Afrocentric Sounds to Honor Still on Martin Luther King Day

(William Grant Still; Photo is the sole property of William Grant Still Music, and is used with permission.)

AfriClassical has received a program announcement from Randye Jones of Afrocentric Sounds, an online radio station:

“Afrocentric Sounds radio will pay tribute to American composer William Grant Still with a broadcast of the composer's works on this year's Martin Luther King Holiday. The broadcast, to be presented on January 18th, will include a wide range of Still's compositions for solo instruments, voice, as well as chamber and large ensembles.

“Known as the Dean of African American composers, Still's educational and professional career spanned both popular and Classical music as he worked with musicians from W. C. Handy, Sophie Tucker, Paul Whiteman, and Artie Shaw to George Chadwick and Edgard Varese. Still broke many barriers, such as becoming the first African American to have a symphony performed by a major symphony orchestra, the first African American to conduct a major symphony orchestra in the United States, and the first African American to have an opera produced by a major American company.

“Still is credited with over 150 compositions, including art songs, operas, ballets, symphonic and chamber works. He composed and arranged music for radio and for motion pictures, including the 1936 film, Pennies from Heaven and 1937's Lost Horizon.

“The Internet radio station Afrocentric Sounds launched in November 2009. It is the second station launched by music researcher Randye Jones, whose recent performances and work have focused on African American musicians. Jones currently serves on the library staff at Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa.

“The 'All Is Still' program has been made possible by the generous donation of numerous recordings by the composer's daughter, Judith Anne Still. The broadcast may be heard by accessing the station at http://www.live365.com/stations/singin1?site=live365. For more information about Afrocentric Sounds, visit http://www.afrocentricsounds.com.” [William Grant Still (1895-1978) is profiled at AfriClassical.com, where a complete Works List by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma is found.]