Sunday, March 18, 2018
Post-Bop and Avant-Garde Jazz Saxophonist Keith Gamble: The Black Arts Movement
Post-Bop and Avant-Garde Jazz Saxophonist Keith Gamble: The Black Arts Movement: One of my greatest professional experiences was my performances with poet Ron Allen. We performed poetry and music with social and poli...
The Black Arts Movement
One of my greatest professional experiences was my performances with poet Ron Allen. We performed poetry and music with social and political meaning. My experience working with Ron Allen was in the early 1980`s. Ron Allen`s performance poetry was part of a Black Arts Movement that was essentially over in 1975, but continued into the 1980`s.
The Black Arts Movement was a group of politically motivated artist in poetry, art, drama, dance, and music during the Black Power Movement. Poet Imamu Amiri Baraka was recognized as a leading figure in this movement. After Malcolm X was assassinated on February 21, 1965, Everett LeRoi Jones (aka Amiri Baraka) became interested in black nationalism, and founded Black Arts Repertory Theater. The Black Arts Movement began in 1965 when Everett LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka opened Black Arts Repertory Theater in Harlem.
Amiri Baraka was a Cultural Nationalist. Cultural Nationalist represented poets, novelist, visual artist, and actors to represent black history and culture. Revolutionary Nationalist were represented by the Black Panther Party. Both Cultural Nationalist and Revolutionary Nationalist were supporters of the Black Power Movement. In music there was collaboration between Cultural Nationalist and black musicians in jazz. Cultural Nationalist saw jazz as a black art form, and viewed jazz as more political than soul, gospel, and rhythm and blues. Also, black aesthetic was present in improvisational spontaneity of jazz.
Music in African American communities is based on spiritual merit, not solely on musical ability. Baraka stated jazz has a divine and other worldly purpose that translates into human experience of being inherently political. Black music is intrinsically connected to social circumstances. The blues is a collective consciousness and spirit that is an undercurrent of Black music, and speaks to experiences of Black people.
The Black Arts Movement ended in the 1970`s when Amiri Baraka became a Marxist. Black Arts Movement does not exist today, but its power as a movement can be herd today in current day rap and hip hop music.
The Black Arts Movement was a group of politically motivated artist in poetry, art, drama, dance, and music during the Black Power Movement. Poet Imamu Amiri Baraka was recognized as a leading figure in this movement. After Malcolm X was assassinated on February 21, 1965, Everett LeRoi Jones (aka Amiri Baraka) became interested in black nationalism, and founded Black Arts Repertory Theater. The Black Arts Movement began in 1965 when Everett LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka opened Black Arts Repertory Theater in Harlem.
Amiri Baraka was a Cultural Nationalist. Cultural Nationalist represented poets, novelist, visual artist, and actors to represent black history and culture. Revolutionary Nationalist were represented by the Black Panther Party. Both Cultural Nationalist and Revolutionary Nationalist were supporters of the Black Power Movement. In music there was collaboration between Cultural Nationalist and black musicians in jazz. Cultural Nationalist saw jazz as a black art form, and viewed jazz as more political than soul, gospel, and rhythm and blues. Also, black aesthetic was present in improvisational spontaneity of jazz.
Music in African American communities is based on spiritual merit, not solely on musical ability. Baraka stated jazz has a divine and other worldly purpose that translates into human experience of being inherently political. Black music is intrinsically connected to social circumstances. The blues is a collective consciousness and spirit that is an undercurrent of Black music, and speaks to experiences of Black people.
The Black Arts Movement ended in the 1970`s when Amiri Baraka became a Marxist. Black Arts Movement does not exist today, but its power as a movement can be herd today in current day rap and hip hop music.
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