Album Notes

In 2007 TK Blue received a grant from the NYSCA and Transart Inc to write a suite based on the early african-american presence in the hudson valley area of upstate New York.Solomon Northup was a free man living in upstate NY during the time of slavery.He was a farmer and musician who played the violin. On a trip to Wash DC in 1841, Solomon was abducted and later sold into slavery in Louisiana. He spent 12 years on a cotton plantation before he was rescued in 1853 and he returned home to his family in New York. This is an incredible story of courage in the face of adversity. He was able to document his life in his book "12 Years A Slave". In Solomon's own words "..if it had not been for my beloved violin, I scarcely can conceive how I could have endured the long years of bondage. It was my companion..the friend of my bosom..triumphing loudly when I was joyful, and uttering its soft melodious consolations when I was sad". His story is an incredible chapter of american history!!!!!