dwb (driving while black)
Albany, 2021
8/10
Listen to dwb (driving while black)
A project that’s as important as ever in these troubling times, Susan Kander and Roberta Gumbel join forces to address systemic racism on the appropriately titled dwb (driving while black), which is essentially a chamber opera that makes good use of Hannah Collins’ cello and Michael Compitello’s percussion.
“Prelude: ‘Oh Honey’” starts the listen percussively strong and with swift strings as Gumbel’s soaring soprano contains the mood with much beauty, and “Bulletin #1: ‘Young Lawyer’” follows with a musically bare but vocally strong minute of artistic, thoughtful wordplay.
Further down the line, “Scene Two: ‘You, My Beautiful Brown Boy’” flows with expressive storytelling in a dreamy climate, while “Bulletin #4: Scene: Curbside For Carry-Out” displays frisky drumming amid some topical dialogue. “Scene Seven: “No! Strike Me With Your Anger”, the longest track at 6 minutes, then really illustrates the depth of Gumbel’s vocal strength as Compitello’s percussion maintains its unpredictable nature.
Closer to the finish, “Scene Twelve: ‘Get Me Out Of The Car’” offers cautious yet playful instrumentation, and “Scene Thirteen: ‘Nothing New’” solidifies the affair as a daring and very important chamber listen that should be required listening in 2021.
With a storyline that parallels Gumbel’s life raising a son who is about to get behind the wheel in his teenage years, what should be a celebratory event is now one riddled with anxiety, even fear. To help cultivate the mood, both Collins and Compitello play several instruments in the exploratory setting as Gumbel’s operatic quality keeps us enthralled from beginning to end.
Travels well with: Alan Hovhaness- Selected Piano Compositions; Victoria Bond- Soul Of A Nation: Portraits Of Presidential Character