The Roots To Perform At The Hollywood Bowl

The Roots will join the Emmy Award winning composer Laura Karpman, Jessye Norman and Nnenna Freelon for a performance inspired by Langston Hughes‘ Ask Your Mama: 12 Moods for Jazz at The Hollywood Bowl. The event will be the Los Angeles premier of a show that received critical acclaim when it was done in New York’s Carnegie Hall. George Manahan, Music Director of the New York City Opera will conduct the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra for this presentation.

Langston Hughes’ poetry inspired this so it was only right that his instructions be followed as written in his book.

“Hughes lays out exactly what the music should sound like,” composer Laura Karpman told Variety [click here]. “He literally ‘scores’ the poem. He asks for flutes, African drums, hunting horns, delicate German lieder. The references cross the musical spectrum.”

Karpman added that the show will allow for much more.

“One of the very first things that we said we wanted to do was to have a conversation about race through music,” she noted.

The show is said to be one that showcases different musical styles and it has received positive reviews as a result.

“Creating a piece of music that crosses genres, Jazz, Classical, Hip-Hop — to see all of them interact together in a meaningful way, is transformative.”

?uestlove spoke to PBS about this show, as well [click here].

“I was unaware that he had written this elaborate piece. It’s rather timeless. The way we present it, which deals a lot with cultural differences, race relations and post-minstrel entertainment in America. The fact that it was written over 40 years ago, and the fact that it’s still timeless now is quite amazing to me.”

The show will take place this Sunday, August 30 at The Hollywood Bowl.