Lift Every Voice and Sing - We Are The Future Big Band (Live at Berklee)

"Lift Every Voice and Sing" was originally written as a poem by James Weldon Johnson and later set to music by his brother John Rosamond Johnson.
Lift Ev'ry Voice - considered the Black National Anthem - is a masterpiece born out of the Black experience and has served as a beacon of hope, perseverance, and strength for those disenfranchised folks over the last 100+ years. As we face challenging times in our world, we turn to this hymn to direct our path and re-galvanize our efforts in creating a better place where each of us have our full humanity.
This version is based on Lawrence "Larry" Watson's arrangement that was first featured for Nelson Mandela in 1990 during his historic visit to Boston after he was released from prison. This song is sacred, powerful, and doused in the blood, sweat, and tears of those who have paved the way. We hope some of the power ignites in each of you.
Daniele Truocchio:
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Desmond Scaife, Jr :
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Arrangement: Lawrance Larry Watson, Miklos Malek, Alvin Foster
Big Band Adaptation: Misha Danilov
Music Director, Conductor, Producer: Daniele Truocchio
Lead Singer, Co-Producer: Desmond Scaife, Jr
Alto Sax: Samuel Batista, Aidan Wada-Dawson
Tenor Sax: Ori Jacobson, Neta Raana
Baritone Sax: Gabriel Nekrutman
Trumpet: Daniel Szczepansi, Orlando A. Latorre, Christian Conti, Seth Herz, Chunka Amare' Khan
Trombone: Yuichiro Tamagaki, Suzuko Hori, Alan Hslao
Bass Trombone: Michael Jacob Hernandez
Lead Guitar: Marco Bolfelli
Piano: Jesus Javier Molina Acosta
Hammond: Denzel Hollis
Bass: Min Jae Yim
Percussion: Manfredi Caputo
Drums: Tatum Flamister
Gospel Choir:
Briana Washington, Visnja Begovic, Oscar Brown III, Arnaldo Santoro,Taiga Kunii, Joy James, Paulaine Antoinette Sano, Britani Washington, Arantza Vazquez, Manan Yashiro, Zoe Schneider, Paola Arcieri, Stephanie Camacho, Marisol Echegoyen, Mirella Costa, Brandon Diaz
Recorded at the Berklee Performance Center and BIRN
Jose Moreno: Recording Engineer
Anna Muehlichen: Mixing Engineer
Jonathan Wyner: Mastering Engineer
Cameras
Athanasios Lazarou
Giulia Duchi
Gabriel Gomez
Andres Gutierrez
Kevin Greene
Jeannie Greeley
Audrey H.
Video post production
Athanasios Lazarou
Lyrics:
Lift every voice and sing
Till earth and
Heaven ring
Ring with the harmonies of
Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise,
High as
The list'ning skies, let it resound loud as the
Rolling sea
Sing a song full of the faith that the
Dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of
The hope that the present has brought
Us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day
Begun,
Let us march on till victory is
Won.
Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the
Chast'ning rod,
Felt in the day that hope
Unborn had died;
Yet with a steady
Beat,
Have not our weary feet,
Come to the
Place on which our fathers sighed?
We have
Come over a way that with tears has been
Watered,
We have come, treading our path
Through the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from
The gloomy past, till now we stand at
Last
Where the white gleam of our star is
Cast.
God of our weary years,
God of
Our silent tears,
Thou who has brought us thus
Far on the way;
Thou who has by thy
Might,
Led us into the light,
Keep us
Forever in the path, we pray
Lest our feet
Stray from the places, our God, where we met
Thee,
Least our hearts, drunk with the wine of
The world, we forget thee,
Shadowed beneath the
Hand,
May we forever stand,
Tru to our
God,
Tru to our native land