REMEMBERING A GREAT POET & FRIEND - JA A JAHANNES

I found a great Pinterest Post tribute hosted by the Savannah writer Aberjhani regarding my dear friend of many years Dr. Ja A Jahannes.  (see pinterest link )

I was a Music Major at Savannah State College when Dr Jahannes arrived in 1981 as Dean of Humanities, our friendship began immediately when he saw me perform in theatrical setting with the SSU Players by the Sea and sing with the Concert Choir. It turned out that Ja had several theatrical pieces in the works that he needed music for and I was eager to write new music. I ended up writing music for and performing in as many as 12 of his plays. Starting with AINT I SOMETHIN,  AND YET WE SING,  & JUST SAY YES LORD to name a few. All 3 of those shows we did at the largest venue in Savannah - the Civic Center. I will always be thankful for that. I had been writing songs since the age of 12 and because of Ja's tenacity my  music was being performed in front of thousands of people at a time and published. We also toured JUST SAY YES LORD to San Antonio Tx, New York, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Lots more awesome experiences throughout the years including mini tours featuring his poetry and my music. The last two things Ja was working on before his passing i provided music for, some arrangements for what was already in place, but mostly original music to his lyrics, these shows were -AINT I A WOMAN (re: Sojourner Truth) , & RISE AND FLY( re:Savannah Civil Rights Protests). He did see AINT I A WOMAN go up with his daughter doing a stellar job in the lead role but he passed away while we were preparing RISE & FLY and we did the play in his memory. Also thankful that Ja over the years introduced me to 3 of the greatest musicians i have ever encountered whose influences stay with me today - Jazz pianist Joe Jones, Saxophonist/Composer Plunky Nkabinde and Vocalist Virtania Tillery. 
Ja always encouraged me to never dare to keep any artistic expression to myself, it must be shared as broadly as possible.