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PEOPLE & ARTS Monday 8 april 2019
Bennett and Belafonte among those honored at Apollo gala
By HILLEL ITALIE civil rights activist Andrew in the front row, and called
Associated Press Young, who stood in for the out by numerous perform-
NEW YORK (AP) — Tony 92-year-old Belafonte and ers, the music spanned a
Bennett had few words to recalled how much King range of styles and genres
say, but many more to sing. relied on his input and how worthy of Jones himself.
Bennett was among the much Belafonte contribut- The Count Basie Orches-
honorees Thursday night ed financially and through tra, for whom Jones wrote
at "A Great Night in Har- his connections to the en- and arranged in the 1950s
lem," the annual fundraiser tertainment world. and '60s, played big band
for the Jazz Foundation of Without Belafonte, Young jazz. There was rap from
America. said, "we might not have Common and his super-
Introduced by Ben Stiller to even had a movement." group, August Greene;
a capacity audience at A Belafonte friend and dis- punk from Patti Smith and
the Apollo Theater, Ben- ciple, actor Danny Glov- a tap dance-jazz duet
nett didn't have a speech er was one of the night's between Savion Glover
prepared but was ready hosts, and he introduced and Patience Higgins. The
to perform. His range and a speaker not previously night ended with a blues
timing sharp as ever at age billed — Sen. Bernie Sand- jam featuring Sweet Geor-
92, Bennett crooned the ers, the Vermont indepen- Tony Bennett performs onstage at the Jazz Foundation of Amer- gia Brown on vocals and
ica's 17th annual "A Great Night In Harlem" gala concert at the
Gershwin standard "Love is dent and candidate for the Apollo Theater on Thursday, April 4, 2019, in New York. a black-hatted Bruce Willis
Here To Stay," and picked Democratic Party's presi- Associated Press on harp, and Danny Glover
up the tempo for his sig- dential nomination in 2020. leading a sing-a-long of Be-
nature "I Left My Heart in Greeted enthusiastically his children spoke on his be- recorded just weeks before lafonte's signature "Day-O
San Francisco." He placed by a capacity audience half and some of his former King's death and released (The Banana Boat Song),"
his hand over his heart, ex- at the Apollo, Sanders cit- bandmates performed his a month after. calling out "Daaaaay O!" to
tended his arms and left to ed a part of King's legacy hit "Grazing in the Grass," With Quincy Jones seated the rafters and beyond.q
a sound he's known for de- that tied in with the working
cades— warm and lasting class themes of his cam-
applause. paign: King had been killed
It was a night of celebra- while supporting striking
tion, mourning, protest and sanitation workers in Mem-
affirmation, all tied to the phis, Tennessee.
anniversary of the death Other anniversaries were
of Rev. Martin King Jr., as- noted on Thursday, includ-
sassinated on April 4, 1968. ing what would have been
Bennett and fellow lifetime the 80th birthday of the
achievement award win- South African musician and
ner Harry Belafonte both activist Hugh Masekela,
knew King well, as did who died last year. Two of
Iron Maiden singer
made honorary citizen of
Bosnia's capital
By ELDAR EMRIC will survive," said Skaka.
Associated Press Saturday was Sarajevo
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Her- Day, which marks the
zegovina (AP) — Bosnia's city's 1945 liberation during
capital city made Iron World War II and the start
Maiden lead singer Bruce in 1992 of the Bosnian Serb
Dickinson an honorary citi- siege that killed more than
zen Saturday for a concert 11,000 people, including
he performed while Saraje- 1,600 children.
vo was under siege during Dickinson, who also walked
the 1992-95 war. through the city center
Mayor Abdulah Skaka greeting people and sign-
presented the award at ing autographs, said that
a ceremony in Sarajevo "it's a great honor to be giv-
City Hall, which was badly en the honorary citizenship
damaged during the long of Sarajevo."
Bosnian Serb siege of the "In a world where things
city and since restored. only last for about five
"The arrival of Mr. Dickin- seconds on social media
son in Sarajevo in 1994 was ... people are still remem-
one of those moments that bering it. That's really quite
made us in Sarajevo realize something," he told The As-
that we will survive, that the sociated Press. "This is a bril-
city of Sarajevo will survive, liant day, a lovely day and
that Bosnia-Herzegovina it's great to be back."q