GRAMMY®-nominated and multiple award-winning a cappella group, Sweet Honey In The Rock headlines at Carnegie Hall on February 11th, which marks their 32nd performance at the historic concert hall. Special guest artists and multiple GRAMMY® Award-winning jazz trumpeter, bandleader and composer Terence Blanchard and GRAMMY®-nominated jazz musician Regina Carter will join the group for this exclusive engagement. “We are grateful to celebrate our 32nd performance with CarnegieHall upon the release of our new album,” says founding group member, Carol Maillard. “We are also honored that we have been able to maintain and carry on the tradition of a cappella music and perform it at legendary concert halls all over the world for more than four decades.” Tickets, priced from $35—$65, are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org.
Entering a new chapter after their 40th anniversary, Sweet Honey In The Rock will release their 24th album, #LoveInEvolution on January 22, 2016 on SHE-ROCKS 5, Inc./Appleseed Recordings. #LoveInEvolution features 14 songs and is produced by group member, Nitanju Bolade Casel. Staying true to the Sweet Honey In The Rock tradition of soul, jazz, blues, spirituals, gospel and African chants, the album is the group’s first studio release in nine years. #LoveInEvolution is an eclectic mix of new original songs and covers of a few popular classics.
Sweet Honey In The Rock’s new single “Second Line Blues,” is written and performed by founding member, Louise Robinson. It is inspired by the New Orleans tradition of funeral procession. The first line of the band is the procession and the second line of the procession consists of the mourners. Its cryptic snare drum cadence, roll calls the names of many of the recently noted innocent people that have fallen victim to murder at the hands of anyone from deranged civilians to police abusing their license to kill. Founding members Louise Robinson and Carol Maillard explained, “Since we started performing this piece, we had to keep adding names…and sadly, we’ll be adding more before things change.”
The “Second Line Blues” video reflects the current state of gun violence, the senseless loss of life, mass murders, and police brutality in our communities. The video pays homage to many who are known and unknown including Emmett Till, Freddie Gray, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Clementa Pinckney, Tywanza Sanders, Amadou Diallo, Sandra Bland, Walter Scott, Susie Jackson, Sean Bell, Tamir Rice, Ethel Lance, Cynthia Hurd, Eric Garner, Myra Thompson, Daniel Simmons, and the mass killings in Sandy Hock, Columbine, Virginia Tech and many more. The video is executive produced by Robinson. She worked with the incredibly talented designer and editor Kate Peterson (Pleasantly Progressive Design), who also edited the group’s debut video for, “IDK But I’m LOL.”
Now take a look and listen:
The group’s debut single “IDK, But I’m LOL” offers a jubilant message of encouragement to continue to live in the realm of possibility. The single is available at key digital outlets everywhere.
“Second Line Blues” iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/second-line-blues-single/id1072833751?ls=1?&app=itunes
“Second Line Blues” Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAK6BCGJ6wg&feature=youtu.be
Sweet Honey In The Rock’s ensemble features four core vocalists—Robinson, Maillard (both founding members) Nitanju Bolade Casel, and Aisha Kahlil—plus Shirley Childress (an American Sign Language Interpreter who has been performing live with the group since 1981). Acclaimed bassist Romeir Mendez regularly appears with the group as a special guest musician.