Freda Otaru practices a dance routine at Lynn Arts for the upcoming show called “The Harlem Strut,” which will be performed on Augus 26 and 27. Item Photo by Owen O’Rourke
By Bill Brotherton
LYNN — In “There’ll Be Some Changes Made,” a song covered by Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, there’s a phrase that goes “For there’s a change in the weather/There’s a change in the sea/So from now on there’ll be a change in me/My walk will be different, my talk and my name/Nothin’ about me is going to be the same/I’m goin’ to change my way of livin’/If that ain’t enough/Then I’ll change the way I strut my stuff.”
The jazz standard, written in 1921, takes on new meaning when sung by a group of mostly local youngsters who are performing in the small black box theater in the Lynn Arts building in Central Square. These 9- to 19-year-old youth are in the third day of rehearsals for “The Harlem Strut,” a Jazz is a Rainbow production scheduled for this weekend. It incorporates the music of Holiday and Fats Waller, the poetry of Langston Hughes and a script that’s steeped in America’s civil rights history. Admission is free.
The joint is jumpin. And in just three days together, the change in these 11 youngsters is clearly evident, says Robb Dimmick, artistic director.
“It’s exciting to see these kids discover they have these gifts,” he says. “The first day it’s a tentative process. Now, in three days, they’re connected to each other and having fun. Everyone feels safe, protected and supported…and they support each other.”
Jazz is a Rainbow was started 15 years ago by musical directors Lynne Jackson and Mike Palter, professional musicians who live in Manchester-by-the-Sea, and Dimmick. Their productions use jazz and musical theater as learning tools for urban youth.
Lynn native Alex Newell, who starred in the hit TV series “Glee,” got his start here 11 years ago, in this very room.
“This is much more than a childrens enrichment project. It changes lives,” says Palter, while Jackson plays piano and the young cast sings and dances. “Take the word ‘strut,’ it means becoming free to express yourself. That’s what these kids are doing,” adds Palter.
Palter remembers the first year Janell Brown, now 19, participated: “We played Sarah Vaughan singing ‘Poor Butterfly,’ and Janell had tears rolling down her face. She was sobbing.” Brown is back for her eighth production.
“I love to sing, but mostly only sang at my church in Cranston, R.I.,” says Brown, who is staying with a local family during the show’s run. “Singing these songs is very different. My dad listens to jazz, but instrumental jazz … I never knew jazz had lyrics.
“Taking part in this has helped me grow as a person and as a performer,” Brown says. “I’m confident on stage, and Lynne and Mike and Robb are so supportive and encouraging.”
Brown, clutching her script, looks at her fellow cast members and smiles. “Some of these kids have never performed before. They don’t know anything about jazz. It brings me back to my first days, when I was 11 years old. I feel like a mentor for these kids.”
Carlos Thomas, 11, is here for the first time. “I really, really like (performing). My parents say I’m dramatic, so this is a good place for me to be dramatic and have fun,” he says.
“I was really shy when I started. But nobody laughs at you, nobody is mean. Everyone is having fun. I never knew how much fun acting is. Since I joined, I know I want do this when I grow up,” says the North Shore Christian School student, who has also acted in the North Shore-based Neverland Theatre Company.
Neidy Lebron, 13, says “This is my first show, but ever since I was little I wanted to be an actor. It’s not what I thought it would be. I expected it to be easier. It’s a lot of work, but I’m having so much fun and everybody is so nice.” The student at Salem’s Bowditch School says she’s a big music fan: R&B, hip-hop, rock. “I never heard this kind of music. I love it. I would love to listen to jazz all day.”
Parental support is crucial, too, says Dimmick. Each of these kids have it. “If parents are not invested, if they can’t get their child to Lynn and pick them up at the end of the day, it’s not going to happen.
“Five of the young people are Nigerian. They came to America two or three years ago. Already, they are discovering the links between Africa and America through this music. There is no jazz without African rhythms.
“Jazz was the first place in America where blacks and whites existed on equal terms,” says Dimmick. “By the end of this production, after rehearsing six hours a day for two weeks and performing two shows, the young people know who Langston Hughes is. They know all about Harlem. They know all about dignity and pride and the need to have a sense of place in the world.”
“They know that Rosa Parks is not just a name,” adds Palter.
“The Harlem Strut” will be presented Friday and Saturday, Aug. 26 and 27, 7:30 p.m., at Lynn Arts, 25 Exchange St. Admission is free. On Sunday, Aug. 28, 2:30 p.m., Jackson and Palter will present the Paul Broadnax Trio in concert at Lynn Arts. Admission is free.
