Events – Page 11 – ChanteSez.com

Big talent comes in small packages. And big names come out to support it.

Parents do, too, of course. Along with band directors representing a few of the 14 schools whose students played and sang their hearts out at the Unity Concert presented by the How Big Is Your Dream Foundation and the Ken Ford Foundation on Saturday, March 23, at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts Center.

JFly and Ken Ford — JFly (left) and Ken Ford. Photo by UnTamed Royalty Photography.

The foundations were founded by Jorel “JFly” Flynn and Ken Ford, respectively.

The second annual concert is a fundraiser that supports the two foundations. The groups aim to help kids explore their musical talents, and guide the kids on how to navigate careers in music and maximize their life’s potential.

Clearly, these young folks are on their way. They showered the standing-room-only crowd of about 500 with a variety of performances, from Booker T. Washington’s drum line to a trombone trio to a flute player named Summer.

Before the Video Blankets hit the stage, the evening’s host, Sasha The Diva from KISS 104.1 and B98.5, said they were reminiscent of the Jackson 5. True to her claim, the trio didn’t skip a beat when the mics wouldn’t work. It was almost as if the crowd wasn’t sure if a technical difficulty had occurred because frontman JT sang so strong and confidently. He kept his composure like a pro — as did his sister Lexie with her perfectly coordinated rockin’ out dance moves, and baby brother DJ on the drums.

“Amen! Ashe! Word!” The one-night-only Ministers of Sound installation on Sunday, Feb. 24, transformed Space 2 into an artistic sanctuary worthy of the DJs honored in the installation — as well as the curator’s late father.

About five years after initially conceiving the project, Kemi Bennings of Evolve! Artists Live, along with a buzzing crowd of about 200, saw — and felt — it come to life.

The warehouse-style room had undergone a cultural sanctification that started in the wee hours, complete with stained glass framed and hung from the ceiling, centuries-old pews, and the iconic red carpet runner that led from the door to the “pulpit.”

It was there that a number of the DJs honored in the photos took to the turntables.

The DJ procession included DJ Jamal Ahmad (WCLK-FM 91.9), DJ Kai Alce, DJ Salah Ananse, DJ Applejac, DJ Ausar, DJ Karl Injex, DJ Cha-Cha Jones, DJ K emit, DJ Osmose, DJ Ramon Rawsoul (House In The Park), DJ Sky, DJ Tabone (WRFG-FM 89.3) and DJ Mike Zarin.

Each played two songs, which Bennings had directed should “inspire and empower the crowd.”

I found myself most grateful for Cha-Cha’s hip-hop leanings, Applejac’s golden and timeless beats that you know but yet don’t, and Ahmad’s Stevie Wonder selections.

Although the music added to the rapturous atmosphere, the photography served as the basis for the installation.

The photos were taken by Annette Brown. They captured each DJ in an environment — and sometimes in spiritual garb — that reflected his or her own spiritual aesthetic. The photo titles, printed on a label pasted onto a 45-inch record, also reflected those beliefs.

In some cases, captions that Bennings wrote about various spiritual tenants were matched up with a DJ.

Category: Events

JFly and Ken Ford provide freedom and unity for young minds through music

Ministers of Sound lifts up Atlanta’s best DJs through photos and music