For Immediate Release
February 13, 2013
WORLD-RENOWNED VOCAL ENSEMBLE SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK
ADDS SOMETHING DIFFERENT – A JAZZ TRIO! – ON NEW 2-CD LIVE SET
AND UPCOMING SPECIAL SHOWS CELEBRATING MUSICAL INFLUENCES
February 26th Release on Appleseed Recordings, “Sweet Honey in the Rock: A Tribute –
Live! Jazz at Lincoln Center,” and Tour Dates Spotlight Quintet’s Inspirations and
Versatility
Nearing its fourth decade, the internationally acclaimed, award-winning female AfricanAmerican a cappella group Sweet Honey In The Rock was ready to follow its adventurous spirit
and undertake a new challenge – to honor some of the seminal songs that first inspired its unique
blend of folk, blues, jazz, gospel and ethnic music in a concert presentation utilizing an
instrumental backing trio for the first time. Upping the ante, the singers decided to perform this
special program at New York’s prestigious Jazz at Lincoln Center venue and to record their twonight appearance there in front of surprised and delighted audiences. Talk about working without
a net!
In the opening moments of Sweet Honey In The Rock’s new 2-CD set, “Sweet Honey in the
Rock: A Tribute – Live! Jazz at Lincoln Center,” well-timed for February 26th release –
concluding Black History Month and preceding Women’s History Month in March – group
member Ysaye Barnwell recites a roll-call of some of the great female African-American
vocalists whose songs helped shape the group and comprise much of “Tribute’s” repertoire,
including Abbey Lincoln, Odetta, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Miriam Makeba, Carmen
McRae, Bessie Smith, and Sarah Vaughan.
The songs on this recording are drawn from those two shows at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose
Hall in April 2011. They were subsequently performed on several additional dates, and will be
featured in at least five upcoming “Tribute” shows in February and March 2013. Adorned
with new arrangements by Sweet Honey’s members, there are jazz standards such as “Love Me
or Leave Me,” “Wild is the Wind,” and “Tell Me More and More and Then Some,” gospel/civil
rights anthems melded into a “Freedom Suite,” Afro-centric songs (the Sixties hit song “Pata
Pata,” “Sabumoya,” “Shuku Shuku,” and the closing “N'diarabi/Africa is Where My Heart
Lies”), show tunes, blues, and a salsa-flavored original, “Let There Be Peace.”
Sweet Honey In The Rock’s distinctive swirl of a cappella vocals, encompassing waves of
imaginative ensemble harmonies and occasional solo showcases, is heard unaccompanied, aside
from the quintet’s hand percussion, on about half of the songs. Interwoven throughout the
presentation are the understated instrumental contributions of the trio nicknamed “the Honey
Men” – Stacey Wade (musical director/piano/keyboards), Parker McAllister (bass), Jovol Bell
(drums, percussion) – who augment Sweet Honey’s exhilarating, soulful voices and confident,
genre-crossing dexterity.
Founded in 1973 by Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon at the (Washington) D.C. Black Repertory
Theater Company, Sweet Honey In The Rock’s line-up currently includes returning original
members Carol Maillard and Louise Robinson (Dr. Reagon retired from the group in 2004) and
“long-timers” Ysaye Barnwell, Nitanju Bolade Casel, and Aisha Kahlil, as well as on-stage sign
language interpreter Shirley Childress. The group has toured from Australia to Zimbabwe,
performed in the White House at the request of President and First Lady Obama, accrued
numerous honors (including a Grammy and several Grammy nominations , most recently for its
first CD on Appleseed, 2007’s “Experience…101”), and established itself as an inspiring,
empowering musical force worldwide.
Sweet Honey’s involvement in various social justice projects makes the group an ideal member
of the independent Appleseed Recordings roster, which includes significant artist/activists Pete
Seeger, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and South Africa’s Johnny Clegg, among others.
Upcoming “Tribute” tour dates:
2/28/13 Kimmel Center, Philadelphia, PA
3/1/13 McCarter Theater, Princeton, NJ
3/2/13 New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark, NJ
3/5/13 B.B. King’s, New York City
3/7/13 Howard Theatre,Washington, D.C.
Upcoming Non-“Tribute” tour dates:
3/8/13 Murphy Fine Arts Center, Baltimore, MD
3/9/13 Williamsburg Lodge, Williamsburg, VA
3/21/13 Kraakhuis, Gent, BE
3/23/13 Barbican Centre, London, UK
3/26/13 Royal Opera House Muscat, Muscat, OM
3/30/13 Bluesfest, Bryon Bay, AU
3/31/13 Bluesfest Bryon Bay, AU
4/1/13 Enmore Theatre, Newtown, AU
4/3/13 Hamer Hall, Melbourne, AU
5/11/13 Smothers Theatre, Malibu, CA
5/19/13 Brooklyn Academy of Music Opera House, Brooklyn, NY
7/17/13 Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL
8/3/13 Berkshire Choral Festival, Sheffield, MA
***
Founded in 1997 by activist attorney Jim Musselman, Appleseed Recordings is an independent,
idealistic and internationally distributed record label devoted to releasing socially conscious
contemporary, folk and roots music by a wide array of established and lesser-known musicians.
Sweet Honey In The Rock is part of a roster that includes such politically active musicians as
Pete Seeger, Buffy Sainte-Marie and South Africa’s Johnny Clegg, as well as seasoned,
creatively evergreen “heritage” artists Tom Paxton, Tom Rush, Donovan, Jesse Winchester,
David Bromberg, Jonathan Edwards, and Al Stewart, among others. The company’s approach
has attracted many high-profile guest artists, including Bruce Springsteen, who has recorded six
tracks for the label and was inspired to create his “Seeger Sessions” CD and tours after working
on the first of Appleseed’s three Pete Seeger tribute releases. Appleseed has built a catalogue of
more than 100 well-respected CDs, two Grammy Awards, ten Grammy nominations, and, most
importantly, has produced music that is actually helping to change the world.
For more information, to request a review/airplay copy of “Sweet Honey in the Rock: A
Tribute – Live! Jazz at Lincoln Center” or an interview with Sweet Honey In The Rock,
please contact:
Chip Schutzman – chip@mileshighproductions.com, 323-871-4821.