- Motherless Child
- Afro Blue
- Mr. Kicks
- Work Song
- All Blues
- Brother, Where Are You?
- But I Was Cool
- When Malindy Sings
- Dat Dere
- Brown Baby
- Harry’s Hips [originally Hazel’s Hips]
- Strong Man
- Long As You’re Living
- Motherless Child [reprise]
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Oscar Brown, Jr., whose work she greatly admires. The CD opens and closes with her deeply moving rendition of the spiritual "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child," framing twelve songs either written by Oscar or for which he wrote lyrics.
Cynthia produced and arranged all of the music on this CD, and created settings which not only provide a showcase for her own prodigious talents but also those of the outstanding musicians with which she chose to surround herself. All of the instrumentalists on this recording shine as superlative and sensitive accompanists, and many also contribute wonderfully effective and imaginative solos.
-David Baker
Distinguished Professor of Music and Chair,
Jazz Department,
Indiana University
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Oscar Brown Jr. was a Chicago born composer, singer, actor, playwright, and director who earned a reputation for being a “major artist,” both as a writer and a performer. Oscar Brown Jr. was an all around entertainer. With his unique and theatrical presentation of music, lyrics, and poetry, Oscar Brown Jr. worked with legends like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Cannonball Adderley, to name a few. He was considered by many to be the father of rap/spoken word.
Oscar Brown Jr. first gained national attention in 1960 with the release of Sin and Soul, his critically acclaimed debut album for Columbia Records. Soon to follow, were albums like Between Heaven & Hell, In a New Mood, and Telling It Like It Is. Some of Mr. Brown’s original plays include Kicks & Company, Joy 66, and Opportunity Please Knock. In the sixties, Mr. Brown was also the host of a television series called Jazz Scene USA. He appeared on many television shows such as Def Poetry Jam, Roc, The Women of Brewster’s Place, and Zora Is My Name written by Ruby Dee.
Oscar Brown Jr. passed away in 2005 at the age of seventy-nine years old. |
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