The legendary singer-songwriter Valerie Simpson on Friday, June 5, kicks off Black Music Month with a live recording of \u201cRevelation & Jubilation: A Symphony of Spirit,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
Following the enthusiastic response to the work\u2019s February world premiere at Carnegie Hall as part of United in Sound: America at 250, Simpson \u2014 recently named to The New York Times\u2019 list of the 30 Greatest Living Songwriters \u2014 brings \u201cRevelation & Jubilation\u201d to Town Hall for a special live recording, according to Cheryl Duncan of Cheryl Duncan & Company Inc., an entertainment publicity firm.<\/p>\n
As creator, music director and principal performing artist, Sneed, who has found a New York home at Town Hall over the years, \u201cstands at the center of this monumental work \u2014 guiding every musical and dramatic element with precision, depth and spiritual intention,\u201d Duncan told Caribbean Life on Tuesday, June 2.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt 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,\u201d she said. \u201cTogether, they bring to life a richly layered program built around Sneed\u2019s original compositions and masterful arrangements.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach element is thoughtfully curated and seamlessly connected through Sneed\u2019s singular artistic vision, reflecting both the legacy and the evolving future of Black musical expression,\u201d Duncan added.<\/p>\n
Simpson said: \u201cI 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis songs shouted out hope and inspiration,\u201d she added. \u201cHe had me on my feet, and I just want to share that good feeling with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Duncan said \u201cRevelation & Jubilation\u201d unfolds as a \u201csweeping and immersive journey \u2014 interweaving African drumming, spoken word, the spiritual, art songs and deeply expressive ballads with exhilarating rhythmic textures and soaring symphonic moments.\u201d<\/p>\n
Duncan said the evening will also include an extraordinary roster of guests \u2014 Kim Burrell, Twinkie Clark, Jacqueline Echols-McCarley, Wynell Freeman, Gary McClellan, Phylicia Rashad, Juandolyn Stokes and Matthew Whitaker \u2014 \u201ceach lending their distinctive voice to a unified and powerful artistic vision.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRevelation and Jubilation: A Symphony of Spirit was conceived as more than a concert. It is a meditation on America at 250 \u2014 a nation still becoming \u2014 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,\u201d said Sneed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis 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,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Duncan said: \u201cThis is more than a concert\u2014 it is the full realization of Damien Sneed\u2019s artistic voice: expansive, unapologetic, and deeply rooted in Black music.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said the Orchestra of Tomorrow includes Ronald \u201cCJ\u201d 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 \u201cFlash\u201d Revell, Linny Smith and Matia Washington.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The legendary singer-songwriter Valerie Simpson on Friday, June 5, kicks off Black Music Month with a live recording of \u201cRevelation & Jubilation: A Symphony of Spirit,\u201d 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-latest-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5966\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}