For Immediate Release
Contact:
Eren Isabel McGinnis Dos Vatos Productions (520) 323-7439 (520) 481-9161 (cell) [email protected] www.dosvatos.com For downloadable images, visit www.dosvatos.com
THE SPIRITUALS Traces the Birth and Development of “Sorrow Songs” among African American Slaves. The Program Goes on the Road with “American Spiritual Ensemble,” a Group with a Mission to Preserve this American Art Form for Audiences around the World
THE SPIRITUALS to Have Broadcast Premiere on PBS throughout 2007-2008
Through all the sorrow of the Sorrow Songs there breathes a hope- a faith in the ultimate justice of things. The minor cadences of despair change often to triumph and calm confidence. Sometimes it is faith in life, sometimes a faith in death, sometimes assurance of boundless justice in some fair world beyond. But whichever it is, the meaning is always clear: that sometime, somewhere, men will judge men by their souls and not by their skins. Is such a hope justified? Do the Sorrow Songs sing true?
W.E.B. Du Bois, “The Souls of Black Folk” in 1903
Listening to spirituals is to recall a time when Africans were crowded on slave ships, bound in chains, and forced to live and work in a foreign land. The spiritual became an indigenous American art form, created in the fields and slave shacks of the American south. Slaves were able to secretly communicate with each other while singing, giving them the power to console, heal and resist. THE SPIRITUALS eloquently recounts the bitter history from which the spiritual art form arose and goes on the road with The American Spiritual Ensemble as they gallantly try to preserve the vanishing folk songs of the slaves.
“One could loose his or her life for communicating the coded messages these songs had,” says activist Ann Grundy.
“The spirituals come from deep inside, it’s moans, it’s groans, it’s feelings, it’s passion,” adds beloved Metropolitan Opera Diva Angela Brown. “I don’t think we’ll ever know where it came from, but we know it came out of pain.”
Dr. Paul Kwami, the Musical Director of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, and Dr. Uzee Brown, Chairman of the Department of Music at Morehouse College, provide the historical context. “Quite often masters on plantations tolerated the music because it did have this calming and soothing and peaceful nature about it,” says Dr. Brown. “It was beautiful stuff. And it did not seem at least on the surface to be anything that was in any way dangerous.”
Distinguished composer-arranger and conductor, Dr. Roland Carter, conducts a rousing rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and exclaims, “The slaves were singing about freedom, but the singing in itself was a freedom.”
Impresario Dr. Everett McCorvey, in tribute to his fellow composers states, “If our culture did not have hope, we would not have survived.”
During the civil rights movement, spirituals were an important tool of resistance during marches and demonstrations. “The only way people could sustain themselves was through song,” recounts activist Ann Grundy. “As the civil rights movement kicked off, the spirituals were front and center, and absolutely perfect for the moment.”
Spirituals continue to be an important tool for galvanizing throughout the world. “Swing Low Sweet Chariot,” “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen,” “Go Down Moses,” “We Shall Overcome,” and “When the Saints Go Marching In,” are the enduring spiritual melodies of the Deep South.
On tour, The American Spiritual Ensemble, illustrate their dedication to preserving the Spiritual and keeping the music vibrant and alive through performance. Their operatic training provides the ensemble with an extraordinary sound that differentiates them from other spiritual groups. Their performances create a wall of sound and power bringing joy and tears to their audiences.
THE SPIRITUALS transports viewers to a place and time they have never experienced while capturing the ensemble and their messages of hope and forgiveness in an inspiring and joyous documentary. Travel through the history of Africans in America, from the days of slavery, through the civil rights movement, to rousing modern day performances in the finest concert halls in Spain.
“It was born out of a very dark period in our American history,” adds Professor Dr. Alfonse Anderson. “But it is American, and no matter how it was born, is still American, and it is part of our roots, of all people’s roots”.
THE SPIRITUALS offers a fresh approach to African American history, while clearly reiterating the unmistakable contribution of African born slaves and their descendants to our musical history.
Musical Soundtrack:
THE SPIRITUALS companion musical soundtrack features performances by The American Spiritual Ensemble with their stirring renditions of “We Shall Overcome,” “Steal Away,” and “Plenty Good Room”. Dr. Ricky Little, Baritone sings his tender “Jesus, Walk with Me.” “Here’s One,” is performed by the acclaimed tenor John Wesley Wright and “Give Me Jesus” by the divine Soprano Calesta Day.
THE SPIRITUALS is a co-production of Dos Vatos Productions, Kentucky Educational Television (KET), and the Independent Television Service (ITVS), with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. This program will begin airing on PBS in July 2007.
About the filmmakers:
Ari Luis Palos Director/ Director of Photography
Mexican American filmmaker Ari Luis Palos created Dos Vatos Productions, and has served as director of photography and director on a number of cross-cultural films, including: The Beauty Salon (1997), At Leisure’s Edge (1998), Hill Stomp Hollar (2000), Okie Noodling (2001), Beyond the Border (2001), Impresario (2002), The Kentucky Theatre (2003), El Rio de los Perros (2004), Corazon del Plata/Heart of Silver (2006) and Al Garete/Adrift (2007).
Eren Isabel McGinnis Producer/Sound
The documentary and narrative credits of Mexican American filmmaker McGinnis include: The Southern Sex (1992), Mother Love (1996), The Beauty Salon (1997), Tobacco Blues (1998), The Girl Next Door (2000), Kit Kat (2001), Day of the Dead in Teotitlan del Valle (2001), Beyond the Border (2001), Impresario (2002), The Kentucky Theatre (2003), and Al Garete/Adrift (2007). McGinnis has a degree in anthropology from San Diego State University, and a certificate in Film and Video Theory and Production from the University College Dublin, in Ireland. McGinnis, with the support of a Fulbright, recently spent a year of living, writing, and filmmaking in Juchitán, México.
Credits:
Director/Director of Photography: Ari Luis Palos Producer/Sound: Eren Isabel McGinnis Editors: Lisa Molomot and Jacob Bricca Music Recording and Production Mix: Otto Helmuth Composer: Tedrin Blair Lindsay Executive Producer for ITVS: Sally Jo Fifer
Running Time: 26:40
About KET Kentucky Educational Television is Kentucky’s statewide public television network, providing the Commonwealth with high-quality locally produced programming and educational services. Since 1968, KET has delivered acclaimed PBS series and specials as well as outstanding children’s programming to citizens, and now serves the state via digital and high-definition broadcast technology.
The Spirituals is supported by the KET Fund for Independent Production (KFIP). KFIP has been awarding grants to Kentucky-based film and video makers since 1990. More information about KFIP can be found at www.ket.org/kentucky/fund.htm. More information about KET programming and education services, as well as how to support KET, can be found at www.ket.org.
About ITVS The Independent Television Service (ITVS) funds and presents award-winning documentaries and dramas on public television, innovative new media projects on the Web and the Emmy Award-winning weekly series Independent Lens on Tuesday nights at 10 PM on PBS. ITVS is a miracle of public policy created by media activists, citizens and politicians seeking to foster plurality and diversity in public television. ITVS was established by a historic mandate of Congress to champion independently produced programs that take creative risks, spark public dialogue and serve underserved audiences. Since its inception in 1991, ITVS programs have revitalized the relationship between the public and public television, bringing TV audiences face-to-face with the lives and concerns of their fellow Americans. More information about ITVS can be obtained by visiting itvs.org. ITVS is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.
About PBS PBS is a media enterprise that serves 354 public noncommercial television stations and reaches over 75 million people each week through on-air and online content. Bringing diverse viewpoints to television and the Internet, PBS provides high-quality documentary and dramatic entertainment, and consistently dominates the most prestigious award competitions. PBS is a leading provider of educational materials for K-12 teachers, and offers a broad array of other educational services. PBS' premier kids' TV programming and Web site, PBS KIDS Online (www.pbskids.org), continue to be parents' and teachers' most trusted learning environments for children. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org Web sites on the Internet. ###