The Black Gold Orchestra is a 19-piece big band based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 2021 by Grammy-nominated producer, Larry Wilson, this band is an assembly of world class musicians, artists, and music educators.

The collective resume of this ensemble boasts some of the biggest names in music and entertainment, like Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Prince, , Wynton Marsalis, Tyler Perry, George Duke, Pattie Labelle, Usher, Maxwell, Kurt Elling, and Jazzmeia Horn, just to name a few.

Many of them have performed on Grammy-winning and nominated albums, and hold various awards and acclamations to their respective names.

The vision of this collective is to have influence in art, culture, and community. They also seek to bridge generational, socioeconomic, and even racial gaps, and encourage the preservation and innovation of jazz music through community engagement and education.

Their debut album, Genesis, is a dynamic celebration of All Black American music, fusing musical elements such as jazz, R&B, soul, hip hop, house, rock, blues, and gospel through the lens of the big band tradition.

The album features both original compositions from members of the band as well as fresh new arrangements of a few classic covers. Its scheduled release date is September 8th, 2023 on the newly established Sessions Lane Records, based in Atlanta, GA.

1. Gyau (Walton’s Call)
2. On the Move
3. Firm Roots
4. Midnight Oil
5. In the Beginning (Erik’s Flow)
6. The Creation
7. First Sight (Kenny’s Prelude)
8. Intoxicating Beauty
9. Prototype
10. Release
11. Merging Lanes
12. NutVille

The 19-piece band opens their new album on the short, but luxuriantly sweet Gyau (Walton’s Call) and then bursts into life with On the Move and the soulful Firm Roots and then brings us the euphorically vibrant, early on, smooth trumpet R&B later of Midnight Oil, the gorgeous Hammond organ flow of In the Beginning (Erik’s Flow) and then we get the low slung finger-snapper The Creation.

The ornately sculpted ballad First Sight (Kenny’s Prelude) and the aching yearn within Intoxicating Beauty are then themselves backed seamlessly by the inviting Prototype, the atmospherically-charged Release, the album rounding out on the fervent joy of Merging Lanes, closing on the expansively joyous funk-n-soul of NutVille.

theblackgoldorchestra.com