Last Poets With Bernard Purdie - Delights Of The Garden

The Last Poets is a group of poets and musicians who arose from the late 1960s African American civil rights movement’s black nationalist thread. Their name is taken from a poem by the South African revolutionary poet Keorapetse Kgositsile, who believed he was in the last era of poetry before guns would take over.
The original Last Poets formed on May 19, 1968 (Malcolm X’s birthday), at Marcus Garvey Park (formerly Mount Morris Park, at 124th Street and Fifth Avenue) in the East Harlem neighborhood of New York City. The original members were Felipe Luciano, Gylan Kain, and David Nelson.
The group continued to evolve via a 1969 Harlem writers’ workshop known as “East Wind.” Jalal Mansur Nuriddin, Umar Bin Hassan, and Abiodun Oyewole, along with percussionist Nilaja, are generally considered the primary and core members of the group, as they appeared on the group’s 1970 self-titled debut.
Delights Of The Garden is probably the funkiest record the Last Poets ever cut,with lots of heavy bass and drums, and a harder soul groove than on some of their other records. The lyrics take off from the style of the Blue Thumb records, and the drumming of Bernard Purdie provides a good foil for the group's jazzy rhymes, jumping around a lot to keep up with their changes and grooves. The overall politics probably aren't nearly as heavy or angry as the early days, but the record does have some nice moments. Titles include "Blessed Are Those Who Struggle", "It's a Trip", "The Pill", and "Beyonder"

Last Poets With Bernard Purdie - Delights Of The Garden

1. It's A Trip

2. Ho Chi Minh

3. Blessed Are Those Who Struggle

4. Pill

5. Delights Of The Garden

6. Beyonder

Recorded at Media Sound Studios n.y.c. & Sound Ideas Studio n.y.c.

Produced by Alan Douglas & The Last Poets

Mastering: Joe Gastuirt, Masterdisk Studios n.y.c.

Cover Art: Abrahim Ben Benu

Poets: Jalaluddin Mansur Nuriddin, Sulieman El-Hadi

Musicians:

Bass & Guitar: Mann

Bass: Alex Blake

Drums: Bernard Purdie

Conga: Aby Mustapha

Percussion: Jalaluddin Mansur Nuriddin, Sulieman El-Hadi, Abu Mustapha

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