Harriet Luckman Auditorium  – Cal State LA

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A Suite for Ma Dukes hosted by VTech, Mochilla, + ArtDon’tSleep

On Sunday February 22nd , Maureen Yancey, also known as Ma Dukes, took to the stage of the Luckman Auditorium at Cal State LA for the second installment of Timeless, a four-part series honoring the legacy of renowned composers. “This event is another way for your soul to soar through music,” Yancey shared with the audience. The diverse attendees reflected J-Dilla’s ability to break cultural boundaries that seemingly exist between different genres of music.

Fans and listeners gathered to hear the orchestral revision of his music and more importantly, to raise funds for the Ma Dukes foundation. The foundation’s goal is to help Ma Dukes and Dilla’s daughters with any financial responsibilities. Ma Dukes, including Dilla’s children, have yet to receive any of his assets or residuals for the work that he produced.

As I walked into the theater, DJ House Shoes lured audience goers with Dilla’s raw, grimey laden beats. Then J.Rocc kept the crowd seated, rocking back and forth in their seats as he spun Dilla’s tracks and cleverly incorporated some obscure samples to create a timeless atmosphere to his music.  As a backdrop, a slide show exhibiting some of Detroit’s toughest areas were projected. The slides soon developed into action footage where still shots of Detroit’s eerily emptied and dilapidated neighborhoods were shown.

As the set wound down, Garth Trinidad (Chocolate City/ KCRW) stepped on to stage and said a few words about the legendary Dilla. And so the memorable evening continued where music’s  most recognized radio hosts trickled in to pay homage to the great producer. Amongst them was Carlos Nino (Space Ways Radio/ KPFK), the host/co-conceptual creator for the evening, and Fuzzy (Power 106) who gave a moving speech on how he helped commission Dilla’s first remix.

Following with anticipation, the curtain unveiled a forty-piece orchestra composed of sixteen persons in the string section, thirteen in the wind, reed, and horn’s section, four creatively and strategically positioned in the percussion’s section, one star pianist, a harpist, a few synths, and the renowned, conductor, Miguel Atwood-Furgeson. As they began to play, the backdrop displayed a scene from Dilla’s funeral at Forest Lawn in Los Angeles. Beautifully composed, the orchestra played some notable tracks such as “Find a Way,” “Fall in Love” and “Nag Champa.”

By now, the auditorium was filled and the celebrated artist, Common came out to introduce the warm and spirited Ma Dukes, along with Illa J (J Dilla’s brother).  She expressed her deep love and appreciation for classical music and how this was the catalyst for Dilla’s musical education.  She recounted how he first developed as an artist by playing the cello, which later transformed into an unending passion for music. The audience was collectively inspired, suddenly realizing just how resilient she was despite the loss of her son.

Then the second half of the show had quite a different appeal. The bassist Stephen “Thunder cat” Bruner and drummer Kareem Riggins livened up the performance with vocalists Dwele and Amp Fiddler (who also contributed by jumping on the keys for a couple of songs). A number of women in the audience went hysterical when Bilal performed “Reminisce.”  However, the crowd errupted when the talented mcees Posdnuos and  Talib Kweli ran onstage to perform “Stakes is High.”   At thet end of the song the chorus grew to include OhNo, Alchemist,Frank Nitty, Rhettmatic, Ma Dukes, J Davey, Houseshoes and the audience who sang out the refrain…“Love, Vibration.”  An encore of Slum Village’s “Fall in Love” rounded out the musical spectacular.  I felt truly honored to witness such explosive performances exemplifying that love and appreciation for music can bring diverse people together.

You can aid in the purchasing of a suite for Ma Dukes by going here.  Proceeds from the the tickets, albums and posters purchased will raise donations for Ma Dukes.

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All photos courtesy of Azul 213* for Mochilla.com

You may also visit the photographer msypace page at: http://www.myspace.com/azul213