Beverly Glenn-Copeland Announces First New Album in 20 Years, Shares Song: Listen

Beverly Glenn-Copeland announced a new album, the first LP from the 79-year-old musician in two decades. His next record was titled The Forerunnersand it’s from July 28 through transgressor. Glenn-Copeland shared album opener “Africa Calling” with the news. Listen to “Africa Calling” and see the full track list below.

Glenn-Copeland last released an album with 2004’s Main Prayer, which he issued under the name Phynix. He shared a statement about the inspiration for “Africa Calling”:

In the ’80s, I had the honor of performing with an amazing artist named Dido, a master of drums native to West Africa. The beauty of this drum tradition is explored in ‘Africa Calling’. Over the years, in many conversations, I have come to understand that I share an inexplicable, unnamed feeling — a calling — with many other members of the African diaspora, a deep need. to explore and express our heritage. Along with sadness, there is a longing to know our origins, which were hidden from us as family lines were broken in the terrible days of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. In a world still trapped in the shackles of colonialism, I know I am not alone in needing to heed the call of this long-held desire.

Glenn-Copeland shared some new material in 2020 with the release of Transmissions: The Music of Beverly Glenn-Copeland. The following year, he marked the 35th anniversary of his celebrated LP Keyboard Fantasies with a Uli and a documentaryand released a remix album which includes contributions from Kelsey Lu, Arca, Dev Hynes, and more. Romy recently sampled Glenn-Copeland’s “La Vita” on her recent single “Enjoy Your Life.”

Revisit Pitchfork’s Sunday Review at Keyboard Fantasies.