Ralph Ellison's Long Tongue

[blajay]

I'm curious if anyone knows more about this or if anyone has ever caught one of these performances live. Or if anyone knows of a recorded performance in film or audio format?

I should mention first that I am a bit of a Ralph Ellison nut, well sort of--his jazz writings and especially the introduction of the book Invisible Man were basically my introduction to this world. While I don't agree with many of Ellison's perspectives after having written Invisible Man (his angry piece on Charlie Parker, his associations with Stanley Crouch and Wynton Marsalis, his own elitist social activities, his homophobic and chauvinistic tendencies, his indifference to the struggles during the Civil Rights Era, his support for the war in Vietnam, and a "Bledsoe" sort of behavior by publicly disparaging young Black writers), the implications of his writing and its beauty have left a profound impression, trying to understanding of the world from the Black modern lens. Beyond his writings themselves, though, this performance just sounds amazing to experience, and I already always thought that Julius Hemphill was a genius.

OK, so to explain, I recently read "Point From Which Creation Begins": The Black Artists' Group of St. Louis (BAG) by Benjamin Looker, a PhD student in the American Studies program at Yale. The book has been discussed in previous threads. If you haven't already read this one, I highly recommend it as a follow up to George Lewis' book (even though it was written before it). Like Lewis' account of the AACM in Chicago, it is similarly inspiring in its narrative of an autonomous Black group of free jazz musicians, visual artists, dancers, and other poets and performers, but in St. Louis. Anyway, the book is great in general, especially by such a young scholar, but I'll reproduce the couple of pages that really caught my attention here (pgs. 228-230):

"Julius Hemphill remained the collective's chief organizer of multimedia performance events. Ever since his return from Sweden, the saxophonist had been collaborating with Malinke Elliot whenever he could on such theatrical presentations. In New York, the two popularized an original and idiosyncratically personal concept of the "audio-drama" in the city's galleries and lofts....

The piece that attracted the most notice, however, was an audiodrama originally dubbed Ralph Ellison's Long Tongue, with Hemphill culling his title from an aphorism that he often heard as a child--'laying a tongue on somebody'--meaning that 'an elder had given an upstart a good dose of wisdom.' To the saxophonist, that phrase could equally well summon up 'the versatility of the saxophone, and its endless ability to dispense wisdom.' In its original version, the show borrowed text from Ralph Ellison's novel Invisible Man and, in particular, from the section where the unnamed protagonist delivers a disillusioned and fatalistic monologue at the funeral of the recently murdered Brotherhood leader Tod Clifton. The inaugural performance, a 1978 show at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., featured Elliot improvising on the Ellison monologue in various voices--a preacher, a professor, a carnival barker, a street person, an activist--while Hemphill 'tried to proceed with the rhythm of spoken language' in his accompaniment, often mirroring each syllable with a specific musical note. Elliot used the Invisible Man source materials, he remembers, to craft loosely structured, gallows-humor commentaries on both political apathy in the black community and the persistent repression of African Americans who attempted to 'assert their manhood.' Though reviewers criticized the initial presentation as 'elliptical' and 'verbose,' the two artists continued to rework and expand their audio-drama over the next thirteen years, eventually attracting funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and other nonprofit arts agencies.

Within a few years, the concept had evolved into an entirely new show. In a 1981 presentation at the Kitchen, a leading SoHo venue for experimental jazz and contemporary classical music, Hemphill and Elliot solicited poetic readings from their St. Louis friend K. Curtis Lyle and integrated dancers as well as rear-projected snippets from their decade-old experimental film The Orientation of Sweet Willie Rollbar. By then, they had dropped the Invisible Man underpinnings in favor of a fictional nightclub setting..."

In the endnotes, it says that "Ralph Ellison himself once appeared in the audience for a performance at Brown University. Acquaintances remember the older writer chastising Hemphill afterward for using Invisible Man materials without permission, though Hemphill quickly disarmed the older writer with conversation about their roots in neighboring Texas and Oklahoma."

Links to related articles:

NY Times--Using a Saxophone Opera to Recount Black Culture

NY Times RALPH ELLISON IN MIXED-MEDIA SETTING

NY Times Review/Music; Tour With Saxophones Through Black History

Washington Post Evocations in Jazz; Julius Hemphill & the City Saga of `Long Tongues'

And there are a number of other articles from the Washington Post and Downbeat that I can't access.

Any further information is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Jay

[blajay]

Anyone?

[AllenLowe]

strangely enough, Julius gave me a VHS of some performance footage of this YEARS ago (maybe 1993?). Maybe I should look for it - it was from, as I recall, the DC performance -

there is a guy at Columbia, I think, who's doing a bunch of work on Julius - and Ursula Oppens, Julius's partner and a wonderful lady, is now in NYC - I don't have much time now to help on this, but if you remind me toward the summer -

Edited April 2, 2009 by AllenLowe

[blajay]

strangely enough, Julius gave me a VHS of some performance footage of this YEARS ago (maybe 1993?). Maybe I should look for it - it was from, as I recall, the DC performance -

there is a guy at Columbia, I think, who's doing a bunch of work on Julius - and Ursula Oppens, Julius's partner and a wonderful lady, is now in NYC - I don't have much time now to help on this, but if you remind me toward the summer -

Thanks Allen. Please do let me know if you find that footage. I'd be really interested to at least hear your impressions of it. Is the guy at Columbia you mention Brent Edwards, perhaps? Robert O'Meally has done things with Ralph Ellison's work, but I'd be somewhat surprised to hear he'd be that interested in Julius Hemphill.

[AllenLowe]

it is Brent - I used to have his cell phone number, not sure what I did with it - if you can remember, sent me an email at alowe5@maine.rr.com to remind me to look for the VHS if I still have it - maybe in about a month -

as for Columbia, I would think there would interest considering there are people there like George Lewis and John Szwed - and I think O'Mealley (whose a very nice guy) hs retired -

Edited April 2, 2009 by AllenLowe

[blajay]

Great. Thanks Allen. I'll be in touch.

[blajay]

Allen, I sent you an e-mail about this. Please get back to me when you get a chance.

[Guest youmustbe]

I think uUsula is doing a concert this month, May, at Symphony Space in Manhattan if you want to contact her.

Ursala....

[fasstrack]

Anyone?

I never heard of the group.

I like Ellison's writing. His views on jazz are partly based on having grown up with Charlie Christian, and playing the trumpet (one can only wonder how well...) I liked reading his criticism, even if I didn't agree with his views sometimes.

His political views are his own affair. I read Ralph Ampersad's (sp?) bio, which was excellent. In it, he describes a scene during the height of the black power movement where Ellison was getting an award or something, anyway a public gathering, and a militant came up and really trashed him. Called him an Uncle Tom. Then the guy, according to the story, took off into the night on a Harley or something. Ellison was very upset according to the bio (who wouldn't be) and was about in tears repeating 'I'm not an Uncle Tom'.

I only know his writing and won't defend or detract, but will say he was only a man with human frailties like us all, and also anyone with that good a mind and the soul and imagination to write Invisible Man must've come to his positions after a lot of thought, soul-searching and also in reaction to personal experience---also like us all.

Edited May 14, 2009 by fasstrack

[blajay]

Anyone?

I like his writing. His political views are his own affair. I read Ralph Ampersad's (sp?) bio, which was excellent. In it, he describes a scene during the hight of athe black power movement where Ellison was getting an award or something, anyway a public gathering, and a militant came up and really trashed him. Called him an Uncle Tom. Then the guy, according to the story, took off into the night on a Harley or something. Ellison was very upset according to the bio (who wouldn't be) and was about in tears repeating 'I'm not an Uncle Tom'.

I only know his writing and won't defend or detract, but will say he was only a man with human frailties like us all, and also anyone with that good a mind and the soul and imagination to write Invisible Man must've come to his positions after a lot of thought, soul-searching and also in reaction to personal experience---also like us all.

Yeah, Invisible Man is still my favorite book. It's Arnold Rampersad. I read the bio too. It's great. It got me really excited for the upcoming release of the full manuscript of Ellison's second novel that Adam Bradley and John Callahan have been working on.

[Chuck Nessa]

We all have "good points" and "frailties". We are measured by the ratios. Thank god for RE.

We could all do well to measure ourselves against his example.

[John L]

Within a few years, the concept had evolved into an entirely new show. In a 1981 presentation at the Kitchen, a leading SoHo venue for experimental jazz and contemporary classical music, Hemphill and Elliot solicited poetic readings from their St. Louis friend K. Curtis Lyle and integrated dancers as well as rear-projected snippets from their decade-old experimental film The Orientation of Sweet Willie Rollbar. By then, they had dropped the Invisible Man underpinnings in favor of a fictional nightclub setting..."

I imagine that this record (duets with Hemphill and Lyle) could be at least a distant relative of this project.

[fasstrack]

Anyone?

I like his writing. His political views are his own affair. I read Ralph Ampersad's (sp?) bio, which was excellent. In it, he describes a scene during the hight of athe black power movement where Ellison was getting an award or something, anyway a public gathering, and a militant came up and really trashed him. Called him an Uncle Tom. Then the guy, according to the story, took off into the night on a Harley or something. Ellison was very upset according to the bio (who wouldn't be) and was about in tears repeating 'I'm not an Uncle Tom'.

I only know his writing and won't defend or detract, but will say he was only a man with human frailties like us all, and also anyone with that good a mind and the soul and imagination to write Invisible Man must've come to his positions after a lot of thought, soul-searching and also in reaction to personal experience---also like us all.

Yeah, Invisible Man is still my favorite book. It's Arnold Rampersad. I read the bio too. It's great. It got me really excited for the upcoming release of the full manuscript of Ellison's second novel that Adam Bradley and John Callahan have been working on.

Is that what they were calling 'Juneteenth'?

[AllenLowe]

found the VHS that Julius gave me, but have no way to play it - I will call a guy I know this week to see if it can be transferred to dvd -

[blajay]

Anyone?

I like his writing. His political views are his own affair. I read Ralph Ampersad's (sp?) bio, which was excellent. In it, he describes a scene during the hight of athe black power movement where Ellison was getting an award or something, anyway a public gathering, and a militant came up and really trashed him. Called him an Uncle Tom. Then the guy, according to the story, took off into the night on a Harley or something. Ellison was very upset according to the bio (who wouldn't be) and was about in tears repeating 'I'm not an Uncle Tom'.

I only know his writing and won't defend or detract, but will say he was only a man with human frailties like us all, and also anyone with that good a mind and the soul and imagination to write Invisible Man must've come to his positions after a lot of thought, soul-searching and also in reaction to personal experience---also like us all.

Yeah, Invisible Man is still my favorite book. It's Arnold Rampersad. I read the bio too. It's great. It got me really excited for the upcoming release of the full manuscript of Ellison's second novel that Adam Bradley and John Callahan have been working on.

Is that what they were calling 'Juneteenth'?

Well, sort of. It's the second novel he worked so hard on for the last 40 years of his life. A portion of it was released as Juneteenth, but a MUCH more comprehensive issue of the entire manuscript will be out soon. I really enjoyed the article on it:

The Invisible Manuscript

Edited May 16, 2009 by zanonesdelpueblo

[blajay]

found the VHS that Julius gave me, but have no way to play it - I will call a guy I know this week to see if it can be transferred to dvd -

Hi Allen. Thanks again for following up! I got your e-mail also, and I'll be in touch.

[Enterprise Server]

Well, sort of. It's the second novel he worked so hard on for the last 40 years of his life. A portion of it was released as Juneteenth, but a MUCH more comprehensive issue of the entire manuscript will be out soon. I really enjoyed the article on it:

Sounds interesting. I'll have to check it out. I knew Ellison was into the music but I'm not aware of this project. Too bad he never finished any other major works other than "Invisible Man". It really did not make much sense when you consider the unusual span of time between IM and his never released complete second major project.

[Enterprise Server]

found the VHS that Julius gave me, but have no way to play it - I will call a guy I know this week to see if it can be transferred to dvd -

Any luck with viewing the tape.....?