Inside a classroom at The Arts Factory in west Charlotte, a six-piece band winds up with a bouncy rendition of “Let’s Start” by Nigerian musician Fela Kuti.
Two drummers and a bass lay the beat — with a keyboard, saxophone and trombone playing on top.
They groove through the number, then transition to their next piece, “Young, Gifted and Black,” by Nina Simone. A vocalist sits on a table, legs swinging as she croons.
This local band is called A Sign of the Times. They’re rehearsing for their upcoming performances on the first and last nights of Kwanzaa, the annual, weeklong celebration of African American culture. They’re playing, starting tonight, at Charlotte’s Greenville Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church with Kwanzaa Charlotte.
"You can’t ask for a better place to perform music like this. You really can’t," said vocalist Toni Tupponce. "You’ve got like-minded people in the room with you for seven days that want to see Black life, and Black culture, lifted."
A marriage through music
Tupponce is married to the band’s leader, Tyrone Jefferson — a composer, arranger, producer and trombonist who for decades worked with the legendary James Brown.
The couple met in 2001, when Tupponce auditioned for the band. She was friends with the band’s drummer, and her mother pushed her to try out.
"Before she died, one of the last things she said was, you go try out for that band," Tupponce said.
She was nervous, but Jefferson was impressed.
"I said first to myself, ‘She’s real cute, but can she sing?’ And then when she opened her mouth, I went, ‘Cute and can sing!’" Jefferson recalled.
The couple began dating about a year later. In 2005 they married, and they’ve been collaborating ever since.
Primarily, they perform music that highlights and celebrates African American heritage.
"If we can use music as the backdrop, then we can tell stories, and we can make points that we might not hear otherwise," Tupponce said.
'It's really needed this year'
This year, the couple selected 14 songs for Kwanzaa Charlotte that range from covers of Stevie Wonder’s “If It’s Magic,” to original works, like Jefferson's “Connections.”
"That’s one of my favorite songs, even though I’m the composer," Jefferson said, laughing.
They’ll also share stories behind some of the songs, like "Blackbird," written by The Beatles and recently covered by Beyoncé on her "Cowboy Carter" album.
"Paul McCartney intended that song to be about Black women — particularly American Black women — and how they’ve been the backbone and the strength and the foundation of everything from the Civil Rights Movement all the way through to Black Lives Matter," Tupponce said. "But we’re always pushed to the back."
The couple is also raising money to one day establish a Black Research and Performing Arts Center in Charlotte with a library and an auditorium, though detailed plans remain in the works.
For now, the band is sharing Black culture and heritage in concerts and through programs like Kwanzaa Charlotte. Their first performance is tonight at 7 p.m. Their second is Jan. 1 at 7 p.m., on the last night of Kwanzaa.
Tupponce said she hopes this year’s programs will uplift audiences.
"There’s a lot of trepidation right now within the community about what’s coming, what’s next? And I wanted what we put out this year to be particularly uplifting, because it’s really needed this year."
Want to go?
A Sign of the Times will perform at Kwanzaa Charlotte's opening and closing celebrations tonight and Jan. 1 at Greenville Memorial AME Zion Church, 6116 Monteith Drive. The program begins at 7 p.m. and ends at 8:30 p.m.
Kwanzaa Charlotte will also host daily celebrations Dec. 27 through Dec. 31 at the Movement School, 2701 Freedom Drive. All celebrations start at 7 p.m. and end at 8:30 p.m. There is no cost to attend.
