i don't know how many of you are already aware of these sad news, but the 9th january the great writer, poet, singer, performer, activist Amiri Baraka (previously known as Leroi Jones), died at almost 80 years old.
He represented a big part of American Culture. Active from the 60s he was with Kerouac, Ferlinghetti, Ginsberg at the first poetry readings. We could well say that Amiri Baraka was one of the fathers of rap music, being among the very first to perform the so called poetry shouting. He was friend with most jazz masters of the era, John Coltrane among others; Amiri was one of the organizers of the big jazz music event that took place in '65, "The October Revolution", maybe the first free jazz event ever, marking an important step in the development of jazz and afroamerican music(s).
He was one the few independent intelectuals that could see it coming, could see what was happening and had the guts to rebel against what he thought was wrong. For these reasons he was in FBI black list until his death. He met Malcom X and Dr. King. Dr. King payed him a visit just one week before he was killed. He told Amiri "You don't look such a bad person!".
Amiri Baraka wrote one of the most important books about the african slaves trade, jazz, blues, afroamerican music, culture and sociology: "Blues People", a must read since its release in 1969.
Amiri kept giving readings of his work, kept writing, kept protesting, kept performing with musicians around the globe until the very moment of his death. He had a sharp and keen eye for everything that was happening.
I had the honour to meet him some time ago. We were talking about american politics and Obama. He said "Obama was like a guy in a boat in a sea full of crocodiles... He would say "C'mon jump on my boat" and we did it. But when we got on the boat we realized he had crocodiles on the boat as well!".
I was smoking that day (of course ). I offered him my joint and he replied very politely: "No thanks, I quit in '69". I Liked that.

You can find a lot of his work online. I would like to share this quite old track he recorded with the new york art quartet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L9NYTpdXg8

Notes For a Speech

African blues
does not know me. Their steps, in sands
of their own
land. A country
in black & white, newspapers
blown down pavements
of the world. Does
not feel
what I am.

Strength

in the dream, an oblique
suckling of nerve, the wind
throws up sand, eyes
are something locked in
hate, of hate, of hate, to
walk abroad, they conduct
their deaths apart
from my own. Those
heads, I call
my "people."

(And who are they. People. To concern

myself, ugly man. Who
you, to concern
the white flat stomachs
of maidens, inside houses
dying. Black. Peeled moon
light on my fingers
move under
her clothes. Where
is her husband. Black
words throw up sand
to eyes, fingers of
their private dead. Whose
soul, eyes, in sand. My color
is not theirs. Lighter, white man
talk. They shy away. My own
dead souls, my, so called
people. Africa
is a foreign place. You are
as any other sad man here
american.

(Amiri Baraka)

[Wiggs Dannyboy]

I heard the news, saw his obit in the NY Times. I had never heard of him before, and I had actually grown up in the 1970's, and I'm pretty politically aware. But, I'm also caucasian, and he was much more well known in the black community. Anyway, after hearing about him and reading about his life in his obituary, it's apparent that he was a very important guy and had a very large impact on the lives of black people and how they were treated by, and progressed in, our society.

RIP Amiri Baraka...