ANTHONY BRANKER & OTHER WAYS OF KNOWING

MANIFESTATIONS OF A DIASPORIC GROOVE & SPIRIT

Origin Records

Anthony Branker, composer/musical director; Simona Premazzi, piano; Pete McCann, electric & acoustic guitars; John Hébert, double bass; Rudy Royston, drums; Steve Wilson, alto & soprano saxophones/flute; Aimee Allen, vocals.

Composer and musical director, Dr. Anthony Branker, writes in his liner notes: “Music is a reflections of culture and can be central to our understanding of otherness as it relates to social, racial and ethnic identity.”

Branker’s music is meant to tell historic stories.  His opening song, “The Children of Lyles Station” was composed as a reflection of the tragic events that unfolded in 1927, when ten African American children from the Lyles Consolidated School in southern Indiana were misled.  They were told, along with their parents, that they would receive treatment for Ringworm.  Instead, they were subjected to high doses of radiation without parental consent. These unsuspecting children, used as guinea pigs, were horribly damaged, disfigured and scarred. All of this, so scientists could see what would happen to young, healthy humans who received exposure to radiation. This was similar to the revolting Tuskegee Syphilis Study; another sneaky test used on African American men to see what the effects of letting syphilis eat away at your body without treatment. Branker did not want “The Children of Lyles Station” to be forgotten.

“Song for Marielle Franco” pays tribute to the Brazilian politician, sociologist, feminist and human rights advocate who was assassinated in March of 2018. This time, Branker employs the warm vocal tones of Aimee Allen and the saxophone of Steve Wilson to deliver his song.

His composition, “Stolen Sisters” is dedicated to indigenous women of color who have been murdered or reported missing in our society and beyond. Aimee Allen sings these lyrics:

“Time cannot erase your faces. No matter how hard it tries, you are always just before our eyes, in our hearts, on our minds forever … never forgotten.”

Anthony Branker’s newly formed ensemble, “Other Ways of Knowing” becomes a powerful, new chapter in his ongoing exploration of using music as a cultural and social narrative. His deep personal storytelling combines musical beauty with intellectual, historic depth. The stories behind this music are as shocking as the compositions themselves and are described in depth, inside the liner notes.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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