The "Ode to the Niagara Movement" is an original five movement  composition featuring strings, woodwinds and brass, by adjunct instructor, Rey Scott (who is also a member of the world renowned Sun Ra Arkestra). The composition was inspired by the work of three African American composers: Francis Johnson, James Bland and James Reese Europe. (The first two lived during the era of slavery, while the third is from the close of that era.)
      The composition includes elements of jazz, European classical music and African music scored to evoke feelings of tension and release, so as to musically capture the theme of the Niagara Movement: the African American struggle for freedom and justice for all in the U.S.

About the Composer

Rey Scott teaches "Introduction to African American Music" and the "Evolution of Spiritual and Gospel Music." He has performed and composed music for the last thirty years. Among other musicians he has worked with include Lionel Hampton and Tito Puente. 
       In addition to performance tours in the U.S., Scott has been part of tours that have taken him to such places abroad as Western Europe, South America, Russia, and Japan.