Description

Producer Greg Ward spent hours finding every nuance of the song in this extraordinary new mix.

“We Are Not Going Away 2018” is an anthem for a new America. It is in the face of those who would destroy the hard won rights of Black people, the LGBTQ community, immigrants, refugees, and all of us. It is a statement of persistence perseverance, and patriotism in a climate that prioritizes white supremacy. It is also some amazing music and words unlike anything you have ever heard from us.

“This piece was already relevant to Donald Trump’s and others’ attacks on civil liberties from the immigration ban to decimating civil rights enforcement. Charlottesville and Trump’s response to it make ‘We Are Not Going Away 2018’ so much more timely,” says Michael Vander Does. “As someone raised in the Jewish tradition, someone with people of color in my family and friends, someone with a lesbian daughter and many friends in the LGBTQ community, the events of last weekend are frightening. But they are also empowering. This piece is about standing up to racism and bigotry and that is what so many people take away from the tragic events in Charlottesville.”

“We Are Not Going Away 2018” is a dramatically different reworking of a 2004 JazzPoetry Ensemble piece called “We Are Not Going Away” written in response to the Ohio passage of the Defense of Marriage Act. Vander Does said, “My daughter was devastated by this vote. She felt like gay people were not welcome in Ohio. So I wrote ‘Not Going Away’ for her.” The original “Not Going Away” is available on the JazzPoetry Ensemble’s first CD, 2006’s “Freedom is a Constant Struggle”.

Producer and engineer Greg Ward (George Clinton, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bootsie Collins, Parliament/Funkadeleic) contributed significantly to the song, creating varied voices in different spaces to emphasize the story of the piece. From the opening pastoral section to the megaphone-boy white nationalist to the communal spirit of persistence, he sharpened the distinctions of each section. He built choruses of Brett Burleson’s electrifying guitar solos and made clear the rock-solid rhythms of Roger Hines’s bass and Roger Myers’s drums. “Greg turned this from a good piece into a great song,” says Vander Does. Greg comments, “The song itself, both words and music, led me to bring it to life.. More and more every day – I am highly motivated to help tell the story and encourage action.”