Two Wings: The Music of Black America in Migration

TWO WINGS:

THE MUSIC OF BLACK AMERICA IN MIGRATION

College of Charleston Cistern Yard June 11 at 9:00pm

Artists Narrator Julie Dash Vocals/Co-producer Alicia Hall Moran Piano/Co-producer Jason Moran Trombone Wycliffe Gordon Vocals Sharón Clark Vocals/Guitar Toshi Reagon Woodwind Quintet Imani Winds Violin Curtis Stewart Violin Juliette Jones Violin/Viola Chala Yancy Viola Tia Allen Cello Ismail Akbar Cello Seth Parker Woods

1 hour, 30 minutes | Performed without an intermission

Program Note

We gather tonight to recognize the Great Migration—a long, rough chapter of American history that roughly spans the years 1910 to 1970 when six million Black Americans left their homes in the South. Seeking release from the grip of unremunerated labor and terrorizing, ever-increasing Jim Crow laws and statutes, Black families headed up North and out West in massive numbers. Through Two Wings, we settle into the musical worlds defined by this mass movement of people, and we give thanks for the opportunities our great-grandparents, grandparents, and parents struggled to deliver to us. As descendants of the Great Migration, we give equal thanks for the determination of Southern families who stayed, those who fought for access for all people, and those whose culture and resilience continue to inform the path of this nation as we unite for the hope of a more tolerant America. Two Wings is a kaleidoscope from our jukebox on the subject. Gospel, folk, blues, rock ‘n’ roll, opera, Broadway, jazz, orchestral, and chamber music are all represented here because in all of them is the Black musical imagination that continues to shape the cultural and political landscape of this country. From the work songs and Negro spirituals and up along the route of history of American and global entertainment, this music travels. Through bodies and technologies, it migrates in the blues and gospel into rhythm and soul. It passes through classical and church musicians, the school choir, and piano lessons. Music travels.

There are points in jazz history that mark it. When pianist James P. Johnson recorded his “Carolina Shout” in 1921, the father of the “Harlem Stride” piano style took hold. Uptown pianists from Duke Ellington to Johnson’s own pupil Fats Waller challenged each other with “Carolina

Sponsored by Wells Fargo.

Programming at the College of Charleston Cistern Yard is kindly endowed by Carlos, Lisa, and Blake Evans.

Piano by Steinway & Sons.

Shout.” When trumpeter Louis Armstrong’s intro and cadenza to “West End Blues” were heard, the performance remained a testament to Armstrong’s precision and inventiveness. That solo has been learned by legions ever since. Lionel Hampton’s recording of “Flying Home” featured the rousing “Texas Tenor” Illinois Jacquet. His solo became a hit, a standard in the saxophone repertoire. Each of these pieces reflect a place—effectively the call and the response between those who left the South, those who stayed or returned, and the generations to come.

Through Two Wings we also express our overwhelming gratitude for the lives of the countless innovators whose brilliance informs our lives. We recognize our music in the work and fascination of other artists just as we use our freedom to explore, build, and gather techniques from around the world. We trace a narrative written in these songs—songs that tell their own story about the movement of people and everyone who finds a home in Black music. Art becomes the record keeper.

– Alicia and Jason Moran

Artists

ISMAIL AKBAR (cello) has performed with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Robert Spano playing the Boccherini Cello Concerto and as soloist and chamber musician throughout Panama, the Bahamas, Russia, and Italy. As soloist with the North Georgia Chamber Symphony, Georgia Tech Symphony Orchestra, and Georgia College Orchestra, Akbar has held substitute positions as principal and assistant principal cellist of Symphony Orchestra Augusta, Hilton Head Symphony, North Georgia Chamber Symphony, and Greenville Symphony Orchestra. Serving as a faculty cello instructor at Laurel Ridge Music Festival in Helen, Georgia, for 12 years, Akbar is on the Board of Directors of Orvieto Musica’s Italian Music Festival. As cello teaching artist of the Atlanta Music Project, Akbar is an advocate for social change through musical excellence.

TIA ALLEN (viola) has performed at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, the Metropolitan Museum, Royal Opera House of Muscat, and the Teatro Nacional in Santo Domingo. As a freelance artist in New York City, she has performed with Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga, The Eagles, Anderson Paak, Miley Cyrus, Cynthia Erivo, Dua Lipa, Michael Bolton, Frank Ocean, and Bebe Winans. She currently holds the viola chair in the Broadway show Jagged Little Pill. Other Broadway performances include My Fair Lady, Spongebob Squarepants, An American in Paris, and On the Town. She has enjoyed many televised performances and appeared in Bruce Springsteen’s Tucson Train and Western Stars videos. She is also the founder, director, and violist of Diverse Concert Artists.

SHARÓN CLARK (vocals) has been acclaimed by every major newspaper, including The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Clark has performed for the likes of President Bill Clinton and Thomas “Keter” Betts, and as a featured soloist, she has worked with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, the Richmond Symphony, and the Baltimore Symphony. She has also headlined the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival, the Cape May Jazz Festival, and the Savannah Music Festival. In the United States, she has performed at the Kennedy Center, Dizzy’s Club (Jazz at Lincoln Center), Birdland, Blues Alley, Lincoln Theater, Smithsonian Jazz Café, One Step Down, and Twins Jazz.

JULIE DASH (narrator) is an American filmmaker who wrote, directed, and produced the film Daughters of the Dust (1991), which was the first full-length film by an African American woman with general theatrical release in the United States and is included in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. One of a generation of African and African American filmmakers creating alternatives to Hollywood films, her output includes Funny Valentines, Incognito, Love Song, The Rosa Parks Story, and Brothers of the Borderland, which was commissioned by the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Dash’s book Daughters of the Dust: A Novel (1997) is a sequel to the film set 20 years later in Harlem and the Sea Islands. Dash recently directed multiple episodes of ABC’s new limited series Women of The Movement.

WYCLIFFE GORDON (trombone) is one of the top trombonists of his generation. Gordon tours regularly leading his quartet and is a former member of the Wynton Marsalis Septet and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. He was also featured on Billy Taylor’s Jazz at the Kennedy Center series. In 2019, Gordon created Still, We Rise: He Heard My Cry, commissioned by the Gailliard Center in Charleston, South Carolina, to honor the ongoing preservation and recognition of the Slave Dwelling Project, a joint effort with the Historic Charleston Foundation. Gordon is Director of Jazz Studies at Augusta University.

IMANI WINDS (woodwind quintet) has created a distinct presence in the classical music world with over 20 years on the scene and six albums (including Grammy-nominated The Classical Underground). Embracing dynamic new voices and virtuosic collaborations in the world of jazz as well as outreach and education, they have revolutionized the woodwind quintet. Imani Winds’ tours include extensive travel abroad in China, Singapore, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. They have also toured to performing arts centers and festivals, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Disney Hall, Chamber Music Northwest, and Banff. In 2016, Imani Winds was inducted into the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. In 2021, Imani Winds released their latest album, Bruits, on Bright Shiny Things Records. About the album, Grammophone states, “The ensemble’s hot rapport churns with conviction throughout.”

JULIETTE JONES (violin) is a multi-genre live and studio recording violinist, BMI composer, and founder of Rootstock Republic—a broad-based string production company. Under the company, she has scored, recorded, and contracted for several live, television, and multimedia events, including NBC’s Grammy-nominated and Emmy

Award-winning broadcast of Jesus Chris Superstar and the Oscar-nominated film Mudbound. As a performer, Jones has worked with Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Lauryn Hill, Lizzo, Janelle Monáe, Hans Zimmer, John Legend, and One Republic.

ALICIA HALL MORAN (co-producer/mezzo-soprano) has released two critically acclaimed albums—Heavy Blue and Here Today—which embrace opera and soul while featuring rich combinations of jazz and classical collaboration. Her unique output includes The Motown Project, currently online as a digital project produced with Joe’s Pub/The Public Theater; Black Wall Street: Tulsa Race Riot of 1921; and Breaking Ice: Battle of the Carmens. Her Broadway debut came in the Tony award-winning revival of Porgy and Bess, for which she starred as Bess on national tour. She is currently the inaugural chamber music artist-in-residence at Frost School of Music at the University of Miami and a Jerome Hill Artist Fellow. She has widely premiered music by a plethora of contemporary composers and collaborates across the visual and performing arts.

JASON MORAN (piano/co-producer) is a pianist, composer, and educator from Houston, Texas. Upon graduating from Manhattan School of Music, he recorded nine critically acclaimed records for Blue Note Records. His most recent recordings were created on his own label, Yes Records. Moran created the score for Ava DuVernay’s films Selma as well as 13th. His commissions include IN MY MIND: Monk at Town Hall, 1959; Fats Waller Dance Party; and James Reese Europe and The Absence of Ruin. In 2010, Moran was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. He is currently the artistic director for jazz at The Kennedy Center and is on the faculty at New England Conservatory.

TOSHI REAGON (vocals/guitar) is a talented and versatile singer, composer, musician, curator, and producer with a profound ear for sonic Americana from folk to funk and blues to rock. While her expansive career has landed her at Carnegie Hall, the Paris Opera House, and Madison Square Garden, you can just as easily find Reagon turning out at a music festival, intimate venue, or local club. She has collaborated with many artists, including Carl Hancock Rux, Ani DiFranco, Lenny Kravitz, Elvis Costello, and Nona Hendryx. Reagon is the librettist of a critically acclaimed opera she co-created with her mother, Dr. Beatrice Johnson Reagon, which was adapted from the Octavia E. Butler novel Parable of the Sower.

CURTIS STEWART (violin) is a Grammy-nominated musician who enjoys an eclectic career bouncing between various realms of music. His work spans from MTV specials with Wyclef Jean and sold out shows at Madison Square Garden with Stevie Wonder to stints at the Kennedy Center with the Jimmy Heath Big Band and performance installations at the Whitney Museum, Guggenheim Museum, and Museum of Modern Art. Stewart has performed as a classical soloist at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall as well as made chamber music appearances at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Newport Jazz Festival. His ensembles—PUBLIQuartet and The Mighty Third Rail—realize a vision to find personal and powerful connections between styles, cultures, and music. Stewart has taught at The Juilliard School amongst other institutions.

SETH PARKER WOODS (cello) has established himself as an in-demand soloist and chamber musician both in the United States and throughout Europe and Asia. Musical America named him “Artist of the Month: October 2017” and Strings Magazine made him a cover artist. A fierce advocate for contemporary music and interdisciplinary arts, his collaborators have included: Basel Ballet, Berlin Staatsballet, Ictus Ensemble, Lucerne Festival, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Tate Modern, Vanessa Beecroft, and Adam Pendleton.

CHALA YANCY (viola/violin) has performed across the United States, Jamaica, Venezuela, France, and Italy. An avid supporter of new music, Yancy served as co-director of the International Street Cannibals and is a member of the Manhattan Camerata and Sandcastle New Music Ensembles. Having premiered many solo and chamber music works, Yancy also performs regularly in New York City with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Harlem Chamber Players, and Musica de Camara. A featured artist for Trifecta at the Cannes Lion Festival, she has appeared on stage with Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Adele, Marc Anthony, and Johnny Mathis. She can be heard on recordings by Alicia Keys, Alicia Hall-Moran, James Carter, and on Tania Leon’s Inura: For Voices, Strings, and Percussion (which won a Latin Grammy Award and was nominated for a Grammy).