Gaby Moreno and Van Dyke Parks Mark Independence Day Holiday with Release of "The Immigrants"

Browse by:
Year
Browse by:
Publish date (field_publish_date)
Submitted by nonesuch on
Article Type
Publish date
Excerpt

Guatemalan-born singer-songwriter Gaby Moreno and American musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer Van Dyke Parks mark US Independence Day with the release of their heartfelt interpretation of Trinidadian artist David Rudder's 1998 song "The Immigrants." "It's a powerful message of courage, love and faith that resonates to this day and should be spread wide across the entire nation and beyond," says Moreno. "We all share the same dreams, and we came here to fulfill them and to prosper, together." Parks adds: "'The Immigrants' has a political punch, while also being joyful and underscoring how our culture is refreshed by immigrants like Gaby, and how those who arrive here can really redefine, and help build America." Proceeds will be donated to CARECEN, which empowers Central Americans and all immigrants by defending human and civil rights, working for social and economic justice, and promoting cultural diversity.

Copy

"The immigrants are here to stay, to help build America
The immigrants ain't going nowhere, they're here for America
Fighting for a better life, fighting through the grunge
America remember Ellis Island, we all came here to take the plunge
I hope you understand it."

Guatemalan-born singer-songwriter Gaby Moreno and American musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer Van Dyke Parks mark the United States' Independence Day holiday with the release of their heartfelt interpretation of David Rudder's "The Immigrants" on July 3, 2018. Rudder, a renowned Trinidadian Calypso artist, wrote the song twenty years ago in response to the horrifying attack by New York police officers on the Haitian immigrant Abner Louima. The song speaks, as much today as in 1998, to the harsh treatment of immigrants while also celebrating their contributions to America, and their admiration of the ideals upon which the nation was founded.

"The Immigrants" may be purchased from the Nonesuch Store, iTunes, and Amazon, and streamed at YouTube, Apple Music, and Spotify. Proceeds will be donated to the Central American Resource Center of California (CARECEN), a community-based, nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower Central Americans and all immigrants by defending human and civil rights, working for social and economic justice, and promoting cultural diversity.

"I am a Guatemalan immigrant. This country welcomed me eighteen years ago. It breaks my heart to see the events taking place at the border right now. We all deserve to be treated with respect and dignity and to be received into this country with more love and empathy," Moreno says "The song 'The Immigrants' was written by a wonderful artist from Trinidad named David Rudder and was brought to my attention by the brilliant Van Dyke Parks, who has arranged this piece with such passion and grace. It's a powerful message of courage, love and faith that resonates to this day and should be spread wide across the entire nation and beyond. We all share the same dreams and we came here to fulfill them and to prosper, together."

Parks adds: "When I was offered a concert at Denmark's Roskilde fest in 2010, I saw that immigration would become a central issue in the USA, and felt this anthemic tune could entertain as well as inform—and change hearts—and I asked Gaby to join me. 'The Immigrants' has a political punch, while also being joyful and underscoring how our culture is refreshed by immigrants like Gaby, and how those who arrive here can really redefine, and help build America. As Phil Ochs observed 'In such ugly times, the only true protest is beauty.'"

Moreno and Parks originally recorded "The Immigrants" for inclusion on a collaborative album to be released this fall. They opted to put this song out early in order to voice their support for those caught in the current immigration crises.

featuredimage
Gaby Moreno & Van Dyke Parks: "The Immigrants" [cover] w
  • Tuesday, July 3, 2018
    Gaby Moreno and Van Dyke Parks Mark Independence Day Holiday with Release of "The Immigrants"

    "The immigrants are here to stay, to help build America
    The immigrants ain't going nowhere, they're here for America
    Fighting for a better life, fighting through the grunge
    America remember Ellis Island, we all came here to take the plunge
    I hope you understand it."

    Guatemalan-born singer-songwriter Gaby Moreno and American musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer Van Dyke Parks mark the United States' Independence Day holiday with the release of their heartfelt interpretation of David Rudder's "The Immigrants" on July 3, 2018. Rudder, a renowned Trinidadian Calypso artist, wrote the song twenty years ago in response to the horrifying attack by New York police officers on the Haitian immigrant Abner Louima. The song speaks, as much today as in 1998, to the harsh treatment of immigrants while also celebrating their contributions to America, and their admiration of the ideals upon which the nation was founded.

    "The Immigrants" may be purchased from the Nonesuch Store, iTunes, and Amazon, and streamed at YouTube, Apple Music, and Spotify. Proceeds will be donated to the Central American Resource Center of California (CARECEN), a community-based, nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower Central Americans and all immigrants by defending human and civil rights, working for social and economic justice, and promoting cultural diversity.

    "I am a Guatemalan immigrant. This country welcomed me eighteen years ago. It breaks my heart to see the events taking place at the border right now. We all deserve to be treated with respect and dignity and to be received into this country with more love and empathy," Moreno says "The song 'The Immigrants' was written by a wonderful artist from Trinidad named David Rudder and was brought to my attention by the brilliant Van Dyke Parks, who has arranged this piece with such passion and grace. It's a powerful message of courage, love and faith that resonates to this day and should be spread wide across the entire nation and beyond. We all share the same dreams and we came here to fulfill them and to prosper, together."

    Parks adds: "When I was offered a concert at Denmark's Roskilde fest in 2010, I saw that immigration would become a central issue in the USA, and felt this anthemic tune could entertain as well as inform—and change hearts—and I asked Gaby to join me. 'The Immigrants' has a political punch, while also being joyful and underscoring how our culture is refreshed by immigrants like Gaby, and how those who arrive here can really redefine, and help build America. As Phil Ochs observed 'In such ugly times, the only true protest is beauty.'"

    Moreno and Parks originally recorded "The Immigrants" for inclusion on a collaborative album to be released this fall. They opted to put this song out early in order to voice their support for those caught in the current immigration crises.

    Journal Articles:Album ReleaseArtist News

Enjoy This Post?

Get weekly updates right in your inbox.
terms

X By submitting my information, I agree to receive personalized updates and marketing messages about Nonesuch based on my information, interests, activities, website visits and device data and in accordance with the Privacy Policy. I understand that I can opt-out at any time by emailing privacypolicy@wmg.com.

Thank you!
x

Welcome to Nonesuch's mailing list!

Customize your notifications for tour dates near your hometown, birthday wishes, or special discounts in our online store!
terms

By submitting my information, I agree to receive personalized updates and marketing messages about Nonesuch based on my information, interests, activities, website visits and device data and in accordance with the Privacy Policy. I understand that I can opt-out at any time by emailing privacypolicy@wmg.com.

Related Posts

  • Thursday, March 14, 2024
    Thursday, March 14, 2024

    Brad Mehldau’s After Bach II and Après Fauré are due May 10 on Nonesuch Records. The Bach album comprises four preludes and one fugue from the Well-Tempered Clavier, as well as the Allemande from the fourth Partita, interspersed with seven compositions or improvisations by Mehldau inspired by the complementary works of Bach—including Mehldau’s Variations on Bach’s Goldberg Theme. On Après Fauré, Mehldau performs four nocturnes, from a thirty-seven-year span of Gabriel Fauré’s career, as well as a reduction of an excerpt from the Adagio movement of his Piano Quartet in G Minor. Here Mehldau’s four compositions that Fauré inspired are presented in a group, bookended by two sections featuring the French composer’s works.

    Journal Topics: Album ReleaseArtist News
  • Tuesday, March 12, 2024
    Tuesday, March 12, 2024

    Bolivian-born singer and multimedia performer Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti and Chicago expat jazz drummer Frank Rosaly will release MESTIZX, their debut full-length album as co-composers, arrangers, and musicians, May 3 on International Anthem / Nonesuch Records. Partners in both marriage and art, the Amsterdam-based duo dove deep into the sounds of their respective ancestral roots in Bolivia, Brazil, and Puerto Rico to create this deeply personal meditation on decolonization and the defiant power of ritual and protest.

    Journal Topics: Album ReleaseArtist NewsVideo