NIMBY by Amanda Addleman

Composer and pianist Amanda Addleman spent time working as an educator in her native Marin County, California so she is familiar with the problems minority students of that area have in dealing with racism and bullying from their peers. The irony of this is adults in that community vote for progressive causes and take a "not in my backyard" attitude toward the idea of such things happening where they live. She expresses all this musically through her composition "NIMBY."

Available as a download, "NIMBY" is a slinky r&b groove with Jayme Brown chanting "Not in my backyard, they say" with Addleman's strong piano and Kasey Knudsen's soulful alto sax preaching behind her. When Brown does not sing, young people from Marin County tell their personal stories of incidents where they were bullied or verbally abused because of their race. They talk about their white peers making fun of their appearance and ethnicity while using words like "gorilla," "monkey" and even the N-word. The sung "Not in my backyard" phrase floats through the space like a hypnotic mantra while the words of the victims of this behavior say "That's what you think." The piece is powerful and a reminder of how hollow "We aren't like that" rhetoric sounds when faced with the truth. The voices of these young people aligned with the haunting bluesy anger of the music make a powerful combination.

Tracks and Personnel

Track: nimby.

Personnel: Amanda Addleman: composer, keyboards; Jayme Brown: vocals; Kasey Knudsen: alto saxophone; Caroline Chung: upright bass; Jae Stix: drum set.