Experience the music of the Great Migration, the journey of African Americans from the South to industrialized cities of the Northeast, Midwest, and West during the early 20th century up to the 1970s. Hear a survey of music from the African diaspora that set the scene for this migration, including jazz, R&B, hip-hop, and more; a personal and passionate exploration of artists who made the Great Migration; and more.
Trumpeter Nicholas Payton traces the path of African rhythms from their arrival in the Caribbean through their journey to New Orleans and on to Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, and New York. He explores how the music of New Orleans became, in a sense, the world’s first popular music and how its greatest practitioner—Louis Armstrong—became one of the first pop stars. You’ll hear how swing, bebop, R&B, hip-hop, and more share a DNA that connects people around the world.
Performers
Nicholas Payton, Trumpet Additional artists to be announced
Two Wings: The Music of Black America in Migration
Jason Moran and Alicia Hall Moran draw upon their own family lore and the historical record of the Great Migration to compose tableaux that explore a continuum of music from rhythm and blues to gospel, classical to Broadway, work songs to rock ‘n’ roll. Experience the ingenuity of these artists as they take a journey from the American South after emancipation to all points North, West, and beyond—shining a light on the epic event that changed the sound of America forever.
Performers
Jason Moran and Alicia Hall Moran, Producers Jason Moran, Piano Alicia Hall Moran, Mezzo-Soprano Lawrence Brownlee, Tenor Pastor Smokie Norful, Piano and Vocals Crystal Dickinson, Actor Brandon J. Dirden, Actor Harriet Tubman: The Band ·· Brandon Ross, Guitar ·· Melvin Gibbs, Bass ·· JT Lewis, Drums Toshi Reagon, Guitar and Vocals Ava DuVernay, Filmmaker
with Imani Winds ·· Valerie Coleman, Flute ·· Toyin Spellman-Diaz, Oboe ·· Mark Dover, Clarinet ·· Jeff Scott, French Horn ·· Monica Ellis, Bassoon The Harlem Chamber Players Joseph Joubert, Music Director Additional artists to be announced
A rare combination of masterful songwriting and breathtaking vocal talent, Deva Mahal steps into the spotlight on her debut, Run Deep, an album of pulse-pounding soul with a decidedly modern edge. Taking inspiration from the idea of strength through vulnerability, Mahal connects with her audience with raw honesty, rich musicality, and emotionally searing songs of love and loss, and the power of the human spirit to overcome.
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