“A BLEND OF WIRY STRENGTH AND ETHEREAL CHARM THAT SET HER APART FROM THE FEMALE VOCALISTS CROWDING THE JAZZ SCENE... WITHOUT COMPROMISING HER DEBT TO THE MOST STRINGENT JAZZ GRAMMAR, HER LIGHT-AGAINST-DARK PHRASING REVEALED A LOVE OF POP AND SOUL THAT GAVE FRESH, HEARTFELT MEANING...
”
photos by Tanisha Walker for In God’s Image Makeup Artistry and Photography
red chair & flowered gown images by Chi Brown
LENORA HELM HAMMONDS NAMED A LIFETIME ACHIEVER BY MARQUIS WHO’S WHO
MS. HELM HAS BEEN ENDORSED BY MARQUIS WHO’S WHO AS A LEADER IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
Throughout her 40+-year span of musical achievements as a Jazz Vocal Musician specializing in Classic, Traditional standard jazz, Lenora (Zenzalai) Helm Hammonds has toured, recorded, and performed with renowned artists around the world. Her career as a vocal musician has encompassed time as a lyricist, guest artist, background singer, composer, and educator.
A 2018 inaugural Javett International Scholar in Jazz for University of Pretoria, during her time as a musician, Helm Hammonds has earned recognition as: a quarter-finalist for the GRAMMY Music Educator of the Year Award, a Salzburg Global Citizenship Fellow, a UNC Global Educator Fellow, a Fulbright Senior Music Specialist, and the former US Jazz Ambassador under the State Department and Kennedy Center. Leadership roles in jazz include, Vice President, Area Unit Leadership, North Carolina, for Jazz Education Network (JEN). Additionally, she is a member of the esteemed Jazz Vocal Advisory Board for Juilliard Jazz, Juilliard, NYC, and is vocal jazz faculty during summers for Brevard Jazz Institute, Brevard, NC.
Dr. Lenora Helm Hammonds, an intercultural maturity researcher and celebrated jazz musician, guides us through the cornerstones that create a unique collection of social and emotional intelligence skills known as Intercultural Maturity.
Lenora on the red carpet at the inaugural Jazz Music Awards, October 2022
(Atlanta, GA – August 25, 2022) – The global awards ceremony to exclusively celebrate Jazz music, The Jazz Music Awards: Celebrating the Spirit of Jazz, and its creator and executive producer, Wendy F. Williams announced the recipients of six honorary awards and the nominees in eight competitive award categories. These special honors, as well as the thirty-three nominees, recognize individuals who have made – and continue to make – a lasting contribution to this American art form. Finalists in each category are the result of the first round of nominations submitted during the eligibility period from April 1, 2021, through March 31, 2022. These well-deserved honors will be presented at the Jazz Music Awards ceremony, set for Saturday, October 22, 2022, at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, GA. Tickets are on sale now, click here for further details. The Lifetime Achievement Award will go to saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter; the Jazz Legend Award will be presented to the family of the late pianist and composer McCoy Tyner. There are three Awards of Distinction categories: Innovator, Composer, and Educator. Modern jazz trumpeter and composer Ambrose Akinmusire will receive the Jazz Innovator Award; avant-garde saxophonist and woodwinds player and composer Henry Threadgill will be honored with the Jazz Composer Award; vocalist and composer, Dr. Lenora Helm Hammonds will receive the Jazz Educator Award; and veteran musician and educator James H. Patterson will receive the Jazz Impact Award.
ORDER Your Copy Now!
RELEASE DATE - SEPTEMBER 8, 2023
Music should feel good!
Tribe Jazz Orchestra
Film Score Projects
The
Problem
of the Hero,
Original Jazz Compositions by Lenora Zenzalai Helm
nominated for Best Musical Score, New Hope Film Festival
won Best Picture, New Hope Film Festival
EbzB Productions is excited to announce the release dates for its critically acclaimed film, The Problem of the Hero now distributed by Buffalo8 Distribution and made available on multiple streaming platforms this spring. This powerful cinematic work will be accessible to audiences worldwide on AppleTV, Amazon, and Tubi, among other platforms.
Key Release Dates:
* March 14, 2025 – Preorders available on AppleTV
* March 28, 2025 – Official release on Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, Hoopla, Verizon Fios/Vubiquity, Spectrum, Charter, Cox, Xfinity, and more.
* April 25, 2025 – Streaming on Demand via Tubi, Plex, and more.
* April 25, 2025 – Streaming on Broadway on Demand for subscribers
About the Film
The Problem of the Hero is a 2023 American drama film directed by Shaun Dozier and produced by EbzB Productions/WhyNot Theatricals, AyJ Productions, Gravel Films, Matthew Helderman, Luke Taylor, and Grady Craig. Set in 1941, the film explores the complex friendship of two famed 20th-century writers, renowned author Richard Wright and Pulitzer-Prize-winning playwright Paul Green, which hangs in the balance in a dispute over their Broadway script’s last page.
The film features J. Mardrice Henderson as Richard Wright and David zum Brunnen as Paul Green. Noted for its timely themes, it premiered at the Santa Fe Film Festival in February 2023 and has just completed its festival run at numerous film festivals, including the RiverRun International Film Festival, the Harlem International Film Festival, and the Fargo Film Festival. Among the several awards the film has received are Best Feature Film at the Longleaf Film Festival and the Impact Award at the Naples International Film Festival.
The Problem of the Hero continues to receive positive critical reception, holding a 100% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Statement from the Producers
“We are thrilled to partner with Buffalo8 to bring this important story to a broader audience,” said Serena Ebhardt, Executive Producer at EbzB Productions. “We’ve seen this film resonate with viewers and encourage meaningful conversations about our country and our world today. Just as the film’s characters ask- ‘Do we push for change and work through the structure— find who will listen’; Or, do we ‘burn the whole scaffold down and stir the ashes?’. ”
For More Information, Media Inquiries, or Interview Requests:
EbzB Productions Email: problemofthehero@ebzb.org Website: www.problemofthehero.ebzb.org
Rakoom Agency: info@rakoom.com
Additional Links:
* IMDb Page: The Problem of the Hero
* Rotten Tomatoes: The Problem of the Hero
* Letterboxd Page: Letterboxd
I am so very excited and deeply honored that film music I wrote for The Problem Of The Hero will be distributed on multiple streaming platforms this spring. Wow! Just Wow! Congratulations EbzB Productions - Serena Ebhardt & David zum Brunnen
Join us in sharing this powerful story! Tag your friends, post on social media, and please help The Problem of the Hero reach the audience it deserves. Updates with streaming links will come soon and made available upon each release date.
* Facebook: Profile
* Instagram: @problemofthehero
* X (Twitter): @POTHFilm
* Bluesky: @problemofthehero
* Buffalo8 Film Landing Page: Buffalo8
* YouTube Trailer: Watch Here https://youtu.be/xPFbKbCWcWg?si=Adiaz_Ykuc3x4IAA
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* #TheProblemOfTheHero #FilmRelease #Buffalo8 #StreamingSoon #AppleTV #Amazon #Tubi