INNATE KNOWING (2022)

Program Note:

INNATE KNOWING was written as a coping mechanism for ethnic ambiguity and uncertainty. Being generational African-American, my ancestry is muddied; there is no singular branch on my genetic tree that points to a particular place in Africa. Unlike many of my Black peers who are Nigerian or Haitian or Ghanaian, I do not have direct ties to my motherland. I want to be clear that my intention for this piece is not to be despondent or pessimistic. My aim, in fact, is the opposite. I wrote this work to celebrate all the places my ancestors could have come from; the languages they could have spoken; the music they could have made. I wanted it to show how I, with no first-hand experience of the historical implication of African musical tradition, still deeply empathize and am moved by the cultural practice of the continent. The point of this work is to express that I am indeed the sum of my parts. I am the product of centuries of fine tuning and part of a rich tradition of Black artistry, even if I am not conscious of such vestiges.

This piece is an amalgamation of all possible ancestral universes. I employ a myriad of musical techniques used in different parts of West and South Africa to be emblematic of my entangled ethnic background. I use the 4/3 polyrhythm of the Ewe people of Ghana, kora timbral properties (stringed instrument of Malian origin) in place of a guitar or bass, and choral harmonies similar to those sung in South African hymns.

Score Components:

Performance of  INNATE KNOWING for esperanza spalding's Songwrights Apothecary Lab. May 4, 2022. Toussaint Miller (piano/ vocals), Jessica Shand (flute), Ria Modak (guitar)