Big thanks to Aki Abe, owner of Cosmos Records on Queen West, for his Vinyl Black History Top Ten and for donating a copy of Coltrane’s Sun Ship for giveaway on TVD Toronto. Email theresa@thevinyldistrict.com with COLTRANE SUN SHIP in the subject line for your chance to win.
(NB: the below are not in order of significance, as they’re all equally important, as per Aki. thanks again man!)
1. John Coltrane – Sun Ship (1965) Recorded two weeks after the Watts Riots in Los Angeles. His Impulse era collaborating with Rashied Ali, Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane was the musical language fronting the Black Liberation Movement.
2. Last Poets – Chastisment Politically induced gospel about the hardships of the ghetto, hypocrisy of a black soldier in the Vietnam War, hip approach to blackness.
3. Nina Simone – Black Gold (Young Gifted and Black) Ms. Simone has always preached and spoken the blues of being African American. This album circled the issues surrounding Civil Rights Movement.
4. Descendants of Mike and Phoebe – Spirit Speaks Director Spike Lee’s father Bill Lee’s band out of Cleveland, Ohio. Sublime spiritual jazz LP. Anything that The Lee family touched is beautiful.
5. Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln – We Insist! My favorite Abbey Lincoln LP. Recorded 1960. The cover of this album says it all. They were both heavily involved in the American Civil Rights Movement and Desegregation.
6. Gil Scott-Heron – Revolution Will Not Be Televised In 1970 at 21 years of age he wrote a pivotal book of poetry which Rap artists to this day regard as bible. His voice, his lyrics, his intelligence is a tribute to Black American Society.
7. Donny Hathaway – Live (Little Ghetto Boy) Song writer, composer collaborating with important artists like Staple Singers, Curtis Mayfield, and Leroy Hutson. The music genre ‘Soul’ can not be defined without Donny’s voice!
8. Elaine Brown/Black Panther Party – Seize The Time! As chairwoman of the Black Panther Party she fought against oppression through electoral politics. Included in the album, The Black Panther National Anthem, “Assassination”. Music by another very important jazz figure Horace Tapscott.
9. Sun Ra – When Angels Speak of Love One can not say how many musicians Sun Ra has influenced. His music, paintings, costumes, stage presence, home made instruments, and his movies. One thing is for sure it is all or nothing and everything that he believes without compromise..true artist. Thank you for employing and introducing John Gilmore!
10. Charlie Parker – Jazz at Massey Hall Toronto Without Charlie Parker there wouldn’t be Charles Mingus, Max Roach, Bud Powell, Howard Mcghee, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, Jackie Mclean, Ornette Coleman, Tina Brooks, Cannonball Adderley, John Gilmore, Yusef Lateef, John Coltrane..can you imagine?
