Cast members Yawo Jandwa Watts, Gia Scott-Heron and The Oracle take a stand in Gil Scott-Heron’s Bluesology.
Playing at the Soho Playhouse as part of the Fringe Encore series, Gil Scott-Heron’s Bluesology is a heartfelt tribute of spoken-word and musical performance full of angst and warmth, lovingly hosted by his daughter Gia Scott-Heron. Gil Scott-Heron, who died in 2011, was a spoken-word artist and musician, and the show presents 17 of his works from a career that extended from 1970 through 2010. Bluesology is how he described his work—he saw himself as “a scientist who is concerned with the origin of the blues.”
Spoken word artist Lorenzo Frank performs Gil Scott-Heron classics in tribute to the Godfather of Rap.
His works and innovation have had an influence on many prominent rap artists, including Kanye West, who performed at his memorial service, and Kendrick Lamar, whose performance at the Super Bowl this year referenced the early work “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.”
Besides Scott-Heron’s talent and insight into life in America, why is his work important to revisit? Simply because he had the vision and commitment to call out inequality and injustice back in the day. In “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” Scott-Heron urged people to get off the couch if they want social change. Although she never saw her father with a surfboard, Gia relates jokingly, he was a world-class couch surfer—due to the fact that he was constantly “shadowed” by the FBI for most of the 1970s and ’80s, his most productive period.
Scott-Heron addressed issues such as social injustice and environmental hazards. For instance, “We Almost Lost Detroit” is about a nuclear-plant accident near the Michigan city:
We almost lost Detroit
Yeah, man, totally destroyed
Pretty soon we’ll all wake up one morning
I’m saying clear as day, I’m sitting here giving you a warning.
With the songs “Whitey on the Moon,” “Winter in America,” and “Home Is Where the Hatred Is,” Scott-Heron addressed racial tensions. Bluesology, directed by Phyliss Bailey Brooks, superbly captures the dramatic potential of the works, but balances it by showing Scott-Heron’s humanity. For instance, the hard-edged “Home Is Where the Hatred Is,” tersely performed by Gia Scott-Heron, precedes “Your Daddy Loves You (for Gia Scott-Heron),” performed by Lorenzo Frank, shifting from angst to tenderness. Brooks’s staging is minimal, with a screen backdrop that displays relevant images to the works, often photos, other times blank, allowing no distraction from the performer.
Gia Scott-Heron shares memories and works of her father (in projection) in Gil Scott-Heron Bluesology.
The song “Johannesburg” (1980) was an anthem supporting striking mine workers in South Africa:
Yes I, I hate it when the blood starts flowin’
But I’m glad to see resistance growin’
His song “Tuskegee #626” (1975) addressed the disgraced Tuskegee Syphilis Study conducted from 1932 to 1972 by American public health agencies and the Tuskegee Institute, a historically Black college in Alabama.
Tuskegee #626
Pushed aside mighty quick
When brothers, you dig, are guinea pigs
For vicious experiments
The intent was to study the effects of syphilis. Approximately 600 African-American men were enrolled. The men were told that the study would last for six months, but it went on for 40 years. The men were never treated for syphilis, even though a cure, penicillin, was available as early as 1947; 100 participants died. The show’s response to President Clinton’s belated apology, in 1997, is that it was “too little, too late.” The production closes with “Grandma’s Hands,” by Bill Withers, a loving plea for family, delivered by the cast as they exit the stage and join the audience—a closing reminder to care for those who came before us.
“ Scott-Heron urged people to get off the couch if they want social change.”
The show also includes original works by Gia Scott-Heron, Tuesday Conner, and Lorenzo Frank, members of the electric cast. Each performer holds the spotlight. Gia Scott-Heron on “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” Tuesday Conner on “When the World is Heavy,” Lorenzo Frank on “I Am Jazz,” Conney Williams on “Winter in America,” Yawo Jandwa Watts on “A Prayer for Everyone to be Free,” Art.Us. Mansoir on “Work for Peace,” and The Oracle, a.k.a. Denise Lyles-Cook, on “Whitey on the Moon.” Depending on the piece, they are at times serious, joyful, angry, hopeful, disgusted and animated. Each performer holds the audience’s attention with their beautifully spoken words. Providing excellent percussive support is the Gap Band’s Victor Orlando. Frequent “snapping” happens during the 75-minute running time.
Scott-Heron’s last album, “I’m New Here” (2011), brought him critical praise and new listeners. He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award Grammy posthumously, in 2014. His career can be a reminder of the fragility of social justice. The issues of immigration and ill-conceived wars, addressed during the show, are ongoing.
Bluesology can be seen as a barometer of progress against forces that seek to remove the benefits of change. Or it can be a night of awesome spoken-word and musical performances. This revolution will definitely not be televised, so you’ll have to go see the show.
Gil Scott-Heron’s Bluesology runs through Feb. 23 at the Soho Playhouse (15 Vandam St.). For tickets and more information, call (212) 691-15555 or visit sohoplayhouse.com.
Book, Music & Lyrics: Gil Scott-Heron, Gia Scott-Heron, Tuesday Conner & Lorenzo Frank
Director: Phylliss Bailey Brooks
