You know how I do. Every tile in the American mosaic gets acknowledged and appreciated up in here. So let us not ignore Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.
Embedded below are living glimpses of three prominent musical artists who are openly gay: folk/blues performer Toshi Reagon... legendary jazz avant-gardist Cecil Taylor... and old-school vocal stylist Andy Bey.
Please enjoy them.
I saw Toshi Reagon perform a few weeks ago. She really does have one of the purest voices out there, its touching.
ReplyDeleteNice post!
Thanks, Thembi. By the way, in my upper-right corner, Pharoah Sanders is performing his tune "Thembi."
ReplyDeleteDo you know whether you were named after that composition??
Didn't know Cecil Taylor is gay. He is an absolutely stunning musician. You know something is genius when you encounter it and you feel like you always knew it, so much that you're surprised you never articulated it yourself. That's how I feel about Taylor's playing. His percussive insanity has meant a lot to me, and I feel like I've always kind of played in that way. I know his musical vision doesn't make its way out of my head too often, but it's a testament to his genius that I feel like it pre-existed in me and a lot of musicians I hear, even ones who probably know nothing about his music.
ReplyDeleteAnyone reading this who hasn't explored Taylor, pick up Mixed, which is a collection of music by the Cecil Taylor Unit and the Roswell Rudd Sextet. It's a great place to start. The tune Mixed (track 3) will blow you away.
^ Thanks for that, John-Paul.
ReplyDelete@UBM
ReplyDeleteIn fact, I was named after that entire album!
aw man, now I'm all warm and fuzzy. The song makes me imagine my parents in some 70s West Philly apartment picking baby names...thanks!
ReplyDelete^ Cool! I was hoping so.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see bloggers recognizing June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. And thanks for that nice selection of people you chose to focus on!
ReplyDeleteThank you, New Black Woman.
ReplyDeleteWell its also Black Music Month, David. Just something else to keep you busy!
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/5qcokd
^ Dang, Wanda... I didn't know. I think I can whip up something special, though...
ReplyDeleteI learned it was Black Music Month from iTunes, of all places.
ReplyDeleteI was in the post office today and noticed all these pictures of notable women in US history. So I thought it must be Women's History month, or something. That's when I remembered that it was Music History Month. I didn't know about Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.
ReplyDeletebtw June 12th is Loving Day.
thanks for recognizing gay pride month
ReplyDeletehttp://www.queersunited.blogspot.com
^ Thanks for finding it.
ReplyDeleteActually Toshi has said that she's bisexual but still, that's openly gay. Meshell Ndegeoecello, Sylvester, the lead singer from the obscure '70s Motown harmony group Dynamic Superiors, Donnie, Joan Armatrading, Frankie Knuckles, Kevin Aviance, Nona Hendryx and Labi Siffre all deserve props too. All wonderful black musicians who happened to be ...openly gay (or bisexual).
ReplyDeleteGreat blog by the way. Huge fan. I always followed you and the other David ...Simon, that is's stuff. Obsessive Wire/Corner fan, here! :-)
IM BLACK AND IM PROUD!
ReplyDeleteSorry, just a lil'Black Pride flashback. Ill try and keep them down. And Ill try to finish my damned series, so please come back!
:)
L
PS - Aw, damn, its Black Music Month too...well, perhaps Ill whip something out from my unpublished posts to celebrate....
the lead singer from the obscure '70s Motown harmony group Dynamic Superiors
ReplyDeleteUBM, didn't you post about Tony Washington awhile back?
Speaking of singers, was Sir Monte Rock III gay?
mynameismyname: Thanks for commenting.
ReplyDeleteI wish there was some high-quality video of Sylvester on YouTube. I looked.
UBM, didn't you post about Tony Washington awhile back?
ReplyDeleteI went looking again for that spectacular "Soul Train" clip of "Shoe Shoe Shine," Bklyn6... but it was taken off of YouTube by the copyright police, on behalf of Don Cornelius Productions.
(Not a stone gas, Mr. Cornelius. Not a stone gas at all.)