Elegy on Injustice and Forgotten Men
09/25/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is an extraordinary jazz reflection on the death of dozens of prisoners at Attica Penitentiary in New York State. For those who don't know the story, it is a brief and sad tale. Prisoners at Attica seized hostages and the prison itself and proceeded to issue demands for better living conditions. This was a futile and bloody uprising. Through force the prisoners turned all the usual power relationships upside down and scores were settled.
The State negotiated with the prisoners. Ultimately the negotiations failed. Then, without warning, the State carried out an armed attack on the prison. Guards being held hostage were killed by shots from the State police. Prisoners were killed by the shooting. Call this a massacre, a slaughter, a failure of government or whatever you will. In the end, the State and Nelson Rockefeller as Governor, chose to end the rebellion and slaughtered the innocent and the guilty together.
Archie Shepp in this wonderful piece of experimental jazz has joined instrumental work, spoken word, and song in a memorial to the dead inmates and to the profound human loss that Attica represents. This album has been unavailable on CD for many years. It is a touching and amazing work. It is well worth adding to your collection if you recall the time in which Attica took place. Shepp focused on a strange, sad event and created a poem that is a remarkable evocation of lost innocense and humanity."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1