During this inaugural concert in celebration of the Ken Okoth '01 Black American Music Project, the Campbell Brothers will present an evening concert on Wednesday, Sept. 21 and two masterclasses on Thursday, September 22, at 12:00 and 2:30 pm in Peterson Kermani Hall.
The Ken Okoth '01 Black American Music Project, celebrates the lasting legacy of Ken Okoth '01 who was well known for his love of music and sang with St. Lawrence's Laurentian Singers and the Singing Saints. The Project supports the exploration of Black music history and origins, musical genres such as blues, jazz, and gospel, and the complexity and influence of Black American music traditions on the world through visual displays, lectures and talks, seminars, and live performances.
The Campbell Brothers present a compelling, rich variety of material from the African-American Holiness-Pentecostal repertoire with a new twist: the growling, wailing, shouting, singing, and swinging voice of the steel guitar, played as you have never heard it played before.
As the music moves from sanctuary to concert hall — including the Hollywood Bowl, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, SF Jazz, North Seat Jazz, Brooklyn Academy of Music and Symphony Space — secular audiences are now able to appreciate a performance both devoted and rocking.
Pedal steel guitarist Chuck Campbell (2004 National Heritage Fellowship recipient) and his lap steel-playing brother Darick are two of the finest in this tradition. Rounding out the band, which has been playing together for nearly two decades, is a high-energy rhythm section featuring brother Phil Campbell on electric guitar, his son Carlton on drums, and bassist Daric Bennett. Classic, gutsy gospel vocals by Denise Brown, Tiffany Godette, and/or Joyce “Cinnamon” Brown bring the ensemble to a level of energy and expression that defies description.
The concert is free, open to the public, and in-person, with live streaming.