Valerie Simpson kicks off Black Music Month with live recording of Damien Sneed at The Town Hall

The legendary singer-songwriter Valerie Simpson on Friday, June 5, kicks off Black Music Month with a live recording of “Revelation & Jubilation: A Symphony of Spirit,” led by acclaimed conductor, composer, pianist and visionary artist Damien Sneed and the Orchestra of Tomorrow at the historic Town Hall, 123 W. 43rd St. in New York.

Following the enthusiastic response to the work’s February world premiere at Carnegie Hall as part of United in Sound: America at 250, Simpson — recently named to The New York Times’ list of the 30 Greatest Living Songwriters — brings “Revelation & Jubilation” to Town Hall for a special live recording, according to Cheryl Duncan of Cheryl Duncan & Company Inc., an entertainment publicity firm.

As creator, music director and principal performing artist, Sneed, who has found a New York home at Town Hall over the years, “stands at the center of this monumental work — guiding every musical and dramatic element with precision, depth and spiritual intention,” Duncan told Caribbean Life on Tuesday, June 2.

“At the heart of the evening is his groundbreaking ensemble, the Orchestra of Tomorrow, whose dynamic artistry and genre-defying versatility serve as the sonic foundation for the entire recording,” she said. “Together, they bring to life a richly layered program built around Sneed’s original compositions and masterful arrangements.

“Each element is thoughtfully curated and seamlessly connected through Sneed’s singular artistic vision, reflecting both the legacy and the evolving future of Black musical expression,” Duncan added.

Simpson said: “I keep my eye and ear open to new songs and messages that uplift me. Damien Sneed impressed me recently with that newness I needed, and what we all need in this climate of dark times and uncertainty.

“His songs shouted out hope and inspiration,” she added. “He had me on my feet, and I just want to share that good feeling with you.”

Duncan said “Revelation & Jubilation” unfolds as a “sweeping and immersive journey — interweaving African drumming, spoken word, the spiritual, art songs and deeply expressive ballads with exhilarating rhythmic textures and soaring symphonic moments.”

Duncan said the evening will also include an extraordinary roster of guests — Kim Burrell, Twinkie Clark, Jacqueline Echols-McCarley, Wynell Freeman, Gary McClellan, Phylicia Rashad, Juandolyn Stokes and Matthew Whitaker — “each lending their distinctive voice to a unified and powerful artistic vision.”

“Revelation and Jubilation: A Symphony of Spirit was conceived as more than a concert. It is a meditation on America at 250 — a nation still becoming — and an offering of sound, memory and meaning that asks us to listen deeply to who we have been, who we are and who we are called to be,” said Sneed.

“This live recording at Town Hall extends the reach of the work beyond the walls of this hall and into the broader cultural archive, becoming a document, a testimony and a resource for future generations,” he added.

Duncan said: “This is more than a concert— it is the full realization of Damien Sneed’s artistic voice: expansive, unapologetic, and deeply rooted in Black music.”

She said the Orchestra of Tomorrow includes Ronald “CJ” Alexander, Sidney Antoine, Chenee Campbell, Marcelle Davies-Lashley, Jammal Graham, Anthony Hervey, Markita Knight, Amadou Kouyate, Stephanie Matthews, Joseph Miller, Anitra McKinney, Jeffery Miller, Alicia Peters-Jordan, Daniel “Flash” Revell, Linny Smith and Matia Washington.