Subtitled "An African American Aural History," the scope of this two-CD set is impressive, encompassing poetry, writings, speeches, and music by many major Black musicians, writers, and activists of the 20th century. The focus of the disc, however, wavers enough to make it an uneven, jumpy listening experience, although it's a valuable source for educators and radio programmers that might want to draw upon specific tracks to make specific points. All but five of the 59 selections come from within the
Smithsonian Folkways
collection itself, ranging in length from 20-second soundbites to six-minute musical performances. Whether read by others or by the authors themselves, this contains excerpts of notable literary works or speeches by significant African-Americans such as
Langston Hughes
,
Harriet Tubman
Frederick Douglass
Booker T. Washington
Angela Davis
Bobby Seale
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Amiri Baraka
Jayne Cortez
, and
Ishmael Reed
(sometimes read by notable actors like
Ossie Davis
and
Ruby Dee
). The music is a real mixed bag of styles, but again commendably diverse, with performances by
Reverend Gary Davis
Leadbelly
Muddy Waters
Paul Robeson
Hamiet Bluiett
the Fisk Jubilee Singers
Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry
James P. Johnson
Arrested Development
-- everything from
country-blues
jazz
to
gospel
rap
. Occasionally some of the pieces transcend their considerable historical/educational interest as incendiary performances in their own right, such as
's remarkably lively, visceral performance of his poem
"Dope"
the Golden Eagles
' infectious Mardi Gras percussive chants. There are extensive liner notes, but these don't always indicate the date of performance/recording, which even in case of the spoken word tracks would be useful information for many of the people apt to listen to such a disc. ~ Richie Unterberger