The Sounds of VTech

“If you listen closely to the music, the possibilities are endless…”   –Ma Dukes (February 22nd, 2009)
 
Those who were fortunate enough to attend Suite For Ma Dukes, the second installment of Timeless, a four-part series honoring the legacy of renowned composers, experienced an evening filled with spellbinding sights and sounds.

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and his 40 piece orchestra roused the audience to its feet during the evening with his re-creation of J Dilla’s best known works.

Surprise guests took their place upon the stage throughout the night, including Common, Talib Kweli, Posdnous from De la Soul, Bilal, Amp Fiddler, Dweli and many more to pay tribute, not only to Dilla’s musical influence left upon the world, but his mother, Ma Dukes. Small in stature, Ma Dukes is a true inspiration, a towering beacon of spirit, love and music.

Common, Illa J, and Ma Dukes

Amp Fiddler, Diana Moreira, Bilal, Shafiq of Sa-Ra

A cello was also brought out during the second half of the evening to honor Dilla and represent his early musical development as an artist that lead to his unending passion for music.

A Cello For Dilla

The powerful performance and sheer energy from the musicians and singers elevated the audience at the Luckman Fine Arts Plaza to a new level of musical appreciation. Emotions were high, the applauses, loud. The air was electrified with everyone on the edge of their seats anticipating the highs and lows of arranger/conductor Atwood-Ferguson’s stirring movements. There was no doubt that body, heart and soul were one. For Ma Dukes this event was “another way for your soul to soar through music”.

“..for the audience that the series is aiming at, for the sheer level of creative challenge that Atwood-Ferguson and Carlos Niño rose to make this music work, to the sheer amount of love reverberating through the room last night…this was something that went beyond the music in honoring and celebrating Dilla”
-Oliver Wang, Soul Sides