DESCRIPTION:
Roger Brown and the Nyumba Yetu Band perform their original "The Beautiful Ones" in Shames Family Scoring Stage at Berklee College of Music.

The title of the song is inspired by and taken from the 1968 novel by author Ayi Kweh Armah of Ghana. The recitation of family history under a mugumo tree is based on the writer’s experience in Mumias, Kenya with Frances Lutomia.


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Song: The Beautiful Ones (Roger Brown, Richard Curzi, Jason Sibi-Okumu)

Jason Sibi- Okumu, Nairobi, Kenya, voice
Jacob Sibi- Okumu, Nairobi, Kenya, guitar
Gyovanni, Cotoneu, Benin, voice
Lisa Oduor-Noah, Nairobi, Kenya, vocals
Niu Raza, Antananarivo, Madagascar, vocals
Njoki Karu, Nairobi, Kenya, vocals
Lucy Clifford, Wollongong, Australia, bass
Alexis Soto, Caracas, Venezuela, percussion
Richard Curzi, Boston, Massachusetts, keyboard
Roger Brown, Gainesville, Georgia, drums

Recorded in Shames Family Scoring Stage
John Escobar: recording engineer
Jeffrey Millonig: assistant engineer
Burak Demir: assistant engineer
Nick Kodonas: assistant engineer
David Fuller: assistant engineer
Arnav Dev Gupta: assistant engineer
Andres González Cardona: mixing engineer
Jonathan Wyner: mastering engineer

Audrey H: video production,
Regina Crisosto Jequier: video editor
Athanasios Lazarou: videographer
Matthew Lewis: videographer
Jeannie Greeley: videographer
Emily Yang: videographer

Lyrics:
The train slowed down on the tracks,
Greeted by a man in black
Wrinkled lines stretched across his face
He said you probably don’t remember me
Your family left when you were three
Now you’re back in Grandpa’s place
You’re a little older
Broad in the shoulders
Returned to the land where you come from
Been living overseas
Now you’re back with me
Good to have you home

Mzee, I read a book in school
Of humbled men and mighty fools
In a world that’s broken and torn
Can you find an honest man
With no gravy on his hands
The leaders we wait for
Have not yet been born
I’m a little older
Got a chip on my shoulder
Really no idea where I belong
Been living overseas
When the message came to me
Grandma is gone, time to come home

Fetch the water
Light the fire
Share a meal with me
We’ll talk together
Of your adventures
And I your history

Grandson won’t you follow me
To that old mogumo tree
Listen as I share your family’s song
Your people came from far away
And settled in this fertile place
Many generations gone
Yes, you’re a little older
But that chip on your shoulder
Won’t help you understand where you belong
You’ve been overseas
But now you’re here with me
You wonder where you’re from / a family beautiful and strong

But the beautiful ones are not yet born
Oh, the beautiful ones
The beautiful ones are not yet born
Oh, the beautiful ones
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

BREAK
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
As the sun marks the hours
You must feel your power
But how do I know the sun
shines just for me
The sun is like our father,
Been with us forever
Giving us light, setting us free

The Beautiful Ones are not yet born
Oh, the Beautiful Ones

The Beautiful Ones are not yet born
Oh, the beautiful ones
(modulation)
Maybe we are the Beautiful Ones
Oh, the Beautiful Ones
Maybe we are the Beautiful Ones
Oh, the Beautiful Ones

(counter melody with “Light the Fire”)

About Berklee College of Music:
Berklee is the preeminent institute of contemporary music and the performing arts, offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs at its campuses in Boston, Massachusetts and Valencia, Spain, and through its award-winning distance learning program, Berklee Online. Dedicated to nurturing the creative and career potential of the world’s most inspired artists, Berklee’s commitment to arts education is reflected in the work of its students, faculty, and alumni—hundreds of whom have been recognized with Grammy, Tony, Oscar, and Emmy Awards.

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