Sound of (Black) Music Community Listening

In this joyful and immersive gathering, Electric Root artist C. Anthony Bryant and Jono Gasparro will create a sense of community and connection by playing recordings of musical forebears who propelled the advancement of the human condition and inspired the arrangements for The Sound of (Black) Music. Through this experience, participants will be prompted to voluntarily share what they feel and hear in the messages.

We invite all to come together and recenter through the collective healing, love, and nutritional uplift that’s embedded in Black roots music.

C. Anthony Bryant

C. Anthony Bryant is emerging as one of the most versatile, powerful, and technically sound voices of our day. A highly sought after vocalist, orator, pedagogue, composer, and coach, Bryant has performed in houses of worship, clubs, and concert halls, both in the United States and abroad. A resident of New York City, Bryant began singing with his family and in church at the age of two in his hometown of Washington, DC. This small beginning has given way to an increasingly stellar career in music that continues to grow. After completing a residency at Minton’s Playhouse for their Soul Stirring Sunday Nights series, Bryant was invited to Dizzy’s at Jazz at Lincoln Center where he was featured in the role of “Big Chief” for Mardi Gras celebrations with Alphonso Horne and The Gotham Kings. Bryant is also a house favorite at Ginny’s Supper Club of Harlem. Following his appearance in BET’s documentary, Holler If You Hear Me: Black and Gay in the Church, Bryant began his work in activism and LGBTQ rights. Bryant serves as Music Visionary at his local church, First Corinthian Baptist Church (FCBC) in Harlem, NY, and as Music Leader at Park Avenue Christian Church (The Park). Bryant is a graduate of Atlanta’s historic Morehouse College (Bachelor of Arts, 2005), and the Manhattan School of Music (Master of Music, 2007).

Jono Gasparro

Electric Root co-founder and CEO Jono Gasparro was born in Cleveland, OH. He has 15 years of experience in the performing arts specializing in producing and curating live Black Roots music. He has an impassioned belief to heal and uplift communities of the United States through the power of music and its ability to transcend age, race, socioeconomic or educational levels, and political lines.

Jono started his professional career as the personal assistant and special projects manager to Wynton Marsalis, followed by launching several initiatives at Jazz at Lincoln Center, including the first live webcasting platform of its kind, which reached hundreds of thousands of audience members across the globe. Jono was then hired by famed chef Marcus Samuelsson to be the Director of Music for Red Rooster Harlem & Ginny’s Supper Club and founded JMG Live, a company that produced and curated over 7,000 performances in NYC and toured shows that performed in over 100 performing arts centers across the United States.

Electric Root

Electric Root is a dynamic and vibrant collective of artists with a powerful mission—to heal, uplift, and bring joy to communities across the United States through the soul-stirring magic of Black music. Founded on the belief that music has the transformative ability to unite people and create positive change, Electric Root is dedicated to fostering cultural enrichment, audience development, and community engagement through performances, festivals, and artist residencies.

Host or Publisher Eaton DC