AMIRI BARAKA
 
 


 
 

808 S.10TH ST.
NEWARK, N.J. 07108
973 242-1346  1509 Fax
Ab11@EROLS.COM


The plethora of magazines and journals of all kinds and ideologies, &C making critical judgements about Afro American Art and Culture, while most of “our” publications, at best, publish scattered, obscure “notices” but not a consistent well thought out arts column.  I think you should begin by running a Poll on the various arts, e.g., The advent of the Millennium means that you have a “neat” form to have people submit their views. If we sd, for the one hundred years.  “Who are the Most Creative, Innovative & Enduring?”
 
 

- A   K N O W E R S   S U R V E Y -





POLL ONE:   “JAZZ”
 

List THE ORCHESTRA OF IMMORTALS (since 1900…Put together players &c from all Bands, vocalists who would make up your version of such)

GREAT ORCHESTRAS (10)  -- allow 1 per decade, but it does not have to follow that formula, but no more than 10.

ORCHESTRAS
 

INSTRUMENTAL GIANTS (10 EACH MAXIMUM)

Piano
Organ

Bass
Violin
Guitar
Other strings

Drums
Hand Drums
Vibes
Hand Drums (Congas, Dun Dun, &c)
Other Percussion

Baritone saxophones
Tenor saxophones
Alto saxophones
Soprano Saxophones
Clarinet
Flute
Other Reeds, woodwinds

Trumpets
Trombone
Other Brass

Miscellaneous
 

MOST CREATIVE &C. VOCALISTS

Jazz
Male
Female

Blues (in Jazz context)

Leaders
Composers  (w/examples)
Arrangers   (w/ examples)
 

LIST THE TEN MOST CREATIVE, &C

Live
Recorded


LIST THE TEN MOST CREATIVE, &C  VOCAL PERFORMANCES (SINGLE SINGER)

Live
Recorded
Jazz Context
Male
Female
LIST THE HIPPEST PLACES TO HEAR THE MUSIC IN YOUR CITY….IN THE WORLD
 
(All these categories should have a listing for the most creative for the year 1999)
POLL TWO:
 
 
TRADITIONAL - COUNTRY BLUES

URBAN -RHYTHM & BLUES

GOSPEL

LIST THE TEN MOST CREATIVE VOCAL GROUPS
 

LIST THE TEN MOST CREATIVE RAP GROUPS


 

POLL THREE:
 

Caribbean Music
Calypso
Reggae
Other
POLL FOUR:
 
Latin Music
POLL FIVE:
 
 
List The Ten Most Creative Dancers

Tap

“Interpretative”

Ballet

List The Ten Most Creative Dance Companies
 

POLL SIX:
 
 
List The Ten Most Creative Actors (Film)
Female
Male
POLL SEVEN:
 
 
List The Ten Most Creative Actors (TV)

List The Ten Most Creative Directors (Film)

List The Ten Most Creative Actors (Stage)

List TheTen Most Creative Directors (Stage)
 

POLL EIGHT:
 
 
List The Ten Most Creative TV Series

 

POLL NINE:
 
 

List The Ten Most Creative One Time Video Programs

 

POLL TEN:
 
 

LIST THE TEN MOST CREATIVE STAGE PLAYS
Actors
Directors
Writers

 

POLL ELEVEN:
 
 

List The Ten Most Creative  Writers (Non Fiction)

List TheTen Most Creative Poets

List The Ten Most Creative Novelists

List The Ten Most Creative Playwrights

                                            (TV)

List The Ten Most Creative Novels

    Books of Poetry

    Dramas
 
 

POLL TWELVE:
 
 
LIST THE TEN MOST CREATIVE ATHLETES
Baseball
Basketball
Football
Boxing
Golf
Tennis
Track
 
I would do an “international” poll and also have one focusing on specific cities, e.g., the 27 major cities in which Black people are significant pluralities or majorities.
 
POLL 13:
 
 
LIST THE TEN MOST IMPORTANT CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS
       Organizations
       Politicians
 
 
POLL 14:
 
 
LIST THE TEN MOST SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN U.S.

LIST THE TEN MOST SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN WORLD


 

POLL 15:
 
 

LIST THE TEN MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS

(WOMEN)

(MEN)

I would have a national panel of judges for the arts…perhaps for all, from the different categories But I would also open it up to the readers and then compare the two and analyze any differences. It is important to do both Newark and International. We need the sense of what the people understand about their own city as well as the world.

It would be very good to do one category of poll per issue and give readers a month? To respond.

For Music  ...  Jazz, Blues , a small for instance, including major musicians, writers, artists, academics,  This first was a list when we were focusing Only on NEWARK I would get Max Roach, Eddie Gladden, Dan Morgenstern, Charlie Persip, George Kanzler, John Sinclair, Rahman Herbie Morgan, Amina Baraka, Robert Banks, Ronnell & Andy Bey, The Phipps family, Wayne Shorter, Grachan Moncur III, Barbara Kukla, Tiny Prince, Scott, Halim Suliman, Richard Cammarieri, Stanley Meyers, WBGO Hosts, Fugees, Ras Baraka, Queen Latifah, Sister Souljah, Savion Glover, Joe White, Chops Jones, James Orange, Ozzie Cadena, Rasheema, John Patton, Gil Noble,

BUT BROADENING IT NATIONALLY, THESE ARE SOME KEY CHOICES

Benny Carter, Max Roach, Barry Harris, Abby Lincoln, Elvin Jones, Cecil Taylor, Pharaoh Sanders, Reggie Workman, Ahmad Jamal, David Murray, Roy Haynes, Amina Meyers, John Hicks, Craig Harris, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, Jimmy Owens, Wynton Marsalis, Sonny Murray, Archie Shepp, Jackie McLean, Cassandra Wilson, Nat Hentoff, Sterling Plumpp, Jazz Listeners Group of Washington D.C., Ted Joans, Lorenzo Thomas, David Henderson, John Sinclair, Roswell Rudd, Hilton Ruiz, Nancy Wilson, John Patton, Freddie Redd, Brian Smith, Khahil  El Sabar, Adegoke Steve Colson, Joseph Jarman, Malachi Favors, Kalaparusha, Sun Ra Arkestra, Andrew Cyrille, Malachi Thompson, McCoy Tyner, ,Kenny Barron, JJ Johnson, Duke Ellington & Count Basie Orchestras, Phil Schapp, James Browne, Fred Ho, Jon Jang, Vijay Iyer, Quincy Jones, Quincy Troupe, Ntozake Shange, Jayne Cortez, Amina Baraka, Felipe Luciano, John Conyers, Miguel Algarin, Lawrence Holder, Marvin X, Ed Bullins,Ron Milner, August Wilson, Michael Simanga, Ozzie Cadena, James Spady, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Donald Byrd, Ray Brown, DD Jackson, Wilber Morris, Sekou Sundiata, Steve Cannon, Robin Kelley, Kamau Daoud, Esmond Edwards, Bill Cosby, Roy DeCarava, The Heaths, Eddie Palmieri, Tito Puente, David Sanchez, James Spaulding, John Tchikai, Ornette Coleman, Bobby Hutcherson, Lionel Hampton, Milford Graves, Charlie Persip, Sonia Sanchez, Clarence Major, Eugene Redman, Askia Toure, Sababa Akili, Greg Morozumi, Ray Barretto, Jerry Gonzalez, Samuel Floyd, Pat Cruz, Verta Mae Grosvenor, Gylan Kain, David Nelson,     Rodney Kendrick, John Blake, Billy Bang, Hugh Ragin, Oliver Lake, Last Poets,

 These are only a partial list of those who should be registered, though I think THE SURVEY SHOULD BE OPEN TO ALL SO CONCERNED. I can get some of these names , public notices wd do the rest.
 
 

Let me know what you think.

Sincerely,

Amiri Baraka
 
 
 
 

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