Brian Jackson

WELCOME TO SERIES NINE!This is my end of year series! New episodes will be released each weekday, between Dec 13-21. Inspired by the Black radical tradition of the harmony between the lyrical and visual. I am joined by friends (artists, dancers, photographers, musicians) to explore the musical influences that inspire their work. We also look to the people, real and imagined, familial and ancestral who guide them. Get ready to be inspired!Today I am delighted to introduce a special episode, with my friend the musician Brian Jackson. You may know Brian's work from his partnership with Gil Scott-Heron, together they made ten albums over an eight year period, including Pieces of a Man and Winter in America.Time and time again that music has found its way onto over 100 cuts like Common's The People (from We Almost Lost Detroit) and Kendrick Lamar's Poe Mans Dreams (from Peace Go With You, Brother). Brian is still building with artists as diverse as Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad (Midnight Hour, A Tribe Called Quest) to the vocalist Gregory Porter.I started by asking Brian about Langston Hughes, and how his legacy brought he and Gil together, where they followed in the footsteps of not only Langston Hughes but also Thurgood Marshall, Kwame Nkrumah and Oscar Brown Jr. Brian says in our conversation:”It [Lincoln] just seemed like a logical place for me to continue my journey into Afrocentricity.” "Gil used to call our songs, our albums, survival kits on wax. And, you know, that's just another way of looking at the Griot tradition. Because, it was his responsibility to heal the community. It's spiritual work.""I'm gonna tell you Lou, before it's all over, I'm gonna do a Christmas album. What you think about that?!"Please share and review this independent show. Thank you!ENJOY!Follow us:Shade Podcast Spotify Playlist (updated daily)Shade Art Review Shade Art Review Christmas offer codeShade Podcast InstagramBrian Jackson InstagramBrian Jackson NYTimesPieces of a Man PodcastThis is Brian Jackson Jazz Is DeadThis series was produced and hosted by Lou MensahMusic King Henry IV for Shade Podcast by today's guest Brian JacksonMixing Tess Davidson Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Shade Media was founded in 2019 by photographer Lou Mensah to create a space for Black artists and creative practitioners to talk about their work in their own way. This critically acclaimed podcast features interviews with artists, critics, writers and visionaries including John Akomfrah, Amy Sherald, Lauren Michele Jackson and Ekow Eshun. It's host Lou has been nominated as Best Arts and Culture Producer and also for the Grassroots Production Award in the 2024 AudioUK awards. She was named Producer of the Year by the UK Audio Network in 2024. Shade Podcast further garnered the Best Art Podcast gong at the 2021 British Podcast Awards. Shade Art Review, which debuted in September 2023, is a biweekly arts and culture magazine on Substack.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.