Mensah Wali and Gail Austin have always worked hard to serve their community. So when the married couple noticed that many of Pittsburgh’s inner city areas don’t have access to the vibrant and eclectic entertainment that is constantly offered in Pittsburgh‘s cultural district, the couple decided to do something about it.
“The Pittsburgh Cultural District is developed and Homewood and other places are not developed,” said Austin, a native Pittsburgher. “We want to give the same type of cultural experience to people in those areas.”
In 2007 they opened Kente Arts Alliance, an organization whose mission is to present art from the African diaspora. Its aim is to present art with a purpose by presenting programs that entertain, inform and uplift the residents of underserved communities. Kente Arts Alliance was formed to address the noticeable disparity between the quality and the quantity of cultural programming presented downtown verses the programming that is presented in neighborhoods with a high concentration of African-Americans.
Kente Arts Alliance presents three events a year.
“We are trying to bring vital cultural food to the people,” said Wali who resided in Brooklyn before moving to Pittsburgh. He was born in Panama.
To bring star-caliber shows into Pittsburgh, Wali dips into his pool of world-knowned musicians that he met while working as a promoter.
He has brought in such eclectic talent as: Roy Ayers, The Universal African Drum and Dance Ensemble, the Vanessa Rubin Quartet, the Last Poets, Roger Humphries and the RH Factor, and Geri Allen and the Mary Lou Williams Collective.
Although the group does not have it’s own theater space—it’s administrative offices are located in Manchester—Kente Arts Alliance has held productions in various Pittsburgh neighborhoods including Manchester, Homewood, East Liberty and the North Side.
“We want to get people inspired culturally and we want them to learn some history. We not only entertain but we inform the audience about what’s happening in the world,” Austin said.
This week the Alliance will be starting its fall season with Alto Madness, three fantastic bands, two great concerts at one low price. During the first concert, which was held at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater on October 18, audience members was treated to two amazing bands The Roby Edwards Band and Tony Campbell’s Jazz Surgery.
Roby “Supersax” Edwards was born and raised in Pittsburgh and has the uncanny ability to interpret many different styles of music. Tony Campbell is a regular on the Pittsburgh Jazz scene.
The Berklee School of Music graduate performed with special guest Yoko Suzuki.
The second act of Alto Madness features the Kenny Garrett Quintet at the New Hazlett Theater on December 13 at 8 p.m.
One of the most imitated alto sax players around, Garrett’s amazing career has spanned 30 years. The Grammy Award-winning musician’s first gig was with The Duke Ellington Orchestra and he went on to play with Miles Davis and Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers.
Patrons can purchase tickets for each concert individually. Tickets can be purchased at Dorsey’s Records in Homewood, Stedeford’s Record Shop on the North Side, Ujaama Collective in the Hill District or on line at www.kentearts.org.
The concerts are sponsored in part by the Heinz Endowments, Advancing the Black Arts in Pittsburgh Fund, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
“When people attend one of our shows I want them to leave with a smile on their face,” said Wali.
“Music is inspirational and you’ll never know where it’ll take you. Inspiration manifests itself in many ways. I hope the community appreciates what we’re doing and like what we throw at them.”
Wali and Austin just completed a strategic plan for Kente Arts Alliance. They hope to increase their entertainment to five shows a year and expand their board of directors. They are not in search of their own performance space yet.
“All of this music grows out of the experiences of people of African dissent,” Austin said. “It’s such a rich culture and we’re just showing a small part of it. We won’t live long enough to show it all. We’re just touching the tip of the iceberg.”
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