bcl-vib-pft-egtr-vlc.db
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Boosey & Hawkes
On a chilly autumn evening, I was walking down Chicago's Magnificent Mile. In front of me, an elderly man was slowly strolling; his walking-cane tapping on the concrete with each step. He was singing with a raw, slow voice which had an immediate sense of both joy and struggle. I scurried up, and asked if he'd mind me recording him. He said yes, and we continued to walk southward as he sang. Then he stopped and we chatted a little. I asked him his name and whether he'd mind me setting his voice to music. Willie Barbee's face lit up with the idea.
A Wonderful Day sets Willie's voice—spoken and sung—with the instruments of the Bang on a Can All-Stars who provide a gentle bed of sound. My editing of the original recordings is minimal so as to preserve the directness of Willie's voice and the surrounding sounds of traffic, people chatting and the tapping of his cane.
—Anna Clyne
Additional note:
In ongoing recognition of Willie Barbee’s contribution to the piece and to honor and support the people like him without homes in the Chicago area, royalties from this work are donated to Lincoln Park Community Services—a homeless shelter in Chicago that brings communities together to empower individuals facing homelessness and poverty to secure stable housing and make sustainable life changes.
“The scoring is deftly varied with each iteration and at just five minutes, A Wonderful Day is a small gem.” —Chicago Classical Review
