An ‘African-American Musical Portrait’ Marking 400 Years Since U.S. Slavery’s Inception

Historians still debate when groups of Africans were first taken by Europeans and brought against their will to the Americas. Many say 2019 is the 400th anniversary of the start of slavery in the U.S.

Acclaimed jazz bassist Avery Sharpe has taken this significant number, and wrote a new hour-long piece called “400.”

Sharpe lives in western Massachusetts and has gigged over the decades with McCoy Tyner, Wynton Marsalis and others. He premieres “400” this week in Amherst and Hartford with his own ensemble.

When Sharpe first started talking about writing this soundtrack of history, he said he saw it as a puzzle.

“How do I fit 400 years into 60 minutes worth of music?” he said.

Sharpe breaks the centuries into eras, two or three songs each. He starts with 1619 and the arrival of 20 Africans on the shores of Virginia, moving into a piece called, “Is There A Way Home?”