Love in the Form of Sacred Outrage

This is the second album by WeFreeStrings, which was founded in 2011. Leader Melanie Dyer (not to be confused with the Australian country-pop songwriter of the same name) is a jazz viola player and composer based in New York City who currently performs with the Sun Ra Arkestra, Dead Lecturers, Heroes Are Gang Leaders, Baba Andrew Lamb, Gwen Laster’s New Muse 4tet, William Parker,  Tomeka Reid Stringtet, Janice Lowe/Tyehimbe Jess Millie & Christina project, and Patricia Nicholson’s Women with an Axe to Grind.  She’s played and/or recorded with Henry Grimes, Makanda Ken McIntyre’s Contemporary African American Composers’ Orchestra, Tulivu Donna Cumberbatch, Nona Hendryx, Joe Bonner, Reggie Workman, Howard Johnson, David Haney, and many other notable musicians. 

She trained with William Lincer (Principal Violist, New York Philharmonic), Lee Yeingst (Principal Violist, Colorado Symphony Orchestra), John Jake Kella (NY Metropolitan Opera) and Naomi Fellows (Colorado Symphony Orchestra); and studied viola performance at the LaMont School of Music/University of Denver.

Please buy downloads here: Love in the Form of Sacred Outrage | WeFreeStrings (bandcamp.com)

Track Listing:

1. Baraka Suite [for Amiri Baraka] 25:47

Mvt. 1 Meditation on Earth

Mvt. 2 In the Theater

Mvt. 3 Who? Who? Who?

Mvt. 4 Stride Out and Dig

Mvt. 5 Few Worlds Ahead

Mvt. 6 There Me Go

2. Love in the Form of Sacred Outrage [for Fannie Lou Hamer] 4:10

3. Pretty Flowers 9:18

4. Propagating the Same Type of Madness, that uh... [for Fred Hampton] 7:23

Tracks 1, 2 & 4 written by Melanie Dyer

Track 3 written by Baba Andrew "The Black" Lamb

Credits:

Personnel on tracks 1 & 4: Charles Burnham, violin; Gwen Laster, violin; Melanie Dyer, viola; Alexander Waterman, cello; Ken Filiano, bass; Michael Wimberly, drums

Personnel on tracks 2 & 3: Melanie Dyer, viola, Gwen Laster, violin; Ken Filiano, bass.

Liner Notes: William Parker

Mixing & Mastering: Alexander Waterman

Sound Engineer: Jon Rosenberg

Recorded by Rene Pierre Allain on June 22 & 23, 2021 at Scholes Street Studio (Brooklyn, NY)

Press Quotes: "...an outstanding modernist violist."  Anthony Barnett, The Strad

Musicians: We Free Strings