Dream Montage: Tell Me, Good Morning; Harlem; Same in Blues; Commen - Hughes, Langston
Those Winter Sundays [#] - Hayden, Robert
Fredrick Douglass [#] - Hayden, Robert
Sepia Fashion Show - Angelou, Maya
To a Man - Angelou, Maya
Freedon Suite [For Sonny Rollins and Franz Kline][#] - Baraka, Amiri
Crusoe's Island [#] - Walcott, Derek
Dahomey [#] - Lorde, Audre
In Memoriam: Martin Luther King, Jr. [#] - Jordan, June
Run Nigger - Last Poets [1]
Admonitions - Clifton, Lucille
Nikki Rosa [#] - Giovanni, Nikki
A Dance for Militant Dilettantes - Young, Al
Dear John, Dear Coltrane [#] - Harper, Michael S.
Rueben, Rueben [#] - Harper, Michael S.
My House [#] - Giovanni, Nikki
Flight to Canada [#] - Reed, Ishmael
Betty's Ball Blues [#] - Reed, Ishmael
Wounded in the House of a Friend [Set No. 2][#] - Sanchez, Sonia
Song No. 2 [#] - Sanchez, Sonia
A Poem for Players [#] - Young, Al
Track Listings (34) - Disc #2
Muhammad Ali at the Ringside, 1985 [#] - Soyinka, Wole
Hard Rock Returns to Prison from the Hospital for the Criminal Insane - Knight, Etheridge
The Idea of Ancestry - Knight, Etheridge
Bang, Bang Outishly - Baraka, Amiri
Shazam Doowah - Baraka, Amiri
The End of Civilization as We Know It [#] - McElroy, Colleen J.
Cruelty (Continued) - Clifton, Lucille
Lucy (Pt. 6) (Continued) - Clifton, Lucille
Endangered Species List Blues [With the Firespitter Band] - Cortez, Jayne
I Live for My Car - Coleman, Wanda
Nigger Rhythm Rhymes from the Blues Part of Town, Pt. 4 - Coleman, Wanda
Lester Leaps in (Continued) - Young, Lester [Saxo
Poem for Magic - Troupe, Quincy
Tuskegee Airfield [#] - Waniek, Marilyn Nel
Facing It [#] - Komunyakaa, Yusef
Venus's-Flytraps [#] - Komunyakaa, Yusef
Rise up Fallen Fighters (Okra Takes up With a Rastafari Man/She ...) - Shange, Ntozake
A Poem to Thrill the Naacp, or a Black Family Moves to the Suburbs [#] - Smith, Mbembe Milto
The Near-Johannesburg Boy (Continued) - Brooks, Gwendolyn
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised - Scott-Heron, Gil
Helen [#] - Miller, Ethelbert
Helen and Martha [#] - Miller, Ethelbert
1962: My Brother Richard Returns from the Monastery [#] - Miller, Ethelbert
Shakespeare Say [#] - Dove, Rita
After Reading Mickey in the Night Kitchen for the Third Time ... - Dove, Rita
Jamal's Lamentation [#] - Jackson, Rueben
Self Portrait, 1988 [#] - Jackson, Rueben
Barbie's Little Sister [#] - Joseph, Allison
The Slaughter [#] - Young, Kevin [1]
Nocturne [#] - Butts, Anthony
Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos - Public Enemy
Project Princess [#] - Morris, Tracie
Ohm - Williams, Saul
No Black Male Show - Rux, Carl Hancock
A very smartly assembled two-disc compilation of African American poetry, Our Souls Have Grown Deep Like the Rivers digs deep to unearth a wealth of unheard and rare material spanning almost the entire 20th century. The co... more »llection features some of the greatest names in black literature, and--as Al Young points out in the liner notes--it can be a revelation to hear, for instance, Harlem Renaissance leader Langston Hughes pronounce the word "Harlem" with utter pride and joy. Other notables include Ishmael Reed, Nikki Giovanni, Gwendolyn Brooks, Gil Scott-Heron, Maya Angelou, Rita Dove, W.E.B. DuBois, the Last Poets, Public Enemy, Wanda Coleman... You get the picture--it's sort of a greatest-hits of black spoken word. But it's too scattershot a set to be called definitive--anyone can bemoan the absence of this or that poet--but it is also a tremendously interesting document of hope and loss and rage and joy and perseverance--and, above all, remarkable poetry, works that each gain from the original authors' reading of their poem. Amiri Baraka's sonorous recitation of "Bang, Bang Outishly," a beat-era work dedicated to Thelonious Monk, is worth the price of admission by itself. --Mike McGonigal« less
A very smartly assembled two-disc compilation of African American poetry, Our Souls Have Grown Deep Like the Rivers digs deep to unearth a wealth of unheard and rare material spanning almost the entire 20th century. The collection features some of the greatest names in black literature, and--as Al Young points out in the liner notes--it can be a revelation to hear, for instance, Harlem Renaissance leader Langston Hughes pronounce the word "Harlem" with utter pride and joy. Other notables include Ishmael Reed, Nikki Giovanni, Gwendolyn Brooks, Gil Scott-Heron, Maya Angelou, Rita Dove, W.E.B. DuBois, the Last Poets, Public Enemy, Wanda Coleman... You get the picture--it's sort of a greatest-hits of black spoken word. But it's too scattershot a set to be called definitive--anyone can bemoan the absence of this or that poet--but it is also a tremendously interesting document of hope and loss and rage and joy and perseverance--and, above all, remarkable poetry, works that each gain from the original authors' reading of their poem. Amiri Baraka's sonorous recitation of "Bang, Bang Outishly," a beat-era work dedicated to Thelonious Monk, is worth the price of admission by itself. --Mike McGonigal
CD Reviews
For Poets & Teachers, But Not the Lyricist Lounge crowd
Scott Woods | Columbus, Ohio United States | 07/09/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is an excellent primer for poets and teachers, particularly if your interest lies in the development of the Black literary canon. A must have for slam-heads of any type. Very few of the fiery performances a lot of these poets are known to do. Incredible to hear some of the older poets (Langston Hughes, Arna Bontemps, Countee Cullen) reading their work, in light of the number of people who would (improperly) assume they would have frowned upon the current rave of spoken word/slamming.It starts to peter out at the end, not necessarily catching the best work by some of the most recent additions (Saul Williams, Carl Hancock Rux, Tracie Morris), but I'd rather have these than nothing.Not a lot of music...this isn't "Lyricist's Lounge" or the "SLAM" soundtrack, but excellent for anyone who claims to have a sense of where poetry's been and wants to see/hear how a solid poetry CD should be put together. More educational than fun, but an important collection nonetheless."
Spoken word at its finest!
Clarissa Bolding | Austin, TX USA | 07/28/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I enjoyed this set for many reasons. It is filled with the pictures, portraits and prose of, about, and from the poets featured inside. When listening to the voices of Langston Hughes, W.E.B. DuBois, Claude McKay, James Weldon Johnson, Countee Cullen -- the list goes on -- it is amazing to hear the clarity, consciousness, power and range of emotions in their distinctive voices. Some of the pieces date as early as the 1930's (ie: The Creation by James Weldon Johnson) and that in itself is pure history. There are 38 selections on the first disc and 37 selections on the second, with the most current pieces being recorded in the late 90s (Tracie Morris, Saul Williams, Nikki Giovanni, etc). If you are a lover of spoken word and cherish the story telling, teaching and emotions it invokes, this is the collection for you. Youth of today need to take the time to learn where rap artists get their "voice" and spirit from, and I'm not talking about the mainstream songs plastered on tv and spit out of the radio these days. Take a listen to Public Enemy's "Black Steel In the Hour of Chaos" (track 34, second disc) Spoken word is where it all began and the ancestors of this art continue to move and "speak" through us today. Peace. CLB."
A Must Have for Poetry Fans
Nick O. | Chicago, IL | 05/02/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is an amazing CD. The strongest selections include the readings by Amiri Baraka, Etheridge Knight, and Nikki Giovanni; Gil Scott-Heron's "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" (a must-have); Tracie Morris' "Project Princess"; and "Dark Symphony" by Melvin B. Tolson, which is utterly engaging, even if it sounds a bit insane. I was a bit disappointed by Langston Hughes' mundane and sentimental reading of "Harlem," and startled, both pleasantly and not, by Gwendolyn Brooks' offbeat reading of "We Real Cool." Still, Our Souls Have Grown Deep Like the Rivers is a remarkable journey, and a wonderful introduction to poetry. The CD also includes an interesting and informative booklet; all in all, the entire package may be a bit costly, but the price is more than worth it. Teachers will benefit highly from this CD, which serves as a wonderful accompaniment to any poetry unit. The CD's parts are great for that sort of thing, but they cannot compare to sum of its parts, a rich, spiritual journey into the heart and soul of poetry."
Audie Award Winner
Jesse's granddaughter | New York | 01/07/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This CD set won the 2001 Audie Award for Poetry from the Audio Publishers Association. This is the ONLY national award for poetry on audio and, in winning, "Our Souls Have Grown Deep Like the Rivers" beat some very hot competition, including movie stars (Al Pacino,Patrick Stewart, Kathleen Turner, Ruby Dee, etc.) reading Shakespeare sonnets. In addition, the collection was awarded an Earphones Award from "AudioFile" magazine."
Our Souls Have Grown Deep Like the Rivers - CD
Sylvia E. Farrington | United States | 04/12/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This CD is outstanding! The selections are inspiring and share a vast range of interests. Our sincere thanks to the contributing writers, poets and artists who continue to soothe and challenge our spirits with their spoken word."
Track Listings (37) - Disc #1