LUMPENPROLETARIAT—Mr. Baker truly is a bad ass. Sometimes that’s a good thing. Other times, not so much. Jay Bulger’s film opens with Mr. Baker smashing Mr. Bulger in the face with his metal cane. But we thank Jay Bulger for his courage in seeking out a musical legend fading in obscurity; and we thank Mr. Baker for his courage in telling his story to the world. We are all the richer for it. Mr. Baker’s musical contributions have greatly enriched the world. Your author recently viewed Beware of Mr. Baker (2012) on Netflix. View it on Netflix, or check your local library or DVD rental outlet (or see below). [1]
Messina
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Beware of Mr. Baker (2012, trailer) directed by Jay Bulger
Beware of Mr. Baker (2012) directed by Jay Bulger
Cream May 2005 reunion performance footage at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England, including “White Room“, “Crossroads“, and “Badge”
Cream May 2005 reunion performance footage at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England, including “I’m So Glad” (1 of 22)
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[1] GONZO: One of the best moments in the film is the day Mr. Baker meets Mr. Kuti; Fela Kuti that is. They became best of phenomenal mates, until things change for some reason. Mr. Baker gets into polo, apparently as a healthy activity living life clean and sober. Meanwhile, Mr. Kuti becomes a revolutionary candidate for president, whom the Nigerian state must crush. Mr. Baker hung in there as long as he could, funking out with the African rhythms until the political turmoil became deadly. Soldiers came and literally ran him out of his own music studio. The gun shots rang, as he lept out a back window and vaped down the road in his Range Rover.
It’s a trip to see another British white dude, who grew up on African American music. The first album he ever scored, he stole, it was Art Blakey, or maybe it was Max Roach. No, it was Art Blakey. (We’ll have to watch the film again to be sure.) Some of us, who studied music, if we had really good music professors and instructors, we got a good training in music history. At the conservatory at the College of San Mateo, Professor Gustavson exposed us to plenty of Art Blakey and Max Roach. We, humans, mere mortals had only scratched the surface of what rhythms drumming could achieve. Much of it was too subtle and too sophisticated for the average listener to tolerate or appreciate. But the hypnotic energy of the revolutionary 1960s was open to the rhythmic complexity of bringing a jazz sensibility (i.e., black classical music sensibility).
So, it was very memorable to see Mr. Baker break down in tears when answering obvious questions about the powerful pull, which the African continent had upon Mr. Baker because he grew up on African-American jazz drumming, which, of course, descends from African drumming, which, of course, descends from ancient human traditions.
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[Image of Ginger Baker playing the drums in 1980 by Zoran Veselinovic used via creative commons law (CC BY-SA 2.0).]
LUMPENPROLETARIATGONZO: It’s hard to imagine it’s been half a century since the Black Panther Party hit the scene in the USA. Soon, it’ll be a century, as grievances fester. For how long? I remember, as a young Chicano, discovering the Black Panther Party through hip hop and other art forms in the 1980s.
The Black Panther Party is still incredibly relevant, important, and necessary. Feed the struggle. Feed your community. Defend your community. Feed your soul.
Perhaps, your local community is also honouring the Black Panther Party’s 50th Anniversary, as are observant communities in the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Area and other locales. In the Bay Area, there are many museums and galleries featuring exhibits honouring the BPP50th. Also free speech radio is paying tribute to the BPP50th. Tune in, here, for revolutionary observance before the radio echo fades and vanishes into the historical penumbra. Listen here. [1]
UPDATE—[24 OCT 2016] Hard Knock Radio has provided us with some new coverage of the events and activities commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Black Panther Party, including audio excerpts from the BPP 50TH gala, which featured former political prisoner and Black Panther Party member Eddie Conway as well as keynote speaker Danny Glover. Listen here. [2]
Messina
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BPP 50TH—[accessed 11 OCT 2016] [statement from ad hoc committee of former members of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense]
Dear Friends and Comrades,
October 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Black Panther Party. An ad hoc committee of former members of the Party is hosting events commemorating the anniversary from October 20-23rd in Oakland, California.
The theme of our commemoration is “Where Do We Go From Here?” The Black Panther Party is well-known and admired in Oakland and around the world for its stand against police brutality, for its Survival Programs— which included free breakfast for school children and free health clinics—its coalitions with other people of color, and its effort to bring about revolutionary change in America. The anniversary events will explore and celebrate the history and legacy of the Black Panther Party.
We hope you will join us in commemorating this historic 50th anniversary by participating in the various workshops and panels of the conference, enjoying our wonderful dinner and gala, advertising in our souvenir program book and volunteering.
Sincerely yours,
Clark Bailey, Coordinator
Black Panther Party 50th Anniversary Host Committee
HARD KNOCK RADIO—[24 OCT 2016] [station identification by Erica Bridgeman(sp?)]
[Opening audio collage] (c. 1:53)
DAVEY D: “What up, everybody? Welcome to another edition of Hard Knock Radio. Davey D, hangin’ out wit’ you this afternoon. On today’s show, we let you hear some of the sounds, that took place over this past weekened, as Black Panthers commemorated their 50-year anniversary. A lot of guests, from Danny Glover on down to former political prisoner Ed Conway. All that and more, coming up after the afternoon headlines.” (c. 2:18)
[News Headlines (read by Gabriela Castelan) omitted by scribe] [3]
[First segment: Black Panther Party 50th Anniversary audio clips, including a Bobby Seale endorsement for Hard Knock Radio, the dedication of Bobby Hutton Grove, and more.]
[Music break: “Who’ll Pay Reparations On My Soul” by Gil Scott-Heron]
“Who’ll Pay Reparations On My Soul” by Gil Scott-Heron
[Next segment: audio clips from the Black Panther Party 50th Anniversary gala event of former political prisoner and Black Panther member Eddie Conway and keynote speaker Danny Glover, both of whom are on the editorial board of The Real News.]
SAN FRANCISCO BAY VIEW—[15 MAY 2016] Wanda’s Picks for May-June 2016Elaine Brown’s “A Taste of Power,” a memoir which chronicles her leadership of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense when co-founder Huey P. Newton is imprisoned, still resonates with me. The idea that a Black woman is nominated to the leadership position of the most powerful civic organization in the country at that time is still remarkable and speaks to what Kathleen Cleaver calls revolutionary imagination.
[(c. 18:58) Programme host Idris gives community announcements regarding civil rights and Black Panther Party events “celebrating this year the 50th anniversary [of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense]. And there’s a lot of great exhibitions and events coming up this month in the [SF-Oakland] Bay Area. One event: The Survival Pending Revolution Black Panther Party 50. And that’s a exhibition at the Omi Gallery of Oakland, 2323 Broadway. It’s going on October 7th through January 7th. There’s also an exhibition [inaudible] 2.0 at [] gallery. There’s also an exhibition at the Oakland Museum. So, I can give a list. And we’ll give some more throughout the show. But we’re gonna get into some more music, actually, some poetry from—may he rest in peace—brother Amiri Baraka, who was very instrumental at empowering a soundtrack for the Black Panther movement. So, this is also taken from the Listen Whitey: Sounds of Black Power compilation. And we’ll have more music coming up, inspired by that and the events throughout the [SF-Oakland] Bay Area celebrating the legacy and the strength and the memory of those lost during those epic times. And we’ll just play some music in honour of that, here, on Chocolate Beats Radio.” (c. 21:10)]
[1] Terrestrial radio transmission, 94.1 FM (KPFA, Berkeley, CA) with online simulcast and digital archiving: Chocolate Beats Radio, this one-hour broadcast hosted by Miss Idris, Sunday, 9 OCT 2016, 01:00 PDT. [Due to copyright restrictions, music programmes are usually removed from public access two weeks after the initial broadcast.]
Playlist, Chocolate Beats Radio (9 OCT 2016):
“Ain’t No Such Thing As A Superman” by Gil Scott-Heron (taken from Greatest Hits)
“Until We’re Free” by Elaine Brown (taken from Listen Whitey)
“Woman of the Ghetto” by Marlena Shaw (live in Montreal) (taken from Listen Whitey!)
“Who Will Survive America” by Amiri Baraka (taken from Listen Whitey!)
“Brother, Where Are You?” by Oscar Brown, Jr. (taken from )
“Uhuru Sasa” by Gary Bartz (taken from Greatest Hits)
“Red Black and Green” by Roy Ayers
“Our Generation” by John Legend
Jazzmatazz Tribute by Jay Electronica (taken from ROC Nation)
“Cranes in the Sky” by Solange (taken from A Seat at the Table)
“Roll Call” by Cody Chestnut (taken from B-Sides)
“My People” by Jazzy Jeff (with Raheem Divine) (taken from Beat Generation: 10th Anniversary)
“Winter in America” by Gil Scott-Heron (taken from Listen Whitey!)
“For Us” by Solange (taken from A Seat at the Table)
“Fake Bonanza” by Mos Def (taken from True Magic)
(c. 1:10:00) “Inner City Boundaries” by Freestyle Fellowship
(c. 1:14:40) “Rappin’ Black” by Watts Prophets
(c. 1:15:00) “Dial 7” by Digable Planets (taken from Blowout Comb)
(c. 1:19:30) “On the Subway” by The Last Poets
(c. 1:21:00) “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” by Gil Scott-Heron
(c. 1:24:00) “Prophets of Rage” by Public Enemy (taken from Fear of a Black Planet)
(c. 1:27:20) “Walking” by Nneka (with Jay Electronica and Nas)
(c. 3:47:30) “C.R.E.A.M.” (2014, cover) by Ensemble Mik Nawooj (symphony orchestra with S.F. Bay Area MCs Do-D.A.T. and Sandman) (taken from Ensemble Mik Nawooj: A Hip-Hop Orchestra)
(c. 3:51:10) Host Miss Idris updates the playlist
(c. 3:53:00) “Eric B For President” by Eric B and Rakim
(c. 3:59:28) [end of terrestrial radio transmission]
[2] Terrestrial radio transmission, 94.1 FM (KPFA, Berkeley, CA) with online simulcast and digital archiving: Hard Knock Radio, this one-hour broadcast hosted by Davey D, Monday, 24 OCT 2016, 16:00 PDT. [For some unfortunate reason, perhaps due to an inability to edit out music with copyright restrictions from audio archives after they’ve been broadcast, Hard Knock Radio archives are usually removed from public access two weeks after the initial broadcast.]
[3] KPFA News Headlines (read by Gabriela Castelan), summary:
First news headline was what we understand through our critical media literacy studies as junkfood news or news abuse. The first headline is about the personality of Donald Trump and the meme about Trump’s response in the final debate about possibly complaining about the 2016 presidential election outcome, if he suspects electoral fraud. Nothing new is revealed, but the corporate news memes of superficial differences between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are perpetuated, as the real issues and substance of their political records are obfuscated, not to mention alternative political candidates are censored, underreported, and marginalised.
Dakota Access Pipeline resistance update: police pepper spray people resisting the pipeline construction.
LUMPENPROLETARIAT—Mr. Baker truly is a bad ass. Sometimes that’s a good thing. Other times, not so much. Jay Bulger’s film opens with Mr. Baker smashing Mr. Bulger in the face with his metal cane. But we thank Jay Bulger for his courage in seeking out a musical legend fading in obscurity; and we thank Mr. Baker for his courage in telling his story to the world. We are all the richer for it. Mr. Baker’s musical contributions have greatly enriched the world. Your author recently viewed Beware of Mr. Baker (2012) on Netflix. View it on Netflix, or check your local library or DVD rental outlet (or see below). [1]
