Cookin' at the O: Bruce Henry, So Right On'

Cookin' @ the O
The Carlton Room
Oldenburg House
November 22, 2025

The evening began with our hosts, Glenn & Emily, saying, "Welcome!" and a "thank you for coming out this evening. There is no art without an audience."

Emily proceeded to call atention to  one of the attendees, Lisa Graves, a writer from Superior and author of the newly released Without Precedent, an exposé of today's Supreme Court.

Saturday night's show featured jazz singer Bruce Henry backed by Ryan Frane (piano), Billy Peterson (standup bass) and Glenn Swanson (drums/percussion). 

Bruce Henry, Billy Peterson

Before Mr Henry took the stage the trio of Frane, Peterson and Swanny set the mood. When our featured artist joined them on the platform his first words were, "It's good to be back." (Indeed. Here's a review from that first impressive performance.)

Bruce Henry opened with "Secret Love," a hit song from the 1953 musical Calamity Jane that won an Academy Award for best original song and briefly carried Doris Day to the top of the US and UK Billboard charts.

This was followed by the tender and beautiful "Nature Boy" which Henry sang the first time he was here, only this time he shared a little more about the author of this Nat King Cole tune., Eden Ahbez, the strangest hit songwriter in history. Ahbez might be considered a pioneer hippie, he said. He lived (for a while) beneath the famous Hollywood sign above L.A.

Ryan Frane, Glenn Swanson

He then followed with an impactful presentation of Duke Ellington's "In the Beginning God." (Wow!) Two more pieces rounded out the first set, "Song for My Father" by Horace Silver) and "Why Baby?" a Chicago Blues tune. The band was sizzling with lengthy instrumentals throughout. 

   As the main course was served, the Carlton Room buzzing. The performers escaped to refresh. 

    If you've never been, Chef Paul from Room at the Table prepares the scrumptious food that accompanies these exceptional jazz gatherings, including an appetizer upon arrival and a tasty dessert to accompany the second set.

    At some point during the evening Mr. Henry mentioned that he currently resides in Bronzeville, a section of Chicago that has made a massive contribution to music history. Bronzeville legends include Louis Armstrong, Muddy Waters, Jelly Roll Morton, Willie Dixon, Buddy Guy, Little Walter and many others. In addition to absorbing the music of jazz/blues epicenter, Bruce Henry has mined their sagas as a resource for the teaching he does on Afro-American history, its tributaries and impact. 

The second set, which really brought us home, included "I Could Have Danced All Night," "Wichita Lineman," "Better Than Anything But Being In Love," an explosive "Afro Blue," and "House of the Rising Sun."  Everything was perfectly orchestrated, alternating from Swanny's brushes whispering on the snare to Peterson's bass riffs walking like midnight rain, accompanied by Frane's fingers literally dancing across the ivories, every solo climbing higher and harder, adding rocket fuel to Bruce Henry's vocals so that by the end of the second set the mesmerized audience was fully spellbound. 

Bruce Henry is a consummate performer. If he swings back this way, do try to fetch tickets. You will be treated to a very special evening.

Influences: How Well Do You Understand How You Became Who You Are?

The book Pretexts by French author and Nobel Prize winner André Gide (1869-1951) is a collection of essays and observations on literature and morality. The book opens with a set of four talks he gave on influence, the limits of art, the importance of the public and the evolution of the theater.

In the first essay he discusses influences in general and the influence of literature more specifically. It's an essay I've read several times over the years, and a theme I've often pondered. I think, for example of how not all things influence people the same way. For example, why does a magnet have such a powerful effect on steel and no effect whatsoever on wood?  So it is that advertising or news stories--fake or real-- stir some people and while others remain completely indifferent.

Interestingly, Gide cites the example of Goethe, the great German writer and statesman, being completely indifferent to Beethoven's music and moved by "the pure and smiling tenderness" of Mozart. He did not understand Beethoven's passion, nor did he comprehend what Beethoven's music was all about as it swelled out of him. The anecdote shows how greatness is not always understood or appreciated.

This is why in our time we have musical genres that inspire some and leave others cold. I think immediately of Dylan and Hip Hop. Some people get it, and others don't.

Even the most common influences influence people differently. An example would be winter weather here in the Northland. For some, the short days, snow and cold leave them depressed. Others get invigorated. "Bring it on," they say, either because of their passion for winter activities like snowmobiling and skiing, or because of the pristine beauty of fresh snowfall and the aesthetic sense which is awakened.

So we see that places and seasons impact people differently.

What Gide suggests is that growing means becoming more open to the wider world, to people and places, to other influences beyond our tiny sphere. He goes so far as to say, "Those who fear influences and shy away from them are tacitly confessing the poverty of their souls."

For this reason, Gide encourages us to explore. Great minds do not fear influences.

This may be why dogmatists become so hardened in their ways. They fear influences, locking themselves within themselves. Foreign cultures enrich us, and reveal other ways of being fully human. Whether traveling abroad (or living abroad for a season) or simply getting to know people different from your own circle, each experience of real engagement provides an opportunity for growth.

* * * *

Centerville All Stars at the Red Mug

I believe many of us are unaware of many things that have been influences on our own lives. The influence of our parents is fairly straightforward, usually. I have these characteristics from my dad, these from my mom. The influence of our neighborhoods is similarly straightforward, usually. Cultural influences, however, are frequently less evident. I will leave you with one example.

How much have you been influenced by African culture? If you are a white American, I'll guess that you don't think about it all that much. I'd also propose that whatever answer you guess, that it is three, four or five times more than that.

When cultures conquer other cultures, the conquered culture is not really destroyed. It is carried within the hearts of the dispersed. From there it seeps out into the culture of the conqueror. Christianity did not spread in Rome by conquering Rome with the sword. As Rome fell, the conquering "hordes" from the North got infected with this "good news" that had begun to pervade the Roman empire, and in turn even the ruthless Vikings became infected with it so that Christianity became vibrant in the Scandinavian region.

In a similar fashion, the ruthless slave trade removed blacks from Africa, transplanting them here where that which was in their hearts similarly emerged. Over time, the music of Africa has come to permeate nearly all facets of Western music.

During the past century music has come to be one of the biggest influences in our culture. Jim Morrison, who became the voice of The Doors, chose to be a rock singer because though he considered poetry his art, the audience for poetry was a sliver of what the audience for music was. When a poem is read, it is usually read once or twice, and occasionally studied in school. But when you produce a hit song, people can hear it hundreds of times.

Who among us has not had music running through their heads at least for a portion of each day?

The first generation of Africans in the Western hemisphere carried African music in the heart, but as their culture and music intermingled with other forms of music all varieties of permutations emerged. From origins such as Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia we had field hollers, spirituals, gospel and country and rural blues. Jazz was birthed in New Orleans through its own set of special circumstances, and as African Americans moved northward, cities such as Chicago, Memphis, Kansas City, New York and Detroit produced new variations on African influenced music, evolving into Swing, Soul and Hip Hop.

Features of African American music that we take for granted today but which originated in Africa include "call and response," rhythmic syncopation, as well as vocal and instrumental improv. Drumming was likewise a central part of West African culture.

The big irony is how this "American Roots" music became adopted by youth in Europe so that we had The Beatles and Rolling Stones seeking inspiration from the rhythm and blues records produced by Chicago's Chess Records. In fact, my first Rolling Stones album (their second) had an instrumental track titled 2120 So. Michigan Avenue, the address of Chess Records at that time. (I love the harmonica riff.)

I've hardly scratched the surface here. Seriously. I myself was only recently introduced to these concepts via a presentation by jazz singer Bruce Henry at a November Magnolia Salon event in Carlton. Bruce is a teacher who has developed an extensive curriculum (20 lessons) that takes you deep into the roots of all varieties of music from military music, ragtime, Dixieland, Gospel, Big Band Swing, civil rights protest music, Afro-Cuban jazz, funk, Motown and rap. You can find more information on this program at www.evolutionofafricanamericanmusic.com

Until you open yourself up, you really don't know how much you don't know.

Life is for learning. Embrace it.

Bruce Henry Shares His Life as an American Griot

Magnolia Salon, 8 November 2018

Bruce Henry

Thursday evening jazz singer and educator Bruce Henry was the featured speaker at Magnolia Salon. It was inspirational, powerful, revealing, informative, educational and a very special time. The Mississippi-born jazz performer gave a two-part presentation. In the first segment Mr. Henry shared his life story, which he called the “Adventures of an American Griot," with numerous lessons and unexpected insights. After a short break he then presented an abbreviated talk on the Evolution of African American Music from Africa to Hip Hop.

The word “griot” has its roots in Africa. A griot was a member of a class of traveling poets, musicians, and storytellers who maintain a tradition of oral history in parts of West Africa. Before the printed word, tribal peoples maintained their identity and cultural reference points by means of these oral stories sung and passed on through the generations. A griot was of such importance to a tribe that when an adversarial tribe attacked a people they usually killed the griot before capturing or killing the king and queen.

So, it was another evening of Magnolia Salon, and after a bit of visiting amongst one another the Ringing Bowl called us to order, followed by the Smudge Stick sanctification ritual with Glenn and Emily welcoming us to Oldenburg House.

Bruce Henry was here in the Northland for a slightly extended stay, presenting his talk on the Evolution of African American Music from Africa to Hip Hop talk to a number of area schools, courtesy an ARAC grant.

Glenn Swanson introduced Bruce Henry as “an exceptional human being,” which has been demonstrated not only in the spirit of his performances in the Carlton Room, but also in his dedication to educating youth regarding the history and impact of African music. During his time here this past week he made presentations to over 700 students at UMD, Hermantown High, Denfeld and Barnum, from third graders to college level students.

ADVENTURES OF AN AMERICAN GRIOT

He began his talk with the introduction, “I am Bruce Henry. I am a singer of songs.” It was a reference to the Tony Curtis line in Holly film Sparticus, “I am Antonitus, a singer of songs.”

Though born in Mississippi, Henry spent his formative years growing up in Chicago. He said his father was a role model with strong values. His dad once said, “The person who controls your culture is your master.”

Chicago for many years was the most segregated city in America. He shared a number of anecdotes to illustrate including his first memory of a Chicago policeman when he was five. The officer, sitting in a police car, motioned for him to come over and when he was alongside the open window the officer spit chewing tobacco into his face.

The jazz singer with jazz drummer Glenn Swanson.

Growing up in Chicago gave Bruce Henry a political consciousness that never left him, which was amplified by parents who were union all the way.

His father grew up in Jim Crow Mississippi where you step off the sidewalk for whites, along with all the other associated indignities. Nevertheless, he stated, “My parents taught me not to hate. They taught me to love, when it was unnatural.” This became a foundational value in his life, to accept people .

As he grew up in the 60’s he became fascinated with history. When he was introduced to Thoreau and History and Music he responded viscerally so that when he went to college it was with the intention of becoming a politician. On his 18th birthday, however, he was invited to sing a song with a band at a biker bar and his life plans veered in a new direction. The song was “Summertime.” It resulted in his pursuing a music career.

Drawn to activism and avant garde jazz, he moved to Minneapolis where he joined a band named Solstice whose goal was to get polished then move to L.A. They attracted an agent who was all set to sign them up who at the last minute demurred, saying, “I told you, four whites, three blacks.” Their band had three white and four blacks. He tore up the contract.

Nevertheless he continued to pursue his passions, saying, “One day I’m gonna get out of Babylon.” Ultimately he established a career that enabled him to perform in five continents and to live wherever he wanted. “I’ve been blessed,” he said.

He spoke from the heart about the importance of service to others. “We have a responsibility to use our gifts for the betterment of humanity. It’s the foundation of everything. We have an obligation to use our gifts. Service is the rent due for life on this planet.”

After a break, Bruce Henry returned to the podium to share with us the Evolution of African American Music from Africa to Hip Hop.

TO BE CONTINUED

EdNote: Mark your calendars for the Oldenburg House HOLIDAY MARKET, December 7. 20 Vendors selling arts, crafts and more.

Susie's Bags & Tags Available Saturday @ the Holiday Craft Sale

Now that the garden is in and the berry bushes mulched for spring, our attention is turning to a number of upcoming Holiday Craft Sales. Tomorrow Susie will have a table at the Holiday Craft Sale inside the Holy Rosary Campus Gym, 2801 E. 4th Street, here in Duluth. Admission is free. If you are out and about at some of the other sales taking place Saturday, or the AICHO Open House at Positively Fourth Street Market, then make sure you drop by.

Jewelry, ceramics, glass, soaps, garden items, photography, water colors, books, clothing, glass art and cards are some of the items you will likely find available from various vendors. In my opinion, you can never buy enough cards from local artists. Yes, it's nice when your Facebook "friends" wish you a Happy Birthday, but nothing says it like a card or gift, especially original, hand-made-with-creativity-and-love kinds of cards and gifts.

I don't know everything that will be on display there, but I do know there is usually something for everyone. Susie's gift bags and tags are just one more way to personalize your Christmas giving.

Susie's Gift Bags

EACH GIFT BAG HAS

A STORY TO TELL

Some bags use colorful print feed sack material from the 1930s. Others use B&W prints from old family photos. Many use Susie's hand-painted paper and block-print designs. Each is individually crafted and unlike any other.

Gift Bag Themes include:
-- Baby Showers & Kids
-- Wedding Shower themes
-- Gifts for a guy
-- Christmas
-- Women's Friendship
and more...

WE ALL KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE how much fun it is when someone walks in with a gift. Unlike wrapping paper, which is often torn off and thrown away, gift bags can be used again and again. I'm thinking here of wine or culinary delights. Gift bags are a great way to hold several smaller gifts, like a year-round Christmas stocking. Eyes light up when you walk into the room with a gift bag...

Gift bags are handy, too, because you can place your card right in the bag so you don't forget it in the car, or on the counter when you leave for the party or luncheon.

For the record, she also has some new things in the works that are especially cool to me. Maybe you should come and see.

SPEAKING OF CARDS, Susie also makes original cards with Art-velopes, each a unique down-home creation.

Here's a Tip: When you go to arts and crafts fairs, buy extra cards to have on hand for the many occasions where you need a card at the last minute. Birthdays, graduations, holidays, sympathy and friendship cards... Cards are also memorable way to expressing gratitude.

Here's Another Tip: If you have blank cards with no message inside, Google can help you find words that capture the feeling you are striving to convey.

This blog post is essentially a continuation of yesterday's
Blog Post About November Arts Happenings.

OTHER REMINDERS INCLUDE TWO JAZZ RELATED EVENTS.

TONITE FROM 6 - 8 is the Grand Re-opening of Duluth Fine Pianos in its new location at 331 E Superior Street. They will begin their Monthly Jazz Concert Series. Ryan Frane, an accomplished Jazz musician and UMD Professor, will showcase his improv abilities on a Yamaha Grand Piano. He will be joined by Matt Mobley, bass, and Randy Lee, reeds. Come for the music, or to browse the artwork of certified Zentangle teacher and pattern artist Esther Piszczek. This event is free and open to the public.

Next Weekend Bruce Henry is back, Cookin' at the O. Ryan Frane and Matt Mobley will be back as well. Here are some details. You'll need reservations.... The venue is intimate, the food is stellar.

Meantime life goes on all around you. Get into it.

Bruce Henry Brings Music and More to Oldenburg House and the Community of Carlton

“Bruce is definitely one of the best artists in education out there today.” ​​
--Randy Jennings, Director of Compas Arts Education

Bruce Henry, Cookin' @ the O. Matt Mobley on bass.

Earlier this year jazz singer Bruce Henry brought his vocal and performance talent to the Carlton Room for a weekend of Cookin' at the O. Next week he will be returning to not only perform, but to offer his talent as an educator. That is, during his November trip to the Northland he will, in addition to performing, because conducting workshops at UMD and high schools in Hermantown, Duluth (Denfeld) and Barnum.

When Bruce was here in June it was quite apparent that he was a polished performer. I didn't know of his 25 years of performance experience, including jazz vocalist, composer, bandleader, live event production. And I was even less aware of his 30 years of teaching experience -- including K-12, college, adults and seniors -- teaching vocal performance as well as workshops on the Evolution of African American Music.

Bruce Henry's curriculum provides insights into the impact of African music on contemporary music.
Growing up in Chicago he began to study the music he was singing and hearing in the churches, both the manner in which it was sung as well as the improvisations. As he studied this music in greater detail he learned that "the music of my ancestors has roots in the musical practices of Africans."

He goes on to say, "Over the last 400 years, the music of these proud people has evolved into many forms like jazz, soul, hip-hop, gospel and military music just to name a few. When you listen to Aretha Franklin, John Coltrane, Mahalia Jackson, Celine Dion, John Legend, Beyoncé, Kanye West, Common, Ray Charles, T. Pain, Mary J. Blige, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone and Christina Aguilera you experience many elements of African music."

The end result of all this research, a by-product of his passion, is a course which he has titled The Evolution of African American Music (A Comprehensive Journey through Time and Culture).

The Evolution of African American Music from Africa to Hip Hop deepens our understanding of music in relation to history and culture as well as broadening our understanding of the relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts. 

* * * *
Next week Bruce Henry will be at the Oldenburg House in Carlton for Magnolia Salon on Thursday, Nov. 8 and the following two evenings of Cookin' @ the O in the Carlton Room.

Reservations can be found at the Oldenburg House website: https://oacc.us/calendar/

Last Night in the Carlton Room: Bruce Henry Was Cookin' Hot

Make no mistake, we've got a jazz club here in the Northland as intimate and compelling as any you would find anywhere. The Carlton Room is a gift to the community, and it's been exciting seeing the community embrace it. Here are my notes to myself on this weekend's featured singer, who will be putting on a second show tonight.

After a couple numbers featuring the backing band of Ryan Frane (piano), Matt Mobley (standup bass) and Swanny Swanson on the drum kit, Bruce Henry took the stage to show us his range. Within a minute the full house was eating out of his hand, and it never let up. Another great performer at a venue that hands down seems to have it all.

The singer opened with a Charlie Parker bebop tune, "Yes Is Best," showing his considerable vocal range and swinging moves. Nat King Cole's "Nature Boy" followed, a song written by eden ahbez that was Nat King Cole's first solo hit and stayed at the top of the charts eight weeks.

There was a boy
A very strange, enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far
Very far, over land and sea
A little shy and sad of eye
But very wise was he

It's a beautiful song and, as with everything else, it was beautifully rendered. (You can find all the lyrics here to see why it was such a hit for NKC.) He followed this with a song popularized by Ol' Blue Eyes, "The Second Time Around."

More than a jazz singer, Bruce Henry is a performer and a story teller. He interjected a few stories about things he learned from Michael Jackson and Tony Bennett, giving an example of how persuasive he was as a performer himself. Then we swung into a Duke Ellington number, "Postponed."

Song selection says as much about a singer as his or her stage presence, and hands down Bruce Henry served up a fabulous multi-course meal. As many of you know (especially if you read my blog post from Thursday) Bobby Kennedy was assassinated 50 years ago this past week. Henry and the band's channelling of Marvin Gaye's poignant "What's Goin' On?" sent electricity through the room.

They finished off the first set with a bluesy rock piece, "Goin' to the Country" about brighter days and dreaming of life in Spain.

* * * *
If you've never been to Cookin' @ the O, it should be noted that there is also real cooking here. When we arrived Chef Paul was in action on the grill out back and in the kitchen, setting up the culinary features that accompanied our entertainment. There's also a fully stocked bar as well, so you really can have it all.

* * * *

The trio opened the second set with "One Day My Prince Will Come" and then Bruce Henry returned to the stage. He shared a humorous story about something that happened to him while singing onstage with his eyes closed and told us he has a whole catalogue of stories like that and is working on a book.

"Stand By Me" gave us chills, and I overheard someone behind me ask how they can be so tight as a band having never performed together before. That's the magic of jazz here, though.

They followed with Ray Charles' playful "I Got News For You."
You said before me met 
That your life was awful tame 
Well, I took you to a night club 
And the whole band knew your name...

View from a staircase window. Glory Pool and Fountain
on the right. Luscious views abound.

"Summertime" rolled out next... nothing pedestrian here. Bruce Henry, like all the greats, takes it and makes it his own.

Introducing a Mongo Santamaria song gave the singer a chance to tell his own story, about how rewarding and fortunate he was to find his roots... his great, great, great etc. grandmother eight generations back whose name was Tamar, brought over as a slave from Sierra Leone. The song, also performed by Coltrane, begins, "I dream of a land where my soul is from..." (Mongo Blue)

There was something magical about the evening. Songs that made us smile, and songs that made us think, yet inspired, that lifted us somehow. Closing out, Bruce Henry delivered a soulful, heartfelt rendition of the classic "House of the Rising Sun." Enthusiastic standing ovation followed.

Thank you to Glenn and Emily for creating this space, for setting the bar high, for putting it all together. It's been a lot of work, but the entire community is richer for it.

Related Links
10 Things You Didn't Know About Oldenburg House
Oldenburg House website. There may still be a few tickets for tonight's show.

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn 

Is just to love and be loved in return"

--Nat King Cole