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Every Saturday at 4:00pmAbout the Show
Urban Connections
Urban Connections conducts guest interviews covering issues effecting our local, national, international and global communities from a Black perspective. Subjects include current events, trends, history, education, economics, science, political science, health, race, law and more.
Bird Ellington Fleming, Artistic Director and founder of the Traditional Music Society (traditionalmusicsociety.org) celebrates TMS’ 25th Anniversary of a dynamic journey through music and dance from world cultures.
TMS’ annual World Music and Dance Showcase takes place May 6th and this year features special guest artist Beau Bledso and Ensamble Iberica. Beau performs and records classical, jazz and folkloric music from around the world. He has toured extensively throughout Europe, Russia, South America and North America. Ensemble Iberica, directed by Beau Bledsoe will perform music from Spain, Portugal and Argentina. Artist, Amado Espinoza, from Cochabamba, Bolivia will perform and draws from the musical traditions of the Andes Mountains. Amado received the 2022 Spirit of Folk award from Folk Alliance International. On May 6th, Amado will be conducting the debut performance of the Traditional Music Society’s newest ensemble, Caravan Forever, featuring Middle Eastern dancer Kimberly Guanciale and drummers Nick Amir Baker and Allaudin Ottinger.
Traditional Music Society group Soundz of Africa will perform along with presentations from TMS’ community class ensembles. The Showcase is a music and dance journey around the world, with cultural expressions from, Cuba, North and West Africa, Spain and Argentina
The Traditional Music Society is a not-for-profit arts in education organization dedicated to serving the Kansas City community through the exposure and teaching of music and dance from indigenous world cultures.
Bird Fleming is a professional percussionist, educator, and performer. He is well versed in many styles of ethnic percussion: West African, South American, and Caribbean. He has studied with Simbo Wushu, Dennis Lee, Bernard Wry, Agustin Romero Diza from Havana Cuba, Cheikh Gueye, Zak Diop, and Abdullah Camara from Senegal, West Africa; El Hajjii Abubakari Lunna-Wombie and Guideon Foli Alorwoyie from Ghana; Moacyr Machinni, and Marcus Santos of Brazil. He has also studied and performed with the internationally renowned percussionist Bill Summers.
Donna Morrow Wolfe: host, producer, engineer
Karen E. Griffin: co-host
