Piece Description

"EVERY VOICE AND SING!" is hosted by NPR's MICHELE NORRIS. It looks at the fascinating and little-known history of the choral music and choirs preserved primarily by historically Black colleges and universities. The five-part series of stand-alone hours covers from the pre-Civil War period to the present. Episode Five: "A Joyful Noise!" Explores the careers/influence of such choral directors as Frederick Hall and S. Carver Davenport at Dillard, U., Drs. Nathan and Roland Carter, James W. Norris, William Henry Caldwell, Moses Hogan, and some new-generation directors like Eric Conway and Damon Dandridge; how they, and others, have come to terms with the power and reach of gospel music (even Kurtis Blow and Hip-Hop Gospel); how rhythm & blues/pop artists like Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke, and Ray Charles, as well as the jazz-based style of Take 6, and the world-music sound of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, all connect to this Black choral tradition. How its influenced genres including Blues, Jazz, Afro-Cuban, Latin, and Jazz Vocalese.