For NYJO’s The Fire Next Time! A Tribute To James Baldwin, guest MD Peter Edwards, curator Lucy-Anne Daniels (leading vocals with Akin Soul and two gospel singers), and the next generation of NYJO jazz musicians, come together to commemorate the life and legacy of one of the twentieth century’s most uniquely significant English-language writers: James Baldwin.
The programme consists of new compositions that Peter and Lucy-Anne have created with NYJO Emerging Professional musicians, inspired by Baldwin’s life. The performance draws from Baldwin‘s work, to explore the emotional and intellectual motifs that run through it, and how music – and jazz in particular – can capture the same themes he helped propel into the important conversations around race, gender, and power dynamics in the last century.
It is a touching musical journey through Baldwin’s influences from the Harlem Renaissance, through to his response to the civil rights movement and identity. Showcasing special arrangements of the soundtrack to Baldwin’s life, his love of jazz and the interweaving of improvised music with his words performed as lyrics. This performance directly responds to a timeline of James Baldwin’s influence from the civil rights era and LGBTQ+ liberation movements, through to his enduring and powerful legacy today.
“It might really turn into a symphony. It might not be a book.” ― James Baldwin, Just Above My Head
Join us as we honour the legacy of Baldwin, sharing conversational new works, highlighting the legacy of these giants whose work continues to inspire the next generation in the fight for Black and Queer rights.
James Baldwin (1924–87) was an acclaimed novelist, poet, essayist, playwright and activist. Spanning the disciplines of visual art, music and literature, Baldwin’s incendiary words and insights made him a leading voice at the height of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s; and continue to show readers and campaigners a way forward in hope to this day.
Pianist, musical director, and composer Peter Edwards (b. 1983) directs the Nu Civilisation ensemble alongside leading his own trio. He was selected for the 2023-24 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences inaugural Jonas Gwangwa Music Composition Initiative.
Lucy-Anne Daniels (b. 2003) is a natural performer, creative improviser and talented musician. The Leeds native draws inspiration from singers such as Betty Carter, gospel duo Mary Mary, and Amy Winehouse and has taken to The Royal Albert Hall stage a number of times, including an appearance as part of the BBC Proms for Sarah Vaughan’s centenary in 2024.