I've Gotta Keep Moving (Music and Narration Performance Piece)

April 2019

Co-Composed by Balance (Michael Malis and Marcus Elliot)
After texts from I Got To Keep Moving by Bill Harris (Wayne State University Press)

Featuring:
Bill Harris — narration
Gerald Cleaver — drums
Marcus Elliot — saxophone
Michael Malis — piano

Performed at the Toledo Museum of Art; University of Michigan School of Music, Theater, and Dance; and Detroit Public Library Main Branch

“What was most striking about the synergy between Harris and the band was the sheer beauty of the music: the stark contrast between the grim realities of Harris's story and the band's melodic core, located in Elliot's exultant phrases and Malis's evocative runs, was stirring. And much of the music's strength was found in the spirit of resilience and defiance that permeates Harris's text.” — All About Jazz