(upbeat music) - [Narrator] Coming up on "Ocean State Sessions.

(group singing in foreign language) - [Narrator] Eastern Medicine Singers.

(group singing in foreign language) ♪ Together ♪ - [Narrator] And RPM Voices of Rhode Island.

♪ Voice ♪ (upbeat drumming music) (group singing in foreign language) (upbeat drumming music continues) (group singing in foreign language) (group singing in foreign language) (group singing in foreign language) (group singing in foreign language) (group singing in foreign language) (group singing in foreign language) (group singing in foreign language) (group singing in foreign language) (group singing in foreign language) (group singing in foreign language) (group singing in foreign language) (group singing in foreign language) (group singing in foreign language) (group singing in foreign language) (group singing in foreign language) (water gurgling) (Daryl singing in foreign language) ♪ Thank you for the earth and sky ♪ ♪ Thank you for the water and the rocks ♪ ♪ Thank you for the trees and just for today ♪ ♪ Great spirit, I thank you ♪ ♪ Great spirit I thank you ♪ ♪ Hey, hey, hey, ho ♪ You know, water is always life.

Without water, I couldn't exist.

My name is Daryl "Black Eagle" Jamieson, in our language, (speaks foreign language) that means black eagle.

I'm the vice chairman of the Pocasset Wampanoag Tribe of the Pokanoket Nation, and I'm also the lead singer, drummer, keeper of the Eastern Medicine Singers.

(group singing in foreign language) - These rivers were, at the time of contact for us, were not only waterways to travel on, but they were also places where we fished, where we hunted.

There's a lot of power in the river.

I mean, we use fishing weirs in there and everything.

And those weirs were all powered, you know, by the river.

And you know, you watch and see some of the old-fashioned mills and everything that were there, those mills, everything was driven by that water.

So, you know, bang, in comes the industrial revolution and they start dumping dyes in there and all kinds of, you know, heavy metals, poison.

- [Reporter] The river is strewn with debris.

Thousands and thousands of truckloads of debris in the wetland.

- And we have to beg to get a dam, you know, removed and it should just be done.

Providence now is not what Providence was when my grandfather's grandfathers were here.

(gentle music) You know, when they say water is life, it really is.

You look around at all the things that the river can do.

It's beautiful.

Water has always been our life.

(group singing in foreign language) We're water people, the people of the bays.

There's nothing better than me sitting out here watching the river or taking a canoe and going down it, seeing all the beauty, photography.

So much more going on with this river now.

My people are happy to see that.

(group singing in foreign language) (group singing in foreign language) (group singing in foreign language) (group singing in foreign language) (group singing in foreign language) (group singing in foreign language) (group singing in foreign language) (group singing in foreign language) (group singing in foreign language) (group singing in foreign language) (group singing in foreign language) (group singing in foreign language) (upbeat music) ♪ Gonna lay down my burden ♪ ♪ Down by the riverside ♪ ♪ Down by the riverside ♪ ♪ Down by the riverside ♪ ♪ Gonna lay down my burden ♪ ♪ Down by the riverside ♪ ♪ To study war no more ♪ ♪ I ain't gonna study war no more ♪ ♪ Ain't gonna study war no more ♪ ♪ Ain't gonna study war no more ♪ ♪ Ain't gonna study war no more ♪ ♪ Ain't gonna study war no more ♪ ♪ Study war no more ♪ ♪ Gonna put on my starry crown ♪ ♪ Down by the riverside ♪ ♪ Down by the riverside ♪ ♪ Down by the riverside ♪ ♪ Gonna put on my starry crown ♪ ♪ Down by the riverside ♪ ♪ To study war no more ♪ ♪ I ain't gonna study war no more ♪ ♪ Ain't gonna study war no more ♪ ♪ Ain't gonna study war no more ♪ ♪ Ain't gonna study war no more ♪ ♪ Ain't gonna study war no more ♪ ♪ Study war no more ♪ ♪ Gonna seek peace and happiness ♪ ♪ Down by the riverside ♪ ♪ Down by the riverside ♪ ♪ Down by the riverside ♪ ♪ Gonna seek peace and happiness ♪ ♪ Down by the riverside ♪ ♪ To study war no more ♪ ♪ I ain't gonna study war no more ♪ ♪ Ain't gonna study war no more ♪ ♪ Ain't gonna study war no more ♪ ♪ Ain't gonna study war no more ♪ ♪ Ain't gonna study war no more ♪ ♪ Study war no more ♪ ♪ Gonna treat every neighbor right ♪ ♪ Down by the riverside ♪ ♪ Down by the riverside ♪ ♪ Down by the riverside ♪ ♪ Gonna treat every neighbor right ♪ ♪ Down by the riverside ♪ ♪ To study war no more ♪ ♪ I ain't gonna study war no more ♪ ♪ Ain't gonna study war no more ♪ ♪ Ain't gonna study war no more ♪ ♪ Ain't gonna study war no more ♪ ♪ Ain't gonna study war no more ♪ ♪ Study war no more ♪ ♪ Study war no more ♪ ♪ Study war no more ♪ - Whoo!

- Yeah!

(all laughing and clapping) (gentle piano music) - It's important that I hear the message.

That's what I need for them to feed off me.

I've got to play what's in my heart for the congregation.

I am Frances Elayne Johnson, I am the Artistic Director of RPM Voices of Rhode Island and the Minister of Music at Beneficent Congregational Church in Providence.

♪ Great is our God ♪ - Amen, amen.

Good morning.

- [Congregation] Good morning.

- Welcome.

- All the same people are involved between RPM and Beneficent Church.

♪ Glory hallelujah ♪ ♪ Jesus lifted me ♪ - Reaching people through music, that's what RPM stands for.

It was founded to promote, preserve and celebrate African American choral music.

There are the spirituals, there's gospel, there are the anthems, and we try to do it all.

Okay, 1, 2, 3.

♪ Every step ♪ ♪ Of every path ♪ - I'm not looking for the best singers.

I'm not looking for the perfect pitch.

I'm looking for how you get that message out to the congregation.

And if it's not coming from your heart, your message is being lost.

They sing with everything they've got.

- So Beneficent, please extend your blessing hands.

Oh God, we give thanks.

- Beneficent is just as open and welcoming.

There's no judgment.

The exact same can be said for RPM.

Everybody has struggles.

It's a relatable message.

No matter what religion you are, you're going to get that from the songs that we sing.

- Our faith will make us all well.

We will be well.

- [Congregant] Amen.

(congregation clapping) - There are moments when they're singing that hit my soul.

I've seen it soothe.

I've seen it bring joy.

It's powerful and I wouldn't give it up for anything.

(choir chatting indistinctly) (gentle music) ♪ Here we stand ♪ ♪ Many voices ♪ ♪ Filled with hope and filled with joy ♪ ♪ Hope for peace ♪ ♪ For all people ♪ ♪ Hope that comes when it's in our hearts ♪ ♪ All together ♪ ♪ Blending as one voice ♪ ♪ Here we stand ♪ ♪ Friends and family ♪ ♪ We create this community ♪ ♪ From Pawtucket ♪ ♪ From South County ♪ ♪ From the Eastman to Scituate ♪ ♪ All together ♪ ♪ United as one voice ♪ ♪ Here we stand ♪ ♪ Friends and family ♪ ♪ We created this community ♪ ♪ From Newport and Flagstone Valley ♪ ♪ Westerley to Providence ♪ ♪ All together ♪ ♪ United as one voice ♪ ♪ All together ♪ ♪ United as one voice ♪ (choir clapping and cheering) - [Narrator] For more "Ocean State Sessions" plus all your Rhode Island PBS favorites, visit ripbs.org.

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