Edgy, Engaging, Political
What a beautiful labor of power and love on the part of Roger Guenveur Smith and his sound designer partner, Marc Anthony Thompson. For those who, unlike Gore Vidal, do not profess to sleeping through the 60's, but instead to wrestling with often incoherent dreams of what it all meant, and what was happening (Mr. Jones?) Some of us didn't quite know what it was, but we were marked for life anyway. This direct communique from Huey P. Newton is in part what it was, and, in all it's shades of black, white, brown, red, green and gray, is just about the most evocative descent back to that time that I've heard or seen to date.
Perhaps you were lucky enough to catch Spike Lee's film version of this performance. Me, no. But here it is complete in an audio version. For once the recording control that can be lost to room playback and shouting actors is NOT a factor, and the presence of the audience is in fact truly key to Guenveur Smith's approach, as he plays the audience and the microphone like the word jazz musician he is.
Why don't people write like this for radio? Exactly, why don't they? Huh?
It's a bit long, but worth it. Any station that prides itself on bringing art and culture direct to its audience should air this.
Marjorie Van Halteren
Morbecque
August 7, 2006
Brian K.
