(guitar music) (man laughs) (upbeat music) - [Announcer] Tonight on Inland Sessions.

(xylophone music) - I'm Brian Bogue, join me for jazz tunes and original pieces, coming up on Inland Sessions.

(upbeat jazz music) (xylophone music) (xylophone music continues) (xylophone music continues) (xylophone music continues) So one of the tunes that I wrote was called "Get Real."

And that, that tune actually, I took that from a CS Lewis quote, "that the only way to find your real self is to lose your yourself."

And so, so that's sort of what was behind the writing of "Get Real", and just trying to take life by the horns and and going after it.

(xylophone music) (xylophone music continues) (xylophone music continues) (xylophone music continues) (xylophone music continues) (xylophone music continues) (xylophone music continues) What initially pulled me in was being jealous of my brother and sister, getting to have piano lessons.

And I wanted to be like them, so I, in third grade started getting piano lessons.

Then I remember I'm the youngest of three.

I remember going to see my brother and sister play in the band in the junior high.

And my stomach was like literally vibrating whenever the percussion section was, was playing.

Now, in hindsight they were playing way too loud.

Which is why I could feel it, but I, that sensation just really blew me away.

So when I got the chance to choose, I chose to play drums, and ended up branching into percussion.

(xylophone music) (xylophone music continues) (xylophone music) (xylophone music continues) (xylophone music continues) Over the pandemic, I wrote "The Dream."

And "The Dream" came as a result of everything we've been going through.

Economic, catastrophe, the pandemic and racial strife, all at once.

Then when John Lewis died, it just really began to hit me that we've lost, a real icon in the civil rights movement.

And I remember watching, watching the memorial service for him on TV, I was so moved by it.

And one of the people that spoke at his memorial, read a Langston Hughes poem, and called "I Dream a World."

I was so touched by that poem that I just felt, we need to join together in this fight.

- And Bryan Bogue, my friend of many years, asked me to write lyrics for a piece he had composed.

He titled it "The Dream."

For some time, I'd been reading a lot of work by black poets and black authors and I was increasingly, appalled at my ignorance, at my assumptions, my blind spots, my complicity.

So I felt really unqualified to take part in this, but, it was a kind of a therapeutic shattering process I was going through, and I really liked jigsaw puzzles, and so, the thought of piecing together a new way forward, in collaboration with Brian that fired my imagination.

(piano playing) (wind chimes) (piano continues) (wind chimes) (piano continues) - I dream a world where man, no other man will scorn.

Where love will bless the earth and peace its paths adorn.

I dream a world where all will know sweet freedom's way.

Where greed no longer saps the soul nor avarice blights our day.

(piano and wind chimes) (piano continues) ♪ I re-dream this world ♪ ♪ With me ♪ ♪ Each vibrant story ♪ ♪ Ever meant to be ♪ ♪ A world where trust abides ♪ ♪ When justice rules ♪ ♪ And ♪ ♪ endless wisdom guides ♪ ♪ Where we're neighbors ♪ ♪ when we meet ♪ ♪ Expecting race, gender, class ♪ ♪ Kind and creed, oh ♪ ♪ Re-Write these times ♪ ♪ With me ♪ ♪ To make amends ♪ ♪ And ♪ ♪ Move to a place ♪ ♪ To make peace ♪ (piano and wind chimes play) - A world I dream where black or white, whatever race you be.

Will share the bounties of the earth, and every man is free.

Where wretchedness will hang its head, and joy, like a pearl, attends the needs of all man kind, of such I dream, my world!

♪ Hope is the table waiting now ♪ ♪ And it holds our dream book and our grief ♪ ♪ It will take so many hands to turn the leaf ♪ ♪ And begin ♪ ♪ Loving is the call before us all ♪ ♪ Couple with humilities belief ♪ ♪ May we each embody words that heal and vanish ♪ ♪ Fear ♪ ♪ Our fear ♪ ♪ A dream book could always ♪ ♪ open for us ♪ ♪ Here ♪ (piano playing) ♪ I dream this world ♪ ♪ With me ♪ ♪ The vibrant Eden ♪ ♪ Ever meant to be ♪ ♪ The ram where mercy ♪ ♪ Thrives ♪ ♪ Which air is freedom ♪ ♪ Braces all our lives ♪ ♪ Where we're neighbors ♪ ♪ when we meet ♪ ♪ Expecting race, gender, class, ♪ ♪ Kind and creed oh ♪ ♪ Re-claim these times ♪ ♪ with me ♪ ♪ Bring it to be ♪ ♪ One colorful ♪ ♪ master piece ♪ ♪ Put away ♪ ♪ all deceitful scheming ♪ ♪ Still away ♪ ♪ Still away oooh ♪ ♪ Where hearts keep forgiving and then ♪ ♪ Joining our hands ♪ ♪ we are made one ♪ ♪ Again ♪ (piano playing) (xylophone plays) (wind chimes play) (upbeat music)