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By Entertainment Editor Ahmed Sirour
IDEAS TO FLIRT WITH (06.17.03)
It
was quite an interesting week, even despite my limited outings this week
because of time devoted to music practices. I stopped by Justin's last
Tuesday to see
www.FlirtingTime.com in action. I met up with ATLANTAHAPPS.COM
"Top Dog" Vincent McCant as we watched men and women
seated and paired up at numbered tables as the FlirtingTime.com
moderator, the charismatic Sabrina Lamb (Chief Flirting
Officer), gave them subjects to talk about for five minutes, before
moving on as well as rating each other on a letter-sized card that would
be turned in at the end of the night. After time elapsed, the men would
then rotate to another table and meet another woman, probably 15 or so
in attendance, and yet another question was posed for another four
minutes worth of "Flirting time". I found it to be amusing and just
watched before I found myself being taken captive and thrown into the
fray--for writing purposes, I was told, to give my own personal
account...rrrrright! Given the event was constructed for the 30+
demographic, I was the youngest participant at 26; despite being 4 below
the average, a brotha went to work!
Atlanta Flirtingtime Coordinator Tahirah Marks greeting a Flirt Participant
It started off pretty cool until I got pulled after my second 4-minute "flirt" to allow some other guys to get rotated intothe mix. Ordinarily I would have been a little upset just as I was getting on a roll, but I noticed a beautiful young lady who was sitting in the seat I had previously occupied when I was just observing...as she was at that point. I made my way over to sit next to the empty seat beside her and casually entered into conversation. She was there because her cousin was participating and decided to come along to check it out. As it turned out, she just moved into town having graduated from college in the mid-Atlantic and was checking out grad schools in the Atlanta area.The connection was pretty quick and flowing, which meant that we would soon be interrupted as--you guessed it--we both got sucked into the mix and again I started my rotations! Interestingly enough, it ended with each of us "Flirting" with each other, although we pretty much had established that from the jump. One particular rule for this game was that you turned in your card with your scores and comments, and the men were to receive an e-mail the following day to show the list of women that they had met and what level of interaction they wanted to engage in with that particular man, including the contact e-mail of the women so they could go from that point on and make their connection. I suppose with youth comes a bit of impatience, which is why I asked the young lady I had initially clicked with if she wished to extend our conversation into the evening and have dinner that night to which she agreed to. You had to be there to see the faces of the other men who had "flirted" with her previously, now watching us leave together to hang out--LOL! www.FlirtingTime.com gets my full endorsement! :)
Now
to the music side of things. Because of a last minute but needed
adjustment I didn't perform for Phillippia, but that meant I could now
attempt to catch both ASCAP's Liquid Soul Cafe' concert
at The Cotton Club and still make it back in time for
Phillippia's pre-Album Release Party at Apache Cafe', both on
last Thursday. ASCAP (www.ascap.com)
and Liquid Soul (www.liquidsoulradio.com)
put on a great show, which included the talents of former member of
Atlanta boy group, "4.0", Tony Towerz
who's performance and showmanship was very spirited and polished along
the lines of Usher, or even Bobby Brown back in the day. Following him
was Inspirational vocalist/bassist, Debra Killings, whose last name
aptly describes what she was doing to the audience who was loving every
minute of her performance, and she has got some of the BADDEST
background singers I have ever heard in a very long time if you weren't
there you really missed it! Of course, I really was looking forward to
Algebra's performance ,
Tony Towerz
which
I think improved (if that was even possible to accomplish) from her last
performance when billed with Vivian Green. The interesting
commonalities that Algebra and Tony Towerz shared were the impromptu
dance numbers from each of their personal friends. Tony's dude and one
of Algebra's girlfriends each did their own crowd rockin' moves that
were what I would call, "artistically-comical"...I leave it at that!
I must take the time, however, to commend the key people who made this
very successful event happen...
Debra Killings
L-R) Nick Nelson (COO, Liquidsoulradio.com), Jennifer Farris (Asst. Creative Director, ASCAP Atlanta), Ian Burke (Senior Creative Director, ASCAP Atlanta), and Tirrell Whitley (CEO, Liquidsoulradio.com).
Atlanta, this is one of the reasons why this city is taking a leading role in showcasing quality music and entertainment amongst the major players throughout the nation. Now if we can restaurants and stores to close later, as well as get the Subway--oops--I mean, MARTA running 24 hours, we might begin to really compete with cities like New York, L.A., Chicago, Philadelphia, etc! Just a thought.
By the time I got to Apache Cafe', around 10pm, the band was just jammin'
instrumentally until the opener, Dres tha Beatnik, took
the mike and dropped two freestyle joints to the capacity crowd. Oh,
most of everyone in there had some kind of white clothing on, as was
requested in advance promotions, and looked very good amongst the white
draping throughout the building, as well as white lights lining the
stage, and the band all in white tops and blue jeans. Back to Dres,
host of "The Mic Club" (Hip-Hop freestyle battles,
Tuesday nights at Apache--plug--LOL
I am so humbled and elated that "Sensual Saturdays"
has seen FOUR STRAIGHT WEEKS of a full crowd coming to
catch me and my band's performance at Tarrazu Coffeebar! We had a great
vocalist by the name of Carmichael who definitely had
the lady's attention and under his spell as he crooned original and
cover pieces as the band backed him up. He has this Will
Downing/Maxwell sound goin' on and also an upcoming CD that I'll keep
you informed about whenever he's ready to promote it. An additional
treat for the ladies came in the form of Kyle Williams,
whom you'll see regularly as the house guitarist Wednesday nights at
Apache Cafe', who remixed Stevie Wonder's, "Ribbon in the Sky" to all of
the ladies' approval and rapt attention...both of them had locks, so I'm
wondering if that's the secret (but a good singing voice couldn't hurt
either--LOL)! I have to give a personal shoutout /thank you to
Joyce Littell of V-103's "Quiet Storm" for
stopping through, although she came in just as we ended...but we promised
her to turn it out when she gets back in town! This Saturday:
Jocelyn Reed (and our new time is 9pm - 12am).
CD of the Week: "Red
Hot + Riot: Music & Spirit Of Fela Kuti" (Various Artists)
Release Date: 10.15.02 ([the former] MCA Records)
The "Red Hot" series is a limited edition album that brings together some of the most gifted musicians from around the world and utilizes their collective talents to produce avant-garde music to educate and inform the masses about the HIV/AIDS epidemic, as well as proceeds from net profits to benefit Red Hot's HIV/AIDS awareness programs. This particular offering celebrates the life and music of Fela Kuti. Fela was a Nigerian musician who brought Afrobeat to the forefront of world music, and like his peers (i.e. Bob Marley), spoke against many of the injustices that existed during the Africa of his time. A true revolutionary, he was arrested more than 200 times for standing up against police brutality, outside corporations who exploited African labor and resources, organized religions, and many other controversial issues that he and fellow Africans faced. He died in 1997 of AIDS-related causes, but his spirit in music has survived him through the carrying of the torch of his son, Femi Kuti, who has followed in his father's footsteps, and the legions of artists including D'Angelo, Dead Prez, Macy Gray, Sade, Roy Hargrove, Bilal, Me'shell Ndegeocello, Baaba Maal, and many more who pay tribute to his music in this compilation. I believe this CD is a necessary piece to add to your collection and especially a fitting album for Black Music Month as you find a number of prominent African-American artists len ding their artistic talents by delving into their&n bsp; African heritage. Even MACY GRAY sounds good on "Water Get No Enemy"...and those who know me know how I feel about her voice! I highly recommend this to add to your collection!
Additional News...
Hidden Beach Recordings will be releasing their next
album on July 1st called, "Hidden Hits Vol. 1"
featuring unsigned talent from around the nation &
world (including two artists from Atlanta), in the label's effort to
expose some of the newest and brightest talent that don't always get an
opportunity to shine amidst the major commercial artists that major
labels look for and promote to death. Given that I am a rep for Hidden
Beach in this area, be on the lookout, next week, for an upcoming
listening party for you to be the first to preview this album. The
full press release can be seen at this link:
http://www.hiddenbeach.com/press/06-16-03.htm
MCA Records will be no more as parent label Universal Music Group will merge MCA into Interscope Geffen. The big deal about this is that employees as well as artists currently on the label are likely to get "trimmed" to accommodate this course of action taken. MCA is home to artists such as Mary J. Blige, though I seriously doubt they'd be dumb enough to cut her...yet, stranger things have happened...
For those who've been wondering when she'd be back, Mya, finally comes through with her third offering, "Mood Ring", to be released July 22nd nationwide, and will be playing a singer in an upcoming movie, "Havanna: Dirty Dancing 2"...I know she's all grown up (especially in some scenes in this flick) but I just hope she doesn't follow in Christina Aguilerra's garter-belts! Being sexy is one thing but from girly to gaudy is a bit drastic if you weren't already on that level...but that's just my opinion!
You know what? I just want to add this small little feature (not saying I'll do this every week) because I find this to be amusing...so basically, I'm going to close this particular article with what you'll notice below this paragraph, so enjoy your week and make it happen for you by helping others too (just made that up)!
Stage Name:
50 Cent Real Name: Curtis Jackson
Stage Name: Ginuwine Real Name:
Elgin B. Lumpkin (First prize--LOL!)
Stage Name: Pink
Real Name: Alecia B. Moore
Stage Name: Alicia Keys Real Name: Alicia J.
Augello-Cook
peace2ya!
The views in this article are not necessarily the expressed views of ATLANTAHAPPS.COM or it's affiliates.
ATLANTAHAPPS.COM
Ahmed Sirour writes a weekly journal for ATLANTAHAPPS.COM
Ahmed Sirour is a Georgia Regional Representative for Hidden Beach Recordings
ONE MORE THING...
CDs you must get are: DWELE, LIZZ WRIGHT (both available nationwide), and PHILLIPPIA (first available at her album release June 12th). I'll be starting CD Reviews/CD of the Week starting next week as an added feature to this page. I'll also be doing reviews of more hot spots to eat, dance, socialize/network, etc. I'll also try to incorporate giveaways whenever possible in my attempt to give you, my readers, a little something to say "thank you" for visiting my page, for your input, and for your support! Feel free to contact me at
God bless and...
peace2ya!
-- Archive
If you’re looking for a new spot to kick back and chill, meet up with old friends (or new ones), a place to unwind and network after work with young urban professionals, someplace to commune after a jazz/r&b concert, movie, or a night of theatre, a cozy place to kick it with your sweetheart, or a place to flirt and engage in seductive conversations with beautiful strangers, then I highly recommend Midtown’s newest place to be and be seen…
Tarrazu Coffee Bar! Only some months up & running, Tarrazu has already begun hosting a number of functions and has served as a sanctuary for the "buppie" and "yuppie" crowds. Named after a mountainous region of South America famous for some of the world’s best coffee, Tarrazu can match Café Intermezzo with its diverse offerings of decadent beverages and treats while separating itself from comparison with a smaller more intimate setting—I would especially recommend this as an ideal spot for your private party needs (be a "baller" and rent it out for the night like Boris did for Sanaa in "Brown Sugar"—LOL).
Located at 265 Ponce de Leon Avenue (around the corner from Old Spaghetti Factory and right next door to MF Sushi Bar), Tarrazu takes centerstage with its eye-catching terrace and black awning…and then you walk in! I’m no interior decoration expert, but with beautiful hardwood floors, artistic lighting, assorted candles throughout the establishment, very cool, classy, and comfortable dinner/lounge furniture, very clean bathrooms (hey, ya know), ambient table settings, great food, coffees, and desserts, and a great wait-staff…what more could you possibly ask for?! How about "live" music on Thursdays and Fridays (sometimes, Saturdays)? Did I mention this is a solely Black-owned establishment, run by partners Nathan Horne, Robert Beckham, and Terrance Gattis? Did you know they are even preparing the groundwork for yet another location in Phipps Plaza? Did you know that entire block (from MS Sushi Bar to Nancy’s Deli) is Black-owned? Did you know that they play Hidden Beach music on a regular ;) ? Did you want me to give you anymore reasons to go there or are you wise enough to act on my suggestions with any more cajoling?
Tarrazu Owners and ATLANTAHAPPS.COM subscribers
Robert Beckham (left),Ahmed and Nathan Horne
SENSUAL SATURDAYS at Tarrazu Coffeebar
Date: Saturday, June 21, 2003
Time: 9 p.m. - 12 p.m. Eastern Time (US and Canada)
SUDARABAJAN Productions present...
"SENSUAL SATURDAYS"
(as a part of Tarrazu's Liquid Jazz Series)
Featuring a three-piece (keys/drums/bass) neo-jazz band,
THE FORMULA
Enjoy a sensual atmosphere of candlelight's, chill conversations, cool
sounds,
and good food as you leave the stress of the work week behind you.
As an extra treat, each week will feature a different up-and-coming
vocalist to
sit in with the band and grace the mike, for your listening pleasure.
The
dinner and dessert menu is definitely for the discriminating
palate...and you
won't need any reservations.
Time:
9pm-12pm (NO COVER!)
Address:
265 Ponce De Leon Avenue (around the corner
from Old Spaghetti Factory)
Suite D
Atlanta, GA 30308
404.815.2077
Dress:
Comfortably Fly!
Contact info:
Ahmed @770.374.3537
Visit their website for upcoming events, lunch specials, and a preview
of their dinner menu at:
www.tarrazucoffeebar.com. Tell them Ahmed sent you…no, you won’t get
any discount on your dinner check, but it just sounds like a cool thing
to say—LOL! Seriously though, I might make a deal with them about
discounts if you do mention you heard about them from this article! Or,
maybe a free CD sampler from Hidden Beach (while supplies last). 
Ahmed Sirour - Eclectic. Product of a Sudanese-Arab (Muslim) father and a Bajan-Caribbean (Christian) mother. Ahmed was a "diamond in the rough" hewn from Brooklyn, now undergoing "polishing and re-cutting" in Atlanta. This serves as a premise to his diverse nature that comes from a diverse background. His poetic style is influenced by his love of music...specifically, jazz improvisation. He sometimes uses a rhyme form he calls "Broken Word"; basically, the rhyme scheme alternates between words and phrases but with a definite flow just like a jazz jam session where the art of freestyle takes place. Although it would seem that hip-hop, another of his influences, would seem to be a more apt description of his style, it is the marriage of youthful innovation paired with classic refinement. He is also moved by the Harlem Renaissance, which he feels is resurfacing, in spirit, throughout many major metropolitan cities, especially Atlanta. More importantly, he is moved by his belief in spirituality, believing that he is merely a vessel of God to bring forth the talent that he feels he has been blessed with.
Accomplishments:
1st Place Spelling Bee Champion 1989-90 (Hanson Place Elementary and Junior High School--Brooklyn, NY) "Who's Who Among American High School Students" 1992-93(Campbell High School--Smyrna, GA) Freshman Honor Roll 1996 (Clark Atlanta University) Poetry.com national semi-finalist 2002 Child of God (lifetime)
Ahmed's goal, this year, to finally publish his first collection of work entitled, "This Would Be A Love Song...If Only I Could Sing"; a collection of poetry, essays, and short stories based on his life's experiences in the area of love and life. Ahmed is also a musician (keyboardist) and plays for and with many talented artists in Atlanta (and those who travel through the city from abroad). He currently represents for Hidden Beach Recordings (www.hiddenbeach.com), so he keeps one foot in the business and one foot (and two hands) in the art, itself. It is his hope and prayer that beyond enjoying his work, that people are actually moved, emotionally/intellectually/spiritually, by the words they read, and to know that this is merely a power that is coming through him and not from him.
SOULFUL HAPPS - A SPOTLIGHT ON URBAN MUSIC & CULTURE
Imagine for a moment if Marvin were still alive and able to record with the Roots... Or what about Pete Rock breaking-off a track for Minnie Ripperton or Donnie Hathaway. What kind of energy would these collaborations create??? The answer is found in a new Soul Music Series entitled SOULFUL HAPPS, and it's unlike anything you've ever heard. This section features artists who produce the sounds of 70's Soul, Acid Jazz, Hip Hop, and Rare Grooves appreciated by music lovers around the Atlanta area. But it's more than a sound... It's a feeling... bringing the past and the future together in a rather unique way. Click here for details
WHAT THEY ARE SAYIN...
Mr.Sirour,
I live in LA and was
recently in your wonderful city and love reading you're column, Very
nice. Miles...
Mr.Sirour,
I would like to begin by saying I enjoy your weekly "HAPPS" commentary. I look forward to it every Monday evening when I have down time at work. I appreciate you keeping us 'Atliens' abreast of the goings of Atlanta and upcoming music artists. Please keep doing what you are doing!
Mr.Sirour,
Now, I would like to comment briefly on your commentary for this week. Kudos to you for being honest and candid! How refreshing to hear such positive and thought provoking thoughts. I agree with you in so many ways. Just as a smile can be contagious, so can positivity.
P.S-- I saw the plug on your site for the Tarrazu Coffee Bar. It sounds like a great place. I will be trying it out this week.
Thank You,
Brettina Burney
KATHLEEN BERTRAND
Visit the Website http://www.kathleenbertrand.com
Subscriber Kathleen Bertrand, her riveting performances combine contemporary R&B grooves with jazz riffs that keep audiences wanting for more...
No Regrets sets an elegant new standard for contemporary soul, and Kathleen Bertrand brings an inspiring new voice to the world of music. Look for future features on this dynamic singer in future ATLANTAHAPPS listings.
Ahmed writes the way a jazz musician plays during an improvisational jam session paired with the way a lyricist freestyles in hip-hop form. It is a marriage of the past and present that creates a fusion to set the tempo for the future. His writing surpasses his racial makeup and simply becomes a unique American story by a unique American writer.
www.authorsden.com/ahmedasirour
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