|
A MUSICAL HISTORY LESSON offers a rare insight into the lives of slaves
and captivates audiences in schools, universities, regional
and national festivals, conferences, museums, libraries and
community events.
DISCOVERD BY SMITHSONIAN FOLKLORIST, Alan Lomax, the founder of the
group was Miss Bessie Jones who had been encouraged by author
Lydia Parrish to share the songs of her heritage which emanated
from the southern barrier islands. The Quimbys joined her
in 1969 and became the second generation of the Georgia Sea
Island Singers.
AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION is the keystone of each festive concert, seminar
or workshop, tailored specifically to each audience.
HEAR THE LYRICAL LANGUAGE of GULLAH, a mixture of English and African
dialect, along with work and escape songs, sea chanteys, call-and-response
and overlap tunes.
LEARN THE ART of HAND-CLAPPING, a means of communication and celebration,
distinctive to the islands that were cut off geographically
from the melting pot of the mainland.
"HAMBONE,HAMBONE,
WHERE YOU BEEN?", a frequently requested song where
lightning-quick hands turn the body into a musical instrument
with body and thigh slaps.
DRESSED IN BRILLANT DASHIKIS, accompanied only by rhythm instruments,
the Singers shed light on a near-forgotten portion of our
nation's history and encourage each individual to discover
his own personal heritage and appreciate that of others.
FOR
MORE THAN 30 YEARS,
the family has regarded their work as a mission and
have been untiring in their endeavor to preserve their
heritage. They offer a positive and unifying message forging
this vital storehouse of the past with the generations
of
the future.
|
