Bruce Henry©Andrea Canter

"At the bottom, the real genius of Bruce Henry's music is his gift for marrying life experiences to musical ideas." -- Mahmoud El-Kati

Sharing the African American experience has been singer Bruce Henry’s mission since he was old enough to follow the stories passed down to him through his family. “My earliest memories involve discussing history and philosophy with my dad,” he recalls. “My Mom and her people, my dad and his people, were all great storytellers. My grandmother Dora Adams was a renowned social activist during the Civil rights Movement. My parents have a tremendous passion for the underdogs and the oppressed. They passed this along to me.”

On April 19th, Bruce Henry will share this experience through the multi-media presentation of “Sheroes and Heroes” by the Freedom Train Ensemble with special guest, vocalist Jevetta Steele. The event, a fund raiser for the Dignity Center for the Homeless, will be held at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church at 7:30 pm.

Freedom Train performed at the Freedom Jazz Festival©Andrea Canter

A Minneapolis resident for the past 30 years, Henry maintains a nonstop schedule of performing, recording, and teaching. In addition to private lessons, his educational efforts include workshops on creativity, vocal performance and Afro-American musicology, including the inspirational workshop, “Evolution of African American Music.” He has served on the faculty of McNally Smith College in St. Paul and as the Music Director for the Hands On Child Care Center for children age 5-16. He also served as the first President of the local chapter of the Jazz Vocal Coalition, now the Jazz Vocalists of Minnesota. Bruce is a frequent performer at the Dakota Jazz Club, Times Bar, and annual Freedom Jazz Festival.

Freedom Train performed at the Freedom Jazz Festival©Andrea Canter

One of Henry’s early outlets was the African American Cultural Center. “In 1979 I was the music director of the African American Cultural Center of Minneapolis, where I founded the AACC Ensemble. The AACC Ensemble featured Black consciousness music and poetry.” And in the past few years, Henry has found a new outlet for socially conscious music through the Freedom Train Ensemble, a multimedia troupe with a mission of sharing African American music and history with all people through song, dance and spoken word. “Our message is about the eternal universal struggle for freedom and the role of art and music in that struggle,” says Bruce. “It’s important to me that Freedom Train is uplifting and entertaining, but also informative about the African American experience.”

The April 19th benefit production includes 15 voices with a five-piece band, five dancers and a spoken word artist, covering Jazz, blues, gospel, and pop. Bruce describes “Sheroes and Heroes” as “a multimedia concert that pays tribute to those women and men who have had the courage to stand up and speak truth to power. . We will pay tribute to Harriet Tubman, Harry Moore, Dora Adams, Malcolm X and to our parents and ancestors.” Bruce notes that he wanted Jevetta Steele for this production because” I consider Jevetta a friend and always wanted to work with her because she is simply amazing.”

Jevetta Steele, from SK Communications

Many in the community have heard that Bruce Henry is officially relocating to his native Chicago in July. However, he has no plans to sever his ties with the Twin Cities community, artistically or otherwise. “Freedom Train will continue after I move to Chicago. We are a family so we will stay connected. We have a couple of conference dates coming in June.” He does look forward to expanding his artistic horizons, however. “I am making contacts with people in the Chicago music scene. I plan on playing jazz and presenting my workshops on ‘The Evolution of African American Music’ in the Chicago Area. Joe Vass' The Soul of Gershwin has had a renaissance, so I will be traveling with that troupe. We just got back from Florida where we performed 8 shows at the renowned Parker Playhouse of Ft. Lauderdale. I will be returning to the Twin Cities for club dates concerts and some private events. It will be a thrill for me to meet Mr. [Kurt] Elling one day and maybe jam with him.”

Kurt Elling and Bruce Henry? Sounds like an uplifting and socially conscious collaboration.

Tickets for “Sheroes and Heroes,” a benefit for Dignity Center featuring Bruce Henry’s Freedom Train Ensemble with Jevetta Steele, are priced at $25 for adults, $10 for students. For secure online ticketing go to Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church website at www.haumc.org and click on Bruce Henry and Freedom Train Ensemble icon. Tickets are also available in person during business hours at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist, 511 Groveland at Lyndale in Minneapolis. Group discounts (12 or more) for Freedom Train Ensemble are available by calling (612) 871-5303. All proceeds go to Dignity Center supporting Hennepin Church’s mission to help the Twin Cities’ poor and homeless.

You can catch Bruce Henry at the Artists Quarter in St. Paul on March 25th when he makes a rare (first?) appearance with the Tuesday Night Band, 9 pm; www.artistsquarter.com