Samora Pinderhughes has performed with jazz giant Brandford Marsalis, at Carnegie Hall, at the White House and at the Monterey Jazz Festival. This Thursday, with Glenn Ligon’s Blue Black as a backdrop, he'll perform music inspired by his soundtrack for the documentary Whose Streets, directed by Sabaah Folayan and co-directed /produced by FarFetched founder Damon Davis.
This will be the first time this work will be performed live in public. Pinderhughes, who resides in Harlem, New York, attended Juilliard and will be joined by friend jazz trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah. The two have known each other for years, and share a true brotherhood in music and activism.
Pinderhughes' compositions have a unique sound reminiscent of a young Ahmad Jamal and Nat Cole, two of his favorite artists. Other influences include jazz, hip-hop, Cuban music, and books such as James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. The expressive tonal progressions used in his compositions shine with purpose and emotional creativity.
"I write instrumentation as if I am writing for people's voices, writing for instruments," he says. "I want the voice of the people to be spoken through the instruments no different than the voice of a character."
This is evident on his album Transformation Suite, which features spoken word by actor/poet Jeremie Harris.
"I have a high level of respect for actors, especially from Julliard. They would always take the time to properly study a character, create the sound and emotionally invest 100 percent into bringing that character to life," he says.
He says the important thing is not what audiences take away from this performance, but what they bring. Will the audience participate in a dialog that deals with blackness, human injustice, inequality? Will they be able to find their own resolution and understanding?
Pinderhughes modestly says that Whose Streets? would have been great, with or without his music. "The film itself was inspiration for the music I composed," he says. "They captured the true essence of the moment."
He adds that he was drawn to writing for film because of his love for movies, but also for the challenges inherent composing film soundtracks; he is carving a trademark sound in a lane traveled by well-known composers Terrence Blanchard and the RZA. With a progressive cast of musicians, Samora's take on Whose Streets? will bring real-life issues to the forefront through the power of sound.
FarFetched and the Pulitzer present Samora Pinderhughes on Thursday, July 20 at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, 3716 Washington, at 7:30 p.m. This event is free and open to the public, but a $5-$20 donation is suggested. Space is limited. Early arrival is suggested. For more info, go to pulitzerarts.org.
