The Whites of Their Eyes

Above: Photo © David X Young My father was an artist, as as such, felt that his sheer talent should merit him benefits. He took his art very seriously so he was not afraid of hard work as it related to his craft, but the idea of working a “straight” job was beneath him. Instead …

Miami Does It Different

I moved to Miami 2 1/2 months ago and I’m still settling in. In many ways I still don’t feel like I’m really here. Mostly this is because I am only just starting to connect with the community. I have been working freelance (graphic design) in Fort Lauderdale. The office is small, everyone is white …

Always Time To Dance

One thing about Dominicans that endears me is their innate musical nature. They have an almost involuntary response to music — they simply must dance. But the musical culture is not contained merely within the Dominican Republic, it is indicative of the island as a whole, the island of Hispaniola, in which both the Dominican …

Jazz Under the Haitian Sun

I traveled to Haiti three times with my father — first in 1976 for 6 weeks and twice more in 1978 and 1980 for 3 months. The first trip I was overcome, starstruck, by this different land with dark faces and lots of white, smiling teeth; grabbing hands and hungry bellies. It was all so …