CD Review: Lawrence Brownlee’s ‘Rising’

“The poem with this music is complete.” The final line to composer Shawn E. Okpebholo’s “Romance” reveals, in essence, the method behind Lawrence Brownlee and pianist Kevin J. Miller’s newest release, “Rising,” on Warner Classics: Setting poetry from the Harlem Renaissance to song. With its 29 tracks, the album includes texts from writers such as Langston Hughes, Alice Dunbar Nelson, {…}

Mar 3, 2023

Lawrence Brownlee Announces ‘Rising’ Tour

Lawrence Brownlee has announced “Rising,” a project aimed at commissioning new works by African-American composers. Per an official press statement, Brownlee has commissioned new works by such composers as Damien Sneed, Brandon Spencer, Jasmine Barnes, Joel Thompson, and Shawn E. Okpebholo. Writers of the Harlem Renaissance inspired their works, including Alice Dunbar Nelson, Claude McKay, Langston Hughes, and James Weldon {…}