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An Open Letter from our New Choir Director: Lawrence “Larry” Watson Dear Friends and Fellow Music Lovers: The CD “American Fruit with African Roots” is complete and is available for online purchase. Go to www.lawrencewatson.com or www.saveourselvesproductions.com and there you will find directions on how to acquire the product. It is a great celebratory gift for Black History Month and a powerful vehicle to discuss many of the social and political issues our communities face. Most significantly, it is respectful musical entertainment for those who love to listen to and enjoy good soul music. Click and listen: Lift Every Voice and Sing American Fruit Blessed are the Children God Answers Prayers We Need Your Help and Continued Support: read more Artistic expression is one of the most powerful vehicles we have to awaken the multitudes suffering from inaction, complacency, fear and lack of courage. 2007 was a rewarding year for me. I was promoted to full Professor at Berklee College of Music, sang and dedicated one of my new compositions to Ruby Dee, 1921 Tulsa Race Riot Survivors, our newly elected Black Governor, the Honorable Deval Patrick and the “Little Rock 9”. All of these African warriors are torch carriers of our great legacy. My new CD “American Fruit with African Roots” echoes the mantra: "we who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes." We have a network that defies all the marketing rules. Our community and our use of “word of mouth” (putting it on the drum) has the capacity to support cultural and political voices committed to using artistic expression as an effective healing force. Our people, especially the young, need to hear this project. I want these songs to be a catalyst for a different kind of dialogue. When the “Jena 6” attend the BET awards weighted down in “Bling Bling”, photographed throwing donations in the air, and thanking the black community and referring to us as their fans, we are in serious trouble. This is a season of celebration when many musical projects are released nationally. We go from Thanksgiving, to Christmas, to Kwanza, to New Years, to MLK Day to Malcolm Day to Black History Month. Few Americans know that Abraham Lincoln established the Thanksgiving holiday as a symbolic gesture to begin the healing process of a nation ravaged by a Civil War. The holiday had little to do with turkeys or corn and all to do with healing the social, political and economic ravages of an America almost destroyed by chattel slavery. The “dream” and the struggle Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, references was not achieved when Barack Hussein Obama Jr. became a serious candidate for the Presidency of the United States. The rude awakening may just be beginning! A Black or Woman President will not heal the myriad of wounds that continue to fester in communities of color around the globe. Such a victory will mandate the formation of the largest coalition of women, men, and young people of all faiths and persuasions to pick up the dropped baton if we are committed to securing a safe and “green” planet for the “beautiful ones not yet born.” I am calling for all artists to return to writing and performing music that empowers us to take the risk and be truth tellers. I hope this project brings some joy and reflections to you and your family. Enjoy this musical feast. It has been marinating for eight years. “The Time Is Now!” Sincerely yours, Lawrence “Larry” Watson Tel: 617-825-9600 Email: saveourselves@aol.com www.lawrencewatson.com www.saveourselvesproductions.com |
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