R&B
November, 1995
The Poetry of Sterling A. Brown (Smithsonian/Folkways), read by the author, immortalizes one of the great voices of the Harlem Renaissance. Its meter owes everything to blues, the dozens and the whole realm of African American folk culture that gave us jazz, rock and hip-hop. That means that violent and vulgar masterpieces such as Ma Rainey, Puttin' on Dog and Slim in Hell could keep would-be censors busy for years.
