Brooklyn based experimental jazz/hip hop group Standing on the Corner has just released a new video titled “G-E-T-O-U-T!! The Ghetto,” along with a vinyl issue of the music including special artwork. The band is comprised of Kweku Sumbry on congas, Savannah Harris on drums, Linton Smith III on tambourine, Devin Starks on bass, Aja Grant on organ and Shamel C. Mystery on the clav.
The video is a powerful experience that displays the spontaneous and vibrant music of jazz with the thoughts and concerns of the community that created the art form. The dazzling talent of the musicians is only couples by the message of the video, which is expressed by innocent seven year old Annalise Chanel Renee Williams. After she clamors to “Get out the ghetto!” as the musicians display their talent and the music of jazz, the tone of the song shifts, and Williams sings “Nobody knows,” as the band plays the familiar melody of “Nobody Knows The Trouble I’ve Seen” behind her. The power of the statement of a young, innocent girl singing the first line of that song with an epic band behind her is profound, and beautifully concludes the epic experience.
The band is selling a vinyl issue of the song, and all proceeds from their sales will go directly to Therapy for Black Girls and Ancient Song Doula Services, in hopes to “leave behind a better world for [Williams] and all Black women than the burning one we’ve inherited.”
Check out the artwork for “G-E-T-O-U-T!! The Ghetto” below:
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