No Song is Safe From Us

No Song Is Safe From Us - The NYFOS Blog
 |  Sam Grosby

Having mastered hip hop, hard bop, free form and everything in between, Marquis Hill is one of the heaviest hitting cats on the jazz scene in America. Hill has made a name for himself as one of the most gifted trumpeters around, winning the Thelonious Monk Trumpet Competition in 2014. After listening to Mr. Blier and Ms. Bennett perform some jazz classics in Orient so inspiringly, I was reminded of all the times I have been lucky enough to hear Marquis and his Blacktet play in Chicago.




 |  Sam Grosby

A little over a year ago, transgender Americans were granted the right to serve openly as such in the U.S. Military. This was a decision that allowed an estimated 2,500 people the freedom to be themselves. Following the repeal of this decree four days ago, I felt it necessary to share just one more selection by Ted Hearne.




 |  Sam Grosby

Today’s selection comes from Ted Hearne’s 2015 composition Coloring Book. He describes the work as such: “I set the words of three great black American writers of different generations (Zora Neale Hurston, James Baldwin, Claudia Rankine) in texts dealing with identity, not because I could ever pretend to speak for them, but because I wanted to know: Could I better understand their words by speaking them in my own voice?