In Lara Downes' New Series, Black Musicians Rise To A Pivotal Moment
The pianist joins Ari Shapiro to discuss Amplify With Lara Downes, a video series on Black musicians who have experienced renewed creativity regarding racial injustice.
How can a moment of protest and isolation inspire creative rebirth? That's the question renowned pianist Lara Downes is exploring as the host of a new video series for NPR Music, simply titled Amplify With Lara Downes.
Downes says the mission of the series is to present intimate conversations with Black musicians who are experiencing creative awakenings during a time of transformation and uncertainty. She joined Ari Shapiro on All Things Considered to talk about it; hear the radio version at the audio link, and read on for an edited transcript.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Ari Shapiro: In your introduction to this series, you mention Harlem in the
