Fringe: Sing Sistah Sing! Tales of Transatlantic Freedom

Pianodrome at the Old Royal High - 19/08/22

Inspired by the works of American composer Serge Hovey, Andrea Baker joined forces with Howard Moody to co-create, Tales of Transatlantic Freedom, a narrative that transcends freedom through the historical interconnection and transatlantic inseparability of music and artistes. Bringing together an ensemble of poetry, song and music, their mission, “to get diversity back into music” whilst enlightening humanity to the power of overcoming subversive forces and live together as one most certainly was accomplished.

Not a seat to be had! Through the dimmed lights of the vintage fringed lamps intimately placed at the top of each of the piano constructed stalls, the ambiance of this quirkily assembled amphitheatre had been set. The sound of a heavily laden foot and beating drum reverberated around the room to Moody and Baker’s arrangement of the Metrical Psalm, ‘Dundee Early New England’. Its significance as the only tune of Scottish origin in the first Afrikaans Hymnal, shone through.  

Transitioning to her sweet operatic tones, Baker’s vocal rendition of Gershwin’s ‘Dr Jesus’ was magnificent. Her ability to vocally manoeuvre from one musical genre to another is quite remarkable. Looping from opera to field song to folk and back again with, ‘Tap Em Up Solid’ to ‘Ca’ The Yowes’ and ‘Another Man Done Gone Early’. With a mixture of spoken word and song, Baker moved onto Langston Hughes’ ‘Dreams’, followed by a beautiful adaptation of ‘Steal Away Negro Spiritual’ and Florence Price’s ‘My Dream’ mixing a sweet sounding infusion of choral and opera before moving onto Shirley Graham DuBois’ ‘No Time’.

Enthralling her audience through a diverse journey, accompanied by Moody’s delightful playing of strings, Baker returns to the shores of Scotland to perform Serge Hovey and Moody’s revision of Robert Burns’ ‘Slaves Lament’ and ‘Send Back the Money’.

Moving from the shores of Scotland to Honduras; Baker sings Nadia Cattouse’s, ‘The Man for all Colours’ to the enchanting sound of the harpsichord. Baker then draws the audience’s attention to Josephine Baker, culminating in a wonderful performance of ‘J’ai Deux Amour’, followed by Suzie Palmers’ ‘Abolition’ both of which have been re-arranged by Moody and Baker.

Returning to an infused version of Ayanna Johnson’s ‘Brown Sounds’ encapsulating opera and jazz, Baker intertwines back to the Celtic sounds of ‘Reynadine’ using the lyrics and text of Rhiannon Giddens.      

Emancipation is emotively brought to life through the seamless vocals of Andrea Baker and evocative musicianship of Howard Moody’s adaptation of the Bard’s ‘Wantonness for Evermair’. From a swaggering lilt of ‘Street-Talkin- Jive’, Ms Baker effortlessly transcends her layered voice, weaving Blues and Gospel, holler, Gaelic psalm and folk, leaving her participant audience enthralled.

As the crowd pipes down, in her lead up to Moody and Baker’s operatic arrangement of ‘We Shall Overcome’ sung in both Italian and English, Baker tells the story of her own transatlantic journey, in her search for freedom, to her beloved Scotland, through the memories of her enslaved Great Grandfather, Thomas Nelson Baker.

Concluding the show, Baker stamped her foot while chanting ‘No More Auction Block for Me!’ before bursting into song, leaving her delirious audience on a high.

Andrea Baker can sing! From Gaelic psalm, holler, field song and blues, to, gospel and jazz, this poetic, operettic mezzo soprano, was born to entertain.

Baker’s accomplice, a composer, conductor and inspiring instrumentalist, is none other than the internationally distinguished, award winning, musical genius, Howard Moody. Using several instruments throughout the show including, piano, harpsichord, strings, a horn and a box, his versatility and ability to master several instruments across numerous genres really is quite extraordinary.  

Over several decades, Director and co-founder of the Edinburgh-based production company Yard Heads, John Paul McGroarty honed his skills across the globe. From Scotland to Ireland and Canada too, this Producer/ Artistic Director and dramaturg has worked on numerous successful productions for television and theatres worldwide.    

‘Sing Sistah Sing! Tales of Transatlantic Freedom’ is a Yard Heads International production. Directed by John Paul McGroarty and produced by John Paul McGroarty and Alexandrea Lort Phillips, the production was supported by Pianodrome, Edinburgh and Museums and Galleries Scotland.

This innovative piece of musical theatre is something to behold. Ending with a rapturous roar from the ‘mitt pounding’ crowd who stomped their approval throughout a much deserved and prolonged standing ovation. An EIFF Must See!