Black History Month Listening Project

baystateoftheart · 2018-02-19T18:09:06-05:00

Ok, I definitely should have thought of this earlier than February 19, but for the rest of the month I'm going to try only listening to albums by black artists in honor of Black History Month.* For these purposes, if a group is mixed race, the frontman, frontwoman, or one of the co-leaders must be black. Anyone want to join me in this brief listening project? If you do, simply comment affirmatively below and feel free to use this thread to discuss albums that you're listening to :) *US and Canada ~~~~~ EDIT: Running list of albums I've listened to during this project, ranked: 1. The Muscle Shoals Sound - Various Artists 96.5 2. Cosmogramma - Flying Lotus 89.0 3. Journey In Satchidananda - Alice Coltrane 4.5/5 4. Harmony Of Difference - Kamasi Washington (#) 4.5/5 5. Madvillainy - Madvillain 85.8 6. K.R.I.T. Wuz Here - Big K.R.I.T. 4/5 7. Let My Children Hear Music - Charles Mingus 4/5 8. Brick Body Kids Still Daydream - Open Mike Eagle (#) 4/5 9. Maria Fumaça - Banda Black Rio (#) 4/5 10. Electric Ladyland - The Jimi Hendrix Experience 4/5 11. Across 110th Street - Bobby Womack & J.J. Johnson 4/5 12. We Are The Chantels - The Chantels (#) 4/5 13. Duke Ellington's Far East Suite - Duke Ellington (#) 4/5 14. Buhloone Mind State - De La Soul (#) 4/5 15. Inspiration Information - Shuggie Otis (#) 4/5 16. Are You Experienced? - The Jimi Hendrix Experience 76.8 17. The Payback - James Brown (#) 4/5 18. Tonight's The Night - The Shirelles 76.2 19. Aromanticism - Moses Sumney (#) 3.5/5 20. Soul Of A Woman - Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings (#) 3.5/5 21. Strictly Business - EPMD (#) 3.5/5 22. 'Round About Midnight - Miles Davis (#) 3.5/5 23. Money Jungle - Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus & Max Roach (#) 3.5/5 24. Fulfillingness' First Finale - Stevie Wonder (#) 3.5/5 25. Speak No Evil - Wayne Shorter (#) 3.5/5 26. Enta Da Stage - Black Moon (#) 3.5/5 27. Baby It's You - The Shirelles 70.6 28. The Mouse And The Mask - DANGERDOOM (#) 3.5/5 29. Colón Man - Equiknoxx (#) 3.5/5 30. Without Warning - 21 Savage, Offset & Metro Boomin (#) 3.5/5 # = totally new to me

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Fischman RockMonster, JazzMeister, Bluesboy,ClassicalMaster Profile
Land of Enchantment

baystateoftheart wrote:

Ok let's switch gears here from discussing the merits of black history month back to discussing the music. What are your favorite albums by male and female artists in each of these major traditionally black genres? Mine are below.

I'll offer a response, albeit an incomplete one:

Afrobeat: I'm not familiar with this genre. Looks like I've got some studying to do
Blues: Damn Right I Got the Blues by Buddy Guy /Deluxe Edition by Koko Taylor
Hip-Hop: Call me racist, but I don't listen to hip hop
Jazz: Moanin' by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers / Sarah Vaughan by Sarah Vaughan
Reggae: Call me racist, but I don't listen to reggae
Soul: Hot Buttered Soul by Isaac Hayes / Tell Mama: The Complete Muscle Shoals Sessions by Etta James

Appendix: Although it overlaps with soul, I'll add as a distinct genre:
Funk: Maggot Brain by Funkadelic / open to suggestions--seems to be a male dominated genre

RoundTheBend I miss the comfort in being sad Profile
Ground Control

I've been travelling and thought this a cool thread but can only reply now.

That morning I hop on google play and they had a cool playlist of the early black pioneers of rock and roll or something. Totally made my morning as I got ready.

Here's the albums I hold dear regardless of skin color, but still in honor of Black History month - but first this amazing montage First few times I watched it I didn't even notice it was all black artists - just great music! haha. Furthermore, I have to say that America has like 90% of it's musical heritage to thank to black musicians.

Link

I won't comment on genre's cause somehow I've valued that classification less.

But here's the albums I'll be forever grateful to these black artists for:

Stand! by Sly & The Family Stone

The Carnival by Wyclef Jean

Exodus by Bob Marley And The Wailers

Hush by Yo-Yo Ma and Bobby McFerrin

Here's Little Richard by Little Richard

Are You Experienced by The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Thriller by Michael Jackson

What'd I Say by Ray Charles

In A Silent Way by Miles Davis

Live At The Apollo by James Brown

I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You by Aretha Franklin

Chuck Berry Is On Top by Chuck Berry

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West

What's Going On by Marvin Gaye

Raising Hell by Run-D.M.C.

I was going to post all the black artists I ranked on this site as my favorites, but I think my top 100 albums will do for now.

Jimmy Dread Old skool like Happy Shopper Moderator Profile
555 Dub Street

Fischman wrote:

Funk: Maggot Brain by Funkadelic / open to suggestions--seems to be a male dominated genre

I’d fill latter void with:

Betty Davis by Betty Davis

And for the former either:

In The Jungle Groove by James Brown

Or:

Rejuvenation by The Meters

Could throw Disco into the genre mix too, in which case Chic’s Risque and either Sister Sledge or Loleatta Holloway would fit the bill.
_________________
'Reggae' & t'ing
Folk 'n Stuff
SHAMELESS RECORD DEALER PLUG

Yann

3 songs I love:

uplifting:

Link

pure:

Link

heartening:

Link

RoundTheBend I miss the comfort in being sad Profile
Ground Control

Fischman wrote:

Funk: Maggot Brain by Funkadelic / open to suggestions--seems to be a male dominated genre

Sly and the Family Stone, (my favorite funk group), is a mix of men, women, white and black.

glynspsa Profile

Betty Davis by Betty Davis

They Say I'm Different by Betty Davis

Nasty Gal by Betty Davis

Fischman RockMonster, JazzMeister, Bluesboy,ClassicalMaster Profile
Land of Enchantment

Jimmy Dread wrote:

I’d fill latter void with:

Betty Davis by Betty Davis

And for the former either:

In The Jungle Groove by James Brown

Or:

Rejuvenation by The Meters

Could throw Disco into the genre mix too, in which case Chic’s Risque and either Sister Sledge or Loleatta Holloway would fit the bill.

Thanks,
I'll check some of those out.

YoungPunk Profile

I generally like traitorous artists that defy national/racial boundaries. I feel that Prince is an example of this. In classical which I am really more familiar with the prime examples are Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich, who were widely regarded as traitors in their time.

baystateoftheart Neil Young as a butternut squash Profile
Massachusetts

And that's a wrap. 30 albums, more than one for every day of February. 17 new to me. All are listed on the first page if you're curious. I'll call this project a success. Thanks to everyone who chimed in to talk about the music.
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Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM

RoundTheBend I miss the comfort in being sad Profile
Ground Control

You have a mixed rating system. Care to embellish?

Also thanks for the reminder. That was a great experience.

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