Wednesday, May 9, 2012

The Intersection of Jazz and Social Protest... does it happen today?


Nina Simone's Mississippi Goddam sung in protest of Medgar Evers assassination

"NPR -America's cultural cauldron produced music, which criticized segregation with candor, sadness, and humor.  Farai Chideya speaks with Robert O'Mealy. He's the Zora Neale Hurston Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, and founder and former director of the Center for Jazz Studies."

I am wondering what Jazz musicians are doing with their music for protest in these decades year 2000 through this 2012.  I've read about musicians protesting the Grammys, the musician's union and I even read about a musician setting himself on fire as a protest but what are today's Jazz musicians doing in society?  What are Cleveland Jazz musicians doing in the wake of the Wall Street and housing debacle and Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Cleveland, Occupy the Hood and Occupy the Kitchen Sink?  Send it in and we'll blog and maybe even vlog it. 
Meanwhile in this NPR interview cuts of:Mississippi Goddamned- Nina Simone,Strange Fruit- Billy Holiday and,
here is the complete Black and Blue by Louis Armstrong from 1929 and 1965.  Interestingly enough, to me, the 1965 rendition has a lot more pathos and pain in Louie's voice, let me know if you agree.


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