In truth, it's taken me years to build up the courage to try to put into words how deeply I admire the man, the musician, the force that is Harry Belafonte...but here goes!
Hi all,
I hope your winter is going well. To my three readers, you may have noticed that my blog posts have been few and far between. For me to write an honest review I require two things: time and motivation. Whilst I have one I find increasingly that I lack the other. But this fine night, I've spent some time just enjoying music and find myself resting comfortably in the perfect equilibrium for me to finally share with you one of my all-time favourite artists, Harry Belafonte.
Mr Belafonte is a voice handed down by generations. Although I never met him, I hear my grandfather loved his music, and as a result my father liked it too and growing up he would play his Belafonte CDs and one day it just clicked. This man that I spent many years hearing became something I actively sought to listen to. Harry Belafonte was a change-maker at the height of his popularity. He introduced the sound of Calypso and traditional African and Caribbean sound not only to African American music but to mainstream white music as it was dominating at the time. A tall and handsome fairer-skinned man, he charmed his way into white American/ mainstream audiences with a bouquet of sorrel hidden behind his back. Stick with me for this analogy! - If you didn't know, sorrel is a plant used in Caribbean drink recipes. It has many health benefits and can be bitter but when cooked with syrup and cinnamon or maybe served with Jamaican rum it can be sweeet.
With his music he explores a love of his heritage and celebrates culture in songs like "Island in the Sun" and sometimes created a festival song to dance to with a deeper message that highlighted conditions of the working class like in "Banana Boat Song (Day-O)". (Sorrel!) Harry's music make me feel awake in the morning, and reminds me I'm alive in the day. It calls me to celebrate my being with an infectious rhythm, typical of authentic Caribbean Calypso - I mean really, you try being sad whilst listening to "Jump in the line"! His music ranges from upbeat floor fillers to deeply romantic love songs then theatre show tunes and even back to African storytelling songs. He was able to cross audiences and sounds easily being a man born of Jamaican and Jewish descent, performing all around the world; mixing and switching genres with ease and geniality. His voice sounds like the taste of coconut milk and rum, it feels like the warmth of the sun at it's highest point in the summer and transports me most of the time to a beach somewhere I've never been.
But Harry Belafonte is greater than a retired singer/performer (And actor!!) During the 1950s and 60's he contributed hugely to the civil rights movement and is still fighting for social justice now at the age of 94. A friend to Martin Luther King Jr, he financially supported many of his campaigns and was publicly outspoken about the disparity between black and white Americans. He was also active in the anti-apartheid movement. He was on the streets marching alongside the ones you'll often hear about in the history books. He was an advisor and a safe space for activists, often providing his home and offices for peace-meetings. During his time as a late-night TV talkshow host, he gave the platform for open discussion with black performers, politicians, white presidential candidates and native-American poets with guests listing from Aretha Franklin to Robert Kennedy.
He is unique in that, in his performances, he broke down stereotypes of what/who the black man is meant to be which was so important but went even further than entertainment to reinforce education.
To me, his music represents so much more than the joy it encapsulates. More than the deep cultural appreciation it carries. It's more than the genres he crosses or the topics he explores. It's more than generations of love for music passed down from my grandfather's vinyls to my dad's CDs and my Spotify playlist. He is more than his incredible activism, more than an inspiration, more than a legacy. To me Harry Belafonte represents the immeasurable potential of humanity. Obviously I've never met him so can't judge him as a person but as a public figure, there's no denying all he's achieved. At 94, he has reached so many generations, touched so many lives and changed so many systems, not only through his music but in everything he embodies excellence. I truly look up to him as someone who found a way to take something he deeply loves in music and turn it into something he cares about. It's what every working person dreams of - to love their job and make a difference to something somewhere and hopefully, if they can, to make the two cross over.
