Mark Lomax's 12-album cycle 400: An Afrikan Epic represents nearly three years of work and encompasses over eight hours of music. And many more hours of music and reading went into its creation. In the lead-up to 400 dropping digitally on January 23 and the January 26 concert featuring selections from the cycle at the Lincoln Theatre, Lomax shares a list of the sources he looked to for inspiration. Below, you'll find a Spotify playlist with hours of incredible music from artists such as Charles Mingus, Nina Simone, Rokia Traore, and Public Enemy. It's followed by links to additional music available elsewhere and a reading list of great books and writers.
More music:
David S. Ware, Planetary Unknown
Hamza El Din, Escalay
Pharaoh Sanders, Black Unity
Public Enemy, Nothing is Quick in the Desert
KRS-One, The World is Mind
Kidd Jordan, On Fire
Anthony Davis, X: The Life and Times of Malcom X
Cecil Taylor, The Great Paris Concert
Select readings:
A Black Theology of Liberation by James H. Cone
The African Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality by Cheikh Anta Diop
Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America by Lerone Bennett
The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism by Edward E. Baptist
The Color of Money. Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap by Mehrsa Baradaran
White Fragility: Why Its so Hard for White People to Talk about Racism by Robin DiAngelo
Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life by Karen E. Fields & Barbara J. Fields
How Capitalism Underdeveloped Black America Problems in Race, Political Economy, and Society by Manning Marable
The books of Octavia Butler
The books of Toni Morrison
The books of James Baldwin
Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: Americas Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing: The Study Guide by Dr. Joy DeGruy
Black Power: The Politics of Liberation by Kwame Ture and Charles V. Hamilton
Mark Lomax photo: Kevin Ward