My Journey with R. Nathaniel Dett
The path of revelation
The Discovery
I’ve always been curious about composers who fall outside the mainstream of what the classical music world often considers “great,” and been inspired by their voices. Often that connects with creators that are somehow “different,” or outsiders in some way.
My journey with Dett began with a casual conversation with a friend of mine, Dr. J. Donald Dumpson – a fantastic and well recognized gospel choir director and composer. I had asked him about the piano works of Black composers that he would recommend, at which he mentioned Dett’s “Dance Juba.” At his recommendation, I bought Dett’s collected piano works (which is now out of print), enjoyed “Juba,” and began playing through the rest of the 200+ pages of music in front of me, which, unsurprisingly, I had never encountered throughout my years in music schools and as a professional performer.
So much was unfolding under my hands: the mastery of piano sonority and color, the luscious harmonies and melodies inflected by spirituals. I recorded and performed one of the six suites, In the Bottoms (the only one that occasionally makes it onto mainstream programming), but the others kept saying something personal to me. They expressed a deep desire to be heard, felt, and brought to life in sound.
The Sign & The Path
Years later, when finishing my DMA at Temple University in Philadelphia, I needed to find a thesis topic. Some professors suggested I stick to something “important” or “noteworthy,” not a figure like Dett. Unsure of what to do, I ordered a biography of Dett, and in the mail came a used copy signed by the author. That was the sign: This is my path.
Now it was time to dive in through researching and connecting with this man whose creations captivated me so. The images and love of nature, the mysticism in the poetry, and the narratives and dreams born of a difficult life lived in the shadow of racial segregation all came to life for me.
The Fruit
But this wasn’t all just for a thesis – I needed to share this treasure with a world audience, and that meant making a recording.
I got to work learning and performing in concert that 200+ page book. I retraced some of the places that were part of Dett’s life, including Niagara Falls and Hampton University in Virginia. On the advice of my recording engineer, Dirk Fischer, I traveled to Bavaria for two sets of recording sessions. To fund the release, I developed a crowdfunding campaign through Kickstarter.
In November 2015, Navona Records released My Cup Runneth Over: The Complete Piano Works of R. Nathaniel Dett. By mid-2016, reviewers from all over the US, Canada, and Europe had shared their positive feedback, and it was starting to generate a buzz. Gramophone UK, the most prestigious album reviewing publication in the world, even made it a Critic’s Choice pick for 2016. Best of all, Dett’s sublime music for the piano is now enjoyed by people all over the world, on the radio, streaming, and on CD. The music truly can change your life – it certainly changed mine!
The Recording Process
My Cup Runneth Over: The Complete Piano Works of R. Nathaniel Dett was recorded at the Reitstadl, Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, Germany.
A charming Bavarian village nestled in the foothills of the Alps, Neumarkt is home to one of the most beautiful small concert halls in the world. Originally constructed in 1521 with its most recent renovation having been completed in 2023, Reitstadl Hall boasts performances by top artists across solo and chamber music genres. Its perfect acoustics and marvelous Steinway made it a wonderful location to record.