Pianist, composer, and producer Sean Mason and poet Mahogany L. Browne joined anchor Linsey Davis on ABC News Live to talk about Chrome Valley, their collaborative album released in April on The Soapbox Presents. You can watch the full ABC News Live segment on Chrome Valley on the ABC News website.
ON THE SEGMENT
ABC News introduced Chrome Valley as a collaborative album and music essay that crosses genres, presenting Browne as Lincoln Center's first poet-in-residence and Sean as the album's composer and producer. The conversation brought the album to a national news audience a month after its release.
ABOUT CHROME VALLEY
Chrome Valley sets ten poems from Browne's poetry collection of the same name to original music by Sean, alternating between her spoken-word recitations and fully composed songs. The album draws on jazz, R&B, and gospel while staying rooted in the blues, and was recorded at Sear Sound in New York with an ensemble including bassist Russell Hall, drummer Domo Branch, vocalists Ekep Nkwelle and Jillian Grace, saxophonist Stacy Dillard, trumpeter Anthony Hervey, and vibraphonist Joel Ross.
The project grew out of a live performance Browne commissioned from Sean during her tenure at Lincoln Center, staged with dancers, projected imagery, and a cast of jazz musicians. Sean read her book cover to cover and chose the ten poems himself, and Browne gave him the freedom to edit and condense her verse into lyrics. Read the full story behind the record in our Chrome Valley release announcement.
SEGMENT DETAILS
- Outlet: ABC News Live
- Host: Linsey Davis
- Aired: May 20, 2024
- Guests: Sean Mason and Mahogany L. Browne
- Album: Chrome Valley (The Soapbox Presents, April 19, 2024)
LISTEN
Chrome Valley is available on all major streaming platforms. After watching the interview, you can listen to Chrome Valley on Spotify and learn more about the label behind it at The Soapbox Presents.
For more of Sean's music as a leader, explore his debut album The Southern Suite, released in October 2023 on Blue Engine Records, the label of Jazz at Lincoln Center. It features his quintet of Tony Glausi on trumpet, Chris Lewis on tenor saxophone, Felix Moseholm on bass, and Domo Branch on drums, who also plays throughout Chrome Valley.
