I recentlyenjoyed the wonderful BBC4 Documentary, “1959- The Year That Changed Jazz Forever“. The producers of the documentary write: ”1959 was a watershed moment for America – socially, politically and economically. In that same year four, now iconic, jazz artists each made albums that would change the music forever. Miles Davis recorded Kind Of Blue – an album that defined cool and has gone on to be the best selling and best know Jazz LP of all time. Ornette Coleman, a man Miles derided, made the prophetically titled “The Shape Of Jazz To Come” – a record that musically mirrored the USS’s forays in to space. Dave Brubeck returned from a CIA sponsored tour and recorded Time Out featuring the huge hit Take Five. And the politically active Charles Mingus produced Ah Um containing direct attacks on the racist leaders of the age. Together these records re-wrote the jazz rulebooks – both in terms of the music they contained and the way they were marketed.”
For my money, Fables of Faubus, written by Charles Mingus, is one of the standout protest songs of that era, and of all time. This is an excellent video:
this video is very emotional
i liked it a lot
Comment by Alena — October 12, 2009 @ 4:17 pm |