THC: You’ve been called a “monitor of music’s instincts.” This speaks to the way you’ve been on top of many movements in music, from Freedom Now to M’BOOM and on. Do you have any interesting plans for the future?
MR: It’s pretty much the same. I like working in theater. I’m working with Ossie Davis. We all learn from each other, writers, musicians. You can’t segregate yourself. Take Harold Nicholas, who passed recently. I worked with him on a movie, Carmen Jones. He sang, he danced, he acted, performed on instruments. The Nicholas Brothers were the reason, indirectly, that blacks could go into white theaters.
THC: And that’s political.
MR: Very much so. I’m looking forward to my Boston concert not only because of the music, but also the dancer, whom I haven’t met yet. But I’ve worked with dancers. I’m excited because it’s just gonna happen.
THC: Another spontaneous invention.
MR: Yes, to say the least.