Curtis J Stewart – OF POWER (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

A post-classical coming of agency album inspired by #BLM featuring songs of resistance and resilience for violin, voice, and electronics with five tracks. The album is comprised of original compositions and reimagined works by Charlie Parker, J.S. Bach, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Childish Gambino, John Coltrane, Paganini, Elektra Kurtis, Ysaÿe, & Stevie Wonder.

Mastered by Dave Veslocki & Prince’s on-demand sound engineer Derek Linzy, – Of Power is a contemporary coming of agency story about resistance, resilience, and the nature of power. Told through violin, verse, and electronics, Curtis’ original songs and reimagined works by Charlie Parker, Bach, John Coltrane, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Beethoven, Childish Gambino, Elektra Kurtis, Paganini, Ysaÿe, and Stevie Wonder weave a confessional narrative through the lens of a Black man searching for authenticity in the classical music world. Each track is accompanied by an original video available on all major streaming platforms.

“I wanted to tear down the practiced facade of a classical violinist to translate personal hardship, protest, and demands for social justice into sustained action and vigilance for the musical community and beyond,” Curtis says. “Of Power treats art as a battery for powering and realizing citizenship.”

Of Power’s inspirations are a mix of public and personal: George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and the protests surrounding their murders; Curtis’ parents, jazz tubist Bob Stewart and violinist Elektra Kurtis-Stewart; and Curtis’ decade performing in PUBLIQuartet and hip hop poetry trio The Mighty Third Rail.

The album viscerally captures the shock, fear, sorrow, and outrage following George Floyd’s death, feelings that Curtis bottled up over months of isolation juxtaposed with moments of lyrical beauty, such as his solo take on Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely?”

Tracklist:
1-1. Curtis J Stewart – Louisiana Blues Strut – A Cakewalk (03:24)
1-2. Curtis J Stewart – Improvisation on Paganini Caprice, No. 11: Andante (02:01)
1-3. Curtis J Stewart – Improvisation on Paganini Caprice, No. 11: Presto (03:56)
1-4. Curtis J Stewart – Scrapple (01:46)
1-5. Curtis J Stewart – Lift Every Voice and Sing (03:41)
1-6. Curtis J Stewart – 8:46 – Ysaye Solo Sonata, No. 2: I. Obsession (08:46)
1-7. Curtis J Stewart – SHOOK – Sum1 (02:32)
1-8. Curtis J Stewart – StayWoke. (03:26)
1-9. Curtis J Stewart – Mangas (05:12)
1-10. Curtis J Stewart – Magic Might (06:15)
1-11. Curtis J Stewart – #HerName (02:23)
1-12. Curtis J Stewart – Until the Glass Breaks (05:10)
1-13. Curtis J Stewart – Beethoven 2020 (02:18)
1-14. Curtis J Stewart – Our Past is a Privilege (02:20)
1-15. Curtis J Stewart – After the Rain (03:09)
1-16. Curtis J Stewart – Don’t you worry ’bout a THANG (04:07)
1-17. Curtis J Stewart – Isn’t She Lovely (03:54)