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Gil Scott-Heron was a Chicago poet and novelist who turned musician and
predated rap music with his spoken-word pieces.
Accompanied by keyboardist and flutist Brian Jackson, Scott-Heron made an album
of his poems,
Small Talk At 125th & Lenox Ave (Flying Dutchman, 1970), which includes
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised and
Whitey On The Moon.
The duo's Miles Davis-inspired fusion of jazz, funk and rock,
and Scott-Heron's Phil Ochs-inspired agit-prop
lyrics reached maturity on
Pieces Of A Man (april 1971 - Flying Dutchman, 1971), that includes
Lady Day And John Coltrane and
Home Is Where The Hatred Is.
Free Will (march 1972 - Flying Dutchman, 1972) was relatively uneventful, but
Winter In America (october 1973 - Strata-East, 1974) turned out to be his first
"musical" statement, with fluid songs such as The Bottle (that borrows a
Caribbean rhythm).
The First Minute Of A New Day (august 1974 - Arista, 1975) introduced a real band.
From South Africa To South Carolina (Arista, 1975) contains the
anti-apartheid sermon Johannesburg.
Bridges (Arista, 1977) has the nuclear farce We Almost Lost Detroit.
It's Your World (july 1976) was the last album with Brian Jackson.
Without Jackson, the poet recorded Secrets (Arista, 1978), that contains
Angel Dust,
The Mind Of Gil Scott-Heron (Arista, 1979), with
H2O Gate Blues,
1980 (october 1979 - Arista, 1980),
Real Eyes (Arista, 1980),
Reflections (june 1981 - Arista, 1981),
Moving Target (Arista, 1982), with
Blue Collar and Black History,
Tales (Peak Top, 1990),
Minister Of Information (Peak Top, 1994),
Spirits (TvT, 1994), whose highlight is the three-movement
suite The Other Side, "sung" from the viewpoint of an addict.
Scott-Heron died in 2011.
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(Translation by/ Tradotto da Gabriele Lazzari)
Gil Scott-Heron è stato un
poeta e romanziere di Chicago, in seguito passato alla musica e diventato un
precursore della musica rap grazie ai suoi pezzi spoken word.
Accompagnato dal tastierista e flautista Brian Jackson,
Scott-Heron pubblicò un album di poesie, Small
Talk At 125th & Lenox Ave (Flying Dutchman, 1970), che include tra le
altre The Revolution Will Not Be
Televised e Whitey On The Moon.
La musica del duo, con la sua fusione di jazz, funk e rock
à là Miles Davis, maturò definitivamente in Pieces Of A Man (april 1971 - Flying Dutchman, 1971), così come
maturarono i testi fortemente politici di Scott-Heron, i quali richiamano in
modo particolare Phil Ochs. Nel disco sono presenti Lady Day And John Coltrane e Home
Is Where The Hatred Is.
Free Will
(march 1972 - Flying Dutchman, 1972) risultò essere un disco senza infamia e
senza lode, mentre Winter In America
(october 1973 - Strata-East, 1974) fu il suo primo manifesto
"musicale", grazie a pezzi orecchiabili come The Bottle (caratterizzata da un ritmo caraibico).
In The First Minute
Of A New Day (august 1974 - Arista, 1975) fece la sua prima apparizione una
band vera e propria. From South Africa
To South Carolina (Arista, 1975) contiene il sermone contro l'apartheid Johannesburg, mentre in Bridges (Arista, 1977) è presente la
farsa a tema nucleare We Almost Lost
Detroit.
It's Your World
(july 1976) fu l'ultimo disco con Brian Jackson.
Senza Jackson, il poeta registrò Secrets (Arista, 1978), che include Angel Dust, The Mind Of Gil
Scott-Heron (Arista, 1979), con H2O
Gate Blues, 1980 (october 1979 -
Arista, 1980), Real Eyes (Arista,
1980), Reflections (june 1981 -
Arista, 1981), Moving Target
(Arista, 1982), fra le cui tracce vi sono Blue
Collar e Black History, Tales (Peak Top, 1990), Minister Of Information (Peak Top,
1994) e Spirits (TvT, 1994), da
ricordare soprattutto per la suite in tre movimenti The Other Side, "cantata" dal punto di vista di un
tossicodipendente.
Scott-Heron morì nel 2011.
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