On February 14, 2010, the Detroit International jazz Festival, in partnership with Second Ebenezer Church, presented THE MOVEMENT Revisited – a jazz opus written by bassist and composer Christian McBride in dedication to four icons of the civil rights movement – Rosa Parks, Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
McBride believes that the sacrifices made by these four civil rights icons have been so enveloped in myth that, to a large extent, their names are remembered more than their accomplishments. Movement musically depicts how their actions shaped our world and reminds us of our responsibility to pave the way for others to live a better life.
In celebration of the election of America’s first Black president in 2009, McBride added an additional movement that premiered at the Detroit performance.
McBride performed and conducted. In addition, the Christian McBride Band – Ron Blake (saxophone), Geoffrey Keezer (piano), Terreon Gully (drums), and Warren Wolfe (vibes) – were on hand as featured soloists. The performance also featured the Detroit International Jazz Festival Orchestra under the direction of Dennis Wilson, the Second Ebenezer Majestic Voices conducted by JD Steele, and special guest narrators Dion Graham, Willis Patterson, Sonia Sanchez and Bishop Edgar L. Vann, II.
The Detroit performance of THE MOVEMENT Revisited was made possible in part by a grant from the Erb Family Foundation and the donation of space by Bishop Edgar L. Vann II of Second Ebenezer Church.
Special Note: The photos of Muhammad Ali/Rosa Parks, Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were provided courtesy of the Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University, and were used for the expressed purpose of this event.
