Amina Baraka, The Red Microphone

Amina Baraka speaks truth and spits fire when she reads her poetry. She is a warm and friendly person, but keeps a metal shovel by her front door in case of trespassers. She is a devoted Communist. She is vast, she contains multitudes. After decades in the shadow of her late husband, poet and playwright Amiri Baraka, Amina is about to raise her profile in the company of The Red Microphone, four musicians who are fellow fighters in the struggle for equality for all. Not that she hasn't been getting her poetry published all those years, but, generally, poets who add music to the mix can transcend category boundaries and reach more listeners. And this is some powerful music, inside/outside jazz, created in the moment, but occasionally building on a composition by group member Rocco John Iacovone, the cadences of Baraka's words intertwining with the rhythms of the music to become more than the sum of its parts.

All words by Amina Baraka. All music collectively improvised by The Red Microphone except: the music of "Timestep", written as "Travelin' Thru" by Rocco John Iacovone, with quote of "L'Internationale" by Pierre Degeyter; the music of "The Spirit of Billy Bang", written by Laurie Towers; the music of "The Things I Love", written as "Blue Nights" by Rocco John Iacovone; the music of "Talking Drum", written by John Pietaro.

Personnel: Amina Baraka - words, lead vocals; The Red Microphone is: Ras Moshe Burnett - tenor saxophone, flute, percussion; Rocco John Iacovone - curved soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, piano; John Pietaro - musical direction, drums, percussion; Laurie Towers - bass guitar.