The Fader, in conjunction with XL Recordings, held an album release/listening party for legendary Harlemite and poet Gil Scott-Heron at the American Folk Art Museum. I was on the scene taking Pabst Blue Ribbon, Pop Chips and....of course...photos.
I had to park myself near a speaker in order to really take in the music as the gallery space was open to regular visitors as well. It was tough to hear over the chatter otherwise. I was thoroughly pleased with what Mr. Scott-Heron has brought to the table. The music is current and experiments with everything from Dub, strings and acoustic guitar to synthesized rhythm heavy tracks like "Me and the Devil". Gil is as sharp as ever with words and his heavy vocals translate every trial and tribulation he's seen throughout his years.
A trip to the Museums theater treated visitors to a 12 minute documentary on Gil's recording process. The film is narrated by XL Recordings Founder Richard Russell. This union is a prime example of fate at work as Russell was just a teen when when he first heard Gil Scott-Heron. He never forgot Gil's influence and when the stars aligned on a meeting, he signed him and personally worked on putting "I'm New Here" together.
Gil will be performing live at the Blue Note on March 2nd and 3rd. He will be performing 2 shows on each day. Tickets are $20.00 for bar seating and $35.00 for a table.
