Gil Scott-Heron
Black History Month
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Black History Month - Gil Scott-Heron - The Power of Jazz
“I consider myself neither poet, composer, nor musician. These are merely tools used by sensitive men to carve out a piece of beauty or truth they hope may lead to peace and salvation.” - Gil Scott Heron
Gil Scott-Heron has been doing something his with his life and music few dare to do; look at himself and the culture around him honestly and articulate clearly his experiences and feelings about what he sees. Few artists have been as honest about their own experiences and flaws as Scott-Heron and it inspires us to look as honestly at ourselves. For Gil-Scott Heron and many contemporary artists the Civil Rights Movement didn't end thirty years ago. Through Gil's music we learn and recognize how much further we need to go and take an honest look at the continuing struggle of African-Americans and all people alike.
Scott-Heron was raised in Tennessee and the Bronx and his influences include Oscar Brown Jr., Richie Havens, John Coltrane, Langston Hughes, Malcolm X, Nina Simone and Billie Holiday. By the time Gil was twenty he had written a novel called 'The Vulture', a book of poetry titled 'Small Talk at 125th and Lenox' and released his first album 'New Black Poet:Small Talk at 125th and Lenox' which featured one of his most well known songs 'The Revolution Will Not be Televised'. Scott-Heron followed that album with 'Pieces of a Man' in 1971 with Brian Jackson, Ron Carter, Bernard Purdie and Hubert Laws. Gil and Brian Jackson would collaborate together on many more albums including 'Winter In America', 'It's Your World', 'Bridges' and 'Secrets'. Gil took part in the No Nukes concerts at Madison Square Garden in 1979, protesting the use of nuclear energy after the Three Mile Island accident and wrote a song about the incident called 'We Almost Lost Detroit' referencing the book of the title and speaking about the previous incident. Scott-Heron is known as the Godfather of Rap and continues making music and poetry to this day and trying to inspire new generations of musicians, hip-hop artists and people alike to take an honest look at themselves and the world around them.