Alan "Juice" Glover

"This film was the direct result of Glover’s political activism, starting with the second March on Washington in 1968 & the Poor People’s Campaign/Resurrection City. The latter demonstration was to be headlined by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. until he was tragically assassinated before the march occurred. Alan Glover covered the march as an independent photographer with his older brother, Doug. The following year, Alan & Doug went to Jackson, Mississippi, under the auspices of the Poor People’s Corporation (PPC), as volunteer workers. Alan was a photographic consultant & 16mm motion film cameraman.

"It was a harrowing & sobering cultural experience for the politically naive 21-year-old Glover. Back in New York City, Alan & Doug joined the 1969 protest against construction of the Harlem State Office Building (now the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Building), dubbed 'Reclamation Site #1' by the state. This was taking place while Columbia University was also at odds with the Harlem community regarding its plans to build an elite gymnasium on property it owned in the neighborhood.

"It was through the conflict with Columbia that Alan, Doug, & their crew wrestled a 16mm camera & recorder rig as part of Columbia’s outreach effort to assuage the offended Harlemites.

"Not only did the crew — which included Arthur Omar Owens, Birth’s starring actor — negotiate for the film equipment, but they also bargained with Columbia personnel to act the parts of the racial antagonists in the film." -Omolade.

DVD includes original film (29 min.), alternative director’s commentary, & a historical discussion panel (43 min.). Written & directed by Alan Glover. Starring A. Omar Owens, Earl Thomas, Barbara Barnes, Dick Leonard, Ayo Fenner, Stan Diamond, & Ademola Olugebefola. Photography by Alan Glover & Karma Stanley. See a couple clips, including one of Glover & his group performing at Kimako (Baraka's) Casbah in Harlem:

"Alan Glover’s new CD, Kings of Infinite Space, has all kinds of beautiful things in it — things that show the range & depth of his creative vision. The first thing one notices about this music is the emotional range of the compositions. Each one is meticulously shaped & sculpted, much like the work of Thelonious Monk — not that the compositions sound like Monk — but that each song has a distinct personality & life history that is deeper than the notes that we are hearing. It is immediately telling stories that have a beginning, middle, & end." -from the liner notes by William Parker.

Personnel varies but often includes Glover (tenor or soprano saxophone), Richard Rafik Williamson (piano), Richard Rafu Williams (bass), & Howard Grate (drums). Also has appearances by Wade Barnes (drums), William Parker (bass), & Tani Tabbal (drums). Released in 2006. Hear a couple clips: Eskiblu & Kings of Infinite Space.

"Alan Glover’s Cool Fire is the third album produced in the Juice Jazz Collection. Like his two previous releases (The Anticipated Dawn & Kings of Infinite Space), it features a mix of new compositions & material written during the Firehouse years of the 1970s. One of the things that makes this album so refreshing is the way the music constantly toys with, parries, & complicates many misconceptions that circulate about avant garde jazz (that it is unstructured, that it is angry, that it can’t convey ballads convincingly, &/or that it is unconnected to earlier traditions in jazz & blues). Listen, for instance, to the intimacy & vulnerability conveyed on his ballads 'Tis Folly to Be Wise' & 'Love.' Hear how the harmonic sophistication of 'Cool Fire' or 'Creavolution' lays waste to simplistic conceptions of ‘inside’ & ‘outside’ playing. Experience the religious intensity of the chorale-like 'Prayer,' a composition by William Parker that is beautifully delivered by Glover’s wife Jacquolen. Like many musical greats, Glover is a master of building structures without becoming restricted by them. His performances explore the tension between freedom & form, as the band moves deep into the sonic landscapes of his compositions." -from the liner notes by Michael C. Heller, author of Loft Jazz.

Primary personnel is Glover (saxophones), Christopher Sullivan (bass), & Howard Grate (drums). For three songs, the group is Glover (saxophones), Eri Yamamoto (piano), Christopher Sullivan (bass), & Michael T.A. Thompson (drums). Released in 2010. Hear a couple clips: Those are the Dreams... (of a Million Fools) & Cool Fire.