We are delighted to be part of this years Cambridge Jazz Festival with two special events dedicated to the legendary Gil Scott-Heron. The first will be a listening session for Pieces Of A Man at Hidden Rooms followed by a screenings of ‘Word Up – From Ghetto To Mecca’ & ‘Who Is Gil Scott-Heron’.
Gil-Scott Heron – Pieces Of A Man
Pieces of a Man is the debut studio album of American recording artist Gil Scott-Heron, released in 1971. The album serves as the follow-up to Scott-Heron’s live debut album, Small Talk at 125th and Lenox (1970), and it features compositions by Scott-Heron that were recorded in a more conventional song structure rather than the spoken word style of his previous work.
The album marked the first of several future collaborations by Scott-Heron with musician Brian Jackson. It is one of Scott-Heron’s most critically acclaimed albums and one of the Flying Dutchman label’s best-selling LP’s.
Earning modest success upon its release, Pieces of a Man has since received retrospective notice and praise from critics. Music writers have noted Scott-Heron’s and Jackson’s musical fusion of soul, jazz-funk, and proto-rap styles on the album and its influence on subsequent dance and hip hop music.
Join us at the Hidden Rooms in Cambridge on Sunday 19th November to hear this album as never before on ultra-hi quality, hi-fidelity audio equipment by Audio Note UK.
Date and Time: Sun 19th Nov. 2-5pm
Hosted by: Malik Al Nasir (Gil’s protégé) & Rumal Rackley (Gil’s son and Administrator for the Estate of Gil Scott-Heron).
Venue: Hidden Rooms, 7b Jesus Lane, Cambridge, CB5 8BA
Tickets: £10.00 in advance here
Audio Menu Supplied by Audio Note UK:
Audio Note UK -E Spe/He Speakers, Audio Note UK -E speaker stands, Audio Note UK Oto Phono SE Pure Class A integrated Valve amplifier, Audio Note UK TT2 Deluxe Turntable, Audio Note UK Tonearm 1, Audio Note UK iQ 3 Cartridge, Audio Note UK CD 2.1x, Audio Note UK Isis speaker cable, Audio Note UK AN-C interconnect cable
Word Up – From Ghetto To Mecca
Director: Shirani Sabaratnam. 30 mins, UK. 2005
Revolutionary poets and founders of contemporary RAP music, Gil Scott Heron and legendary Last Poet Jalal Nuriddin have come together in an unprecedented exclusive to endorse Malik Al Nasir (a.k.a Mark T. Watson’s) poetry book “Ordinary Guy”. Malik takes us on a poetic journey from Liverpool, to London, Paris to Washington DC whilst demonstrating how his poetry has been shaped and encouraged by these giants of the spoken word genre under whose very hands he was schooled. It also features a critique of Malik’s poetry by UK dub poet Benjamin Zephaniah. The film is Directed by Shirani Sabaratnam.
Who Is Gil Scott-Heron
Directors: Jane Forsyth and Iain Pollard. 60 mins, UK. 2015
When Gil Scott Heron died in 2010, he left behind a body of work that has influenced writers, academics and musicians. He’s been called ‘the godfather of rap’ and ‘the black Bob Dylan’ and his words have influenced every generation of hip-hop. Directed by Jane Forsyth and Iain Pollard (20,000 Days On Earth), this film is a portrait of Gil Scott Heron seen through the eyes of those who loved him – his friends, his family, and the musicians he played with.
Date and Time: Sunday 19th November 20:00 – 22:00
Host: Malik Al Nasir (Gil’s protégé) & Rumal Rackley (Gil’s son and Administrator for the Estate of Gil Scott-Heron).
Venue: Arts Picture House, 38-39 St Andrew’ St, Cambridge, CB2 3AR
Tickets £12.30 (concessions available) in advance here
Box Office: 0871 902 5720
Part of the Cambridge International Jazz Festival’s Gil Scott-Heron Tribute Weekend:
Fri Nov 17th 5-7pm – ‘Artists as Activists’ – Seminar & Recital with by Malik Al Nasir
Sat Nov 18th 9-11pm – ‘Malik & The O.Gs Live
Sun Nov 19th 2-5pm – Classic Album Sundays: ‘Pieces of a Man’
Sun Nov 19th 8-10pm – Classic Album Sundays: ‘Word Up – From Ghetto to Mecca’ + ‘Who is Gil Scott-Heron’
Tickets and Information: https://www.cambridgejazzfestival.info/gil-scott-heron-tribute
Malik & The O.G’s socials:
Website Facebook Twitter / instagram YouTube
With special thanks to:
XL Recordings
Beggars Banquet
Picturehouse Cinemas Ltd
Audio Note
Hidden Rooms
Cambridge International Jazz Festival
