6 Books Published by Uptown Media Joint Ventures on AALBC — Book Cover Collage

This book, Rasta, Babylon, Jamming: The Music and Culture of Roots Culture, has been a long time in coming. In the late 1970s, mainstream publishers didn’t want any part of a music that spoke against colonialism, capitalism or social injustice. Viewed as a transcendent resource book, capable of enlightening and informing and providing a point of entry into the musical legacy of Rastafarians. Its message is one of a vital Afrocentric themes and the Rasta doctrine of resistance, political self-determinism and black survival. This is reggae at its best with no gimmicks, pure and unadulterated. This is reggae that belongs to everybody.

As the Cold War and the McCarthy witch hunt continued relentlessly in the late fifties, a group of bold musicians abandoned bebop and challenged the limits of improvised music. While some critics and elder established stars called them frauds, bogus and charlatans, the trailblazers pressed on in their quest, with icons—pianist Cecil Taylor, saxophonists John Coltrane, and Ornette Coleman assuming leadership status in this music called free jazz or “The New Thing.”

The spectacular images of the music’s essential albums reproduced in this buying guide are presented to the consumer seeking to make free jazz a part of their listening library. Free jazz was courageous, mesmerizing, and took risks. As Ornette Coleman, one of the music’s leading rebels, said—there are no boundaries to music. Leaf through the guide carefully. Weigh the categories of experimental, cultural, political, and spiritual. Suspend all doubt and embrace the music.

The Muntu Poets - a forgotten voice in the mid to late 60’s in the city of Cleveland - was an entity that was a product of its time. There were no membership cards or applications to fill out or any barrier to be a Muntu Poet. It was a fluid entity that existed for people in the area waiting to be exposed to poetry and to the technicalities of writing poetry. For the most part, the majority of the poets were young, movement conscious, energetic and upset with the status quo.

There wasn’t anyone who was laboring under any illusions about our plight. Everyone expressed themselves in different ways I’d say. The poets read all over the place, including in other states, for the better part of 67/68 under the banner of Muntu. The workshop took place once a week at a place on Superior Avenue and Ansel Road on the second floor of the building. There were folks present who were poets before the workshop and people who were there just to check out what was going on. There was an eclectic group of styles present.

The voices of dissent were the loudest and it was this group that raised their voices everywhere they went. In their view, there was nothing pretty or funny about the circumstances Black people were in. They were the only group of poets in the city doing that. They felt that everyone else was putting honey and perfume on shit. The poets who had a similar outlook were the ones who usually read together at various venues around the country.

The last time that the group officially met was on July 23rd of 1968 at 10518 Elk Avenue. That day, (the beginning of the Glenville Riots) was what the Muntu Poets predicted was coming. Most of the poets continued to write and now they have gathered to write another anthology 47 years after the first was written. This anthology is a tribute to Russell Atkins and Norman Jordan who were the leaders of the powerful group of writers.

This is the very first anthology by the Muntu Poets - a forgotten voice in the mid to late 60’s in the city of Cleveland - was an entity that was a product of its time. There were no membership cards or applications to fill out or any barrier to be a Muntu Poet. It was a fluid entity that existed for people in the area waiting to be exposed to poetry and to the technicalities of writing poetry. For the most part, the majority of the poets were young, movement conscious, energetic and upset with the status quo. There wasn’t anyone who was laboring under any illusions about our plight. Everyone expressed themselves in different ways I’d say. The poets read all over the place, including in other states, for the better part of 67/68 under the banner of Muntu.

The workshop took place once a week at a place on Superior Avenue and Ansel Road on the second floor of the building. There were folks present who were poets before the workshop and people who were there just to check out what was going on. There was an eclectic group of styles present. The voices of dissent were the loudest and it was this group that raised their voices everywhere they went. In their view, there was nothing pretty or funny about the circumstances Black people were in. They were the only group of poets in the city doing that. They felt that everyone else was putting honey and perfume on shit. The poets who had a similar outlook were the ones who usually read together at various venues around the country.

The last time that the group officially met was on July 23rd of 1968 at 10518 Elk Avenue. That day, (the beginning of the Glenville Riots) was what the Muntu Poets predicted was coming. Most of the poets continued to write and now they have gathered to write another anthology 47 years after the first was written. This anthology is a tribute to Russell Atkins and Norman Jordan who were the leaders of the powerful group of writers.

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So you would like to own a respectable modern jazz collection, but don’t know where to start! Many people do not have the time or money to spend thousands of dollars to find out what is really a masterpiece. No need to worry because the “Best of” team under the direction of K Kelly has spent all the time and money for you!