was just voted Best DC Film 2020 in the DC Black Film Festival.
T.L. Benton of Mecca Filmworks
Savor the sounds of a “vocal big band.” Howard University’s premier vocal jazz ensemble, AFRO BLUE was ...
As vocal groups go, Afro Blue has to be at or near the top of anyone’s list. And there’s no doubt it is enunciating jazz, albeit jazz of a slightly uncommon variety. But no matter its guise or purpose, the music speaks for itself, and its rating rests on individual and collective excellence.
The beautifully understated words include the phrases [from the jazz standard Afro Blue from which the ensemble takes its name] “undulating grace,” “elegant boy,” beautiful girl,” “shades of delight” and “cocoa hue.” Afro Blue is all that and more. Its members sing as one with nuance, ease and experience, as if they’ve been singing together for years. But they haven’t: The ensemble is ever-changing as students graduate and new members audition for a coveted spot in the line-up.
Howard Jazz means business
Afro Blue was formed by Connaitre Miller in the spring of 2002. Now in their 18th year of existence, Afro Blue, the dynamic vocal jazz ensemble from Howard University, has performed to wide critical acclaim. Singing music similar to the styles of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, The Manhattan Transfer and Take 6, while adding their own unique sound, Afro Blue continues to maintain a standard of excellence from year to year…
