ANNOUNCER: TONIGHT ON SHOWCASE WITH BARBARA KELLAR, WRITER, PRODUCER AND MUSICAL ARTIST NAPOLEON MADDOX.

STAY TUNED, SHOWCASE STARTS RIGHT NOW.

[MUSIC] KELLAR: HI.

I'M BARBARA KELLAR.

WELCOME TO SHOWCASE.

TODAY I HAVE A GUY WHO'S SO INTERESTING.

HE WAS ON FIVE YEARS AGO, BUT EVERYBODY LOVED HIM.

SO WE HAVE HIM BACK.

HE'S GOING TO TELL US WHAT HE'S BEEN DOING IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS, WHICH IS A LOT.

NAPOLEON, START BY TELLING US A LITTLE BIT.

WE REMEMBER YOU HAD A WONDERFUL STORY ABOUT YOUR AUNTS.

MADDOX: YES, THE AUNTS OF MY GRANDMOTHER, MILLIE-CHRISTINE MCKOY.

WE WERE HERE TALKING ABOUT THE SHOW THAT WAS GOING TO DEBUT HERE IN CINCINNATI AT THE CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER.

WE COMPLETED THAT SHOW.

WE DID FOUR SHOWS.

WE EVEN DID A MATINEE SHOW FOR A GROUP OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, AND THAT WAS REALLY EXCITING.

AFTER THAT, WE TOOK THE SHOW ON THE ROAD AND WE PLAYED IT ALL AROUND EUROPE, FRANCE, AND ITALY IN MULTIPLE CITIES.

AND THEN WE BROUGHT IT BACK HERE IN 2019 TO THE UNDERWORLD JAZZ FESTIVAL.

WE CAN TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT LATER.

BUT THAT'S BEEN REALLY A JOURNEY THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE I'VE HEARD SOME WISE PEOPLE SAY SOMETHING ABOUT IF YOU MAKE ROOM FOR YOUR GIFT, IF YOU MAKE TIME FOR YOUR GIFT, YOU COMMIT TO YOUR GIFT, AND IT WILL MAKE ROOM FOR YOU IN THE WORLD.

AND SO I'VE SEEN THAT WITH NOT ONLY BEING ABLE TO OFFER IT ON STAGE, BUT TO SHARE THESE STORIES WITH YOUNG PEOPLE AND TALK ABOUT THE WAYS THAT IT TALKS ABOUT CONFIDENCE AND HUMILITY, IDENTITY, RECOGNIZING HOW WE HAVE TO LIVE OUR LIVES TOGETHER BECAUSE THAT'S THE EXAMPLE YOU NEED.

KELLAR: IS THAT PART OF THE SHOW THAT YOU DID?

MADDOX: ABSOLUTELY.

ABSOLUTELY.

THOSE ARE MAJOR THEMES THROUGHOUT THE SHOW, MILLIE-CHRISTINE: TWICE THE FIRST TIME IS THE OFFICIAL NAME OF THE SHOW.

KELLAR: WOW.

MADDOX: AND IT INVOLVES SEVERAL MUSICIANS FROM CINCINNATI, AS WELL AS MUSICIANS FROM FRANCE.

KELLAR: SO IT'S A MUSICAL PERFORMANCE.

MADDOX: IT IS A MUSICAL PERFORMANCE.

SOME PEOPLE HAVE BEGUN TO CALL IT HIP-HOP OPERA.

KELLAR: OH, WOW.

I LIKE THAT.

COME ON, TELL US.

HIP-HOP OPERA, TALK ABOUT THAT.

MADDOX: I THINK THE IDEA BEHIND THAT IS THAT WE ARE TELLING A STORY THAT HAS AN ARC AND WE'RE USING DIFFERENT MEDIA TO TELL THE STORY: VIDEO, MUSIC, SET DESIGN, AND ART, VISUAL ART, AND THEN SONG, NARRATIVE THROUGHOUT.

SO THERE'S NARRATIVE THROUGHOUT.

KELLAR: DO YOU WRITE THE SONGS?

MADDOX: I DO.

I DO.

KELLAR: YOU WRITE THE SONGS?

MADDOX: YES.

KELLAR: THAT MAKE THE YOUNG GIRLS CRY?

MADDOX: WELL, SOME PEOPLE DO CRY, BUT THEY'RE REALLY MOVED.

AND THAT'S I MEAN, YOU KNOW WHAT, WE'RE SAYING THAT JOKINGLY AND I KNOW THAT.

I KNOW THAT, THAT REFERENCE.

KELLAR: YEAH.

MADDOX: BUT LITERALLY PEOPLE WHEN THEY SEE THE SHOW, AT EVERY SHOW, THERE'S BEEN SOMEONE THAT SAYS IF THEY DON'T STILL HAVE TEARS ON THEIR FACE, THEY SAY THAT THEY WERE MOVED TO TEARS.

AND THERE IS A BLEND OF THESE EMOTIONS OF SADNESS, BUT ALSO CELEBRATION AND JOY AT THE FACT THAT MILLIE-CHRISTINE, WERE THE KINDS OF PERSONS THEY WERE, LIVED THEIR LIVES.

KELLAR: THEIR LEGACY IS SO EMOTIONALLY -- MADDOX: THAT'S RIGHT.

KELLAR: -- IMPORTANT.

YEAH.

AND YOU'RE HERE TODAY TO TELL THEIR STORY.

THEY LIVED, WHAT WAS THEIR -- MADDOX: THEY LIVED FROM 1851 UNTIL 1912.

SO THAT'S 61 YEARS.

AND THAT TIME PERIOD IS STILL, THEY WOULD CONSIDER THAT LONGEVITY FOR THAT PERIOD.

KELLAR: AND BUT YOU'RE STILL TELLING THEIR STORY.

MADDOX: STILL TELLING THEIR STORY, SO THEY'RE STILL WITH US.

KELLAR: BECAUSE IT'S A GREAT ONE.

YEAH.

WELL, YOU MENTIONED YOU REFERENCED UNDERWORLD JAZZ FESTIVAL.

MADDOX: RIGHT.

SO IN 2018, WE BROUGHT TOGETHER THESE IDEAS OF PERFORMING AND PRESENTING BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN CURATING SHOWS WITH MY DEAR PARTNER AND COMRADE KIMBERLY GOREE AND SOME OF THE OTHER MEMBERS OF MY BAND ISWHAT?!

THAT'S BEEN AROUND CINCINNATI AND AROUND THE WORLD FOR YEARS.

AND WE HAD BEEN FOR A LONG TIME BRINGING ARTISTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD, FROM NEW YORK, FROM CHICAGO, FROM FRANCE AND ETHIOPIA, BRINGING ARTISTS, HOSTING THEM IN CINCINNATI.

AND SO IN 2018, WE SAID, "YOU KNOW WHAT, WE SHOULD JUST DO A FESTIVAL."

AND SO WE STARTED IN 2018 DOING THIS ANNUAL FESTIVAL CALLED THE UNDERWORLD JAZZ FESTIVAL AND REALLY EXPRESSING THE CONCEPT OR THE IDEA OF CONTINUUM MUSIC, UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS MUSIC THAT WE LISTEN TO NOW AND LOVE SO MUCH THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE CELEBRATE ARTISTS LIKE BEYONCE AND BRUNO MARS AND ANDERSON PACK AND ALL THESE ARTISTS, THEY ARE PULLING FROM A TRADITION AND A HISTORY THAT STARTS WITH -- SOME OF THEM START WITH AFRICAN FOLK SONGS.

SOME OF THEM STARTS WITH GOSPEL AND FIELD SONGS, SOMETIMES SONGS OF RESISTANCE, BUT IT HAS A HISTORY.

AND WE WANTED TO CELEBRATE THAT HISTORY.

AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT JAZZ, THAT'S AN AMERICAN STORY THAT'S RICH WITH VICTORY.

KELLAR: AND SO WHERE DID THIS UNDERWORLD JAZZ FESTIVAL, WHERE DID YOU PERFORM?

MADDOX: SO WE PERFORMED IN VENUES LIKE MOTOR PUB, THE WOODWARD THEATER, DOJOS IN NORTH SIDE.

SO WE HAD LOTS OF FREE AND FAMILY EVENTS THAT THE WHOLE FAMILY COULD COME TO.

KELLAR: YEAH.

MADDOX: ALL OVER TOWN.

AND THEN IN 2019, WE STARTED PARTNERING WITH TEMPLE-TIFERETH ISRAEL UP IN CLEVELAND.

SO IT'S A REGIONAL FESTIVAL WITH MULTIPLE CITIES, AND WE'LL COLLABORATE WITH THEM AGAIN IN OCTOBER.

KELLAR: DO YOU HAVE SPONSORS?

MADDOX: WE HAVE A FEW SPONSORS.

IN THE PAST, WE'VE WORKED WITH CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL THROUGH SOME COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS.

KELLAR: IF YOU'RE NOT CHARGING ADMISSION.

MADDOX: WELL, OUR GOAL HAS BEEN TO NOT CHARGE ADMISSION OR TO KEEP ADMISSION AS LOW AS POSSIBLE.

WE DO HAVE SOME, WE WOULD SAY, MARQUEE EVENTS THAT HAVE ADMISSION.

WE MAKE IT A PART OF OUR PROGRAM.

KELLAR: MAKE IT UP ON THOSE.

MADDOX: EXACTLY.

KELLAR: YEAH.

BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY, THE WORLD IS NOT FREE.

MADDOX: THAT'S RIGHT.

AND LIKE YOU SAID, IT'S GREAT TO HAVE SPONSORS.

ONE OF OUR BIGGEST AND ONE OF THE SPONSORS THAT WE'RE MOST EXCITED ABOUT THIS YEAR IS THE COMMON GOOD ALLIANCE.

AND SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THEM ON NOT JUST THE FESTIVAL PROPER, BUT ON A SERIES OF EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE FESTIVAL AND CONTINUING THEREAFTER TO BUILD AND ENCOURAGE, INCREASE A COMMUNITY CULTURE OF THE COMMON GOOD OF THE WHOLE COMMUNITY REACHING OUT.

KELLAR: YOU WERE IN PARIS RECENTLY?

MADDOX: YES, I WAS IN PARIS.

YEAH, ACTUALLY.

SO I'M LIVING BETWEEN CINCINNATI AND FRANCE.

AND PART OF THE REASON WHY I'M SPENDING SO MUCH TIME THERE, IT STARTS WITH THIS STORY OF MILLIE-CHRISTINE AND OF RESIDENCY THAT I WAS AWARDED IN A TOWN CALLED BESANON, WHICH IS NEAR -- WHICH IS GOING TOWARDS GENEVA.

SO IT'S CLOSER TO SWITZERLAND.

AND SO I SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN PARIS AND MARSEILLES AND LYON AND NANTES, ALL BEAUTIFUL CITIES AND BESANON IS ONE OF THOSE BEAUTIFUL CITIES.

THE RESIDENCY THAT I EMBARKED ON THERE STARTING IN 2019, JUST BEFORE COVID HIT.

MY OBJECTIVE, I THOUGHT, WOULD BE TO DO A REMAKING OR REIMAGINING OF MILLIE- CHRISTINE: TWICE THE FIRST TIME.

AND AS FATE OR AS DESTINY WOULD HAVE IT, WE WOUND UP BEING KIND OF SLOWED DOWN AND CUT SHORT BY THE PANDEMIC.

BUT IT ALSO GAVE US SOME TIME TO REFLECT AND THINK ABOUT WHAT ELSE, WHAT OTHER STORIES WE COULD TELL THAT WERE RELATED TO THE REGION.

AND ONE OF THE GREAT STORIES THAT'S RELATED TO THAT REGION IS THE STORY OF TOUSSAINT LOUVERTURE.

HE WAS THE FOUNDING FATHER, REALLY, OF HAITI.

BEFORE HAITI WAS INDEPENDENT, IT WAS A PROPERTY, A TERRITORY OF THE COLONY OF FRANCE.

AND THE PEOPLE THAT WERE ENSLAVED THERE FOUGHT FOR THEIR INDEPENDENCE.

AND TOUSSAINT LOUVERTURE LED A GROWING REVOLUTION AND DECLARED HAITI INDEPENDENT, WRITING THEIR FIRST CONSTITUTION.

AND IT'S REALLY A FASCINATING STORY.

KELLAR: YEAH.

MADDOX: SO WE'VE DEVELOPED A SHOW CALLED LOUVERTURE DE TOUSSAINT.

KELLAR: I LOVE YOUR FRENCH.

YOU REALLY GOT IT JUST RIGHT.

MADDOX: MERCI, MERCI BEAUCOUP.

KELLAR: REALLY IMPRESSED.

GO AHEAD.

MADDOX: [SPEAKING FRENCH] KELLAR: NO.

NO.

[SPEAKING FRENCH] KELLAR: YES.

MADDOX: KEEP IT GOING IN ENGLISH.

KELLAR: YES.

RIGHT.

MADDOX: SO, LOUVERTURE DE TOUSSAINT, WE TOOK THE ORDER OF HIS NAME AND PUT IT IN BECAUSE LOUVERTURE MEANS OPENING IN FRENCH.

KELLAR: OH, OKAY.

MADDOX: SO WE'RE OPENING, WE WENT TO ACTUALLY -- SO THE EXCITING THING ABOUT BESANON, WHERE I'M BASED WHEN I'M NOT IN CINCINNATI, IS THAT THE REGION OF BESANON HAS A FORTRESS THEY CALL CHATEAU DU JOUX, WHERE BONAPARTE IMPRISONED TOUSSAINT LOUVERTURE WHEN HE DECLARED THE INDEPENDENCE OF HAITI.

AND UNFORTUNATELY, THAT'S WHERE HE DIED.

HE DIDN'T LIVE TO SEE THE VICTORY OF THE REVOLUTION HE STARTED.

BUT YEAH, HE DID, SO HE DIDN'T.

I THINK HE DIED MAYBE 9 TO 6, 6 TO 9 MONTHS AFTER HIS IMPRISONMENT.

KELLAR: WOW.

MADDOX: BUT THAT STORY IS STILL THERE.

AND PEOPLE COME, PEOPLE WHO ARE CONCERNED WITH HUMAN RIGHTS, COME FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD TO VISIT HIS CELL.

AND SO WE SPENT TIME THERE TAKING PICTURES AND LEARNING THE STORY, TALKING TO HISTORIANS, AND CREATED A SHOW AROUND LOUVERTURE DE TOUSSAINT OPENING HIS CELL, LETTING HIS STORY OUT, AND DISCOVERING HISTORY.

AND I'M STILL LEARNING.

I HAVE BOOKS AND I MEET PEOPLE AND I'M TALKING.

EVERY TIME I TALK WITH SOMEONE, I LEARN SOMETHING ELSE ABOUT TOUSSAINT LOUVERTURE.

KELLAR: I AM SO IMPRESSED.

FIRST OF ALL, HOW DID YOU GET CONNECTED WITH THIS EXPERIENCE IN FRANCE?

MADDOX: WELL, YEARS AGO, I THINK THE FIRST TIME THAT I WENT TO EUROPE WAS 2005.

THE FIRST COUNTRY WAS ITALY, AND THEN I WENT TO FRANCE LATER THAT SAME YEAR.

KELLAR: WAS THIS FOR WORK, TO WORK?

MADDOX: THIS WAS FOR PERFORMANCE.

SO THIS WAS TO WORK.

YES, TO WRITE AND TO WORK, TO COMPOSE.

AND EACH YEAR AFTER 2005, I WILL GO MORE AND MORE TO EUROPE, NOT EXCLUSIVELY FRANCE, BUT TO AUSTRIA, TO SERBIA, SPAIN, ROMANIA, ALL OVER THE CONTINENT OF EUROPE.

AND THE FOLLOWING FOR MY GROUP FROM HERE ISWHAT?

!, THE FOLLOWING FOR THAT GROUP REALLY GREW ENORMOUSLY IN FRANCE, AND FOR SOME REASON THERE WAS JUST A TRACTION.

THERE WAS A -- THERE WAS A CALLING.

KELLAR: THE FRENCH LIKED YOU.

MADDOX: THE FRENCH ENJOYED OUR MUSIC A LOT.

AND MULTIPLE COLLABORATIONS CAME OUT OF THAT, BOTH WITH MYSELF AS A SOLO ARTIST AND WITH THE BAND.

AND SO I STILL PLAYED IN OTHER COUNTRIES, AUSTRIA AND GERMANY, WITH CERTAIN PROJECTS MORE IN THOSE COUNTRIES.

BUT IN FRANCE THE CALL WAS FOR ISWHAT?!

AND THEN IN 2017, 2018, THIS PROPOSAL, THIS IDEA ABOUT DOING RESIDENCY.

KELLAR: WAS YOUR IDEA OR SOMEONE ELSE CAME TO YOU?

MADDOX: NO, IT WAS AN INVITATION THAT CAME FROM THEM, FROM THE INSTITUTION IN BESANON.

IT'S A PLACE CALLED LA RODIA.

SO THEY, IT'S KIND OF LIKE IF YOU WOULD ENVISION THE COMBINATION OF ELEMENTS, THE HIP HOP YOUTH CENTER.

IF YOU ENVISION IF THEY WERE COMBINED WITH THE CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER.

KELLAR: OKAY.

MADDOX: SO IT'S A LARGE FACILITY WITH MULTIPLE ROOMS TO PRESENT THINGS.

KELLAR: SO THEY ARE THE ONES WHO INVITED YOU?

MADDOX: HOSTED ME, YES.

AND THAT'S BEEN EXCITING BECAUSE I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT THE REGION, LEARNED -- WAS ABLE TO REALLY IMPROVE MY FRENCH.

KELLAR: I'M, AS I SAID, I'M REALLY -- MADDOX: SO WHEREVER I GO I REALLY TRY TO IMMERSE MYSELF IN THE CULTURE OF WHAT'S THERE.

KELLAR: YOU'VE BEEN IMMERSED IN ALL THESE DIFFERENT CULTURES AND IN EACH ONE WERE YOU INVITED BY SOMEONE, OR YOU JUST SHOWED UP?

MADDOX: EACH ONE I'M INVITED BY SOMEONE, EITHER IN AN ENSEMBLE THAT I'M A MEMBER OF, OR BEING INVITED AS AN ARTIST OR VISIONARY TO CREATE A NEW PROJECT OR TO TOUR A PROJECT THAT I HAVE ALREADY CREATED.

KELLAR: HOW DO THESE PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT YOU?

MADDOX: WELL, THERE'S THIS INTERNET IS REALLY A PHENOMENAL THING.

KELLAR: YES.

MADDOX: BUT SO THEY, YEAH, THEY FIND OUT ABOUT WHAT I'M DOING, EITHER THROUGH OTHER -- I MEAN, OF COURSE, THE INTERNET MAKES THE WORLD SMALLER, AS WE SAY.

KELLAR: LIKE YOUTUBE?

MADDOX: YOUTUBE, BUT ALSO I KNOW THAT CURATORS TALK TO EACH OTHER.

SO WHEN I'M INVITED SOMEWHERE AND I MEET THE DIRECTOR OF A PROGRAM, THEY SAY, OH, YOU KNOW, I MET YOU BECAUSE OF ETC., ETC., AND THEY'LL LIST DIFFERENT COLLEAGUES THAT HAVE ALREADY HOSTED ME.

SO THAT'S A KEY COMPONENT, AS WELL AS PREVIOUS PROJECTS THAT I'VE HAD.

LIKE I'll BE DOING MILLIE- CHRISTINE: TWICE THE FIRST TIME IN A CITY CALLED NANTES, A BEAUTIFUL REALLY CREATIVE CITY.

KELLAR: N-A-N-T-E-S?

MADDOX: THAT'S IT N-A-N-T-E-S. THAT'S RIGHT.

YES.

AND SO NANTES IT IS A CITY WHERE I'VE WORKED NUMEROUS TIMES WITH ISWHAT?

!, BUT ALSO WITH A PREVIOUS PROJECT I CREATED, A RIOT CALLED NINA, CELEBRATING NINA SIMONE, BUT ALSO GIVING CURRENCY TO HER WORK IN TODAY'S TIMES.

AND SO WHEN THAT PROGRAMMER FOUND OUT ABOUT MILLIE-CHRISTINE: TWICE THE FIRST TIME, HE SAID, "THIS IS SOMETHING WE WANT TO DO."

SO IT'S OFTEN THESE RELATIONSHIPS THAT BUILD AND DEVELOP AND EVOLVE OVER TIME.

KELLAR: YEAH, AND OBVIOUSLY THESE PEOPLE LIKE YOU ONCE THEY GET ACQUAINTED.

MADDOX: I THINK SO, I THINK SO, YEAH.

AND I LIKE THEM.

I ENJOY DISCOVERING.

KELLAR: YOU CLEARLY ARE A PEOPLE PERSON.

I MEAN YOU PROBABLY COULD TALK TO ANY, I'M SURE YOU COULD TALK TO ANYBODY.

MADDOX: YES, YES, OR YEAH.

AND THEY EVEN, I FEEL LIKE, THEY TALK TO ME TOO.

KELLAR: YOU MENTIONED A BAND.

AND ARE YOU A SINGER?

ARE YOU AN INSTRUMENTALIST?

WHAT DO YOU DO?

MADDOX: YES AND YES.

YES, SO I'M A SINGER AND I'M AN INSTRUMENTALIST.

KELLAR: OKAY.

MADDOX: I'M A WRITER AND A COMPOSER, WRITING TEXT, BUT ALSO WRITING MUSICAL COMPOSITIONS.

SO AS AN INSTRUMENTALIST, I DO VOCAL PERCUSSION.

SO SOMETIMES I'M IN A GROUP AND I DON'T SAY ANY WORDS.

ALL OF MY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THAT MUSICAL MOMENT ARE RHYTHM.

SO I TAKE THE PLACE OF A BATTEUR -- OR OF A DRUM.

I WAS ABOUT TO SAY THE FRENCH WORD FOR DRUMS, BATTEUR.

KELLAR: OKAY.

MADDOX: SO, I TAKE THE PLACE OF A DRUM.

KELLAR: AND YOU MEAN MAKE THE SOUND OF A DRUM OR WHAT?

MADDOX: UM-HMM, MAKE THE SOUND.

KELLAR: OKAY, SHOW US WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

MADDOX: [VOCALIZING] KELLAR: OH, I LIKE THAT.

YEAH, THAT'S GREAT.

MADDOX: SO THAT'S JUST THE LIGHT, THAT'S THE BARBARA KELLAR VERSION.

I DON'T WANT TO GET -- I DON'T WANT TO GET OUT OF CONTROL.

KELLAR: YOU DON'T WANT TO GET YOUR SECRETS OUT.

MADDOX: NO, THAT'S RIGHT.

THAT'S RIGHT.

EXCLUSIVELY ON BARBARA KELLAR.

KELLAR: YEAH, RIGHT.

RIGHT.

SO YOU DO THAT AND THEN WHAT ELSE?

MADDOX: AND THEN I SING.

I SING.

SOMETIMES I SING SOME STANDARDS OR SOME CLASSICS, BUT I DO A LOT, A LOT OF WRITING.

AND SO I'M GIVEN SOMETIMES COMPOSITIONS THAT ARE STARTED BY A PIANIST OR TRUMPET PLAYER OR OTHER INSTRUMENTALISTS, AND I'll ADD WORDS SO THAT WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE COMPOSITION SIDE AND THE AUTHORSHIP, AND WE CREATE SONGS TOGETHER AND THEN PERFORM THAT REPERTOIRE.

KELLAR: OH, MY GOSH, I'M OVERWHELMED.

YOU ARE SO INCREDIBLY BUSY.

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER HOME?

MADDOX: HERE.

YOU KNOW, I LEARNED SOMETHING DURING THE PANDEMIC BECAUSE I WAS CONFINED, QUARANTINED.

THE QUARANTINE IN FRANCE WAS SERIOUS.

KELLAR: OH, YEAH.

MADDOX: RIGHT AWAY, LIKE, WHEN THEY SAW THAT THEIR, THAT FRANCE WAS BEING TOUCHED BY IT.

THAT THIS WAS NOT JUST SOMETHING THAT WAS GOING TO STAY IN THAT OTHER CORNER OF THE WORLD.

THEY SAID IF YOU WANTED TO COME OUTSIDE, YOU NEEDED TO HAVE DOCUMENTATION VERIFYING THAT YOU UNDERSTOOD YOU HAD AN HOUR TO DO WHAT YOU NEEDED TO DO AND WHAT YOU WERE OUT IN THE STREETS TO DO.

KELLAR: OH, MY GOODNESS.

IF YOU WERE GOING TO BE OUT THERE TO GROCERY SHOP.

KELLAR: YOU HAD TO WRITE THAT OUT EVERY TIME?

MADDOX: YEAH, WELL, IT WAS A FORM THAT YOU COULD PRINT OUT FROM THE INTERNET OR HAVE ON YOUR SMARTPHONE, AND YOU HAD TO CHECK A BOX.

ARE YOU OUT BECAUSE OF YOU'RE ON OFFICIAL DUTY WITH THE STATE?

ARE YOU OUT BECAUSE YOU'RE A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL?

ARE YOU OUT BECAUSE YOU NEED TO BUY GROCERIES FOR YOUR FAMILY?

AND IT WAS SIGNED AT THE BOTTOM AND DATED AND THE HOUR THAT YOU LEFT HOME.

KELLAR: WOW.

MADDOX: SO DURING THAT TIME, I WAS IN FRANCE AND, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, BEING DOUBLY CONFINED BECAUSE I WAS AWAY FROM HOME AND THEN I WAS SHELTERED IN PLACE.

KELLAR: WOW.

MADDOX: AWAY FROM PEOPLE THAT I KNEW.

SO I COULDN'T -- I COULDN'T BE AT HOME WITH MY FOLKS.

I WAS AT HOME ALONE ALONE.

AND IT REALLY MADE IT CLEAR FOR ME WHERE HOME IS.

SO, I HAVE AN APARTMENT THERE, BUT CINCINNATI IS HOME.

KELLAR: OH, BUT YOU DO HAVE AN APARTMENT THERE?

MADDOX: I HAVE A STUDIO APARTMENT THERE WHERE I'M PAINTING.

THAT'S THE OTHER THING THAT.

KELLAR: BUT YOU HAVE A PLACE HERE?

MADDOX: OH, ABSOLUTELY.

YEAH.

THIS IS HOME.

I GOT TO, GOT TO HAVE A PLACE IN CINCINNATI.

KELLAR: DO YOU HAVE A FAMILY HERE?

MADDOX: YEAH.

I HAVE SIBLINGS AND NIECES AND NEPHEWS AND COUSINS AND UNCLES, AND MY ALSO MY CREATIVE AND PRODUCTIVE FAMILY THAT WE'RE DOING WORK IN THE COMMUNITY.

KELLAR: THOSE PEOPLE ARE YOUR FAMILY, TOO.

MADDOX: ABSOLUTELY.

YEAH.

KELLAR: TELL ME ABOUT, IS THAT SOMETHING YOU DID, LA CRUE?

MADDOX: THIS ACTUALLY IS, YEAH.

THIS IS A FESTIVAL THAT MY COMRADE AND I, SORG, MY FRENCH BROTHER, WE PLAYED THIS FESTIVAL IN -- THIS WAS THE LAST FESTIVAL I PLAYED BEFORE COMING HOME FOR THE LAST UNDERWORLD JAZZ FESTIVAL.

SO, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MID SEPTEMBER.

WE PLAYED THIS SHOW AND IT WAS A LOT OF FUN.

IT WAS ORGANIZED BY THE STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY IN THE REGION.

AND THAT WAS A LOT OF FUN.

KELLAR: IT LOOKS BRAND NEW.

IS THAT YOUR FIRST WEARING?

MADDOX: THIS IS MY SECOND WEARING, BUT I'M A BIT OF A -- I LIKE TIES AND BOW TIES AND CERTAIN KINDS OF HATS.

BUT I'M A -- I HAVE A BAD REPUTATION AS A T-SHIRT GUY, SO I HAVE A COLLECTION.

KELLAR: THAT ONE'S COOL.

I LIKE THAT.

THAT IS COOL.

MADDOX: THANK YOU.

KELLAR: WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE?

MADDOX: I'M PLANNING, YOU KNOW, I DO A LITTLE BIT OF PLANNING, BUT I LET THE FUTURE KIND OF HAPPEN.

WELL, ACTUALLY, I DO A LOT OF PLANNING, BUT REALLY MY PLANNING IS TO SEE WHAT THE FUTURE IS, WHAT THE FUTURE OFFERS.

I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE PRACTICE OF VISUAL ART, BECAUSE I'VE BEEN A VISUAL ARTIST AND A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THAT.

DURING THE PANDEMIC, I, AS I SAID, OBEYED THE STRICT RULES OF THE CONFINEMENT.

AND SO JUST BEING IN THAT APARTMENT ALONE, PAINTING AND DEVELOPING ARTISTIC PROCESS OF, OKAY, WHAT'S GOING TO BE MY VOICE.

KELLAR: YEAH.

MADDOX: SO, I'M REALLY DIVING DEEP INTO THAT AND COMBINING THAT WITH THE STORYTELLING OF MY LIVE PERFORMANCE.

KELLAR: HOW LONG WERE YOU?

MADDOX: SO, IT WAS REALLY FOR THE BETTER PART OF -- SO, I DIDN'T COME HOME FOR 20 MONTHS, BUT THE CONFINEMENT LIFTED, I WOULD SAY, MAYBE AROUND THE TEN MONTH MARK.

AND THEN WE HAD VARIABLES OF LIKE -- KELLAR: OKAY, YOU HAD STILL HAD RULES.

MADDOX: SOME RULES, EXACTLY.

KELLAR: BUT TEN MONTHS IN YOUR APARTMENT BY YOURSELF.

NO WONDER.

I MEAN, YOU COULD CREATE A LOT.

MADDOX: RIGHT, EXACTLY.

KELLAR: I MEAN, THE DOWNSIDE IS TEN MONTHS BY YOURSELF.

THE GOOD SIDE IS TEN MONTHS BY YOURSELF TO CREATE.

MADDOX: YOU GET TO DISCOVER WHO YOU REALLY ARE.

KELLAR: YEAH.

AND DID YOU?

MADDOX: I DID.

I THINK I HAVE A BETTER GRASP ON THAT.

KELLAR: YEAH.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

MADDOX: WHAT DO I THINK ABOUT WHO I AM?

I THINK I DISCOVERED MY STRENGTH, HOW STRONG I AM, AND HOW MUCH I RELY ON ALL OF THOSE THINGS, THOSE STORIES AND PARABLES THAT MY PARENTS AND AUNTS AND UNCLES AND GRANDPARENTS AND SOMETIMES EVEN THE YOUNGER MEMBERS OF MY FAMILY AND COMMUNITY, THINGS THAT WE WOULD SAY, THINGS THAT WE WOULD TALK ABOUT.

AND I DISCOVERED HOW MUCH I PULL ON THOSE THINGS FOR FORCE, FOR FAITH, FOR HEALING, YOU KNOW.

AND SOMETIMES I PUSH BACK AGAINST THOSE THINGS AND CHALLENGE THEM.

BUT THAT'S, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I REALLY TOOK AWAY FROM THAT TO SAY, YOU KNOW, WHEN I HAVE NOTHING ELSE, WHEN EVERYTHING ELSE SEEMS TO BE CRUMBLING, WHO ARE YOU IN THE DARK?

YOU KNOW, WHAT'S MY JOY?

WHAT'S MY HAPPINESS?

WHAT, WHAT, WHAT?

WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WHEN IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S NOTHING LEFT?

AND WE HAVE A SONG THAT TALKS ABOUT THAT AND I WROTE THAT SONG BEFORE THE PANDEMIC.

AND SO, I FOUND MYSELF PLAYING IT SOMETIMES, REMIND, LIKE, OKAY, YOU WROTE THAT SONG.

NOW WHERE -- NOW, NAPOLEON, WHO'S GOING TO SHOW UP?

KELLAR: YEAH.

WHAT WAS YOUR CHILDHOOD, WAS IT GOOD OR WAS IT BAD?

MADDOX: IT WAS GOOD.

IT WAS GOOD.

IT WASN'T ALWAYS EASY, BUT IT WAS GOOD.

AND I CAN SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, WITH CONVICTION, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THE THINGS THAT WE JUST TALKED ABOUT, THEY START AT MY CHILDHOOD AND THEY CONTINUE, YOU KNOW, AND THEY YOU FEED.

KELLAR: YOU HAD MENTORS?

MADDOX: OH, TONS OF MENTORS.

AND THAT'S WHAT MADE IT RICH.

THAT'S WHAT MADE IT BEAUTIFUL.

AND I CARRY THAT INTO MY ARTISTIC PRACTICE.

I'VE ALWAYS, EVEN IF I DON'T HAVE THAT PERSON AS AN OFFICIAL MENTOR, I LOOK FOR MENTORSHIP IN SITUATIONS.

SO, IT MAY BE A COLLECTIVE OF PEOPLE, IT MAY BE ONE PERSON, OR IT MAYBE A SITUATION.

ALWAYS FINDING THAT OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN.

SO THAT'S THE BIGGEST THING THAT I BRING FROM MY CHILDHOOD.

KELLAR: YEAH, YEAH.

TO ME, YOU SEEM LIKE SUCH A JOYFUL PERSON.

MADDOX: OH, THANK YOU.

KELLAR: YEAH.

ALWAYS THINKING OF THE POSITIVE AND THE POSSIBLE AND TRYING TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN THAT ARE IN YOUR DREAMS.

MADDOX: THANK YOU.

KELLAR: AND I MEAN, YOU HAVE SO MANY FACETS TO YOUR TALENT AND YOUR, HONESTLY TO GENIUS, I THINK.

MADDOX: WOW, THANK YOU.

KELLAR: YEAH, SERIOUSLY, YOU HAVE SO MUCH TO OFFER AND IN THE MOST INCREDIBLY ARTISTIC WAY, BUT YOU'RE GROUNDED.

MADDOX: WHY, THANK YOU.

KELLAR: YEAH, YOU KNOW HOW TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.

I MEAN, YOU'RE JUST NOT DRIFTING AROUND HOPING THAT SOMEBODY WILL KNOCK ON YOUR DOOR.

I MEAN, YOU'RE OUT THERE DOING IT.

MADDOX: THANK YOU.

KELLAR: AND BEING HAPPY AND MAKING OTHER PEOPLE HAPPY.

I AM SO HAPPY TO HAVE YOU BACK.

MADDOX: IT'S GREAT.

IT'S BEEN GREAT TO BE BACK.

KELLAR: CHECK IN AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE.

MADDOX: WHENEVER I CAN.

KELLAR: AND YOU ARE REALLY AN AMAZING KID, KID.

MADDOX: THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, I TAKE THAT AS A COMPLIMENT.

KELLAR: YOU'RE WELCOME.

THANKS FOR COMING.

MADDOX: THANKS FOR HAVING ME, BARBARA.

ANNOUNCER: JOIN US NEXT WEEK FOR ANOTHER EPISODE OF SHOWCASE WITH BARBARA KELLAR RIGHT HERE ON CET.

[MUSIC: LOUVERTURE [BY JOWEE OMICIL AND SORG & NAPOLEON MADDOX]