Back into a Routine

     There are certain patterns that we have developed as part of our life here in Durham.  It seems that we attend a lot more college functions than we ever did living in AP.  Of course we're only 5 minutes from campus which makes a difference.  The area has very diverse cultural offerings that aren't limited to the colleges and we've tried to take advantage of these as well.  I also have taken advantage of the sporting events both on campus and off, attending not only Duke contests but also the Durham Bulls, Carolina Hurricanes, and Carolina Railhawks.
     This year marks the 50th anniversary of the integration of Duke and there have been many functions celebrating the fact.  We attended a concert featuring Billy Childs and Dianne Reeves at the newly renovated Baldwin Auditorium.  It was our first trip to Baldwin since the renovation have been completed, and it is beautiful.   The concert featured a work commissioned by Duke and written by Mr. Childs entitled Enlightened Souls. As explained by Mr. Childs in the program notes, he chose three poems that explored the issue of integration and put them to music.  "the first poem, "The White House" by Claude McKay, deals with the issue of exclusion, the feeling of being exempted from privilege because of being black.  The second poem, written by Diane di Prima "Revolutionary Letter #20", talks about the desire for equality,  . . . . The third poem, untitled by Walter Benton, concludes there is so much pain and injustice in the world, the need for love is more pressing than ever."
      The concert was performed by an interesting combination of musicians, which in addition to regular jazz instruments(bass, drums, sax, piano, and guitar) included a harp, and string quartet.  It was very interesting mix of sounds and a very impressive presentation.  The first half of the program featured four numbers written by Mr. Childs and it was outstanding.
      It is always interesting to be present for the debut of a new work, and there were parts of Enlightened Souls that soared and others that just didn't seem to work as well for me.  Overall, it was a great experience.  Several Afro-Americans who were part of the integrating class were present, which gave special meaning to the evening.  Ms. Reeves and Mr. Childs did an encore which brought down the house.  These two old friends were very comfortable together as they "played" their way through an old jazz standard - Ms. Reeves scatting in response to Mr. Childs's piano riffs.  Ms. Reeves seemed much more comfortable during the encore than during Enlightened Souls.
      Exploring themes around integration was featured in another cultural event we attended.  Playmakers Rep in Chapel Hill presented a play entitled  The Mountaintop, by Katuri Hall, which takes a look at the last night in the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tn.  This two person play proceed fairly conventionally until it takes a metaphysical twist about half way through, and explores some interesting issues regarding life and death and redemption.  Well-acted and staged, we made the mistake of staying or the audience talk-back.  I don't know why we always chose to stay as we can almost always predict the questions - "How did you learn all those lines?"  " You seemed so real up their, how did you do it?"  IT'S CALLED ACTING!!!  I ACTUALLY TRAINED FOR YEARS TO DO THIS!!!  Of course, neither actor responded that way.  But I think the talk-back would have been more fun if they had.
     Other parts of our Durham routines have resurfaced as well - volunteering at the dog shelter, singing with the ERUUF choir, and attending Duke sporting events.  More on these later.