Journeyism

This album brings together 4 world premiere compositions from 2 Black American composers: percussionist Timothy Kennedy Adams Jr and Grammy-Award-winning Jazz drummer Lenny White. For White, this is the first time that his classical works have been recorded. Adams meanwhile showcases how music, spoken word and soundscaping can come together to immerse us in the stories of those who have been persecuted.

Hot on the heels of the release of world premier recordings of works by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, CRD is delighted to bring these recordings, which are deeply rooted in social justice, to listeners whilst championing a unique collaboration with timpanist Jonathan Haas and the NYU orchestra.

Jonathan Haas writes:

This CRD collaboration with the NYU Orchestra and Percussion Ensemble represents a life’s journey for myself, as well as the NYU students and faculty. My first commercial recording (18th Century Concertos for Timpani and Orchestra) was supported and created with the incredible knowledge and advocacy of my late great collaborator Graham Pauncefort. We embarked on this adventurous and innovative recording project and now, 40 years later with his equally talented and ambitious successors, the next generation of musicians and creators are embodied in this recording. I have always found it profoundly unique that as a musician the many micro relationships we have remain throughout one’s career and this recording epitomizes the spirit of collaboration, exploration, and celebration. Journeyism symbolizes the vibrant energy and profound kinship that binds the music world together.

The works selected for this album were the result of a wake-up call that was a long time coming in this country, finally bringing systemic injustices to the forefront and advocating for essential societal change. In March 2022, I called upon my dearest friends Timothy Adams and Lenny White. My question to them was simple, what could I do to support their artistic vision? In light of the social unrest, resentment, anger, and frustration that became world news, amplifying their voices was essential. Tim and Lenny became my beacons, sharing with me the desire to make the world a better and safer place for their colleagues, friends, and families. The world needed to experience, engage with, and respond to their compositions in a way that would elevate the status of underrepresented composers in the music world and position them as equals to all composers of this and future generations.

My endless thanks and admiration to the talented, dedicated, and brilliant NYU students who have given their all to embody the intention of this recording in hopes of communicating its message to a global audience. Finally, Emma and Tom Pauncefort stand as the true heroes, steadfast in the support of their father’s vision and leadership in the recording industry, ensuring that our collective voice lives on for generations to come.