As Black Music Month draws to a close, I wanted to share an upbeat musical with my audience. This episode is the 1946 movie "Beware" starring jazz legend Louis Jordan and his band "the Tympany Five". In the first part of this movie, the scene is set and the characters are introduced. The setting: small fictional HBCU, Ware College, in Ohio that is on the verge of bankruptcy. It seems as though the overseeing descendant of the Ware family is intent on letting the school go broke and have to shut its doors, especially since he can't seem to interest the woman of his dreams. In a last ditch fund raising effort, the instructors/administrators reach out to their famous alumni for help. The only one who comes to the aid of his school (although unintentionally) is Lucious Jordan, a former Ware student turned musical superstar (although the old, lame instructors/administrators) have no idea. But the students sure do! Louis Jordan and his band are posted up at their school, and it's about to get funky!! I really liked this film, and wanted to share it as it highlights an HCBU (although a fictional one), the need for its alumni to give back, and some really cool performances by Louis Jordan. Overall, a real positive message. My favorite part comes at the end of part 1, where Louis Jordan busts a rhyme about how "today you gotta have the beat". If this isn't some early 1940s hip-hop, I'm not sure what else to call it. But I think that y'all will dig it...and in part 2, it only gets funkier! Sorry about the quality of this video...it's got some weird wavy stuff going on with the picture. Something didn't go quite right in the conversion process. But the music is what makes this movie fresh...even in 2008. So turn up the volume and tap your feet to the beat. Peace.
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