Title
Black Spring: Music and Activism with Samora Pinderhughes
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Description
In the midst of the pandemic and BLM protests, Samora Pinderhughes--a biracial musician and activist--released his timely new EP "Black Spring." The project is inspired by the revolutionary energy of 1960s songwriters, and looks to reflect the questions and anger that people are feeling during these times of uncertainty and chaos. The title describes an energy of uprising: a time for action, a time for flourishing and moving forward with revolutionary spirit. Pinderhughes is a Juilliard-trained pianist, composer and vocalist known for large multidisciplinary projects and for using music to examine sociopolitical issues.
Samora Pinderhughes was born a mixed-race kid in the Bay Area, a hotbed of revolutionary organizing and incredible music and art that immediately seeped into his soul. He started playing music at 2 years old; His father played him The Delfonics, Tupac, and Bob Marley, while his mother introduced him to Nina Simone, Fela Kuti, and Pete Seeger. He became serious about making music his life after living in Cuba studying spiritual musical traditions. He moved to NYC to study at Juilliard under master teachers Kenny Barron and Kendall Briggs; It was during this time that he also met his artistic mentor, MacArthur-winning playwright Anna Deavere Smith. This started him down the path of writing lyrics and combining film/theatre with his music in radical new ways. With the help of these mentors, Pinderhughes eventually began to create his very own unique style, a combination of striking intimacy and carefully crafted, radically honest lyrics with lush, immersive music, maximalist visual storytelling and high levels of concept. Pinderhughes is currently pursuing a PHD in Creative Practice and Critical Iniquiry under mentor Vijay Iyer at Harvard University.
Hosted by Bonnie Johnson, Host & Producer of "Colors of Jazz" on WICN
Publication Date
10-14-2020
Duration
1:00:32
Keywords
songwriting, jazz, activism, pianist, ATB HomeStage
Disciplines
Music | Politics and Social Change | Social Justice | Theatre and Performance Studies
Recommended Citation
Pinderhughes, Samora and Johnson, Bonnie, "Black Spring: Music and Activism with Samora Pinderhughes" (2020). ATB Events. 2.
https://crossworks.holycross.edu/atb_events/2
Comments
Part of the Fall 2020 series ATB HomeStage.