Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman was an American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, and composer. In the 1960s, he was one of the founders of free jazz, a term he invented for his album Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation. His "Broadway Blues" has become a standard and has been cited as an important work in free jazz. His album Sound Grammar received the 2007 Pulitzer … [Read more...] about Tuesday Open Thread: Black Geniuses That Inspire
Tuesday Open Thread
Tuesday Open Thread: Scat and Bebop Singers
Bulee "Slim" Gaillard (January 4, 1916 – February 26, 1991), also known as McVouty, was an American jazz singer, songwriter, guitarist, pianist, and vibraphonist, noted for his vocalese singing and word play in a language he called "Vout". (In addition to speaking eight other languages, Gaillard wrote a dictionary for his own constructed language.) … [Read more...] about Tuesday Open Thread: Scat and Bebop Singers
Tuesday Open Thread: African-American Architects
Beverly Loraine Greene (October 4, 1915 – August 22, 1957) was an American architect. According to architectural editor Dreck Spurlock Wilson, she was "believed to have been the first African American female licensed as an architect in the United States." She was registered as an architect in Illinois in 1942. … [Read more...] about Tuesday Open Thread: African-American Architects
Tuesday Open Thread: The History of Blacks and SKA music
The Skatalites are a ska band from Jamaica. They played initially between 1963 and 1965, and recorded many of their best known songs in the period, including "Guns of Navarone." They also played on records by Prince Buster and backed many other Jamaican artists who recorded during that period. They reformed in 1983 and have played together ever since. … [Read more...] about Tuesday Open Thread: The History of Blacks and SKA music
Tuesday Open Thread: African-Americans and the Labor Union Movement
The Union League of America (or Loyal League) was the first African American Radical Republican organization in the southern United States and one of the first labor unions. The League was created in the North during the American Civil War as a patriotic club to support the Union. It was officially established in May 1863 when a common constitution was adopted. By late 1863 … [Read more...] about Tuesday Open Thread: African-Americans and the Labor Union Movement