Backgrounder

Early Black Lily – The Roots:
The celebrated Black Lily music series that helped give birth to the Black Lily Film & Music Festival (debuting in May 2007) took root in 1998 when event founders Mercedes Martinez and Tracey Moore—members of the duo Jazzyfatnastees—began meeting for regular jam sessions in a house owned by The Roots drummer Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson. The previous year, Thompson had convinced Martinez and Moore to move to Philadelphia from Los Angeles to perform on the band’s records. It only took a few months for word to spread that some of Philly’s coolest musicians were getting together at Thompson’s house to jam, and each week the session grew more and more into a scene. Some of the original artists to lay down their beats included Jill Scott, former Bad Brains drummer Chuck Treese, Black Thought and producer Scott Storch.

Photo by G. Widman for GPTMC

The music they played was eclectic and, at the time, had no formal name. Critics later agreed that neo-soul, as the sound came to be known, began in Philly and was characterized by a mix of genres, overlapping soul, jazz, pop and hip-hop influences. But something else was happening, too, and it was something Martinez and Moore didn’t particularly appreciate: As the sessions became more popular, the crowd was becoming increasingly male dominated, and the two ladies heard their voices getting fainter.

Black Lily – The New York Years:
After about a year at Thompson’s house, Martinez and Moore decided to break out. They wanted to find a way to give female musicians a chance to perform and create without fear of being relegated to the shadows of men. They found it at New York City’s famed music venue, The Wetlands Preserve. Every Sunday for a year, Martinez and Moore hosted a female-friendly event that encouraged female (and a few male) artists to take the stage and perform. Throughout most of the run, the two women used their own money to sponsor the series, charging no admission fee in order to lower barriers to hearing female music. They named the series Black Lily, after one of the rarest varieties of flowers.

Different weeks brought different performers, but the structure basically remained the same. First, a DJ would spin, then a house band would play, then one or more featured acts would take over, and finally, novices would test out their material during an open mic session. Because Martinez, Moore and their supporters cultivated an accepting, low-pressure environment, many female musicians were able to sharpen their performance skills at Black Lily. Macy Gray, Erykah Badu, Jaguar Wright and Toshi Reagon were some of the women to come through. Many performers who were involved in Black Lily are still grateful not just for the opportunity to participate in such a fun, nurturing and creative environment, but for the exposure to non-mainstream music that struggled to find recognition elsewhere.

More than just a showcase for the accomplishments of others, the series also gave the ladies of the Jazzyfatnastees the exposure and creative outlet they sought for themselves. Although they released their first album around the same time they were establishing The Wetlands series, they correctly suspected that because their music did not fall into any existing category, their label would not put enough advertising and marketing dollars behind it. Through Black Lily, the duo was able to highlight their own musical stylings and develop a name for themselves through several national and international concerts and through the press coverage the series generated.

Hittin’ The Spot:
In 2000, Martinez and Moore brought Black Lily to Philly because they found an ideal place in the city that was home to many of their artists. They hosted the event at The Five Spot in Old City every Tuesday night for five years running. Not only did Black Lily attract a jubilant crowd and a loyal following of the hippest people in Philadelphia’s music scene, it was also a requisite late-night stop for many national artists on their way through the city. Janet Jackson, India.Arie, Sean “Diddy” Combs and Alicia Keys all put in appearances, and members of The Roots, who share a management team with Jazzyfatnastees, were regulars at the event. Like the New York series, Philadelphia’s Black Lily provided a forum for emerging artists to develop their stage presence in front of a laid-back, supportive and enthusiastic crowd.

People began taking notice of the developing Philadelphia neo-soul scene and the city’s overall renaissance: Old City’s nightlife scene was developing; women found a ready audience; local musicians were attracting national attention; and according to Martinez, fans of African-American performers were given a rare chance to hear their favorite performers in a casual and intimate environment instead of in the large venues where they typically performed. In fact, The Five Spot didn’t even have a stage. Performers and their listeners were eye-to-eye, making it a shared musical experience for all.

Here And Now:
Eventually, the success of Black Lily brought challenges to its organizers. The major label deals that came out of it depleted the talent pool, and it got increasingly difficult for Martinez and Moore to sustain it financially. So in 2005, they deemed it best to go out while they were still on top. But that would not be the end for the Black Lily. In spring 2006, the ladies received a call from Philly filmmaker Maori Karmael Holmes, who had interviewed them for her documentary, “Scene Not Heard: Women in Philadelphia Hip Hop.” She wanted to put together a women’s film festival and wondered what they thought about collaborating with her to stage a Black Lily Film Festival. As it turns out, they loved the idea and agreed to organize a concert to accompany the festival. It soon became clear that with so much local musical talent, they needed to highlight more music. Thus, the first annual Black Lily Film & Music Festival was born.

The Next Act:
The festival’s organizers have found great fortune in attracting sponsors and partners like The Painted Bride Art Center, Comcast, uwishunu.com (a project of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation) and World Café Live, which is providing a venue for Black Lily to once again thrive after the festival. Starting in June, World Café, West Philly’s newest music venue, will host the latest installment of the musical series every second Sunday through December. Martinez, Moore and Holmes (now an integral part of the brand) also plan to program quarterly film screenings, enhance their Web site to become a resource for independent creative types and perhaps design a webzine. And of course, the ladies also have every intention of staging the 2nd annual Black Lily Film and Music Festival.

uwishunu™, created by the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) and funded by the City of Philadelphia, reveals the unconventional side of Philadelphia by providing an insider’s look at the city’s dining, drinking, nightlife, active pursuits and culture as shared by Philly-wise locals. If you wish you knew how to visit Philly like a local, go to uwishunu.com. 

Note to Editors: For photos of Greater Philadelphia, visit our Photo Gallery. On the pressroom, you can also subscribe to RSS feeds to receive updates on topics that are specifically of interest to you: What’s New, Dining, Events, Seasonal Travel, Hotel Packages and Tourism Research.

CONTACT:

Caroline Bean, GPTMC
(215) 599-7433, caroline@gptmc.com

Related RSS Feeds

Topic	XML Feeds
What's New This feed will be updated whenever any new content is added to Gophila.com’s Press Room. It includes all topics.