CURATION
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from this page:
by Matrix
Network Node
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Name:
LeVar Burton
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City/Place:
Los Angeles, California
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Country:
United States
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Hometown:
Landstuhl, West Germany/Sacramento, California
Current News
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What's Up?
"I’ve dedicated my life to the power of storytelling. Whether I’m acting, directing, writing or podcasting, I believe sharing stories is what I was born to do because storytelling is what brings us all together."
Life
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Bio:
LeVar Burton marked the beginning of his acting career in 1977 with his portrayal of Kunta Kinte in the ABC award-winning drama series Roots, which was adapted from Alex Haley's novel. Notably, Burton's audition for the role of Kinte served as his inaugural professional endeavor, and his performance earned him a nomination for the Emmy for Best Actor in a Drama Series.
In 1988, Burton revisited the character of Kunta Kinte in the television film Roots: The Gift. Reflecting on the societal impact of Roots, Burton emphasized its role in broadening people's awareness, transcending racial boundaries. He expressed that the series contributed to dismantling stereotypes, fostering a perception of each other as human beings for both black and white individuals. In discussing the enduring influence of Roots, Burton articulated, "It expanded the consciousness of people," emphasizing that societal transformations are gradual, likening them to the ripple effect caused by a pebble in a pond. He underscored the importance of gradual change, stating, "I think the only constant is change, and it's always slow. Anything that happens overnight is lacking in foundation." Burton affirmed that Roots represents a part of an evolving trend, highlighting its ongoing impact in the broader cultural narrative.
Starting in 1983, Burton served as both the host and executive producer of Reading Rainbow on PBS. The program enjoyed a remarkable run of 23 seasons, solidifying its place as one of the network's longest-standing children's shows. Throughout its duration, the series earned an impressive collection of over 200 broadcast awards. Among these accolades were a Peabody Award and 26 Emmy Awards, with 11 specifically in the "Outstanding Children's Series" category. Burton's contributions were duly recognized, as he himself received 12 Emmy awards for his roles as host and producer of the show.
In 1986, Gene Roddenberry approached Burton to take on the role of Lieutenant Junior Grade Geordi La Forge in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. The character, who is initially blind, utilizes a prosthetic device known as a VISOR to gain "sight," wearing it over his eyes. La Forge commenced his journey as the USS Enterprise's helmsman, later advancing to the position of Chief Engineer by the show's second season.
Burton continued to portray La Forge in subsequent feature films based on Star Trek: The Next Generation, starting with Star Trek: Generations in 1994 and concluding with Star Trek: Nemesis in 2002.
In 2012, LeVar Burton and his team introduced Skybrary and Skybrary School—a meticulously curated, continually expanding, interactive library featuring digital books and video explorations, all hosted by the beloved storyteller, LeVar himself. Emerging as the top educational app upon its entry into the market, kids have delved into more than 20.7 million books and viewed over 20.9 million videos since its launch. Notably, Skybrary School has been contributed to over 10,000 Title One schools, with ongoing donations each year. Recognized as the premier award-winning digital library, it serves as a go-to resource for parents and teachers, fostering a lifelong love of learning among young readers.
In a philanthropic move in 2019, LeVar donated the Skybrary service to Reading is Fundamental, a leading literacy non-profit, with the aim of bringing books to millions more children.
Accessible on the web, iOS, Kindle, and Android tablets, Skybrary provides a versatile platform, while Skybrary School is exclusively available on the web.
Clips (more may be added)
The Integrated Global Creative Economy
Wolfram Mathematics
This technological matrix originating in Bahia, Brazil and positioning creators around the world within reach of each other and the entire planet is able to do so because it is small-world (see Wolfram above). Bahia itself, final port-of-call for more enslaved human beings than any other place on earth throughout all of human history, refuge for Lusitanian Sephardim fleeing the Inquisition, Indigenous both apart and subsumed into a sociocultural matrix comprised of these three peoples and more, is small-world. Human society, the billions of us, is small-world. Neural structures for human memory are small-world...
In small worlds great things are possible.
Alicia Svigals
"Thanks, this is a brilliant idea!!"
—Alicia Svigals (NEW YORK CITY): Apotheosis of klezmer violinists
"I'm truly thankful ... Sohlangana ngokuzayo :)"
—Nduduzo Makhathini (JOHANNESBURG): piano, Blue Note recording artist
"Dear Sparrow: I am thrilled to receive your email! Thank you for including me in this wonderful matrix."
—Susan Rogers (BOSTON): Director of the Berklee Music Perception and Cognition Laboratory ... Former personal recording engineer for Prince; "Purple Rain", "Sign o' the Times", "Around the World in a Day"
"Dear Sparrow, Many thanks for this – I am touched!"
—Julian Lloyd Webber (LONDON): Premier cellist in UK; brother of Andrew (Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, Cats, Phantom of the Opera...)
"This is super impressive work ! Congratulations ! Thanks for including me :)))"
—Clarice Assad (RIO DE JANEIRO/CHICAGO): Pianist and composer with works performed by Yo Yo Ma and orchestras around the world
"We appreciate you including Kamasi in the matrix, Sparrow."
—Banch Abegaze (LOS ANGELES): manager, Kamasi Washington
"Thanks! It looks great!....I didn't write 'Cantaloupe Island' though...Herbie Hancock did! Great Page though, well done! best, Randy"
"Very nice! Thank you for this. Warmest regards and wishing much success for the project! Matt"
—Son of Jimmy Garrison (bass for John Coltrane, Bill Evans...); plays with Herbie Hancock and other greats...
Dear friends & colleagues,
Having arrived in Salvador 13 years earlier, I opened a record shop in 2005 in order to create an outlet to the wider world for Bahian musicians, many of them magisterial but unknown.
David Dye & Kim Junod for NPR found us (above), and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (he's a huge jazz fan), David Byrne, Oscar Castro-Neves... Spike Lee walked past the place while I was sitting on the stoop across the street drinking beer and listening to samba from the speaker in the window...
But we weren't exactly easy for the world-at-large to get to. So in order to extend the place's ethos I transformed the site associated with it into a network wherein Brazilian musicians I knew would recommend other Brazilian musicians, who would recommend others...
And as I anticipated, the chalky hand of God-as-mathematician intervened: In human society — per the small-world phenomenon — most of the billions of us on earth are within some 6 or fewer degrees of each other. Likewise, within a network of interlinked artists as I've described above, most of these artists will in the same manner be at most a handful of steps away from each other.
So then, all that's necessary to put the Bahians and other Brazilians within possible purview of the wide wide world is to include them among a wide wide range of artists around that world.
If, for example, Quincy Jones is inside the matrix (people who have passed are not removed), then anybody on his page — whether they be accessing from a campus in L.A., a pub in Dublin, a shebeen in Cape Town, a tent in Mongolia — will be close, transitable steps away from Raymundo Sodré, even if they know nothing of Brazil and are unaware that Sodré sings/dances upon this planet. Sodré, having been knocked from the perch of fame and ground into anonymity by Brazil's dictatorship, has now the alternative of access to the world-at-large via recourse to the vast potential of network theory.
...to the degree that other artists et al — writers, researchers, filmmakers, painters, choreographers...everywhere — do also. Artificial intelligence not required. Real intelligence, yes.
Years ago in NYC I "rescued" unpaid royalties (performance & mechanical) for artists/composers including Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Mongo Santamaria, Jim Hall, Clement "Coxsone" Dodd (for his rights in Bob Marley compositions; Clement was Bob's first producer), Led Zeppelin, Ray Barretto, Philip Glass and many others. Aretha called me out of the blue vis-à-vis money owed by Atlantic Records. Allen Klein (managed The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Ray Charles) called about money due the estate of Sam Cooke. Jerry Ragovoy (Time Is On My Side, Piece of My Heart) called just to see if he had any unpaid money floating around out there (the royalty world was a shark-filled jungle, to mangle metaphors, and I doubt it's changed).
But the pertinent client (and friend) in the present context is Earl "Speedo" Carroll, of The Cadillacs. Earl went from doo-wopping on Harlem streetcorners to chart-topping success to working as a custodian at PS 87 elementary school on the west side of Manhattan. Through all of this he never lost what made him great.
Greatness and fame are too often conflated. The former should be accessible independently of the latter.
Matrix founding creators are behind "one of 10 of the best (radios) around the world", per The Guardian.
Recent access to this matrix and Bahia are from these places (a single marker can denote multiple accesses).
Across the creative universe... For another list, reload page.
This list is random, and incomplete. Reload the page for another list.
For a complete list of everybody inside, tap TOTAL below:
TOTAL
Nduduzo Makhathini
Susan Rogers
Julian Lloyd Webber
Clarice Assad
Kamasi Washington
Randy Brecker
Matt Garrison
RÁDIO MATRIX