Marlene Rosenberg - MLK Convergence (CD)

MLK is an acronym for this superlative trio of Chicago bassist Marlene Rosenberg, drummer Lewis Nash and pianist Kenny Barron and of course, iconically for the great American moral and spiritual leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Balancing the thought of these musicians being people of different colors, heritages, sexes and generations, coming together in great joy and purpose, with recent headlines highlighting a renewed environment of permissible hate, blame and lack of tolerance, was at the forefront as Marlene shaped this program. The music and activism of the '60s provided an inspiration for many of the original compositions, while the current social conditions added an urgency. Her relationships with Kenny and Lewis going back decades contributes the warmth, love and camaraderie that envelops the proceedings, bringing to mind Stevie Wonder's lyric from the closing track, "Loves in Need of Love Today / Don't delay / Send yours in right away."