Week #2

Epsilon Brotherhood Brunch in NYC
There is such a richness, diversity and excellence to be found in fraternity in Alpha Phi Alpha. Ryan is an entreprenuer in business and finance, Rod is a noted flimmaker, his sands Myles is a VP at American Express, Clarence is completing a doctoral degree in Engineering at Georgia Tech, Abdul is completing law school at Howard Univ., I am an aspiring opera singer, and my sands Ron is a Dean of Students at Marymount Manhattan College. Since we all were going to be in the New York City area this summer.....it seemed fitting that we should come together...exchange greetings.....break bread......and make a new memory.

We decided to meet at Maroons....a quaint jamaican - soul food resturant in the Chelsea district. The atmosphere was chic....the service was attentive....the food was great....
(I had the whiting and grits....which were both out of this world....)....but the portions all around were remarkably skimpy.....and in THAT we were all disappointed. But the fellowship....the sharing of stories....aspirations....and affirmations....was priceless.

Food in Harlem

From Brazilian to Ecudorian to Puerto Rican to Senegalisse......the neighborhood is virtually an international delicatessen....and food is pretty much available 24/7.....I tend to be a creature of habit.....when I find something that I like....I will stick to it...until I get sick of it....Famous Fish has the BEST fried fish in Harlem.....great taste...great portions...and decent service....a true 'hole in the wall'.....or should I say....hole in the earth.....it is a subterranian grease hut....and at the lunch and dinner hour.....dozens of us urban ghetto dwellers line the side walk to get in the door and place an order. In all my years of coming to Famous Fish....I never disappointed. But I have now grown tired of it. I havent yet tried any of the more exotic flavors of the ethnic spectrum.....I am sure to get around to it at some point....but I think I am really just in the mode for some good ol' fruits and veggies right about now.

Same thing with Fatman Flavor.....the food is great....the jerk chicken is REALLY spicey.....it is baked.....I prefer grilled...the curry chicken and rice and peas was descent....but....I can tell that Fatman doesn't use coconut milk.....(coconut!....THAT is the real secret to making those dishes taste as good as it did when I had it years ago while doing a study abroad at the University of West Indies in Kingston .) The escovitch fish and plantain is great....but....unfortunately for them.....I have grown tired of the Fatmans Flavor.


A Typical Morning
Here you can see the view from the living room of Rod's apartment. Each morning has me up by 6:30 am....(although the sun faithfully begins its ascent through the eastern sky around 4:45 am each morning.....trully the 'crack of dawn'.









After some morning meditation.....a bit of retrospection...and some rather methodical contemplation about the many and several tasks needing to be accomplished on a given day......I wash up......get dressed.....gather up my music....my lunch...my sunglasses and baseball cap....and head out around 8:30 am.




I have taken to the habit of walking from 147th street down to 86th.





















The trek includes a cross through Central Park........there are always plenty of sights and sounds....whether walking through the busy thoroughfares of the bustling city.....or hiking through the placid and sceren groves of Central Park.....there is seldom an uninspired moment.

New York City: Population - 8.2 Million
With so many people trapsing through the city I find it incredible that I can be walking down a crowded city street.....and happen upon a familiar face from my past. Twice now this has happened. Shawn Mason was a student at the University of Michigan, an Alpha Angel, and sang in the U of M Gospel Choir (which I conducted in the early 90's). My sands Ron and I had just finished brunch.....took the train with Rod and his sands Myles down to Nick Jr. located in the Viacom Building at Time Square....(that is where Rod works). In any case....me and my sands were standing in front of the building....people watching.....while waiting for Rod and Myles to come out. My sands spotted her in the sea of pedestrians....and said...."she looks familiar.....she looks like.....uh....Shawn Mason from U of M". And up walks this pettit brownskin wide-eyed women......and with that curious...."don't I know you" kind of look....she said....."Darnell Ishmel!.....from gospel choir" "I was an unbelivable reunion. As it happens....she was in NYC from Baltimore for one day only....sight seeing with her family.

A few days later Rod and I went for pizza in the Village. (Can't remember the name of the place....but I remember going there on some of my visits when Rod was a film student at NYU). It was night.....nearly midnight..... we were crossing....and just as I was about to step up upon the crub...I almost literally ran directly into this youthfull brownskin guy.....who immediately reacts to the near coliasion with...."Mr. Ishmel!" It was Umibem Nilampti.....one of my favorite students from the Piney Woods School. Umi (a rather unique complilation of rebel and intellectual)....was class president during my first year of teaching at "the Woods"....(his senior year). Because of his politics.....many the school administrators didn't want him to be a delegate on our trip to Dakar, Senegal to attend the 3rd African - African American Summit. Most of the administration saw Umi as too afrocentric....confused....militant...disrepectfull.....as a threat. And to some degree....yes....he was indeed all those things and more. Understandable.....they did not want to reward his outspoken behavior by sending him on a trip to the Motherland. But I saw Umi was a scholar....an academician.....and a born leader.....at an early age he evidenced a genuine quest for knowledge....a remarkable sense of conciousness and a saged wisdom beyond his years. And because of these attributes....he had my full support. Umi would travel as a Piney Woods ambassador....school spokesman....and cameraman for the Piney Woods Quartet. Since his highschool graduation in 1995.....Umi has went on to complete a master degree.....has traveled the world...and has become something of a mogel in the Hip-Hop and the urban concious thought movement....and he continues to work with many of the top names in the industry. Until the other night....we had not spoken in over 10 years! another remarkable reunion.

Wrap Up
Well....I guess it's time for a wrap up. As for the opera.....there is still a significant amount of music to learn....but all is coming along well. We started staging for the Don Giovanni last week Monday. I still need to memorize the Sextet. and first Act Finale....the final Commendatore scene recit...and I need to learn AND memorize the Act 2 Finale. Like I said....still a significant amount. But everything else is pretty much memorized. I am called for rehearsal everyday next week.....so it will be a VERY busy week.

Next week I will take more photos.....and will be sure to get some from our rehearsals....until the next time.

Please feel free to send mail to:
Darnell Ishmel
C/O Rod Gailes
746 St. Nicholas #72
New York, NY 10031
My email is: darnell.ishmel@gmail.com

Be well,

Darnell

Random Photos Below

Walking up 145th and Broadway















A Typical Jamaican Breakfast....Codfish, Plantain, and Dumplings
















Walking through the neighborhood and happend upon a Little League Team in Harlem