Jones)
• 1956 : Brilliant Corners (with Thelonious Monk)
• 1956 : Tour de Force (with Sonny Rollins)
• 1956 : The Music of George Gershwin: I Sing of Thee (with Joe Wilder)
• 1956 : Rollins Plays for Bird (Sonny Rollins Quintet)
• 1956 : Saxophone Colossus (with Sonny Rollins)
• 1957 : First Place (with J.J. Johnson)
• 1957 : Sonny Clark Trio
• 1957 : Jazz Contrasts (with Kenny Dorham)
• 1958 : Freedom Suite (with Sonny Rollins)
• 1958 : Shadow Waltz (with Sonny Rollins)
• 1958 : Award-Winning Drummer (Time T)
• 1959 : A Little Sweet (aka. The Many Sides of Max )(Mercury)
• 1959 : Moon-Faced and Starry-Eyed (Mercury)
• 1960 : Quiet as it's Kept (Mercury)
• 1960 : Tommy Turrentine (with Tommy Turrentine)
• 1960 : Stan 'The Man' Turrentine
• 1960 : Again! (Affinity)
• 1960 : Parisian Sketches (Mercury)
• 1960 : We Insist! - Freedom Now (Candid)
• 1960 : Long as You're Living (Enja)
• 1960 : Uhuru Afrika (with Randy Weston)
• 1960 : Sonny Clark Trio (with Sonny Clark)
• 1961 : Straight Ahead (with Abbey Lincoln)
• 1961 : Out Front (with Booker Little)
• 1961 : Paris Blues (with Duke Ellington)
• 1962 : Money Jungle (with Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus)
• 1962 : Drum Suite (with Slide Hampton)
• 1966 : Stuttgart 1963 Concert (with Sonny Rollins)
• 1972 : Newport in New York ‘72 (Roach on 2 tracks only)
• 1975 : The Bop Session (with Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Stitt, John Lewis, Hank Jones and Percy Heath)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Max Roach 1924-2007: Thousands Pay Tribute to the Legendary Jazz Drummer, Educator, Activist
• Max Roach at the Hard Bop Homepage
• Discography at Discogs
• Discography and Sessionography
• New York Times obituary
• New York Sun Obituary
• Obituary and Public Tributes
• Slate Magazine Article
• Max Roach Multimedia Directory

Abbey Lincoln
Abbey Lincoln in concert, 1992
Background information
Birth name	Anna Marie Wooldridge
Born	(1930-08-06)August 6, 1930 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	August 14, 2010(2010-08-14) (aged 80) Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Genres	Jazz
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, actress, civil rights activist
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1956–2007
Labels	Riverside, Verve

Anna Marie Wooldridge (August 6, 1930 – August 14, 2010),^[1] better known by her stage name Abbey Lincoln, was a jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actress. Lincoln was unusual in that she wrote and performed her own compositions, expanding the expectations of jazz audiences.

Musician[link]

Lincoln was one of many singers influenced by Billie Holiday. She often visited the Blue Note jazz club in New York City.^[2] Her debut album, Abbey Lincoln’s Affair – A Story of a Girl in Love, was followed by a series of albums for Riverside Records. In 1960 she sang on Max Roach's landmark civil rights-themed recording, We Insist! – Freedom Now Suite.^[3] Lincoln’s lyrics were often connected to the civil rights movement in America.

During the 1980s, Lincoln’s creative output was lesser and she released only a few albums during that decade. During the 1990s and until her death, however, she fulfilled a 10-album contract with Verve Records. These albums are highly regarded and represent a crowning achievement in Lincoln’s career. Devil’s Got Your Tongue (1992) featured Rodney Kendrick, Grady Tate, J. J. Johnson, Stanley Turrentine, Babatunde Olatunji and The Staple Singers, among others.

In 2003, Lincoln received a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Award.^[4][5]

Actress[link]

With Ivan Dixon, she co-starred in Nothing But a Man, an independent film written and directed by Michael Roemer. In 1968 she also co-starred with Sidney Poitier and Beau Bridges in For Love of Ivy,^[6] and received a 1969 Golden Globe nomination for her appearance in the film.

Lincoln also appeared in 1956 in The Girl Can’t Help It, for which she wore a dress which had been worn by Marilyn Monroe in Gentleman Prefer Blondes, and interpreted the theme song, working with Benny Carter.^[6]

In the 1990 Spike Lee movie Mo’ Better Blues, she played young Bleek Gilliams’ mother.^[7]

Personal life[link]

Lincoln was married to drummer Max Roach from 1962 to 1970. Roach’s daughter from a previous marriage, Maxine, has appeared on several of Lincoln’s albums. She was mentioned in Maya Angelou's autobiography The Heart of a Woman as a close friend.

Lincoln died on August 14, 2010 in Manhattan at the age of 80. Her death was announced by her brother, David Wooldridge, who told the New York Times that Lincoln had died in her Manhattan nursing home after suffering deteriorating health for years following open heart surgery in 2007. No cause of death was officially given. She was cremated and her ashes were scattered.^[8]

Discography[link]

• 1956: Abbey Lincoln’s Affair – A Story of a Girl in Love (Liberty Records) with Benny Carter Orchestra, Marty Paich Orchestra, Jack Montrose
• 1957: That’s Him (Riverside Records) with Paul Chambers, Max Roach, Wynton Kelly, Sonny Rollins, Kenny Dorham
• 1958: It’s Magic (Riverside Records) with Curtis Fuller, Benny Golson, Sahib Shihab
• 1959: Abbey Is Blue (Riverside Records) with Kenny Dorham, Wynton Kelly, Les Spann, Sam Jones, Philly Joe Jones
• 1960: We Insist! – Freedom Now with Max Roach
• 1961: Straight Ahead (Candid Records) with Coleman Hawkins, Eric Dolphy, Booker Little, Mal Waldron, Max Roach^[9]
• 1973: People in Me (Polygram) with Kunimitsu Inaba, James Mtume, Al Foster, Hiromasa Suzuki, Dave Liebman
• 1980: Golden Lady (a.k.a. Painted Lady; Inner City Records/Marge Records) with Archie Shepp
• 1983: Talking to the Sun (Enja Records)
• 1987: Abbey Sings Billie, Vol. 1 & 2 (Enja Records) with Harold Vick (tenor), James Widman (piano), Tarik Shah (bass), Mark Johnson (drums).
• 1990: The World Is Falling Down (Verve Records)
• 1991: You Gotta Pay the Band (Verve Records) with Stan Getz, Hank Jones, Charlie Haden, Mark Johnson, Maxine Roach
• 1992: Devil’s Got Your Tongue (Verve Records)
• 1992: When There is Love (Verve Records) with Hank Jones
• 1993: The Music is the Magic (Recorded live at Sweet Basil Jazz Club, New York City; ITM Records) with Rodney Kendrick, Michael Bowie, Yoron Israel
• 1994: A Turtle’s Dream (Verve Records) with Roy Hargrove, Kenny Barron, Pat Metheny
• 1996: Who Used to Dance (Verve Records) with Graham Haynes, Steve Coleman, Oliver Lake
• 1998: Wholly Earth (Verve Records) with Nicholas Payton, Bobby Hutcherson
• 2000: Over the Years (Verve Records)
• 2003: It’s Me (Verve Records)
• 2007: Abbey Sings Abbey (Verve Records)

References[link]

External links[link]

Biography portal

• Abbey Lincoln at the Internet Movie Database
• Bio at Verve Records
• Abbey Lincoln Discography at www.JazzDiscography.com
• Abbey Lincoln at NPR Music
• Abbey Lincoln Tribute and image.
• "Remembering Jazz Singer and Activist Abbey Lincoln" at NPR Music: Music News

Jason Thomas Mraz
Jason Mraz in March 2011
Background information
Birth name	Jason Thomas Mraz
Born	(1977-06-23) June 23, 1977 (age 35) Mechanicsville, Virginia, U.S.
Genres	Pop rock, blue-eyed soul, alternative rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, mandolin, mandola, banjo, ukulele, baritone ukulele
Years active	1999–present
Labels	Elektra Records (2002–2005) Atlantic Records (2005–present)
Associated acts	Tristan Prettyman, Bushwalla, Jack Johnson, Colbie Calliat
Website	jasonmraz.com
Notable instruments
Taylor Guitars

Jason Mraz ( /məˈræz/;^[1] born June 23, 1977 in Mechanicsville, Virginia) is an American singer-songwriter. Mraz released his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)", in 2002, but it was not until the release of his second album, Mr. A-Z, in 2005, that Mraz achieved major commercial success. The album peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 and sold over 100,000 copies in the US. In 2008, Mraz released his third studio album, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and was a commercial success worldwide, peaking in the top ten of many international charts.

Mraz's international breakthrough came with the release of the single "I'm Yours" from the album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. The single peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Mraz his first top ten single. The song was on the Hot 100 for 76 weeks, beating the previous record of 69 weeks held by LeAnn Rimes' "How Do I Live". The song was a huge commercial success in the US, receiving a 5x platinum certification from the RIAA for sales of over five million.^[2] The song was successful internationally, topping the charts in New Zealand and Norway and peaking in the top ten of multiple international charts.

Early life[link]

Jason Mraz was born and raised in Mechanicsville, Virginia.^[3] He is of Czech descent through his grandfather, who moved to the United States from Austria-Hungary in 1915.^[4] His surname is Czech for "frost"^[4] (Czech: mráz). His parents, Tom (Tomáš) Mraz and June, divorced when he was four years old, but he asserts that he had an idyllic childhood, saying, "My hometown of Mechanicsville was very American. There were white picket fences, a church on every street corner, low crime and virtually no drug use. It was a good place to grow up."^[5] He went to Lee Davis High School^[6]

Music career[link]

[edit] Live at Java Joe's (2001)

In 2001, Mraz released a live acoustic album, Live at Java Joe's, a coffee-house type place in the Ocean Beach neighborhood of San Diego where Jewel also made her debut. Here, Mraz performed with percussionist Noel "Toca" Rivera and bassist Ian Sheridan and felt at home singing and scatting through jazzy-pop songs. He would deliver rapidfire lyrics full of verbal mischief, and he would riff off the crowd like a stand-up comic.^[7] The album featured Mraz's free-lancing vocal style and songs he later re-released, including "1000 Things", "You and I Both", and "Halfway Home."

The album was made available to download on iTunes on March 11, 2008, under the title Jason Mraz: Live & Acoustic 2001.

[edit] Waiting for My Rocket to Come (2002–2003)

In 2002, Mraz signed a recording contract with Elektra Records. He recorded his first album with the Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer producer John Alagía, and Virginia-based roots rock band the Agents Of Good Root.^[8] Mraz then released his first major-label debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come. The album was a relative commercial success, peaking at number 55 on the Billboard Hot 200 and at number two on the Top Heatseekers Chart. The lead single from the album, "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)" was co-written by music production team The Matrix and it was Mraz's first top 20 single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 15.

Mraz's friend and former roommate Billy "Bushwalla" Galewood collaborated on the album, co-writing "Curbside Prophet" and the album's third single, and "I'll Do Anything".

[edit] Tonight, Not Again: Jason Mraz Live at the Eagles Ballroom (2004)

In 2004, while touring, Mraz released a live album and accompanying DVD^[9], Tonight, Not Again: Jason Mraz Live at the Eagles Ballroom, a special two-disc set including an audio CD of his concert from Milwaukee's Eagles Ballroom^[10] , plus a video DVD of the concert plus tons of backstage footage. Mraz performed with his touring band including drummer Adam King, percussionist Noel "Toca" Rivera and bassist Ian Sheridan and keyboardist Eric Hinojosa along with a guest appearance from Blues Traveler lead John Popper. The Eagles Ballroom (part of The Rave complex) has a capacity of only about 3,200^[11] making it possible for Mraz to have significant interaction with the audience, bridging his earlier coffeeshop performances to his later much larger venue concerts.

[edit] Touring and Mr. A–Z (2003–2008)

Mraz opened for Tracy Chapman in March 2003 at the Royal Albert Hall in London. In July 2005, Mraz opened for Alanis Morissette during her Jagged Little Pill Acoustic Tour. On July 26, 2005, he released his second major-label album, Mr. A–Z, for Atlantic Records. It entered the Billboard 200 album chart at number 5.^[12] In December, the album earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, while its producer, the prolific Steve Lillywhite, received a nomination for Producer of the Year.^[13] In 2006 "Life is Wonderful" the first track of the album was featured in the Hilton Journeys Hotel commercial"

Mraz began his long-running tour in support of Mr. A–Z at the San Diego Music Awards on September 12. The tour featured several opening acts, including Bushwalla and Tristan Prettyman, with whom he had co-written the duet "Shy That Way" in 2002.^[14] Mraz and Prettyman dated, ending their relationship in 2006. They also co-wrote the song "All I Want For Christmas is Us".^{[citation needed]} In November 2005, Mraz opened for the Rolling Stones on five dates during their 2005–2006 world tour. Also in 2005, Mraz was one of many singers featured in the fall advertisement campaign for The Gap entitled "Favorites". The music-themed campaign also featured other singers including Tristan Prettyman, Michelle Branch, Joss Stone, Keith Urban, Alanis Morissette, Brandon Boyd, and Michelle Williams.^[15] In December 2005, Mraz released the first part of his ongoing podcast.

Jason Mraz performs at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut on May 17, 2006.

Jason Mraz at Gröna Lund In Stockholm, Sweden 2008

In March 2006, Mraz also performed for the first time at a sold-out performance in Singapore with Noel "Toca" Rivera as part of the annual Mosaic Music Festival.^{[citation needed]} In May 2006, Mraz toured mostly small venues and music festivals in the U.S., along with a few shows in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The tour included a May 6, 2006 acoustic show with P.O.D., Better Than Ezra, Live, and The Presidents of the United States of America. Mraz was featured as a headlining guest of St. Louis's annual Fair St. Louis and performed a free concert at the base of the Arch on July 1, 2006. During this time, Mraz was also the opening act at several dates for Rob Thomas' Something to Be Tour.

In December 2006, Selections for Friends, the live, online-only album recorded during the Songs for Friends Tour, was released. Selections for Friends features Jason's favorite songs from the Schubas Tavern and Villa Montalvo shows he played in July 2006. Jason Mraz began 2007 by debuting his new single "The Beauty in Ugly", an earlier track penned by Mraz entitled "Plain Jane" that he rewrote for the ABC television program Ugly Betty. The song was featured as a part of ABC's "Be Ugly in '07" campaign.^[16] He has since released a song in Spanish entitled "La Nueva Belleza (The New Beauty)".^[17]

In 2007, American Idol contestant Chris Richardson performed "Geek in the Pink", which subsequently garnered the song mass recognition and increased downloads at the American iTunes Store. "Geek in the Pink" peaked at No. 22 on the U.S. iTunes Store on March 10, 2007, but it was ineligible for the site's Hot 100.^{[citation needed]} The tape-recording of bootlegs during Mraz's shows is explicitly supported by him and his management.^[18] In 2007, he also provided background vocals on Mandy Moore's song "Slummin' in Paradise", of her studio album Wild Hope.

[edit] We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. (2008–2009)

Mraz released his third studio album, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. on May 13, 2008, following the April 2008 "Music, Magic, Make Peace" Tour with Bushwalla, The Makepeace Brothers, and magician Justin Willman. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 200, giving Mraz his highest charting album to date. Following the success of its lead single, "I'm Yours", the album broke into the top ten of many international music charts and charted in the top three in Australia and the US.^[19]

The first single, "I'm Yours", reached No. 1 on AAA radio charts in the US. The single was a B-side to Mr A-Z, and was made famous by recordings from his live shows. In September 2008, the song became Mraz's first Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #6. As of October 14, 2008, the album has been certified Gold by the RIAA, selling in excess of 500,000 copies in the US. The song was a commercial success worldwide, peaking in the top ten of multiple European charts and topping the charts in New Zealand for six weeks.^[20] In 2008, Mraz launched his single "I'm Yours" at the music industry-only event titled Sunset Sessions. Exactly one year later, Jason was nominated for a Grammy on the single.

Mraz and his song "I'm Yours" were nominated for Song of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 2009 51st Grammy Awards. The album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical in 2009. On January 31, 2009, Mraz was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, performing "I'm Yours" and "Lucky", the latter with Colbie Caillat. "Lucky" peaked on the Hot 100 at 48.

With "Make It Mine" and "Lucky", Mraz won two awards for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals, respectively, at the 2010 52nd Grammy Awards.

On June 20, 2009, Mraz was awarded the Hal David Starlight award from the Songwriter's Hall of Fame.^[21]

[edit] Love Is a Four Letter Word (2009–present)

In early 2009, a song titled "Try Try Try" was leaked out into the Internet. The song was later released in 2010 by Michael Squire. New songs have been performed in his recent concerts, some of which have been uploaded onto YouTube. Earlier this year, Jason Mraz spent time in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil working with Milton Nascimento. Mraz also recently met and worked with Willie Nelson, whose 'style' is fondly referenced in one of Mraz's early hits "Curbside Prophet."

In November 2009, Mraz posted on his MySpace page plans for a new album to be recorded starting in December, stating "In 2 weeks time I will enter the studio and begin recording the next album. Only a handful of songs are written and slated but the momentum of love is with me. Every day new verses get added on. The songs are coming together piece by piece. The process is unlike any of the other records before this. It's like I'm being gifted the album without having to do the work. I'm creating that in 6 months the project will be complete and then we'll hit the road again with new sounds and new musicians."^[22]

In 2010 Mraz spent time in London, England, where he worked on songs for his new album with producer Martin Terefe and wrote with British singer-songwriter Dido.^[23]

Mraz contributed vocals for The Grooveline Horns' eponymous EP on the track "Fun", a cover of the Con Funk Shun song, released March 2, 2010.^[24]

In August 2010, Mraz had a Q&A interview with Spin magazine. In the interview, he stated the current possible titles for his fourth album are Peace Canoe or The Love Album.^[25]

On September 13, 2010, Mraz was featured on the single "Love, Love, Love" by Hope.^[26]

On September 28, 2010, Mraz announced the upcoming release of the new "Life Is Good" EP consisting of recordings from his concerts from Maine to the Life is Good Festival in Canton, Massachusetts which will include live recordings of "Coyotes" and multiple new songs, "San Disco Reggaefornia", "Up", "What Mama Say", and "The Freedom Song". The EP was released on October 5, 2010.^[27] On the same tour, Mraz also showcased other new songs, such as "Thinking About You", "Love Looks Like" and "In Your Hands".

From December 26, 2010, the official website was updated with a series of images, the first seemingly a sequence of blocks separated by points to indicate a date, and the second image containing a rectangle, circle, triangle and a square, which appear to spell out the word "love." This image was also trademarked. Popular belief was that the "love" image was the beginning of a marketing campaign for a new record.

Appearing on VH1 Top 20 Countdown on March 5, 2011, Jason Mraz noted that he had 12 songs ready to go for the album but then decided they weren't good enough. In July 2011, his team's Twitter feed (@theRKOP) confirmed that his album will be released in early 2012.^[28]

JasonMraz.com relaunched in July 2011 with a new design and a message informing fans that a special announcement was imminent. A few days later, it was announced that Mraz would embark on a mini-global tour in September to November 2011, with occasional full band shows, but mostly as an acoustic duo with long time performing partner and friend, Noel "Toca" Rivera. The special shows marked the ten-year anniversary of the independently released Live at Java Joe's album. Mraz played in the US, Australia, New Zealand, Berlin and Prague, and was due to make a festival appearance in Hossegor, France before the festival was cancelled.

On September 19, 2011, Jason Mraz announced via his Facebook page the release of a new single titled "The World as I See It", which is intended to be the theme of the "In Search of Incredible" campaign, accompanied by the song being embedded via YouTube.^[29] On September 20, 2011, the single was released on the iTunes music store.^[30]

During the fall/winter tour, many songs old and new were showcased. Towards the end of the tour, Mraz announced that 'I Never Knew You' would not be featuring on the new album, suggesting that the final tracklist has been decided on and that the album is on course for release around February 2012.

On December 8, 2011, Mraz told Jeff Benjamin of Billboard that the "album is finished" except for one track he was attempting to re-work as an acoustic version. He described the album as, "It's not a departure in the sound of the genre in any way, it's just different tones, different textures. Musically, I think people are going to like it. It's personal. It's melodic. And it's mellow. There's a couple of up-tempo tunes, but mostly the rhythm of the heartbeat kind of takes precedence on this record. Medium-tempo tunes; which I love. It feels more like the pace of life. At least, based on my life and what I've been doing."^[31]

On January 20, 2012, during a performance streamed live from the Bing Bar at the Sundance Film Festival, Mraz told the audience that the album's title is Love Is a Four Letter Word. Mraz released a new single from the album, called "I Won't Give Up", and the single has peaked at No. 1 on iTunes.^[when?]

During January 2012, the Dutch online retailer bol.com accidentally released a tracklisting for the forthcoming album, which has been dismissed as being incorrect. On February 28, 2012, Jason released an EP entitled Live Is A Four Letter World. The EP was recorded live in San Diego and contains four tracks (one of which had already been released).^[32]

The new album was set to be released on May 8, 2012,^[33] however on February 14 it was stated that the new album is set to be released in stores and at all digital retailers on April 17, 2012.^[34]

Personal life[link]

Mraz was engaged to singer/songwriter and long-time close friend Tristan Prettyman.^[35] On June 7, 2011, Mraz said in an interview with the Daily Beast that he and Prettyman were no longer engaged.^[36]

Mraz lives a health-conscious lifestyle and enjoys eating mostly raw vegan foods.^[37] He owns an avocado farm in Bonsall in Northern San Diego County. Recently, he acquired the Garden Patch Farms&Orchard in Homer Glen, for its organic strawberries.^[38] Mraz is an active supporter of several charities including VH1's Save The Music Foundation, MusiCares, Free the Children, Life Rolls On, SPARC and the Human Rights Campaign.^[39] He has been named the 2010 SIMA Humanitarian of the Year. He also received the Clean Water Award in 2010 from the Surfrider Foundation.^[40] The same year, he also teamed up with The Nature Conservancy^[41] and created a PSA using his song I'm Yours to raise awareness about the non-profit organization's efforts to protect the earth.^[42] Jason performed at Farm Aid 2011 on August 13 in Kansas City. He has also advocated LGBT rights.^[43]

In 2011, Mraz appeared in the Visit California promotional film^[44] aimed at boosting tourism from the UK.

Discography[link]

• Waiting for My Rocket to Come (2002)
• Tonight, Not Again: Jason Mraz Live at the Eagles Ballroom (2004) + accompanying DVD
• Mr. A-Z (2005)
• We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. (2008)
• Love is a Four Letter Word (2012)

Awards[link]

Notes[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jason Mraz

• Official website
• Jason Mraz at the Internet Movie Database
• Jason Mraz at Allmusic
• Jason Mraz's channel on YouTube
• Jason Mraz collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive
• Playlist: Jason Mraz – Nightline 07/17/09 – Reggae to rock, Mraz reveals his musical influences.
• Concert Photos: Jason Mraz – 09/17/2010, 09/18/2010 – Jason Mraz opens for Dave Matthews Band for two sold out shows at Chicago's Wrigley Field.

Sandro Silva, fullname Sandro Laurindo da Silva (born April 29, 1984 in Rio de Janeiro), is a Brazilian footballer, who currently plays for Internacional on loan from Málaga CF.

Career[link]

On 10 February 2010 Botafogo reduce the time for sign the midfielder of Palmeiras, the player would arrive on loan until May 2011.^[1] However in the summer 2010 he was snapped by Málaga CF for a transfer fee of €2.2 million.

During the next summer, he was loaned back to Brazil. This time to Internacional with an option to buy for €2 million after the season.

Position[link]

He plays as a defensive midfielder but can play also as a right back.

Honours[link]

Botafogo

• Rio de Janeiro State League: 1

2010

Internacional

• Rio Grande do Sul State League: 1

2012

References[link]

Family[link]

Relation to Mixed Martial Arts Fighter Seyandro Silva

External links[link]

• (Portuguese) [1]

This biographical article related to a Brazilian association football midfielder born in the 1980s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e