Photo credit: Dave Zylstra
Designed by local architect Fitzhugh Scott and bankrolled by beer baron Emil Blatz, the stunning Washington Park bandshell was conceived of as a way to bring music out of the concert halls and into the community. Although its glory days, when the likes of Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong graced the stage, have long since passed, the structure still beautifully serves its original purpose 80 years on. With so many problems plaguing the surrounding area, public art programs may not seem like a top priority, but their ability to bring people together is hard to overstate, and, especially in a segregated city like Milwaukee, that kind of communal experience and common interest can help facilitate meaningful change.
On this particular Wednesday evening, the bandshell was playing host to both the end of one music series and the beginning of another, simultaneously wrapping up an eclectic, successful season for the new Washington Park Wednesdays program, as well as kicking off the annual Strange Fruit Music Festival, a mix of cultural and socio-political events dedicated to illuminating and improving the state of race relations in the city. As the crowd, made up of every creed and color, began filtering in, they were greeted not only by the Brenner beer tent and various local food trucks, but also library card sign-ups, resources for treating substance abuse problems, volunteer opportunities with environmental programs and free meals for any hungry kids courtesy of the Milwaukee Center for Independence.
Instead of booking a single local act, Radio Milwaukee’s Tarik Moody opted to assemble a number of notable names into a supergroup of sorts called the Diaspora Arkestra, guided by the concept of a set loosely tracing the legacy and influence of African American music. After a brief warm-up nod to more traditional African styles, they started with still-relevant spirituals like “Wade in the Water” before jumping ahead somewhat to a few blues/R&B standards such as Bo Diddley’s “I’m a Man”—now updated to a duet that evocatively acknowledges its feminine counterpart—and a sampling of jazz pioneers like John Coltrane and Charlie Parker. Especially affecting was the rendition of Nina Simone’s “Four Women,” which was appropriately and powerfully sung by four women.
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As the late-summer Sun set over the park and with rain thankfully out of the picture, the stark white bandshell, as well as the surrounding trees, sprung to life, bathed in an array of colorful lights, and the band’s second set kicked up the energy accordingly, tackling James Brown’s “Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud,” laced with new verses from Klassik, alongside Earth, Wind & Fire’s immortal party-starter, “September,” and B~Free’s soulful take on Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You.” As the people began rounding up their kids and their blankets, the band transitioned into some more original material, capping off a night that showcased exactly what this underappreciated gem of Art Deco Milwaukee architecture, and the local music scene, is capable of when people come together.
