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Playlist: Jazz Flow

Compiled By: Rodell Reddix

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1963: A Man's Dream, A Nation's Nightmare

From WFIU | Part of the Night Lights Classic Jazz: Specials series | 59:01

An hour-long jazz special:
It was a year of raised hopes and devastating tragedy, and the world of jazz continued to reflect both the growing unease and the youthful vitality of a nation in transition. We’ll hear the music of John Coltrane, Jackie McLean, Eric Dolphy, and others.

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The year was 1963, and in America the civil-rights movement continued to gain momentum in the face of turmoil and violence, culminating in Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, even as ugly rhetoric prevailed from foes such as Alabama governor George Wallace , who proclaimed in his inaugural address, “Segregation now,segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever.” In South Vietnam Buddhist monks burned themselves to death in protest against the country’s regime, and the Cold War continued apace, even though the United States and the Soviet Union signed a treaty limiting nuclear testing and established a communications hotline between the two nations. United States president John F. Kennedy proposed sweeping civil-rights legislation, but he would not live to see its passage; both he and civil-rights activist Medgar Evers would be assassinated in 1963. With America already entering a period of volatility and change, what was happening in the world of jazz?

1963, the year in jazz

Ironically enough, in such a time of upheaval, two of the most popular, iconic, and romantically laidback albums of modern jazz history were released—both named simply after the two primary musicians on each date, and recorded within a week and a half of each other in March. We’ll hear from tenor saxophonist John Coltrane and singer Johnny Hartman in this first set–Hartman a rather obscure figure by 1963, and Coltrane a star who had just come through a period of controversy after his exploratory directions had gotten him labeled “anti-jazz” by a critic from DownBeat Magazine...

READ MORE ON THE WEBSITE: https://indianapublicmedia.org/nightlights/1963-mans-dream-nations-nightmare.php

Jazz Singers (Series)

Produced by PRX

Most recent piece in this series:

Jazz Singers Generic 30 Second Promo

From PRX | Part of the Jazz Singers series | :30

Jazz_singers_art-04_small This is 30 second promo for "Jazz Singers," a thirteen-hour series hosted by award-winning singer Al Jarreau. "Jazz Singers" illuminates every style of jazz vocal artistry. Originally produced by The Smithsonian in 2001, this series had been re-packaged by PRX with new narration from original producer Jacquie Gales Webb for African American Music Appreciation Month in June.