Museletter Correspondents' Choice: Favorite CDs
BOB HOLMAN: BOB'S STATE OF POETRY BOB REDMOND(Seattle): BOB'S STATE OF POETRY GARY GLAZNER (Santa Fe): GARY'S STATE OF POETRY JENNIFER JOSEPH (San Francisco): JENNIFER'S STATE OF POETRY CRISTIN APTOWICZ (New York): CRISTIN'S STATE OF POETRY MARJ HAHNE (Philadelphia): MARJ'S STATE OF POETRY STAZJA MCFADYEN (Austin): STAZJA'S STATE OF POETRY JASON PETTUS (Chicago): JASON'S STATE OF POETRY VICTOR INFANTE (Orange County): VICTOR'S STATE OF POETRY TA'SHIA ASANTI (Denver): TA'SHIA'S STATE OF POETRY IAN FERRIER (Montreal): IAN'S STATE OF POETRY SHANN PALMER (Virginia): SHANN'S STATE OF POETRY
Right now it’s Sekou Sundiata’s longstoryshort (Righteous Babe, 2000). Sekou has the best voice in po-biz; his vocabulary flows like kora; his “Ile
de Goree” on this album is the best spoken word with ambiance ever; he’s griot.
BOB'S CHOICE WEB SITE BOOK CD PERFORMANCE
The United States of Poetry, various artists, Polygram 1996. For its historical impact and variety, this is it. Runner up: Edwin Torres' Holy Kid on Kill Rock Stars, 1998.
BOB'S CHOICE WEB SITE BOOK CD PERFORMANCE
Lorca by Enrique Morente (Virgin Records Espana, 1999): Lorca's poems set to flamenco music.
GARY'S CHOICE WEB SITE BOOK CD PERFORMANCE
Grand Slam (Nuyorican Records, 1994): The 1993 National Poetry Slam recorded here in San Francisco, featuring a galaxy of stars including Maggie Estep and plenty of kibbitzing from the stage between poets.
JENNIFER'S CHOICE WEB SITE BOOK CD PERFORMANCE
I do not have all the information in front of me, because like a fool, I lend away my favorite things -- but I have to say the independently produced, multi-poet compilation of Beyond Baroque Poets released in 1998 is my most often listened-to spoken word CD. My Tongue is Red Carpet I Only Roll Out for You features works by Matt Cook, Beth Lisick, Justin Chin, Jeff McDaniel & Ellyn Maybe, among others. The poets' work ranges from hilarious to heartbreaking, from relentless modern to timeless, sometimes all within the same track (as in Justin Chin's piece about anal fissures).
CRISTIN'S CHOICE WEB SITE BOOK CD PERFORMANCE
Carl Hancock Rux, rux revue (1999, Sony Music Entertainment): Very phat funkoetry.
MARJ'S CHOICE WEB SITE BOOK CD PERFORMANCE
When the 90's Came, Watts Prophets (1997, Acid Jazz).
STAZJA'S CHOICE WEB SITE BOOK CD PERFORMANCE
Luke Stokes has recently started a spoken word division of Invisible Records, called Deezal. In its first year it has already released a very impressive compilation CD showcasing indie-rock musicians who double as spoken word artists. Deezal is also in the midst of releasing individual writers' CDs. This label could easily become the next Mouth Almighty. . . except of course without the bankruptcy and all that.
JASON'S CHOICE WEB SITE BOOK CD PERFORMANCE
Okay, it's only about a quarter or so poetry, but I'd have to say Last Dance (1995, Radio Free Iguanaland) which features work by Ellyn Maybe, June Melby, The Clear, Kathleen Hietala and Orchid Black, among others. Runners up include It's a Jolly Holiday by Derrick Brown (1998, self-produced) and The Past Didn't Go Anywhere by Utah Phillips and Ani DiFranco (1996, Righteous Babe Records), which is really more spoken word than poetry but still really good.
VICTOR'S CHOICE WEB SITE BOOK CD PERFORMANCE
Kamau Daa'ood's 1997 CD release titled Leimert Park on Mama Records is by far the best I've heard of a spoken word/musical composition/healing mantra in poetic ebonics in the 20th Century.
TA'SHIA'S CHOICE WEB SITE BOOK CD PERFORMANCE
Best poetry CD, because if you don't believe in it, why publish it at all? Exploding Head Man, Ian Ferrier & the Exploding Head Band (Planete rebelle/Wired on Words, Feb. 18th, 2000).
IAN'S CHOICE WEB SITE BOOK CD PERFORMANCE
Gallery, by Shann Palmer, recorded Sep. 8th, 1998 at Far West Studio. Self-produced, self-duplicated, sold one at a time by me. 48 poems written between 1993 & 1998. I can listen to it all day.
SHANN'S CHOICE WEB SITE CD PERFORMANCE
Museletter Correspondents' State of Poetry
Choice WEB SITES BOOKS CDs PERFORMANCES
