Tuesday, September 20, 2011

African American Writers & Classical Tradition, Winner of the American Book Award 2011


African American Writers & Classical Tradition is the most exciting work of of literary criticism to emerge in decades. Indeed, it lays the groundwork for an entirely new field of study. Rarely can it be said that the reading of literary criticism is a joyful process, yet with this book, William W. Cook and James Tatum (pictured above, right to left), have produced just that. Written with great humor, at times tremendous passion, the reader is swept into the excitement of surprise and new discovery, following the adventure unearthed in the vast resources of classical Latin and ancient Greek literature employed by African American poets, novelists, and political thinkers. Once familiar, canonized figures, such as Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. DuBois, and Ralph Ellison, are illuminated in fresh, often startling ways. Neglected masters, Melvin B. Tolson, and George S. Schulyer, are revived, given new life, and shown to have vital relevance to today’s times, cutting to the very core of the most contentious and controversial issues in America. Relatively obscure artists, such as Fran Ross, author of Oreo, are given their proper place alongside the aforementioned giants, and the greatness of poet Rita Dove is affirmed in the brilliant concluding chapter. There is a tremendous sense of momentum in the pages of this book, a momentum propelled by the lifelong friendship of its authors, Cook & Tatum. Their shared wisdom, wit, and delight in the task of bringing this complex and subtle story to us, one so uniquely American, is felt throughout the work. African American Writers & Classical Tradition, presents a new, and much needed, image of American literature, indeed, of American history. One that is vivid, compelling, and crackling with the electricity of folklore and mythology rooted to ancient sources, in both Africa and Europe, giving light to the present moment, our times.

Monday, September 12, 2011

We Kiss In A Shadow


Happy Birthday to Sonny Rollins, pictured above, born Sept. 7th

Show description for Sunday 9/11/2011 @ 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM

"Always bear in mind that people are not fighting for ideas, for the things in anyone's head. They are fighting to win material benefits, to live better and in peace, to see their lives go forward, to guarantee the future of their children." - Amilcar Cabral, (September 12, 1924 – January 20, 1973)

". . . the hottest places in hell are reserved for those, who in a period of moral crisis, maintain their neutrality. There comes a time when silence is betrayal." Martin Luther King, Jr., April 4, 1967, "Why I Oppose the War In Vietnam"



Photograph, at right, by Seydou Keïta


ArtistSongAlbumLabel

Bill Evans TrioWitchcraftPortrait In JazzRiverside

George RussellNardisEzz-theticsRiverside

Eric Dolphy17 WestOut ThereNew Jazz

Sarah VaughnI'm Glad There Is YouSarah VaughnEmarcy

Sarah VaughnSummertimeAfterhoursColumbia

Billie HolidaySummertimeThe QuintessentialColumbia

Billie HolidayA Sailboat in the MoonlightThe QuintessentialColumbia
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Sonny RollinsThere Is No Greater LoveWay Out WestContemporary

Sonny RollinsA Night In TunisiaMore From The VanguardBlue Note

Thelonious Monk TrioBye-YaThelonious Monk TrioPrestige

Thelonious MonkWorkThelonious Monk & Sonny RollinsPrestige

Hank Mobley52nd Street ThemeMobley's MessagePrestige
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Hank MobleyMessage From The BorderMobley's Second MessagePrestige

Ella FitzgeraldBewitchedRodgers & Hart SongbookVerve

Ella FitzgeraldLove Is Here To StayGershwin SongbookVerve

Ella FitzgeraldI Didn't Know About YouEllington SongbookVerve

Eric Dolphy & Booker LittleMiss AnnFar CryNew Jazz

Ron CarterRallyWhere?New Jazz
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Ted Joans (read by Justin Desmangles)Passed On Blues: Homage to a PoetTeducationCoffee House

Eric Dolphy & Booker LittleStatus SeekingStatusPrestige

Mal Waldron Don't ExplainMal 2Prestige

Mal Waldron Dee's DilemmaMal 1Prestige
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Sonny RollinsStrode RodeSaxophone ColossusPrestige

Thelonious MonkBrilliant CornersBrilliant CornersRiverside

Sonny RollinsWe Kiss In A ShadowEast Broadway RundownImpulse
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Ornette Coleman The Garden Of SoulsNew York Is Now!Blue Note

Ornette Coleman We Now Interrupt For A Commerical