Amiri Baraka and Lester Young

Good evening everyone!

I was just looking up some information on Amiri Baraka and came across some really interesting readings of his poetry that he has done. In many of his poems he references Lester "Prez" Young, the great tenor sax player. In one of Baraka's poems, written after Obama's inauguration, the poet utilizes Young and his nickname as a reference to the new "prez," Barack Obama. Not that I am trying to push any liberal agenda here, just thought it was a way of utilizing jazz influences that we had not yet come across in class. Below are links to some readings of Baraka (all of which include blatant jazz influences) as well as some really incredible works by Lester Young that I feel help give Baraka's work some context.

I hope you enjoy them and I'll see you tomorrow in class, Drew.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPK9eH4EFTU&feature=channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuuourbkraE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKcPlbVHdy0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6ogRiaWXaU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmXxpCTpK3E&feature=related