Sergio A. Mims: National Public Radio: Lawrence Brownlee sings for life in a Harlem crypt, accompanied by pianist Jason Moran

http://www.npr.org/event/music/466209900/singing-for-life-in-a-crypt-in-harlem

Sergio A. Mims writes:

Lawrence Brownlee sings for life in a Harlem crypt.

National Public Radio

Field Recordings

Singing For Life In A Crypt In Harlem

February 17, 2016 by Tom Huizenga • Opera singer Lawrence Brownlee is known for portraying kings and princes. But lately he's been thinking about real people: Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Freddie Gray, to name a few.

He's been thinking about the Black Lives Matter movement and an old spiritual called "There's a Man Going 'Round Taking Names." Decades ago, singers like Paul Robeson and Lead Belly recorded it. Brownlee, with jazz pianist Jason Moran, revives the old song to tell a new story for the 21st century.

"Jason and I chose this song because we felt it accurately captures a growing sentiment that's in society today," Brownlee says. "So many senseless deaths of young African-American men."

A crypt, they thought, would be an appropriate setting to perform their version of the song. So we took our cameras and microphones — and a lovely piano — deep into the active crypt below the historic Church of the Intercession in Harlem. The 1915 structure at 155th Street and Broadway is a New York City landmark and a dramatic setting for occasional concerts, including a December 2015 recital by Brownlee.