Slavery and the Making of America [SOUNDTRACK]

Michael Whalen (Composer), Kimati Dinizulu (Performer), Bashiri Johnson (Performer), Michael Whalen (Performer), Frederick Akuffo (Performer), Grace Addow (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Kimati Dinizulu, Bashiri Johnson, Michael Whalen, Frederick Akuffo, Grace Addow
• Composer: Michael Whalen
• Audio CD (January 25, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Valley
• ASIN: B00070Q854
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #439,209 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Introduction and Theme to "Slavery and the Making of America"

2. First Eleven

3. Work Song/Black Women in the Colonies

4. Indians and the Slaves

5. Tobacco Suite

6. Hard Life

7. Story of Emmanuel

8. Small Victory

9. Stono Rebellion

10. Quack and His Wife

11. From People to Property

12. Colonel Ti

13. David Smith and the Next Generation

14. Vision of Black and White

15. Sold Down the River/The Plantation

16. Harriett's Theme

17. Immigrants

18. Sea of Blood

19. Stealing the 'Planter'

20. Mother and Son

See all 31 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

You have to admire restraint in any composer for film, where too often the tendency is to fill up as much space as possible and deliver emotions with a flourish of trumpets and a wall of strings to make sure they're not missed. Perhaps Michael Whalen's restraint comes from being a solo artist in his own right, with albums that range from classical to ambient. But he spends most of his time scoring films and TV, especially documentaries like PBS's Slavery and the Making of America. And like most good soundtrack composers, Whalen can easily leap from one style to another. On Slavery, these leaps are from the chamber bluegrass of "Sold Down the River/The Plantation" to the African chants and percussion of "The First Eleven" and the minimalist moods of "The Immigrants." After the African tribal-derived sound of the first episode, the score turns largely orchestral.

In Slavery, Whalen evokes, without specifically playing, work songs and folk styles, and finally presents a symphonic suite that looks back at those roots. But he speaks in a New World voice. Although, as with many soundtracks, it doesn't entirely work apart from the film, this is sophisticated scoring. --John Diliberto