Tag Archives: Vernon Reid

Greg Tata

Greg Tate Remembered: “Godfather of Hip-Hop Journalism”

Text by Dawoud Kringle

Greg Tate

Vernon Reid, Bruce Mack & Greg Tate (photo by Petra Richterova)

On Tuesday, December 7th, 2021, musician, journalist, author, activist Greg Tate died.

Tate was one of the most unique and influential individuals in the New York Music scene. As a brilliant guitarist, leader of Burnt Sugar (a.k.a. Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber, where he employed Butch Morris’ process of “conduction” – a method of conducted improvisation), he synthesized the entire spectrum of African American rock music. His music had a quality that held the suggestion of a man who did music out of love, and who was a man of peace who could be a formidable warrior when necessary.

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Event Recommendation: The Black Rock Coalition celebrates 30 years of rock advocacy and musical pioneering

Black Rock Coalition 30 logoThirty (Year) Rock: How the Black Rock Coalition Keeps Process Alive, Nurtures a Vivid Scene

For 30 years, the Black Rock Coalition has proved that Black musicians have a central, vital role to play in shaping edgy, righteous, driving rock. Remembering the untold numbers of Black musicians who made rock what it is, while nurturing a scene, the volunteer-powered organization insists on the slow build of process, of people interacting in the flesh, in the face of major tectonic shifts in society and music.

“Everything comes down to the process. There’s a process to everything under the sun. Nothing we see on the surface, for a lot of artists, is the whole,” explains Darrell McNeill, BRC-NY Director of Operations. “The body of work goes way deeper. That’s what sets us apart. After thirty years, we know there’s a process. You have to go work out your thing to make it presentable. You can’t automatically jump from A to Z. You have to be patient enough. That’s what the people we support do.”

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