Rushen, Duke headline black celebration

BOSTON, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- Keyboard player Patrice Rushen will give the seventh annual lecture that highlights Black History Month at the Berklee College of Music.

On Feb. 26, Rushen will present the seventh annual Dr. Warrick L. Carter Lecture at Berklee. She was the first woman in 43 years to serve as head composer-musical director for television's "Emmy Awards" and to serve as musical director for the "NAACP Image Awards" broadcast, an honor she has held for twelve consecutive years.

Her feature film composing credits include "Men In Black," "Waiting To Exhale," Sandra Bernhardt's "Without You I'm Nothing" and Robert Townsend's "Hollywood Shuffle."

Music veteran George Duke will also headline the month-long celebration with a concert at the Berklee performance Center on Feb. 11.

Duke literally has performed with musicians from A to Z, including Cannonball Adderley, Frank Zappa and Joe Zawinul. His producing credits include recordings by Miles Davis, Raoul de Souza, Dee Dee Bridgewater, A Taste of Honey, Jeffrey Osborne, Deniece Williams, Smokey Robinson and George Howard.