This week I have invited a few friends to sit in and talk with me here on the FVC set as we sip on this blend of dynamically poetry, soul, and jazz. So come on in and take a sip of life!






Track Listing:

Set One
00. Intro
01. Walk with Me - Rachel Walker
02. Class Struggle Part I - Amiri Baraka
03. Blink of An Eye - Iyeoka Okoawo feat. Jeff Robinson Trio
[17min]
- Cipher session

Set Two
04. The Treadmill Chronicles - Sekou (Tha Misfit)
05. Amerikkka - The Watts Prophets
06. The Ugly Show - Black Ice
07. Peace of Mind - Nina Simone
[15min]
- Cipher session

Set Three
08. Holey - Suzi Q. Smith
09. Hanuman's Leap - The Supplicants
10. If We Must Die - Claude McKay
11. Autum - Autum Ashante feat. Abiodun Oyewole
12. War In Babylon - Jamahiri Crawford
13. Summertime - Floetic Laura
[13min]
- Cipher session

Set Four
14. Christ/Crack Ben Ammi
15. Youth I Used To Know You - Max Parthas
16. Round and Round - London Bridgez
17. Beautiful - Joy Jones
[17min]
- Cipher session

Set Five
18. It's Kewl - Domekno Jones
19. She Could Be My Wife - Floyd Boykin Jr.
20. Letter To Myself - Karen Roc Gibson
21. Touch Me - MohagonyDiva feat. Tshombe
22. Away - Slakah the Beatchild feat. Mystic & Miranda
23. Outro

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**As always, support these artist and the genres by looking them up and purchasing their work, and while you're doing that take the time to learn a little bit about them and why they do what it is that they do...giving thanks and much love to you all, peace!

This weekend in Freedom Verse Cafe we have an awesome line up of spoken word, jazz, and Soul topped with an open mic and cipher session. Bring your poetry and pads as we study the works of the poets who grace the mic and give us a deeper look into their poetry. Poetry is more than a social gathering and we as poets are the revolution [transformational change] for those who speak not and know not. Join us this weekend for some awesome vibes and edutainment. Be there because you never know what might inspire you.

Open Mic instructions:
- Call (646) 478-5662, Press "1" to indicate you want to share (Press nothing just to listen)
- Please Speak clearly, and be sure to turn down your speakers if you are listening while on the phone.
- If you are sharing please take phone off of mute, so that when we call your area code you are ready to go.
- Have your main web LINK ready to share so that listeners can find you. If you have a cd to promote this is your time to do so.
- Be prepared to discuss your poetry and remember to have fun!!!!

Track Listing
Set One [10:00]
01. Intro
02. Dark Keys - Jazz Liberatorz
03. Duality - Daniel Beaty
04. Music In My Mind (Part II) - Jazz Liberatorz
05. Black & Blue - Komplex
06. Sell Your Soul - The Watts Prophets
**Open Mic and Cipher**

Set Two [13:00]
07. Against Bourgeois Art - Amiri Baraka
08. We Are the Revolution _ Amir Sulamain feat. Abiodun Oyewole
09. Perazuan - Esperanza Spalding
10. Roots & Wings - Amena Brown
**Open Mic and Cipher**

Set Three [16:00]
11. Stolen Landscapes - Ngoma
12. Makeda - Les Nubian
13. La Femme Fetal - Digable Planets
14. Walk With Me - Rachel Walker
**Last Call to the Mic and Cipher**

Set Four [16:00]
15. Bees to Honey - Sabrina Gilbert
16. Poet Woman - Ainsley Burrows
17. Because of You - Mannie the Poet
18. Cipher - The Floacist
**Cipher**

Set Five [16:31]
19. Nightmare Bush'it World - Amiri Baraka
20. Cristo Redentor - Donald Byrd
21. Mulatto Blues - Tshombe (the Poet)
22. Pardon Our Analysis - Gil Scott-Heron
~End Show

Good morning/afternoon beautiful ones,

Today we kick off the FVC cipher session that is sure to bring a new prospective to what we do here on the scene of the cafe. I am excited about the discussions and the vibe of the set and I am sure you are too, and if you are in the chat-room or listening to the live set then you are indeed missing out on some good stuff. Today I invited in some of my closest friends in poetry and life to discuss this wonderful thing we call spoken-word poetry. Thanks to all of my dear friends for being with me today and I hope that they have made a significant difference in your day.

Today's playlist
Set One
00. Intro
01. Feel Inside - Aily Coley
02. If They Only Knew - Iyoeka Okoawo
03. Window of the Soul - Chuck Loeb
04. Work In Progress - Tantra Zawadi & Atlanta Red

*05. God's Work - Taalam Acey

Set Two
06. Theme From Boyz N the Hood - Stanley Clarke
07. Love Bird - Self Scientific
08. Where Notes Go - S. Pearl Sharp

*09. Black Boys to Men - Sekou Sundiata

Set Three
10. I Love Music - Amiri Baraka
11. I Think I Love You - Dwele

Set Four (missed, available on mixtape)
12. Moroccan Nights - mandrill
13. Conversation - Nikki Giovanni
14. Stardust - Komplex
15. Who Could Be - Shihan

Set Five
16. Pieces of A Man - Gil-Scott Heron
17. Mr. Convenient Store Owner - OneTruth
18. The Secret Lesson of Venn Diag - Sekou (Tha Misfit)
19. Grooves of the Heart - Ivan Enot
20. Family - Roy Hargrove
21. Outro

* Study poems

The Cipher Session, what’s that about?
Tomorrow on Freedom Verse Café we’ll commence the first poetry cipher session of the season. I am truly excited about this new feature being added to the FVC dynamic. In the cipher session we are going to focus more in the discussion of poetic work while still maintaining the entertainment functionality of the show. Each cipher session will have one or two poems that will be used to guide the discussions; think of it as the ignition to the flow of the show.

So what happened to the Open Mic, Tshombe?
Now, these segments will offer an opportunity for open mic poetry, but be prepared to answer questions and receive some feedback on your work and how it relates to the flow of the discussion. Every cipher session will consist of pre-selected/invited guests who may be poets or enthusiast of spoken-word poetry who will help in facilitating the discussions and providing incite on your work. I believe that the only way for one to develop is when you have another to give reflection in guidance and thought; this is how we develop and become better than we are.

This weekend on Freedom Verse Café.
We’re looking at the works of two great poets whose work almost seem timeless at times, and can be relevant even beyond our time. The first poet/poem we will be observing is titled “G-d’s Work” by Taalam Acey a well respected and versed poet hailing from Baltimore, MD by way of New Jersey. The second poet/poem is “Black Boys to Men” by Sekou Sundiata a visionary activist, poet, and playwright who without a shadow of doubt touched many lives during his existence here on Earth. I have invited some close friends and associates to talk about the impact of these two poems and their differences in delivery style and rhythms.

Check Out the two piece we are looking at:


Join us for what is sure to be an awesome cipher. In the meantime, I took the liberty of asking Taalam a few questions, check out how he answered.

P.S. I wish that I could have asked Sekou all the questions in the world, we miss you brother/uncle.


Good morning brother Taalam,

This Saturday at 2pm EST Freedom Verse Cafe will host its first cipher session live on air before our listening audience, and in this cipher I have chosen two pieces to open our discussion; I find both pieces of work equally important and necessary for any listening audience. The pieces chose are "God's Work" by yourself, and "Black Boys to Men" by Sekou Sundiata.

I have a few questions of you before we start our cipher:


Q1. Why did you write "God's Work"?

A: I wrote it out of concern for some of the younger writers in my generation. Their work in many cases was impressive and I worried that they didn't realize the spiritual nature of poetry and that it is a gift to be able to move minds and souls with mere words. G*d's Work was meant as an acknowledgement of Spoken Words transcendental nature and an encouragement for them to continue to write from their hearts rather than for applause.

Q2. When someone listens to the piece what response/reaction are you hoping for?

A: I'm hoping the listener at least begins to understand that Spoken Word is powerful in it's simplicity; being there's no instruments other than the soul and voice of the performer. I also hope that the poets who hear it, and write from deep within, are affirmed.

Q3. What impact if any do you think poets/verbalist have in humanity?

A: Poets shine light on what people suspect is there. They give life to the subconscious thoughts of the listener. They provide validation for the ways of seeing life's events and meaning that are seldom discussed or promoted.

Q4. How do you view the works of other poets namely Sekou Sundiata one of the art's past-on messengers?

A: I am a fan of Sekou Sundiata's mastery of cadence, voice inflection and profundity such as "Longstoryshort" and "The Blue Oneness of Dreams."

Thank you and blessing,
Taalam Acey

http://www.taalamacey.com/
www.myspace.com/officialtaalamacey
www.twitter.com/taalamacey
www.facebook.com/aceyfans
www.reverbnation.com/taalamacey