Archives: Episode 110, Racism-Jazz As Part of the Solution

It's important to remember, especially during Black History Month, that jazz is music born of the African American experience---and it is now played and listened to all over the world. To quote Randall Cline, Artistic Director of SF Jazz: "The birth of jazz, and its evolution is rooted in black artists fighting against systemic oppression. Jazz musicians have always been on the front lines of change".

So in this episode, originally posted and presented 4 years ago, I play music celebrating that fight.

You'll hear recordings by Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Archie Shepp, A Tribe Called Red, Nina Simone, and others. And some very revealing stories.

Also trumpeter Terence Blanchard, and his "Breathless" album from 2015. I neglected to mention who was playing on the album, so here it is:
Donald Ramsey – bass
Oscar Seaton – drums
Charles Altura – guitar
Fabian Almazan – piano, synth

And as an aside, this podcast, Discovering Jazz, is currently #36 on Feedspot's list of the world's best jazz podcasts. You can find their listing through podcast.feedspot.com/jazz_podcasts.