[But
Not Forgotten: Music by African-American Composers for Clarinet &
Piano;
Marcus Eley, clarinet; Lucerne DeSa, piano; Sono Luminus DSL-92156
(2012)]
Marcus Eley alerts us to this review in the December 2012 issue of the prominent classical music publication Gramophone:
As
glaring as the plight of the woman conductor in modern American
concert life is that of the African-American composer whose music the
classical music establishment almost never plays. On this recital,
clarinettist Marcus Eley celebrates African-American composers in
order that “their unique voices be heard and not forgotten”.
The
music thrives with life, whether in the formal abstract lines of
Dorothy Rudd Moore or Alvin Batiste, or more free-form escapades.
There are lyrics with names of indescribable sweet beauty: a Basque
Folk Song
by Clarence Cameron White, a Pastorale
from Samuel Akpabot’s Scenes
from Nigeria.
Quincy Hilliard’s sophisticated Coty
turns into wild abandon. Todd Cochran’s Soul-Bird
soars transcendent above them all, at eight minutes the longest
pieces on the disc; it is well deserving of the honour.
“But
Not Forgotten” also celebrates the artistry of Marcus Eley, listed
on his website as “Actor, Clarinetist, Host and Arts
Administrator”. Throughout, Eley applies his pure, limpid tone
eloquently in music of a varied range of styles; perhaps the most
personal playing comes in Joplin’s sad Weeping
Willow
rag, or in a lovely arrangement of Amazing
Grace.
Add
in Lucerene DeSa’s full-bodied, elegant playing and the gratifying
natural acoustic at Endler Concert Hall on the campus of the
University of Stellenbosch in South Africa’s Western Cape
Winelands, and the result is a exceptional musical experience in
every way. The booklet-notes are documentary in authority and the
sound is of the highest audiophile quality.
Laurence
Vittes
[Samuel Ekpe Akpabot (1932-2000), William Grant Still (1895-1978) and Scott Joplin (c. 1867-1917) are
profiled
at AfriClassical.com,
which features a comprehensive Works List and a Bibliography for William Grant Still by Prof.
Dominique-René de Lerma, www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com.]
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