[JPL] Check out René's version of Dixie & René doesn't retreat

[Arturo Gomez]

I am sure all of you know that René Marie is as Frankie Beverly & Maze would
sing, a proud Southern Girl from Virginia who lived in Atlanta for several
years before moving to Denver 3 years ago and marrying another proud
southern man, she's very knowledgeable about Southern culture especially of
the past because of her grandmother. This is evident in her music, she
recorded The South is Mine for her MAXJAZZ Serene Renegade album. For her
Vertigo release she juxtaposed Strange Fruit with Dixie, in the studio when
she revealed her intentions a musician whom I shall nit name refused at
first glance to record Dixie not wanting to be part of a song associated
with slavery, Jim Crow and the negative side of the South, when René
explained her intent and showed him how it would be, he enthusiastically
recorded it.

René Marie works for the homeles and battered women causes here and has
performed for free for their fund raisers as she has for jazz89KUVO
including answering phones during the drive, that is how she met her
husband. For her most recent recording, an independent Cd I facilatated to
many forum members here last years she has a tremendous tribute song to her
idol Nina Simone and one about her own experiences as a battered wife.
Before corporate money took over entertainment and sports there were many
who were not afraid to speak out against injustices, not &&& softens their
stance. Ms. Marie requested to both major Denver daily newspapers to publish
her e-mail and phone number so she could speak directly to anyone about the
incident, be it of a positive or negative nature.

During the DNC René is scheduled to perform a 2-night engagement called "Two
Skirts and a Shirt" with Carla Cook and Allan Harris, we'll see if this
incident will have any negative fall out, I doubt much if any. Yesterday the
governor and the mayor issued public statements against René, it is just
politicans being political. René sent a demo of her performance to the
councilman who requested she sing at the State of the City address, always
an informal relaxed affair in Denver's City Hall annex built by the city's
first African-American mayor which bears his name, the Wellington Webb
building a very non-traditional abstract and artful open complex, he never
listened to it nor did he bother to brush up on her and introduced her as
Renay Martin, the local Fox affiliate ran with it and called her Renay
Martin all night long while the other stations all pronounced her name
properly, the local NBC affiliate even went to the trouble of accenting her
name when flashing it on screen.

Here are links to follow up stories including Barack Obama's response that
are in today Denver newspapers.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jul/03/she-deceived-us-mayor-says
-about-jazz-singer/


http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jul/02/friends-express-support-ja
zz-singer/


http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_9769649

Arturo