The modern Civil Rights Movement was epitomized by Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960’s. The genesis for this dates back over a century. Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois and Harriet Tubman are among the most recognizable figures of that area. For Philadelphians, Octavius Catto is an eternal symbol of the passionate fight for Civil Rights in America. Born a free man in South Carolina (1839), the Civil Rights activist, educator and local baseball legend was murdered in South Philadelphia (at the intersection of 9th and South Street). This horrific act ended the transformative life and times of this extraordinary individual. His indelible mark on history includes the Pennsylvania ratification of the pivotal 13th, 14thy and 15th Amendments to the Constitution that ended slavery and set the stage for civil and voting rights for citizens. Pianist, composer and fellow Philadelphian Uri Caine (who has played with local jazz legends like Hank Mobley, Philly Joe Jones and Grover Washington Jr.) has composed a jazz oratorio (The Passion Of Octavius Catto) to bring additional enlightenment to a seminal historical figure. Commissioned by The Mann Center For The Performing Arts and the Pew Center For The Arts, the ten-part musical project is unique for its amalgamation of classical, jazz trio and gospel music supplemented by 37- pace chamber orchestration (The Catto Freedom Orchestra/conducted by Andre Raphel), and 32-piece gospel chorale arrangements. Originally performed at the Mann Center in 2014, this recording was completed on August 23, 2018 at The DiMenna Center for Classical Music in New York. In what can be described as an examination of the contradictory nature of our humanity, Caine delineates various cultural touchstones of Catto’s life and 19th Century civil rights politics. The opening “Prologue” serves as an introduction to Catto with classical processional accents and rich gospel choir. A dissonant instrumental (“The Mob Burns Down Pennsylvania Hall”) mixes strings, reeds and horns in ominous flourishes. This event was an anti-abolitionist event that happened in 1938.
