Omolade Music

"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:

"A broad compilation of Firehouse recordings & live performances of (saxophonist) Alan 'Juice' Glover’s Juice Quartet from 1971 to 1981. The Juice Quartet for many years consisted of pianist & musical director Kasa Allah (Stanley Wiley), bassist William Parker, & drummer Abu Kali. Together they explored the gambit of musical expression & style from mainstream straight-ahead to avant-garde & avant-avant-garde. The group toured the New York loft jazz scene of the '70s. The Juice Quartet also did an 18-month stint with the United States Federal government’s C.E.T.A. Arts Program, under the auspices of the Theatre for the Forgotten, performing for shut-ins at hospitals, prisons & nursing homes; & accompanied three plays the theatre produced, for which the musicians collectively composed. The Quartet also toured with the theatre as 'The Juice Quartet Concert Series.'

"This three-volume set is a collection of cassette recordings of the Juice Quartet. Most of the cassettes were recorded by Bill 'Segun' Edelen using an early portable tape recorder with a built-in microphone. They have been digitally remastered for this series. Throughout these recordings, the pianist is Kasa Allah Mubarak aka Stanley Wiley. The bassist is either William Parker or Richard Williams. On most tracks, the drummer is Abu Kali. When the congas of Juma Sultan are heard, the drummer is Ali Abuwi. Only on the performance of 'Of Things Green' is the drummer Mitchell Bechet featured." -Omolade Music. Hear a few clips: The Froth, In a Nutshell, & A Man Within the Land Without.