Friday, May 29, 2009

Malcom X at the Ford Auditorium, 1965


(excerpts)
From Speech at Ford Auditorium (February 1965)

"One of the shrewd ways that they use the press to project us in the eye or image of a criminal: they take statistics. And with the press they feed these statistics to the public, primarily the white public. Because there are some well-meaning persons in the white public as well as bad-meaning persons in the white public. And whatever the government is going to do, it always wants the public on its side, whether it's the local government, state government, federal government. So they use the press to create images. And at the local level, they'll create an image by feeding statistics to the press — through the press showing the high crime rate in the Negro community. As soon as this high crime rate is emphasized through the press, then people begin to look upon the Negro community as a community of criminals.
"And then any Negro in the community can be stopped in the street. "Put your hands up," and they pat you down. You might be a doctor, a lawyer, a preacher, or some other kind of Uncle Tom. But despite your professional standing, you'll find that you're the same victim as the man who's in the alley. Just because you're Black and you live in a Black community, which has been projected as a community of criminals. This is done. And once the public accepts this image also, it paves the way for a police-state type of activity in the Negro community. They can use any kind of brutal methods to suppress Blacks because "they're criminals anyway." And what has given this image? The press again, by letting the power structure or the racist element in the power structure use them in that way. . . .

"From 1954 to 1964 was the era in which we witnessed the emerging of Africa. The impact that this had upon the civil rights struggle in America has never been told, fully told.
"For one reason — for one thing, one of the primary ingredients in the complete civil rights struggle was the 'Black Muslim' movement. The 'Black Muslim' movement, though it took no part in things political, civic — it didn't take too much part in anything other than stopping people from doing this drinking, smoking, and so on. Moral reform it had, but beyond that it did nothing. But it talked such a strong talk until it put the other Negro organizations on the spot. Before the 'Black Muslim' movement came along, the NAACP was looked upon as radical; they were getting ready to investigate it. And then along came the 'Muslim' movement and frightened the white man so much he began to say, "Thank God for old Uncle Roy and Uncle Whitney and Uncle A. Philip and Uncle... — you've got a whole lot of uncles in there. I can't remember their names, they're all older than I, so I call them "uncle." Plus, if you use the word "Uncle Tom" nowadays, I heard they'll sue you for libel, you know. So I don't call any of them Uncle Tom anymore. I call them Uncle Roy. . . .

"You ever notice how some Negroes will brag, "I'm the only one out there, I'm the only one on my job." Don't you hear them say that? Yes, you ought to punch him in hi — no he's your brother, you shouldn't punch your brother. But you should really get him — you can punch him with some words.
"Whenever you see a Negro bragging about "he's the only one in his neighborhood," he's bragging. He's telling you in essence, "I'm surrounded by white folks," you know. "I love them, and they love me." Oh yes. And on his job "I'm the only one on my job." I've been listening to that stuff all my life, and the generation that's coming up, they're not going to be saying that. The generation that's coming up, everybody is going to look like an Uncle Tom to them. And you and I have to learn that in time, so that we don't pose that image when our people, when our young generation come up and begin to look at us. . . .

"Brothers and sisters, let me tell you, I spend my time out there in the street with people, all kind of people, listening to what they have to say. And they're dissatisfied, they're disillusioned, they're fed up, they're getting to the point of frustration where they are beginning to feel: What do they have to lose? And when you get to that point you're the type of person who can create a very dangerously explosive atmosphere. This is what's happening in our neighborhood, to our people. I read in a poll taken by Newsweek magazine this week, saying that Negroes are satisfied. Oh yes, poll you know, in Newsweek, supposed to be a top magazine with a top pollster, talking about how satisfied Negroes are. Maybe I haven't met the Negroes he met. Because I know he hasn't met the ones that I've met.
"But this is dangerous. This is where the white man does himself the most harm. He invents statistics to create an image, thinking that that image is going to hold things in check. You know why they always say Negroes are lazy? 'Cause they want Negroes to be lazy. They always say Negroes can't unite because they don't want Negroes to unite. And once they put this thing in the mind, they feel that the Negro gets that into him and he tries to fulfill their image. If you say you can't unite him, and then you come to him to unite him, he won't unite because it's been said that he's not supposed to unite. It's a psycho that they work, and it's the same way with these statistics.
"When they think that an explosive era is coming up, then they grab their press again and begin to shower the Negro public, to make it appear that all Negroes are satisfied. Because if you know that you're dissatisfied all by yourself and ten others aren't, you play it cool; but you know if all ten of you are dissatisfied, you get with it. Well, this is what the man knows. The man knows that if these Negroes find out how dissatisfied they really are — and all of them, even Uncle Tom is dissatisfied, he's just playing his part for now — this is what makes them frightened. It frightens them in France, it frightens them in England, and it frightens them in the United States. . . .

Thursday, May 21, 2009

2010 Jazz Masters announced by National Endowment for the Arts



Nation's highest honor in jazz is bestowed on eight living legends

May 21, 2009



Washington, DC - The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) today announced the recipients of the 2010 NEA Jazz Masters Award -- the nation's highest honor in this distinctly American music. The eight recipients will each receive a $25,000 grant award and be publicly honored in an awards ceremony and concert on Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center.

The eight 2010 NEA Jazz Masters are:

Name

Category

City, State

Muhal Richard Abrams (pictured above)

Pianist, Composer, Educator

New York, NY

Kenny Barron

Pianist, Composer, Educator

Brooklyn, NY

Bill Holman

Composer, Arranger, Saxophonist

Los Angeles, CA

Bobby Hutcherson

Vibraphonist, Marimba Player, Composer

Montara, CA

Yusef Lateef

Saxophonist, Flutist, Oboist, Composer, Educator

Amherst, MA

Annie Ross

Vocalist

New York, NY

Cedar Walton

Pianist, Composer

Brooklyn, NY

George Avakian, a jazz producer, manager, critic, and educator from Riverdale, New York, will receive the 2010 A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Award for Jazz Advocacy.

"These master artists have dedicated their lives to shaping and advancing the rich tradition of jazz," said NEA Acting Chair Patrice Walker Powell. "The NEA is pleased to recognize their individual creative talents and celebrate their combined musical contributions."

For the January presentation, the Arts Endowment will again partner with Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City to produce the event, and the Association of Performing Arts Presenters and Arts Presenter's annual conference. Conference attendees will have the opportunity to attend some of the jazz master events and learn more about presenting jazz in the communities. The Awards Ceremony & Concert will be held at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, and will feature the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis in a program dedicated to the honorees' lives and works. Past collaborations between the NEA and Jazz at Lincoln Center include the NEA Jazz in the Schools curriculum -- available free of charge to high school teachers nationwide and used by nearly 8.4 million students since its inception. The NEA Jazz in the Schools Web site is a 2009 Webby Awards Official Honoree.

Each member of the 2010 NEA Jazz Masters class met the selection criteria of being a distinguished artist whose excellence, impact, and significant lifetime contributions have helped to keep jazz alive and further the growth of the art form:

  • The co-founder and first president of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), pianist Muhal Richard Abrams is highly respected by critics and musical peers as both a pianist and composer in a variety of musical styles.
  • Recognized the world over as a master of performance and composition, virtuoso pianist Kenny Barron has worked with such renowned musicians as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Haden, Roy Haynes, and fellow 2010 NEA Jazz Master Yusef Lateef.
  • Bill Holman's unique and complex arrangements have long been appreciated by musicians and critics alike, including Louie Bellson, Count Basie, Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, Doc Severinsen, and others.
  • Bobby Hutcherson's sound and style on the vibraphone helped modernize the instrument in the 1960s, adding an adventurous new voice to hard bop and free jazz.
  • A major force on the international musical scene for more than six decades, Yusef Lateef was among the first to incorporate world music into traditional jazz through his mastery of Middle Eastern and Asian reed instruments.
  • One of the early practitioners of the singing style known as "vocalese" -- the setting of original lyrics to an instrumental jazz solo -- Annie Ross was part of the renowned vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross
  • One of the great hard bop pianists, Cedar Walton is also well-known for his distinctive compositions, which he first honed during his years with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.
  • George Avakian is not only a record producer but a true pioneer in the industry. Besides producing some of the finest jazz albums of the 1950s for Columbia, including Miles Davis's Miles Ahead and Duke Ellington's Ellington at Newport, he helped establish the 33 1/3 LP as the primary format for the recording industry. He also was the first to produce reissues of long out-of-print jazz recordings.

Profiles and downloadable high resolution photos of the 2010 NEA Jazz Masters can be found on the NEA's Web site.

Each year since 1982, the Arts Endowment has conferred the NEA Jazz Masters Award to living legends who have made major contributions to jazz. With this new class, the award has been given to 114 great figures of jazz in America, including Count Basie, George Benson, Art Blakey, Dave Brubeck, Betty Carter, Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis, Roy Eldridge, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Herbie Hancock, Elvin Jones, John Levy, Abbey Lincoln, Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, Cecil Taylor, Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson, and Teddy Wilson.

About NEA Jazz Masters: NEA Jazz Masters are selected from nominations submitted by the public and receive a one-time grant award of $25,000, are honored at a public awards ceremony, and may be offered opportunities for participation in NEA-sponsored promotional, performance, and educational activities under the NEA Jazz Masters National Initiative program. Only living musicians or jazz advocates may receive the NEA Jazz Masters honor.

The National Endowment for the Arts has supported jazz artists and organizations since 1969, providing millions of dollars in grants and awards. In 2004, the NEA significantly expanded its NEA Jazz Masters program and in 2005 created the NEA Jazz Masters Initiative, a comprehensive program of jazz support that includes the NEA Jazz Masters award; NEA Jazz Masters Live, a series of multiple performance and educational engagements in selected communities, featuring NEA Jazz Masters; radio programming featuring NEA Jazz Masters; educational resources through the NEA Jazz in the Schools program produced by the Arts Endowment in partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center; and publications and reports. For more information on NEA Jazz Masters, the public is invited to visit the Web site, at www.neajazzmasters.org.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Poetry, and all that jazz . . . KDVS

New Day Jazz


Justin Desmangles

Jazz music for lovers and the lonely.

Genre
Jazz

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Track Artist Song Album Label


Lee Morgan All At Once You Love Her Candy Blue Note


Charles Mingus Bugs The Complete Candid Recordings of Charles Mingus Mosaic


Bruce Wright (read by Moses Gunn) Journey To A Parallel A Hand Is On The Gate Verve-Folkways


LeRoi Jones (read by Ellen Holly) The End Of Man Is His Beauty A Hand Is On The Gate Verve-Folkways


Bud Powell Blue Pearl Bud! (The Amazing Bud Powell Volume 3) Blue Note


Bud Powell John's Abbey Time Waits Blue Note

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Charles Mingus Lock'em Up The Jazz Life Candid


Johnny Griffin The Way You Look Tonight Johnny Griffin Blue Note


Herbie Nichols Argumentative Variation The Third World Blue Note


Sterling Brown (read by James Earl Jones & Moses Gunn) Ol' Lem A Hand Is On The Gate Verve-Folkways


Helene Johnson (read by Josephine Premice) Sonnet To A Negro In Harlem A Hand Is On The Gate Verve-Folkways


Arna Bontemp (read by Leon Bibb) Southern Mansion A Hand Is On The Gate Verve-Folkways


Langston Hughes (read by Ellen Holly) Mother To Son A Hand Is On The Gate Verve-Folkways


Thad Jones & Kenny Burrell Something To Remember You By The Otherside Of Blue Note 1500 Series Blue Note Japan


Kenny Burrell My Heart Stood Still Kenny Burrell Blue Note

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Newport Rebels Me & You Newport Rebels Candid


Louis Smith Au Privave Smithville Blue Note


Lou Donaldson After You've Gone Lou Donaldson Blue Note


Richard Wright (read by James Earl Jones) Between The World & Me A Hand Is On The Gate Verve-Folkways


Jonathon Brooks (read by Leon Bibb) My Angel A Hand Is On The Gate Verve-Folkways

-----------------------------air break-----------------------------

Newport Rebels Mysterious Blues Newport Rebels Candid


Julian "Cannoball" Adderley Alison's Uncle Somethin' Else Blue Note


Paul Chambers Untitled Bebop Blues Original Bass On Top Blue Note


Myron O'Higgins (read by Gloria Foster) To A Young Poet A Hand Is On The Gate Verve-Folkways


James Vaughn (read by Roscoe Lee Browne) from Four Questions A Hand Is On The Gate Verve-Folkways


Owen Dodson (read by Leon Bibb) Counterpoint A Hand Is On The Gate Verve-Folkways


Jutta Hipp These Foolish Things The Otherside Of Blue Note 1500 Series Blue Note Japan

-----------------------------air break-----------------------------

Bennie Green featuring Babs Gonzalez Soul Stirrin' Soul Stirrin' Blue Note


James Emanuel (read by Cicley Tyson) Get Up, Blues A Hand Is On The Gate Verve-Folkways


Mari Evans (read by Cicely Tyson) The Rebel A Hand Is On The Gate Verve-Folkways


Calvin Hernton (read by Roscoe Lee Browne) Distant Drum A Hand Is On The Gate Verve-Folkways


Charles Mingus Fables Of Faubus Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus Candid

Friday, May 8, 2009

Sam's list


May 4 at 5:41pm
Hey JD,
I'm ready for your top 20 jazz records of all time. Pull no punches my friend.
-Sam
May 6 at 10:39pm
This list does not rank individual songs but "records", in other words 33- 1/3 rpm lp's from 1951 to the present. There are many individual songs, Coleman Hawkins original recording of Body & Soul for example, that are far more important than any of the below listed. There are also many individual improvisations that are not listed here, such as Lionel Hampton's percussion solo on Jack the Bellboy, that are of overwhelming importance. Louis Armstrong's Potato Head Blues would meet both the above criteria. All three were originally issued as 78's

Top 20
Trumpets
Kenny Dorham – Quiet Kenny – New Jazz
Lee Morgan – Candy- Blue Note
Saxophones
Sonny Rollins – Way Out West – Contemporary
John Coltrane – Soultrane – Prestige
Pianos
Bud Powell – The Scene Changes – Blue Note
Thelonius Monk –Brilliant Corners-Riverside
Basses
Charles Mingus – Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus – Candid
Drums
Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers – Indestructible – Blue Note
Vocalists
Sarah Vaughn –Sarah +2 – Roulette
Count Basie Swings, Joe Williams Sings – Count Basie Orchestra – Verve
Betty Carter – Inside Betty Carter – United Artists
Large Groups
Duke Ellington - . . . and his mother called him Bill – RCA
Small Groups
Charles Mingus – Tijuana Moods –RCA
Quintets/Sextets
Miles Davis –Milestones-Columbia
Eric Dolphy – Far Cry – New Jazz
Quartets
Modern Jazz Quartet – Blues at Carnegie Hall – Atlantic
Trios
Bill Evans Trio –Sunday at the Village Vanguard-Riverside
Duos
Ron Carter & Jim Hall – Live at The Village West- Concord
Solo
Thelonious Monk – Thelonious Himself-Riverside
Collectives
The Art Ensemble of Chicago –Nice Guys-ECM