If you’ve been looking for the 7th Wonder of the World, look no further. Takes a bit of uncovering. But think of it as a treasure hunt…
One that can be found within America’s history. A history often disconnected from Black history.
We are encouraged to reckon with our past, no matter how many dead ends you find. It involves finding the grooves in the Juke Joint beat far into the distance. It falls solemn and heavy on Jim Crow victors still living. You find these sounds in church, humming with the Mother Board on Sunday morning. Have Black sounds been beaten silent?
Sometimes it feels that there are hidden oaths. Mandating how much truth is permitted to the public. There are many things history has failed to repeat outside of omission.
Our musical roots within this country are based on the Black experience. And it’s clear as day, if you know exactly what to listen for. Negro Spirituals can be found as the origins of America’s music. You'll find the 7th Wonder.
Negro Spirituals from the Far South by A.E. Perkins brings this thought full circle.
The Negro spirituals of slavery times were composed in the fields, in the kitchen, at the loom, in the cabin at night and were inspired by some sad or awe-inspring event... The death of a beloved one, even one of the master’s family, the hardness of a master or his cruelty, the selling of his friends or relatives, and heart-rending separations, a camp meeting, a great revival, the sadness or loneliness of old age, the unusual phenomena such as a bursting of a comet...
From Rock, to BlueGrass, Blues Black Spirituals can be found.
Mirrors is filled with rich connections to Black historical roots.
Here you can listen to some of the music within Mirrors, Ashley Noel Jones is the musical director within both the film and play. You’ll be greeted by her voice in this small compilation of sounds.