Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Episode 38, Jazz and Politics Part 1
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Episode 38, Jazz and Politics Part 1
This is the beginning of a series illustrating the connection between jazz and social or political activism.
On today’s episode I play and talk about the following:
Oscar Peterson’s Hymn to Freedom, which has been embraced by people around the world as an anthem for the Civil Rights Movement. I also talk briefly about Peterson’s own experience with racial prejudice both in the U.S. and in Canada.
Louis Armstrong as a world ambassador. His 1955 European tour at the height of the cold war did more to ease East-West tensions than the many conferences designed to directly address the conflicts. That’s why they titled the album recorded from those concerts “Ambassador Satch”.
A medley by Jazzmeia Horn, an amazing jazz singer, who parallels the thump of the child in her womb as its ‘hunger’ to change positions with the hunger for enlightenment in today’s world.
Charlie Haden, one of the most recorded bassists in jazz history, started a very political project in 1970 called The Liberation Music Orchestra. It is still going today, even after Haden’s death—-led by Carla Bley.
An excerpt of pianist Arturo O’Farrill talking about how the right wing Cuban musicians who left Cuba are betraying their country. He recommends a young Cuban trumpeter, Yasek Monzano.who he says “deserves a shot at correcting the betrayal the Arturo Sandoval has created”. I play a composition by Monzano from 2018.
It is said that Mose Allison was a social critic before Bob Dylan. He protests the domination of money over everything. “Everybody’s Crying Mercy, when they don’t know the meaning of the word”.
The classic political song, by Billie Holiday. You know the one. Columbia records was afraid to release it, so they gave her a one session release from her contract so she could record it for an alternative jazz label.
View all episodes
By Larry Saidman
4.4
4141 ratings
This is the beginning of a series illustrating the connection between jazz and social or political activism.
On today’s episode I play and talk about the following:
Oscar Peterson’s Hymn to Freedom, which has been embraced by people around the world as an anthem for the Civil Rights Movement. I also talk briefly about Peterson’s own experience with racial prejudice both in the U.S. and in Canada.
Louis Armstrong as a world ambassador. His 1955 European tour at the height of the cold war did more to ease East-West tensions than the many conferences designed to directly address the conflicts. That’s why they titled the album recorded from those concerts “Ambassador Satch”.
A medley by Jazzmeia Horn, an amazing jazz singer, who parallels the thump of the child in her womb as its ‘hunger’ to change positions with the hunger for enlightenment in today’s world.
Charlie Haden, one of the most recorded bassists in jazz history, started a very political project in 1970 called The Liberation Music Orchestra. It is still going today, even after Haden’s death—-led by Carla Bley.
An excerpt of pianist Arturo O’Farrill talking about how the right wing Cuban musicians who left Cuba are betraying their country. He recommends a young Cuban trumpeter, Yasek Monzano.who he says “deserves a shot at correcting the betrayal the Arturo Sandoval has created”. I play a composition by Monzano from 2018.
It is said that Mose Allison was a social critic before Bob Dylan. He protests the domination of money over everything. “Everybody’s Crying Mercy, when they don’t know the meaning of the word”.
The classic political song, by Billie Holiday. You know the one. Columbia records was afraid to release it, so they gave her a one session release from her contract so she could record it for an alternative jazz label.
More shows like Discovering Jazz
View all
Economist Podcasts
4,179 Listeners
More or Less
893 Listeners
In the Groove, Jazz and Beyond
379 Listeners
Arts & Ideas
300 Listeners
Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4
2,118 Listeners
The Infinite Monkey Cage
1,963 Listeners
Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast
388 Listeners
The Audio Long Read
841 Listeners
Jazz After Dark
211 Listeners
Today in Focus
1,044 Listeners
The Intelligence from The Economist
2,550 Listeners
The News Agents
1,160 Listeners
Jazz Legends
33 Listeners
Chillout Café
17 Listeners
ill-advised by Bill Nighy
463 Listeners