An Exclusive Interview with Ebony Jo-Ann!
An Exclusive Interview with Ebony Jo-Ann by Richard Lhommedieu on Mixcloud
Multiple award-winning theatre, film and television actress, Ebony Jo-Ann releases her new Blues CD, Please Save Your Love for Me on her independent label, Blackgold Production on Friday, September 18th. Ebony will kick-off the promotions for the album at this year’s National Black Theatre Festival. She will perform at the Opening Night Gala of Black Stars of the Great White Way on Monday, August 3rd and Tuesday, August 4th at the University of North Carolina Stevens Center for the Performing Arts in Winston-Salem, NC. Black Stars of the Great White Way will feature some of the finest African American Broadway performers. The event will be presented by A Chapman Roberts Concept, Inc. of New York City. For more information on the National Black Theatre Festival, please visit www.nbtf.org.
Please Save Your Love for Me features a collection of ten songs with five original tunes and five timeless cover classics. With themes of love and passion, the politically charged album represents Blues music to its present day. The album was produced by Danny Kean. The original songs on the album are “Just Rain,” written by Ashford & Simpson; “Yo Love,” written by Irene Datcher and co- produced by Preston Vismala; “Nosybody,” written and co-produced by Miles Jaye; “Glad I Waited for Love,” written by Aziza Miller; and “Burnin’ World,” written by Danny Kean. The cover classics include “Is It Because I’m Black,” written by Syl Johnson, Jimmy Jones, and Glenn Watts; “Send Me Someone to Love,” written by Percy Mayfield; the title track, “Please Save Your Love for Me,” written by Buddy Johnson; “Muddy Water,” written by Eddie Miller; and “Sittin’ On Top of the World, written by Walter Jacobs Vinson.
Recorded over two years, the album was inspired by the Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson. During a recent pre-album launch celebration at Ashford & Simpson’s Sugar Bar in New York City, Ebony performed songs from her forthcoming album to a standing room crowd. The Sugar Bar’s weekly Blues series, Nuttin’ But the Blues was co-created by Nick Ashford and Ebony.
Recording has been a lifelong dream for Ebony, no stranger to the concert stage, Ebony has performed on historic stages and venues including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music; as well as performing arts houses, music festivals and jazz clubs all over the world. She has shared the stage with GRAMMY award-winning and legendary recording artists across multiple genres including the late Big Joe Turner, Horace Silver, Nat Adderley, Sr., as well as Bill Sims, Kenny Neal, Danny Mixon, Onaje Allan Gumbs, and Miles Jaye, just to name a few.
On Saturday, August 8, Ebony will join Jazzmobile’s Great Jazz on the Great Hill concert lineup, a jazz, swing and blues festival paying tribute to Central Park Conservancy’s 35th Anniversary. She will join the George Gee Swing Orchestra, King Solomon Hicks Blues Quintet, legendary Blues guitarist, Ray Schinnery and other special guests. Central Park’s Great Hill is located inside the park on the west side of 103rd to 106th streets. The concert is free, show time is 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. For more information, please visit: www.centralparknyc.org/
The following week, Ebony will star in George Faison’s upcoming 40th Anniversary celebration of “The Wiz: A Celebration in Dance and Music,” presented by CityParks Foundation’s SummerStage on Wednesday, August 12th at Rumsey Playfield, located on East 72nd Street, off Fifth Avenue in Central Park. Ebony performed on The Wiz’s national tour and will reprise her role as Addaperle. The cast also features Tony Award-winner Phylicia Rashad, who played a Munchkin from the original Broadway production; Tony Award-winner André De Shields will reprise his role as The Wiz; and Tony Award-winner Dee Dee Bridgewater for her role of Glinda; Inaya Day and Darlesia Cearcy as Dorothy; Nicole Elaine Phifer as Evillene; Reji Woods as the Lion; and Wallace Gary as the Scarecrow. Damien Sneed is the Musical Director and Timothy Graphenreed is the Musical Supervisor. The event is free, doors open at 7:00 p.m. and show time is 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Celebrating over 40 years in music and entertainment, Ebony Jo-Ann is best known for her work in theater, film and television. She starred in Broadway’s productions such as August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Drowning Crow, The Sunshine Boys, Mule Bone, and she co-authored Sheila’s Day and numerous other Off-Broadway, national and regional theatre projects. Her work in film include Adam Sandler’s blockbuster franchise Grown Ups and Grown Ups 2, Noise, Kate & Leopold, Marci X, The Orphan King, Pootie Tang with Chris Rock, Eddie with Whoppi Goldberg; as well as other key and independent film releases. Her television credits include Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, New York News, The Jury and New York Undercover. Ebony has been featured in numerous television commercials including Campbell’s Chunky Soup, Bing.com and Asthma.com, among others.
https://open.spotify.com/album/0LW5GEt0RQfKZxNbuuCZJM
