IMN : Updates for SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK

Sweet Honey In The Rock - Tavis Smiley

IMN

April 17th, 2013

From The Tavis Smiley Show

Dr. Ysaye Barnwell – Sweet Honey In The Rock: “A Tribute – Live!”

Dr. Ysaye Barnwell of the Grammy Award-winning African American female a cappella group, Sweet Honey In The Rock, talks about 40 years of making music and their new CD, “A Tribute – Live! Jazz at Lincoln Center”.

To listen to the program click here

Confirmed Tourdates As Of April 11th, 2013

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June 9th, 2013: Rodney Strong Vineyards, Healdsburg Jazz Festival Healdsburg, CA USA [SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK®]
June 28th, 2013: Dominion-Chalmers United Church, Ottawa Internatio Ottawa, ON, CANADA [SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK®]
July 6th, 2013: The Majestic Theatre, Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA USA [SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK®]
October 12th, 2013: Landmark on Main Street Port Washington, NY USA [SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK®]
November 7th, 2013: Concert Hall of Fine Arts, University of Massachus Amherst, MA USA [SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK...A TRIBUTE]
November 8th, 2013: Tarrytown Music Hall Tarrytown, NY USA [SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK®]
November 15th, 2013: George A. Batte, Jr. Fine Arts Center, Wingate Uni Wingate, NC USA [SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK®]

A "Special Experience" With Sweet Honey In The Rock

IMN

April 1st, 2013

From TheMusic.com.au

Bluesfest 2013 Day 4
By: Dan Condon

The sky looks awfully threatening which lends an extra kind of gravitas to the deep spiritual vocals of Sweet Honey In The Rock. Their onstage demeanour is so very warm and pleasant, the arrangements of the songs are so complex but made to sound so simple and their sound today is unobstructed by bleed from the other tents, making it a real special experience. I Remember, I Believe is aired in tribute to all of our ancestors before a medley of spirituals that were repopularised with the Civil Rights Movement. We’ll have them back anytime, thank you very much.

To read more click here

FLOTUS is a Sweet Honey In The Rock Fan

IMN

March 8th, 2013

From The Washingtonian

Michelle Obama Spotted at the Howard Theatre for Sweet Honey in the Rock Show
By: Sophie Gilbert

The First Lady is a huge fan of the a cappella gospel group, whom she hosted at the White House in 2009.

The Howard Theatre hasn’t even been open a year since its $29 million renovation, but the venue can already boast two visits from Washington’s most popular cultural patron, Michelle Obama. The First Lady stopped by the theater last night for the second time in 2013 to take in a show by Grammy-winning gospel group Sweet Honey in the Rock.

FLOTUS has long been a fan of the all-female, a cappella troupe, whom she described as “one of my favorite groups in the whole wide world” at a performance at the White House in February 2009, praising them for their commitment to “the African-American tradition of using music and song to advance freedom and social justice.”

To read more click here

Sweet Honey In The Rock is Ready to Rock NYC

IMN

March 5th, 2013

From The Huffington Post

Sweet Honey In the Rock Is Ready to Rock NYC
By: Margie Goldsmith

Sweet Honey In The Rock is coming to B.B. King’s on March 5th. It’s been 39 years since this all female African-American a cappella group was formed and for four decades the group has been singing out for justice, truth and entertaining, educating and empowering audiences. The only difference between now and 40 years ago is that the present audiences now include three family generations.

“Their genres of music have expanded,” says Dr. Ysaye Barnwell, singer, composer, arranger, author and master teacher who has been with the group for 34 years. “The subject matter has also expanded as individual members and the group seek to articulate what is important: domestic violence, immigration, hazards of work, greed, education, HIV/AIDS, respect for elders and ancestors, issues of growing up, spirituality and racism, for example.”

I recently caught up with Dr. Ysaye Barnwell, whom I’d met a couple of years ago at an Omega Institute singing workshop. Fortunately, she had enough time to answer a few questions.

To read the interview click here

Sweet Honey In The Rock Continues to Expand

IMN

February 27th, 2013

From The Philadelphia Tribune

Sweet Honey in the Rock comes to town
By: Rita Charleston

Nearing its fourth decade, the internationally acclaimed, award-winning female African-American a cappella group, Sweet Honey in the Rock takes the stage at the Merriam Theater Feb. 28.

The group was founded in 1973 by Bernice Johnson Reagon, who was teaching a vocal workshop with the Washington, D.C. Black Repertory Company.

Around that same time, Carol Maillard, who was studying at Catholic University, was recruited to join the group and became one of the original members. Performing on and off with the group, Maillard, today an accomplished singer/songwriter and actress, is known for her powerful rendition of a “Motherless Child,’ arranged for Sweet Honey, and featured in the motion picture, “The Visit,” as well as the Dorothy Height documentary, “We Are Not Vanishing.”

According to Maillard, over the decades, more than 20 individuals have lent their voices to Sweet Honey. Beginning as a quartet, the group is now composed of six African-American women.

To read more click here

A Tribute - Live!

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February 26th, 2013

WORLD-RENOWNED VOCAL ENSEMBLE SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK
ADDS SOMETHING DIFFERENT – A JAZZ TRIO! – ON NEW 2-CD LIVE SET
AND UPCOMING SPECIAL SHOWS CELEBRATING MUSICAL INFLUENCES

February 26th Release on Appleseed Recordings, “A Tribute – Live! Jazz at Lincoln Center,” and Tour Dates Spotlight Quintet’s Inspirations and Versatility

Nearing its fourth decade, the internationally acclaimed and Grammy Award nominated female a cappella group SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK is unafraid to experiment. To honor some the seminal music that first inspired its unique blend of blues, African, jazz, gospel and R&B music, the group recently strode out of its comfort zone and designed a special “Tribute” concert presentation, boldly adding instrumentalists to fully realize the jazz-oriented concept, their first live shows with a contemporary jazz trio. Upping the ante, the singers decided to perform this special program at New York’s prestigious Rose Hall in Jazz at Lincoln Center and to record their two-night appearance there in front of delighted audiences.

The resultant recordings, drawn from those two shows at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Hall in 2011, comprise SWEET HONEY’s new 2-CD set, “A Tribute – Live! Jazz at Lincoln Center,” aptly timed for late February release – concluding Black History Month and preceding Women’s History Month in March. In the opening moments of the concert, group member Carol Maillard recites a roll-call of some of the great female African-American vocalists whose songs helped shape the group and comprise most of “Tribute’s” repertoire, including Abbey Lincoln, Odetta, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Miriam Makeba, Carmen McRae, Bessie Smith, and Sarah Vaughan.

“A Tribute – Live!” is the band’s first new release in five years and 23rd overall. Their previous Appleseed release, “Experience . . . 101” (2007), was their fourth children’s album and was a Grammy nominee. The group then conceptualized and prepared the “Tribute” presentation, a two year process, while collaborating on an original theatrical piece, “Go in Grace,” as part of the 50th Anniversary national tour of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, composing and performing their first orchestral work, and playing their own shows as frequently as ever.

On this new live set, SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK’s distinctive swirl of a cappella vocals, encompassing waves of imaginative five-part harmonies and occasional solo showcases, is heard unaccompanied, aside from the quintet’s hand percussion, on about half of the songs. Adorned with new arrangements by Sweet Honey’s members, there are jazz standards, gospel/civil rights anthems, Afro-centric songs, show tunes, blues, and a salsa-flavored original.
Interwoven throughout the presentation are the understated instrumental contributions of the trio nicknamed “the Honey Men” – Stacey Wade (musical director/piano/keyboards), Parker McAllister (upright acoustic & electric bass), Jovol Bell (drums, percussion) – who augment Sweet Honey’s exhilarating, soulful voices and confident, genre-crossing dexterity.

The group’s 2013 itinerary includes numerous dates in major US cities, including several special “Tribute” shows:
2/28/13 Kimmel Center, Philadelphia, PA • 3/1/13 McCarter Theater, Princeton, NJ • 3/2/13 New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark, NJ • 3/5/13 B.B. King’s, New York City • 3/7/13 Howard Theatre, Washington, D.C. The tour dates through the end of May will mark the final appearances of Dr. Ysaye Barnwell, a 34-year member of the group, who is departing to pursue her own career endeavors. (See www.appleseedmusic.com for all tour dates.)

Founded in 1973 by Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon at the D.C. Black Repertory Theater Company in Washington, SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK’s line-up currently includes returning original members Carol Maillard and Louise Robinson (Dr. Reagon retired from the group in 2004) and “long-timers” Barnwell, Nitanju Bolade Casel, and Aisha Kahlil, as well as on-stage sign language interpreter Shirley Childress. The group has toured from Australia to Zimbabwe, performed in the White House at the request of President and First Lady Obama, accrued numerous honors, and established itself as an inspiring, empowering musical force worldwide.

Sweet Honey In The Rock Pay Tribute

IMN

February 22nd, 2013

From The Philadelphia Inquirer

Sweet Honey in the Rock celebrates music and 40 years
By: John Timpane

On Thursday at the Merriam Theater, Sweet Honey in the Rock will be bringing it – and then some.

“We have everything,” says longtime (and retiring) member Ysaye Maria Barnwell, “from African to spiritual to doo-wop to folk to jazz to civil-rights music – we have it all.”

This year is the group’s 40th anniversary. Since 1973, Sweet Honey – present lineup Barnwell, Louise Robinson, Aisha Kahlil, Nitanju Bolade Casel, Carol Maillard, and impassioned signer Shirley Childress Saxton – has crisscrossed the world, with song-and-dance performances that combine musical journey, dance, spoken-word, political statement, and ecstatic exploration of the human voice.

Best known for its earthy a cappella, Sweet Honey will bring to the Merriam a jazz trio dubbed the Honeymen. “We’d never given extensive space to jazz, really, even though we’d all listened to it,” Barnwell says. “But this gives us that interplay between human and musical instruments.”

The show, and the album Sweet Honey in the Rock: A Tribute – Live! Jazz at Lincoln Center, released Tuesday by Appleseed label in West Chester, arose from a group meditation on the singers who had shaped them most.

To read more click here

Sweet Honey Bids Farewell to Ysaye M. Barnwell

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February 4th, 2013

Official Press Release

SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK WILL BID FAREWELL TO LONG TIME MEMBER DR. YSAYE M. BARNWELL IN 2013

SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK, the venerable and Grammy Award-nominated a cappella ensemble that is currently celebrating its’ 39th performance season will bid farewell to one of its’ most tenured and revered member’s Dr. Ysaye M. Barnwell, when she officially exits the group the at end of May this year to pursue several of her own career endeavors.

Barnwell’s inimitable and distinctive bass tones were added to the DC based a cappella quartet in 1979 after being scouted and invited by the ensemble’s founder/ creator Dr. Bernice Reagon. Reagon (who retired in 2004) formed the group in 1973 along with Louise Robinson, Carol Maillard and Mie, while teaching a vocal workshop at the legendary D.C. Black Repertory Theatre Company. Both Maillard and Robinson took a sabbatical from the group in 1976, returning in1992 and 2004, respectively. The current line-up comprises Maillard, Barnwell, Robinson, Aisha Kahlil (who joined in 1981), Nitanju Bolade Casel (who joined in 1985) and Shirley Childress Saxton, an American Sign Language interpreter who has been performing ASL with the group since 1981.

SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK’S sterling legacy as songwriters, activists, inspirational performers, and musical innovators has endured and weathered twenty-three personnel changes since its’ inception. In the light of the various configurations, their patented and unique five-part harmonized fusion of African chants, blues, jazz, soul, gospel, and rhythm & blues has built a worldwide following and generated 23 original and revered recordings.

“We are very sad to see Ysaye go,” says Carol Maillard, “but we know she’s embarking on a wonderful world of projects and accomplishments that she’ll undoubtedly achieve. She will always be a part of us and who knows when we might see her on the Sweet Honey stage again!”

“I have loved and deeply appreciated being a part of and contributing to the ensemble and legacy of Sweet Honey over the past 34 years,” stated Barnwell.

“The women of Sweet Honey will be my sisters forever, but I’ve felt a sense of calling to devote more of my personal and professional time to other projects that I’m very passionate about and have been nurturing for some time.”

SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK has revealed plans to eventually add a new member, and will be holding auditions over the next several months in preparation for their, SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK 40th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION: FORTY AND FIERCE, which will be launched and presented from late October 2013 – October 2014. The group is currently developing an entirely new theatrical production and show to commemorate their four decades of history- making music.

Barnwell will continue to be an integral part of all the ensemble’s live performances thru mid-May, 2013, including a series of international performances in Gent, Belgium, London, England, Muscat, Oman, and several cities in Australia in late March and early April.

Barnwell’s last recording with SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK will be released by Appleseed Recordings on February 26, 2012. The album entitled, SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK: A TRIBUTE, LIVE! JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER pays homage to the songs of several legendary jazz icons including Abbey Lincoln, Miriam Makeba, Odetta and Nina Simone. The double-CD is a live recording of their sold out performances at JALC’s Rose Theatre in April 2011 which also featured a contemporary jazz trio. They will perform several of songs from their new CD in all their forthcoming dates, and will reprise the full live Tribute show at the Kimmel Theater in Philadelphia, February 28; the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, March 1; NJPAC in Newark, March 2; BB Kings in New York. March 5; and the Howard Theater in Washington, DC, March 7.

Upon her departure from Sweet Honey, Barnwell plans to devote more of her time to her other career interests which include presenting vocal community workshops, conducting, composing, and further developing several major projects. Among them, THE FORTUNE’S BONES project that was commissioned and presented by the University of Maryland at the Clarice Smith Center in February 2012.

"Rapturous Praise" for Sweet Honey In The Rock

IMN

February 1st, 2013

From The Kansas City Star

Sweet Honey In the Rock connects with Kauffman Center audience
By: Bill Brownlee

The rapturous praise and energetic applause that greeted the opening song of Sweet Honey In the Rock’s magnificent performance Thursday at the Muriel Kauffman Theatre indicated that the concert would contain plenty of communal rapport between the audience of about 1,200 and the six women on stage.

The entrancing version of “Hush (Somebody’s Calling My Name)” merited the spontaneous displays of enthusiasm.

For 100 minutes not including intermission, the a cappella quartet performed traditional gospel material, civil rights anthems and politically-charged pop songs.

The exuberant interaction between performers and the audience heightened the celebratory tone of the evening while affirming the universal appeal of the repertoire.

To read more click here

Sweet Honey In The Rock Continues to Evolve

IMN

January 24th, 2013

From The Kansas City Star

Sweet Honey in the Rock keeps changing to keep the songs flowing
By: Timothy Flynn

If longevity is a function of consistency and change, then there’s little mystery about why Sweet Honey in the Rock is about to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

In the last five years alone, the African-American, all-women a cappella group, founded in the fall of 1973, has engaged in a variety of projects that involve more than just keen vocal prowess, including one with dance and another with symphonic music.

“Sometimes it’s all a little mysterious,” said Carol Maillard, one of the group’s founding members. “We joke around when things get — I’ll use the word squirrelly — in our conversations about how we’re doing this and which way we’re going with that, and we’re going round and round and talking and it gets like, ‘How do people stay together in groups for 30 or 40 years? Personalities change, lifestyles and life situations change, but what remains consistent is: It’s about the music. At this point it’s not just about how does this group continue to bless our audience, but how does it serve and bless the women in it?”

To read more click here

Sweet Honey In The Rock: "A National Treasure"

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December 6th, 2012

From The Seattle Times

At the Triple Door: Sweet Honey, sweet harmony
By: Misha Berson

Sweet Honey in the Rock began their set at the Triple Door by summoning ancestral spirits with a whoosh, an exhalation, an exultation.

The song was “Breaths.” And for nearly 40 years, this unique a capella vocal ensemble has seamlessly blended voice and breath to transport listeners with universal songs and chants from deep in the African-American (and African) tradition. Tradition, improvisation, political expression — that’s the Sweet Honey tonic for what ails the world.

It has been a while since Sweet Honey played Seattle. And their current gig (which ends with two shows on Wednesday night) is probably way too brief to satisfy their many fans in the area.

To read more click here

SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK Joins Non-Profit for Benefit Concert

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November 22nd, 2012

From Gazette.net

Local nonprofit joins Sweet Honey in the Rock for benefit concert
By: Cara Hedgepeth

Although National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week technically ended Nov.18, one Frederick nonprofit saw no reason to limit the help for the cause to just one week.

The Religious Coalition for Emergency Human Needs, dedicated to providing for those in need in Frederick County, has spent the entire month of November raising awareness and funds for the hungry and the homeless — just in time for the holidays.

The month of events, including a series of food and clothing drives and a potluck dinner and discussion, comes to an end Sunday afternoon at the Weinberg Center for the Arts with a benefit concert by the Washington, D.C.-based a capella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock.

“We were looking at a number of different groups,” says the Rev. Brian Scott, executive director of the Religious Coalition. “[Sweet Honey in the Rock] comes from a faith tradition and that was something we were looking for.”

Sweet Honey in the Rock was founded in 1973 at the D.C. Black Repertory Theater Company by Bernice Johnson Reagon. The group’s name is derived from Psalm 81:16: “But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with the honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

To read more click here

SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK Holiday Benefit Concert

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November 16th, 2012

From Want 2 Dish?

SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK IN FUNDRAISING HOLIDAY CONCERT
Submitted by: The Religious Coalition

The Religious Coalition is helping support those in need this season by hosting a holiday benefit concert performed by Sweet Honey in the Rock at the Weinberg Center on November 25, 2012 at 2:00 p.m.

After you celebrate Thanksgiving in the warmth of your home and with the comfort of fresh and hearty foods, there is a perfect way for you to give back to those who are not so fortunate this holiday season. Please join us and Sweet Honey in the Rock at the Weinberg to support the Religious Coalition and spread the warmth this holiday season.

To read more click here

Sweet Honey In The Rock Performs at Education Trust Conference

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November 13th, 2012

From The US Department of Education

Sweet Honey In The Rock performed at the annual Education Trust Conference: “Dispelling the Myth School Awards,” where U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan expressed his love for their music in his remarks to conference attendees:

“…we’re going to hear from Sweet Honey in the Rock next. I know what a treat that is—my dad helped organize a folk music festival at the University of Chicago for years. And Sweet Honey in the Rock was always one of the groups we loved listening to most.”

To read the full speech click here

SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK say to "take your vote"

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October 24th, 2012

From Examiner

Legendary Sweet Honey In The Rock encourages voting in new video
By: Jim Bessman

Sweet Honey In The Rock, the celebrated African-American female a cappella vocal ensemble founded in 1973 by Civil Rights Era group The Freedom Singers’ Bernice Johnson Reagon, have posted a video on YouTube and Facebook urging viewers to vote.

“It’s time for each and every one of us to get out and exercise our civic duty as American citizens and cast our ballot,” says Carol Maillard at the beginning of the two-minute clip. She and Louise Robinson are the remaining original members of Sweet Honey, and are joined in the video by veterans Ysaye Maria Barnwell, Nitanju Bolade Casel, Aisha Kahlil and sign language interpreter Shirley Saxton.

“As women and African-Americans, we truly understand the struggles, the battles, the lives lost in order for each and every person to have the right to vote,” continues Casel. “We have it. It’s sacred. It’s something we should each hold close to our hearts—and exercise that right at every opportunity.”

To read more click here