blues people, the black atlantic and interstellar space (the victory comes book shaped)

yesterday was the anniversary of the death (9 years ago) of the poet amiri baraka (leroi jones). author of blues people. 

blues people had a profound effect on horsemouth (when he read it during the public enemy years). he read it in concert with nelson george's the death of rhythm and blues (which basically updated the story to then modern times) and paul gilroy's black atlantic.  if he is honest charles shaar-murray's crosstown traffic about jimi hendrix was also important to him, frank kofsky's black nationalism and the revolution in music about john cotrane too. later kodwo eshun's more brilliant than the sun. 

of course a lot has happened since then. 

having read two julian cope's in quick succession (head-on  and repossessed) horsemouth has read another singer-songwriter's autobiography that of p.p arnold (former ikette,  lover of mick jagger, jimi hendrix , (er.) rod stewart, mod,  and even roller-skating train in starlight express). she was in the right place at the right time  twice maybe three times in her life (she escaped from being in a loveless marriage with two kids aged 17 to be in the ike and tina turner review and then escaped again from the violence and exploitation of that into the london rock scene (and arguably a different kind of exploitation)).

there's a lot in this life  but it's also a familiar musicians life, the records that don't sell, the demos that don't come off, the recordings unreleased, the collaborations that don't happen. she lives a life between britain and the LA searching for the way back in.  

and hers is a life that, like the music, is at once the wider social process and a victory over it. in some ways the victory comes book shaped. 

gered mankowitz takes some photos  of her in the 70ies as sci-fi princess (like she should have been with sun ra or the art ensemble of chicago), it's the image on the cover of the book. horsemouth will hunt these out they look amazing. the book (soul survivor) is from the aldi book box. horsemouth will probably return to south of nowhere. 

horsemouth waits for the year to re-start. today a rainy day, nonetheless more of a walk and wander round kind of day.