Darrell Grant

MARILYN KELLER’S JOURNEY OF FAITH AND LOVE IN SONG, WITH COMPOSER AND PIANIST DARRELL GRANT. A LIVE VIDEO PREMIERE AND EP RELEASE AS PART OF BLACKFISH GALLERY’S BE ABOUT LOVE FESTIVAL. Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble (PJCE) has commissioned a new song cycle for the Blackfish Gallery “Be About Love” Festival, My Dreams, My Journey with lyrics by vocalist Marilyn Keller, and music by pianist Darrell Grant. Marilyn is a treasured veteran of Portland’s jazz and gospel music scenes who is often called in to bring life to songs by others. In this project, Keller steps forward as a creative director and lyricist. Keller and Grant will perform the music in a quartet with bass and drums in a pre-recorded video that includes interviews with the composer and lyricist. This new music will “deal with the times we are living in, and how we will come through together,” as Marilyn has said, offering her own open and affirming Christian faith as an example that a wider audience can find itself in. Marilyn has chosen Darrell Grant to compose music for her lyrics. It’s easy to understand why—this composer and pianist is a frequent collaborator with Keller and like her is an internationally recognized artist. But this pair of African American artists also show how our society could unify around principles of universal love and celebration of diversity. “I am His masterpiece,” Keller writes, proudly claiming her own truth, and also how she sees a divine capacity for goodness in all people.