Pianist Lara Downes Finds Survival And Solidaritty In Traditional Freedom Songs With Her Uplifting New Release

DOWNES SUPPORTS EMERGENCY RELIEF EFFORTS NATIONWIDE WITH LIVESTREAM ALBUM RELEASE CONCERT FROM HER HOME ON APRIL 3

SOME OF THESE DAYS OUT APRIL 3 Pianist Lara Downes’ uplifting new album Some of These Days (out April 3 on Flipside), revisits freedom songs and Spirituals, historic expressions of hope and courage that remind us — in this time of global unrest and chaos caused by the Coronavirus — of our human capacity for optimism, activism, and unification in the face of crisis. “For me, the motivation in creating this record has always been the relevance and timelessness of these songs," says Downes. "There’s the pain, reaction to oppression, always hope, always a vision of a better place. All of those things are relevant and current today."   Despite the cancellation of her live album release tour, Downes is moving forward to launch this very personal project as a concert live-streamed from her home in California and produced in partnership with public radio nationwide - including her local Capital Public Radio station - raising funds for Feeding America to support emergency relief efforts in response to the Coronavirus outbreak.   Lara's concert will stream via her Facebook Live on April 3 at 5PM Pacific / 8PM Eastern. The 30-minute event will include solo piano performance and words about the importance of these songs and why they are so important today.    Full event streaming info here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1008445202883893/   Some Of These Days is a meditation on some of America’s most important songs, its central themes focusing on the shared experiences seen throughout history and resilience of the human condition. Spanning diverse musical traditions including classical, jazz, folk, country and R&B, Lara is joined by Toshi Reagon, PUBLIQuartet, Musicality Vocal, The Chapin Sisters and others, in arrangements by H. T. Burleigh, Florence Price, Margaret Bonds, Billy Taylor, and Lara Downes.      Listen to “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free” here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rubOSPbhNRU    By looking to the past, we can gain insight and understanding in the present; time and time again we have been faced with challenges to overcome and we have survived. As Downes describes it: “We are strong. We are resourceful. We have come through darkness into light, over and over again. Let’s lean on our ancestors and the lessons they have taught us about hope, courage, and above all unity.” Some of These Days is the embodiment of all that we are feeling, a message beckoning us all to stand together in solidarity.