Motherless Child
MOTHERLESS CHILD INKHORN MUSIC™, ASCAP
Traditional spiritual, arranged and adapted by Rosephanye Powell
Character vignette conceived and produced by Rosephanye Powell
“Counselor” written and portrayed by Rosephanye Powell
“Counselee” portrayed and poetry written and performed by Kelechi “The Late Night Poet” Javaaid
Solo and background vocals arranged, performed and produced by Rosephanye Powell
Instrumentals arranged, performed, and produced by Anthony Walker
From the Artist-Producer:
Motherless Child was developed with the urban adult market in mind. The harmonic vocabulary combines jazz and soulful colors, while the rhythmic groove is subtle yet persuasive. This complements the lilting vocals, allowing them to stand center without rival. The arrangement Motherless Child grew out of a collaboration with one of my longtime friends Anthony Walker (www.walktones.com), a gifted classically-trained jazz pianist who is equally at home with gospel and other black styles of music. (Tony and I met as undergraduates at Alabama State University in Montgomery, AL, and have collaborated on a number of independent projects since that time.) Since the spiritual Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child is the theme for the CD project, I decided to use three versions—one of which I asked Tony to arrange with his distinct signature which combines sophisticated jazz colors peppered with urban flavor. To say that I was pleased with the final result would be an understatement. Upon hearing the instrumentals, I could hardly wait to schedule a recording session to begin work on the vocals for Motherless Child!
As a producer, I sought to create an arrangement that would be relevant to contemporary urban society while maintaining the integrity of the traditional spiritual. So, I decided to begin the track with a situation in which many today find themselves—in need of a caring voice and listening ear. I portray a counselor whose radio plays as she types reports of the daily counseling session. As the caller explains his situation, the Motherless Child track fades in. In this way, the song expresses musically what the counselee feels; that is, at some time in life everyone everyone experiences the feeling of utter loneliness and at their wit’s end. At the end of the track, Kelechi Javaaid (who speaks the distraught caller) speaks poetry that points back to the legacy of the African-American slave while encouraging us to rise above life’s difficulties. I met Kelechi “The Late Night Poet” Javaaid in Minneapolis, MN in 2003, during a professional commitment with conductor Philip Brunelle and VocalEssence (formerly the Plymouth Music Series). For a Witness program dedicated to African-American women choral composers, I was commissioned to arrange Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child for satb chorus. During my visit, Kelechi shared with me one of his CD’s of original poetry which addresses issues within the African-American community. Upon listening to it, I was moved and compelled to call upon him for this project.
Thank you for taking the time to experience Motherless Child! I hope that you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed producing it!
Rosephanye
