WBGO’s Gary Walker talks with jazz vocalist Tawanda about the release of her first album “Smile” on Resonance and about her evolution as a singer and performer
stay? tawanda: i m not going anywhere. my pop-pop didn t leave, i m not leaving. [ laughing ] mr. hafez: this is the only reason the gun. this is the only reason for it. just to protect my children and my wife. anthony: 20 years, 30 years, will things be better? mr. hafez: i hope not 20 years and 30 years. i hope now, next year, everything goes better. keiji: to me, i really feel a strong need to, uh, forgive. anthony: mm-hmm. keiji: and then, forget. and then move on. anthony: you used to be a tour guide. ha: yes. anthony: i know you have to bring people over to the american war museum. in your lifetime, is there going to be a time when that s not gonna have to be a stop? no one will remember. or should people always remember? ha: i think it s good to remember. and, i think it s it s good that, that
i see stuff, i talk about that, i talk about how it made me feel at the time. i think that s the best. if you can do that, honestly, that s about the best you can hope for, i think. anthony: i i just i don t feel i m capable of going back and having an intelligent conversation about my experience. i feel all messed up emotionally. edgar: but i think this means that you truly came here, because when you get close to something you understand it, you don t understand what is going on. when you re far from it, it seems kind of solvable and simple. when you go into it, you say, hey, it doesn t make any sense, you know? so, it means that you ve really been here. anthony: it is post-apocalyptic. it s like a science-fiction film. what the hell happened here? charlie: well, it is post-apocalyptic except for the fact there s several hundred thousand people living here. anthony: so the conventional wisdom seemed to be, it s time to get out of camden. why are you still here?
anthony: i i just i don t feel i m capable of going back and having an intelligent conversation about my experience. i feel all messed up emotionally. edgar: but i think this means you that you truly came here, because when you get close to something you understand it, you don t understand what is going on. when you re far from it, it seems kind of solvable and simple. when you go into it, you say, hey, it doesn t make any sense, you know? so, it means that you ve really been here. anthony: it is post-apocalyptic. it s like a science-fiction film. what the hell happened here? charlie: well, it is post-apocalyptic except for the fact there s several hundred thousand people living here. anthony: so the conventional wisdom seemed to be, it s time to get out of camden. why are you still here? tawanda: because the need is in camden. if every decent person in camden leaves camden then we never have a chance. anthony: you re going to stay? tawanda: i m not going an