“Art is how we decorate space, music is how we decorate time.”
– Jean-Michel Basquiat
The first video segment of the series on jazz and bebop, produced by Quincy Jones Productions, features L.A. jazz musician Terrace Martin as well as input from Quincy Jones himself. Martin delves into how the genre, birthed in New York City much like Basquiat, played a role in his artistic vision. The series includes works by bebop artists such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, and Max Roach. Music for this segment includes “Ornithology” by Parker, “Hot House” by Parker and Gillespie, “Ol Man Rebop” by Gillespie, and music from Martin’s Dinner Party.
The “Punk and No Wave” segment, hosted by James Spooner, who co-founded Afropunk Festival and ran an underground club on Canal Street in the early 90’s, features tunes by James Chance and The Contortions, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, Basquiat’s band Gray, Liquid Liquid, DNA, and Mars.
The third and final segment of the series, delivered by Dr. Todd Boyd, a.k.a. “Notorious Ph.D.,” examines the rich cultural era in which Jean-Michel Basquiat emerged and draws a line from bebop to hip hop. Boyd’s keen observations on Basquiat’s subject matter and style reveal how popular American culture, Black culture, sports, cinema, and music intertwine in the artist’s iconic works. Featuring music by Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, KRS-One, N.W.A., Public Enemy, and Rammellzee Vs. K-Rob.
