ABOUT
THE GUESTS ARTISTS
CAY
FATIMA The first multimedia graduate of SUNY-College
at
Old Westbury, Fatima
transferred from Boston
University
as
a psychology and political science major. After graduation, Cay saw the need to
include filmmaking and applied to the prestigious film school Institute for New
Cinema Artists (INCA) run by the late actor Ossie
Davis.
Upon graduation, Cay became part of the first female cable installers for
Manhattan Cable Television
(Time-Warner).
Men were not ready for women in these positions. Many issues came up with
regard to discrimination for these early pioneers. Moving on, Cay became a
member of the jazz group FeBop. Here she was able to show her skills as a
composer and arranger. Opening for artists such as Grover Washington Jr. at jazz
festivals was exciting, but to pay the
“I got tired of selling televisions, stereos and video equipment and
decided to open up my own audio/visual installation company after the late owner
of In-Flight Newspapers of Valley Stream,” Cay remembers, “demanded that I
install the $10,000 walk-in purchase (the largest company sale at the time) he
had just made from at the local Stereo Warehouse I was working for.”
Still knocking on record company doors, it was
Fatima
’s
skills as a photographer that got her to the attention of jazz guitarist George
Benson.
Benson
then bought some of her work that was included in one of his concert programs.
Confidence can be the wind beneath your wings in an industry that is
known for slamming doors in your face. Over
the years, Cay has had the opportunity and client base that reads like a who’s
who of music giants. Like a big game
hunter, Cay set her sights on
Miles
Davis
.
“I was not going to be satisfied until I had photos of Miles
Davis.
Trust me it was not easy and I feel very fortunate when the opportunity came
about. Firstly, he had to come out of retirement. In this business, you have to
speak-up for yourself and go for what you know. My favorite and one of my most
expensive photographs is one that only two photographers have which is a picture
of B.B. King asking Miles for his autograph in Miles’ dressing room. With only
available light from the light of the dim bulbs from around the dressing room
mirror and with perfect timing of the other photographer’s flash, I clicked
off a frame that was good enough for my printer, a master craftsman, to create a
great photo out of very poor conditions.”
Regretfully, artists like
Sarah
Vaughn
and Ella
Fitzgerald
were heading into retirement or became ill and passed away so Fatima
never got the opportunity to photograph them. As the industry changed over to
rap and hip-hop most of the artists Cay wanted to capture she had photographed
already. In 1995, Fatima
semi-retired after a Stevie Wonder concert at
Radio
City
Music
Hall
and began to work in the tennis
industry. There would be a few artists that brought Cay out of retirement and
they were Toni
Braxton
and Chaka Khan, but it was the energy of stars in a different arena that caught
Cay’s attention. The Clinton
era changed the face of politics and created “rock star status” out of
politicians.
“The tennis industry brought my attention to the
50th anniversary of Jackie
Robinson
breaking the color barrier in major league baseball. I was able to attend the
Shea stadium event after befriending the late Joe
Black
, Robinson
’s
Brooklyn Dodger road roommate. Another exhibit photograph I am very proud of is
that of
President
Clinton
honoring
Robinson
’s
legacy at Shea.”
After bubble in the club industry burst, Cay put her jazz group FeBop to
“bed” and started free- lancing with other artists and groups, like the
Senegalese group Roots Talibe. Opening for acts like
Kenny
Loggins
and playing in famous
New York
clubs like Sounds of Brazil still left
Fatima
restless for a new creative direction. In
the mid-nineties Cay came upon the attention of drummer
Mark
Bonfacico
and they formed the group Real Time- Jazz for the 21st Century.
Playing in clubs like Birdland and
Manila
was not enough to sustain the emotional and financial commitment, which soon
meant members had to choose between personal direction and group direction.
Subsequently,
Fatima
decided to go solo and begin performing with her own trio.
“I welcome the opportunity to show-off how talented I am,” beams Cay “When
you work hard at what you do you eventually want recognition for the fruits of
your labor. I like the fact that gallery or library patrons can see my
photographs of B.B. King, Stevie Wonder, Luther
Vandross,
Dizzy Gillespie and
Davis
in addition to hearing me perform their signature compositions and pieces.”
JAM
the work of photographer
Cay Fatima
and about nine guest photographers that include
Bernard James, Lu Figgs, Sherry Rayn Barnette, Ronnie Wright, Kwame Brathwaithe,
Salimah Ali, Everett James and Harold Rhynie who also have a passion for
performing and musical arts photography . Jazz
And Music is an extrapolation of a larger exhibit “People, Places,
Politics”, but JAM only features musical visual themes. The WBGO exhibit will
feature musical talent such as Buddy Guy,
Freddie
Hubbard
, Stevie Wonder,
Miles
Davis
,
Nina
Simone
,
Tupac
Shakur
, Dizzy Gillespie,
Aretha
Franklin
and the Staple Singers.
“Not everyone can make a living at photography or music so they must
have “day jobs” to support their artistic passions,” reminds Fatima
.
The
current 2010 installation will be on display at WGBO for two months and then
Harlem
is the next on the tour schedule. This
exhibit features new portraits of Kirk Whalum and
Gerald
Albright
as well as some never exhibited before in this collection.
“The New
Jersey
community has been very positively responsive to my talents as a photographer
and musician.” “Exhibiting on a
local level gives me as an artist the ability to be in-touch with the everyday
person, who has just as much pizzazz as some of the celebrities I have
photographed,”
says Fatima
.
"It
was hard to select about 50 works from the greater collection," says Fatima.
"I have a hard time choosing, so some exhibitions may not show the same
pieces all the time. The hardest to choose is the politicians and I am adding to
the collection all the time. As people, places and politics change, I hope to
continue in this mode to document with photography the transformations, while
continuing to explore other forms of audio-visual expression."
Read
more: ABOUT
THE GUESTS ARTISTS
For
directions and gallery hours call
(973)
624-8880
or visit www,wbgo.org;
for more information about
Cay
Fatima
,
please visit, www.cayfatima.com
or contact KMA
(516)
442-3059