A message from Marlon on composing history...

In composing Workin’ on a Building, I wanted to tell the story of family— through music, convey the importance of remembering the connection we have with generations who have come before. Looking through old photographs of my family, I could not help but feel that they were telling me something of importance. It was though I could hear my ancestors imploring me to begin the journey…inspire the family to heal, and remember our legacy. As I sat at the piano sketching melodic ideas I soon realized I was not writing songs—I was composing history.

For Black people in the United States, that history includes the story of how our ancestors have survived racial hatred since their first days on these shores. And while looking back and connecting to this horrific saga may be painful, we must nevertheless look... and remember.

Of course there are many books written about race and racism, but I believe music—and jazz specifically—helps us connect to history in ways that written texts do not. The wail of the saxophone, the hypnotic groove of the bass, the rhythms of the drums, the harmonies of several voices in song, all evoke certain moods and emotions that resonate on a deeper level. Within jazz we find all the musical elements borne out of the Black experience here in the US. So much is said in a soulful hum, a blues riff, or the harmonic progression of bebop. I would argue that historically, jazz is the only genre of music that can tell the story of Black life in America honestly, and with the creative freedom it requires.

There is still a lot of work to be done. By making a collective commitment to never, ever forget, we honor the project(s) which our ancestors began. My hope is that this composition provides another way for us to pick up the tools and continue workin’ on that building.