For as long as it took Sony to reissue Columbia Records’ Black Composers Series on CD (40 years!), it was still ahead of the curve when it came to celebrating music by composers of color. Since the seismic social and political shift precipitated by the death of George Floyd, you can’t get through a week without new recordings and live performance of music by Black composers. But back in the day, these records were like Holy Grails, and as a collector, my heart would skip a beat if I ever came across one of the original albums on vinyl. I thought I would pass out when I discovered the CD reissues on the shelves of Princeton Record Exchange, since the box had basically been dumped on the market with no advertising.
Some of the composers have since found a toehold on the fringes of the concert repertoire – William Grant Still, George Walker, and the Chevalier de Saint-Georges are being heard with much more frequency – but there are many other fascinating discoveries to be savored.
I was so juiced at obtaining the entire series on CD that I promptly devoted four weeks of shows to the box set on “The Lost Chord” in 2019. Now, for the first time, the programs will be repeated, to coincide with Black History Month, over four Saturdays in February. Part One will feature selections by Saint-Georges, Olly Wilson, and Fela Sowande.
This is not a political statement, but rather a cultural and artistic one. Whatever it is that got us past this particular tipping point, I am grateful for it.
I hope you’ll join me for “Black to the Future” – selections from Columbia Records’ landmark Black Composers Series of the 1970s – on “The Lost Chord,” now in syndication on KWAX, the radio station of the University of Oregon!
Clip and save the start times for all three of my recorded shows:
PICTURE PERFECT, the movie music show – Friday at 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST
SWEETNESS AND LIGHT, the light music program – ALL NEW! – Saturday at 11:00 AM EST/8:00 AM PST
THE LOST CHORD, unusual and neglected rep – Saturday at 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST
Stream them, wherever you are, at the link!
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