"The Seven Last Words of the Unarmed" put composer Joel Thompson on the map, and his recent collaboration with the Houston Grand Opera showcased his ability to write a much more joyous piece of music. He joins Garrett to talk about his opera, "The Snowy Day", life in the shadow of his more famous work, and walking in the footsteps of those who came before him. Scott explores jazz's influence overseas and looks back at the activism of Louis Armstrong, Garrett highlights Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s ideas on a renewed economic system, and the guys wrap up by revisiting Dr. King's ideas on "the white moderate" and "the white liberal".

Playlist:

perf. Tracy Cox - "Senza Mamma" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGieOvISKdM)

Louis Armstrong - "Black and Blue"

Joséphine Baker - "The Times They Are a-Changin" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ripFfYKy6EY)

Duke Ellington - "Three Black Kings"

Django Reinhardt - "Nuages"

perf. Sphinx Symphony Orchestra - "Glory" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=364nYNHPULQ)

perf. Amp'd String Quartet - "Leave the Door Open" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dB8XVQnAiDE)

Joseph Schwantner - "New Morning for the World"

More:

Joel Thompson/Houston Grand Opera Collab: https://www.houstongrandopera.org/events-tickets/2021-22-season/2021-22-cast/joel-thompson/

Garrett Speaks on the Apollo Stage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NVkPEWm6e0

Downbeat ("The Economic Problem Is The Most Serious Problem"): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmauhsmcY2c

Documentary Exposes How The FBI Tried To Destroy MLK With Wiretaps, Blackmail: https://www.npr.org/2021/01/18/956741992/documentary-exposes-how-the-fbi-tried-to-destroy-mlk-with-wiretaps-blackmail

Charlottesville Opera Company Celebrates Soprano in "Fat Pig": https://www.wvtf.org/news/2022-01-14/charlottesville-opera-company-celebrates-soprano-in-fat-pig?fbclid=IwAR3VOsOtTmEJAsoF6sO8bECro95KNr4Z6C1J18vj_lhr6adCz5LL1_DbwhE

What Louis Armstrong Really Thinks: https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/what-louis-armstrong-really-thinks

Society for the Preservation of Western Music Message: https://twitter.com/SpencerArias/status/1482868437106020353?s=20

To Find a COVID Test, "Google It": https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2022/01/13/vp_kamala_harris_to_figure_out_how_to_get_a_covid_test_google_it.html