In 1619, a Dutch ship carrying 20 enslaved Africans landed off
the coast of the British colony of Jamestown, Virginia, marking the foundation
of slavery in America. To honor those four centuries of struggle, triumph,
tragedy and community, drummer, composer, activist and educator Dr. Mark Lomax,
II will unveil his monumental new project, 400: An Afrikan Epic on January 23,
2019 via CFG Multimedia.
The stunning 12-album cycle traces the epic history of Black
America, not only during the 400 years from the beginning of the Transatlantic
slave trade but back through thousands of years of history on the African
continent and into an optimistic future for the African diaspora. Telling the
story in settings as fundamental as the drum, through the visceral
improvisation of jazz interplay and the bracing architecture of modern
classical composition, the music celebrates the resilience, brilliance,
strength, genius, and creativity of a people who continue to endure while
offering an inspired view of the future.
400: An Afrikan Epic is the culmination of a lifetime of
musical and historical study for Dr. Lomax. By his early teens Lomax was
establishing himself as a gifted drummer on the jazz scene in his native
Columbus, Ohio, while being introduced to an Afrocentric view of American
history via the work of his father, the renowned pastor and educator Dr. Mark
A. "Ogunwale" Lomax. Early in his career, Lomax envisioned a melding
of the two pursuits, leading to an ambitious, wide-ranging composition that
offers an educational opportunity as well as a breathtaking listening experience.
The release date coincides with Dr. Lomax's 40th
birthday and the 12-album collection brings his discography as a leader to a
remarkable 40 albums, a prodigious output especially when considered in
parallel with the challenging pursuit of his Doctorate in Music Arts at Ohio
State University. It was during those studies that Lomax discovered the path
his music would take, inspired by Béla Bartók's embrace of the folk music of
his own Hungarian heritage as well as the ground-breaking work of early
20th-century American composer and bandleader James Reese Europe.
"We have our own racial feeling," Europe notably
said, "and if we try to copy whites we will make bad copies." Lomax
eagerly took that pronouncement to heart. "I started to use the music I
grew up with, spirituals and the blues, as source material." He drew on
his upbringing in the church, his experience touring with jazz artists like
Delfeayo Marsalis, Marlon Jordan and Azar Lawrence, and his exploration of
African folk traditions.
That decision met with resistance from some of Lomax's
professors, who deemed his incorporation of gospel and blues influences as
unworthy of the western classical tradition. At the same time, his innovative
arrangements of gospel tunes for symphony orchestra were embraced by such
esteemed ensembles as the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony
Orchestra in Washington D.C., and the Czech National Symphony.
The composition of 400: An Afrikan Epic was a passion
project undertaken after he experienced resistance to his concepts in college.
The seeds for the project had been sown 20 years earlier, with the writing of
his first commissioned piece, "Tales of the Black Experience." An
overview of the horrors of slavery, a reimagined version of that work makes up
one piece of 400.
The 12-album cycle comprises three suites. The first four
albums make up "Alkebulan: The Beginning of Us," which spans the
thousands of years that civilization and music had developed in Africa prior to
the encroachment of colonialism. Titled for the original Arabic name for the
continent, "Alkebulan" begins with "First Ankhcestor,"
featuring a gathering of master percussionists, and continues with "Song
of the Dogon," a tribute to the West African people credited with
establishing ancient Nubia and Kemet (the original name of Egypt). "Dance
of the Orishas" is inspired by the religion, culture and art of the Yoruba
people, while "The Coming" introduces the onset of the slave trade
via the words of Daniel Black's novel of the same name, read by the author.
The bulk of "Alkebulan" features Lomax's
longstanding Quartet, featuring saxophonist Eddie Bayard, pianist William
Menefield, and bassist Dean Hulett. Those same collaborators recombine in
various trio and duo combinations throughout 400, reflecting the deep
relationship they've forged over more than 15 years together. "These are
the musicians I trust most with my compositions." Lomax says. "We've
developed a music and a language that have made me a better musician, and I'm
grateful to have them a part of this project."
The second suite, "Ma'afa: Great Tragedy," focuses
on the 400 years from that fateful day in 1619 until the present moment. The
first piece, "Ma'afa," is envisioned as a ballet that takes place
during the 90-day voyage of a slave ship. "I was intrigued by the idea of
a ballet set in a place where you're physically confined but spiritually
free," Lomax says. That piece features the composer's large group, The
Urban Art Ensemble, which teams a traditional string quartet with an
improvising trio.
"Up South: Conversations on American Idealism"
consists of two extended pieces examining the North's economically-driven,
complicity in southern slavery, before Lomax narrows his lens to focus on
individual icons. "Four Women," written for UCelli: The Columbus
Cello Quartet, pays tribute to Queen Nzinga, the 17th-century leader of Angola
who used a combination of hard and soft power to resist Portuguese
colonization; Ida B. Wells, the pioneering journalist and early Civil Rights leader;
Angela Davis, the fierce 1960s counterculture activist; and Chimamanda Ngozi
Adichie, the modern-day Nigerian novelist. "Blues in August,"
meanwhile, is inspired by playwright August Wilson's century-spanning
Pittsburgh Cycle.
The final suite, "Afro-Futurism: The Return to
Uhuru," envisions the healing and thriving of Black America, and all of
humanity, over the next 400 years. "The last stage points to where
humanity is headed," Lomax explains. "It's about what it means to be a
fully optimized human being, collectively as well as with regards to Africans
in America who have slavery in their lineage and Africans on the continent who
are still dealing with the ramifications of colonialism." The overwhelming
history ends as it began, with the unaccompanied drum.
In embracing the story of the African diaspora, Dr. Lomax
has not only created a landmark composition but a living, breathing work of
musical storytelling that will continue to grow and evolve. He has adapted the
full work into a more compact suite for performance, and has created a
curriculum to present the story in classrooms through performance and lectures.
He also plans to launch a website called "The 400 Years Project,"
which will promote artists throughout the African diaspora who are using their
creative abilities to tell this story.
"My research gave me a cultural and historical
context," he explains, "and the music started to come from the
research. This has become my life's work."
Critically acclaimed composer, recording artist, drummer,
activist, and educator Dr. Mark Lomax, II is a Wexner Center for the Arts at
the Ohio State University Artist Residency 2018 Award recipient. Dr. Lomax
holds a Doctor of Music Arts degree in composition from The Ohio State University.
His myriad experiences have allowed him to create a unique blend of styles in
his music. Whether he's interpreting the Negro Spiritual through jazz,
arranging gospel music for a symphony orchestra, or performing his original
works, his music is relevant, probing, and inspiring. Heavily influenced by his
father, a pastor, and mother, a composer of gospel music, Lomax was introduced
to gospel and jazz at an early age, continuing his study of gospel music with
Dr. Raymond Wise, founder of the Center for the Gospel Arts. Besides performing
with gospel choirs around the country, Lomax has toured with the Delfeayo
Marsalis Sextet and worked with notable artists such as Clark Terry, Marlon
Jordan, Azar Lawrence, Bennie Maupin, Billy Harper, Ellis Marsalis, and Wessel
Anderson, among others A highly sought-after lecturer, Lomax specializes in the
socio-political and spiritual aspects of African-American art, music, race, and
the usage of the arts to build community. These ideas are documented in his TED
Talk "Activating The Transformative Power Of Trust."
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