Q

How Samora Pinderhughes uses jazz to address social justice

Artist Samora Pinderhughes discusses his latest album, The Transformations Suite.
Artist Samora Pinderhughes' new album, The Transformation Suite, came out on Oct. 12, 2016. (Courtesy of Samora Pinderhughes)

Samora Pinderhughes is a musician with a lot of weight on his shoulders. 

He writes and performs music reflecting the times and environment he lives in and that means tackling social inequality in America, race and identity politics. It's an important time to do so, and with that comes a lot of responsibility. 

He uses a lot of styles in his work, such as theatre, poetry, soul and funk — but at its heart is jazz. His latest work is an album called The Transformations Suite (out now). 

"Art is the thing that stands the test of time," Pinderhughes says. "We look at the art as a historical record and there's something pretty deep about that and I think that's a huge responsibility." 

— Produced by Ben Edwards