Old Sorrow Songs a Source of Modern Comfort
Harvard’s Kuumba Choir here
last week; Morgan State Choir in town tonight
I don’t know how it is for white people but if you are black in
America, even though you may be relatively privileged, you can often feel
isolated in the rarefied atmosphere your good fortune has opened up to you.
Let’s look at the well known sports pioneer Jackie Robinson. He was enormously
talented, a confident military vet, happily married, but every day he had to go
work in a hostile environment where not only thousands of onlookers and
on-the-field opponents were jeering him openly and rooting for him to fall on
his face; he had teammates who despised him and wanted him to fail.
We may think those days are behind us but in truth, in this
society, they are not. I’ve never met Craig Arnold, chairman and CEO of
transnational Eaton Corp., but it wouldn’t surprise me a bit if he felt some of
that special isolation as the only one on the whole floor.
Thousands of black people of lesser status, if not lesser talent,
have felt that sensation of being strangers in a strange land. It’s one of the
reasons black men used to acknowledge each other in a certain way when crossing
paths in unexpected places. I still recall my experiences in boarding school,
far removed from most of what I’d ever experienced back in my Glenville
neighborhood, trying to find some balm of Gilead.
So it was no surprise to hear members of Harvard University’s
Kuumba Choir share the origins of the group’s birth, founded in 1970 to “create
a spiritual and cultural space in which we can feel comfortable”.
The choir was in Greater Cleveland last week, the last stop on a
four-city spring break tour that had them also visiting Chicago, Detroit, and
Springfield IL. They appeared in concert at South Euclid United Church of Christ before a crowd of well over 300 enthusiasts, a day after
having thrilled an assembly at Cleveland School of the Arts.
The music was a thorough affirmation of faith, a celebration of
journeys completed and trials still underway. The song titles did much to tell
the story: Amazing Grace, Ride On King Jesus/In that Great Gittin’ Up Morning,
We’ve Come a Long Way, Ain’t Gon’ Let Nobody Turn Me Around, Oh Happy Day!
The 40-plus voices were a striking amalgam. At one point, the
singers passed a microphone throughout their ranks, with each using a spare ten
or twelve words to state their name, hometown, and undergrad major or other
identifying characteristic. So the audience learned that the choir included
students from across the country, the Islands and from the Continent. The
presence of a Caucasian or three in their ranks only amplified the testimony of
the music of the universality of the rhythms and melodies and plaints and joys
expressed in the Spirituals, or sorrow songs as they were once called.
The group’s repertoire was wide, likely only hinted at by the
range of the material they chose to present Friday. It included traditional
spirituals, modern gospel, and African freedom songs. They were backed
throughout by an excellent small combo on keyboards and percussion. During a
brief intermission, the audience heard the outstanding piano talent of the
local and superb David Thomas.
It is performances like this that come to mind when we hear the
phrase “black culture”, not the popular strains of the moment but the abiding
chords that speak to the long history of people of the Diaspora.
The Kuumba Choir has maintained a commendable consistency
throughout its 48 years. Current director Sheldon Reid, who has led the
ensemble since 1998, is only the third director in Kuumba’s history. The choir
maintains a strong alumni network whose current president is Linda Jackson
Sowell of Solon. She spoke briefly near the program’s end, and as a charter
member, joined in the group’s rendition of the Twenty-Third Psalm.
The spring break tours of collegiate black choirs are one of the
early and most pleasant harbingers of a new season. Tonight the
renowned Morgan State Choir comes to town. They will appear in
concert at 7pm at Mt. Zion United Church of Christ,
10723 Magnolia Dr., in University Circle. All are welcome.
Admission is free and there will be a good will offering.
NOTE to HBCU alumni: Let us know when your choir is coming to town.
