In Troubled Times: Dan and Claudia Zanes Step Up

I’ve meaning to tell you about this. The weekend’s events jogged my memory.

Dan and Claudia Zanes performing at the Chrysalis, June 18, 2022, IAT

Musicians Dan and Claudia Zanes, seen above performing at the Chrysalis in Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods, have released a new album. It’s called Pieces of Home.

Image from Dan & Claudia Zanes social media

The duo, who moved from Brooklyn to Baltimore in 2019, describe themselves as:

Haitian-American music therapist / jazz vocalist Claudia Zanes and Grammy award winning performer Dan Zanes. We play electric folk music for all-ages.

One of the deciding factors in moving to Charm City was an invitation to become a part of a Baltimore nonprofit called “Our Joyful Noise.”

Our Joyful Noise Offers Happiness and Healing Through Music, Max Weiss, Baltimore Magazine

Our Joyful Noise is a network of area musicians who bring their talents to traditionally underserved audiences, such as women facing incarceration, autistic children and their families, cancer patients, veterans experiencing homelessness, seniors with disabilities, patients with Alzheimer’s and other memory issues, and youth and adults in the Franklin Square neighborhood in West Baltimore. Their goals is to “perform in spaces where they can do the most good.”

As (Dan) Zanes explained on their Instagram page,

OJN has made it easy for us and for many other musicians to connect with different communities around the city who don't always get the good stuff. The OJN model is simple, soulful, and strong - coming from the heart with an understanding that active participation in the well being of our neighbors is essential to our own well being. These days we're all asking ourselves "what's my purpose, how can I be of service in these troubled times?"

That’s an excellent question. How can I be of service in these troubled times?

Dan and Claudia stepped up over the weekend with a heartfelt post on social media.

Damn, not again!

This current wave of negativity towards Haitian people here in the U.S. is totally out of control.

Here's something we can do to push back: Let's crank up the support for our local Haitian restaurants (and other businesses) and dig into the music.

Like the people, the cuisine and sounds are beautiful.

Our post today is for the folks who want to learn more but may need some encouragement.

What follows is a primer on Haitian food and music, including a playlist. Go to their Instagram to read the whole thing.

Pieces of Home, on the Smithsonian Folkways label, is available in a variety of formats . If you need a little something to get you going this morning, you just might want to Fly Like a Raven.

Village Green/Town² Comments

Comments

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents. When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday. Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018. 2018 . But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest. In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...

Columbia Chance Connection

Last night, as my husband and I were about to sit down to dinner, our front door swung open and a cheery voice announced, “I’m ba—ack!” We weren’t expecting anyone. Clearly the only people who’d walk right in to our house would be one of our offspring. I had my reading glasses on so I wasn’t seeing too clearly. It seemed too tall for our youngest, but we knew our eldest was at work. I took off my glasses to see a friendly but confused face scanning our living room. When her gaze landed on us we all had a sudden realization. We didn’t know eachother. “Oh I’m so sorry! I’m in the wrong house! My daughter just moved in and she needed hooks for the kitchen so I ran out to get them.” She waved the package. “All these houses look the same and I don’t know the neighborhood yet. I thought this was my daughter’s house.” We were all getting a bit giggly. “That’s okay. For a quick second we thought you were our daughter,” said my husband. I told her our names and said she should defin...

Village Green/Town²

Search This Blog