Jagged jigsaw pieces / Tossed about the room / I saw my grandma sweepin’ /
With her old straw broom / She didn't know what she was doin’ / She could hardly understand / That she was really sweepin’ up / Pieces of a man.
The late Gil Scott-Heron wove his evocative poetry among strands of soul, jazz and blues to create an urban tapestry that reflected the salient social and political issues of his time. Considered by many the Godfather of rap, Heron first came to public notice with his live, spoken-word recording Small Talk at 125th and Lenox, which he followed in 1971 with his debut studio album as a singer/songwriter, Pieces of A Man. Recorded with a small jazz combo featuring the great Ron Carter on bass, Heron used voice, piano and guitar to wrap his thoughts and imagery in sweet and soulful melodies.
Jagged jigsaw pieces / Tossed about the room / I saw my grandma sweepin’ /
With her old straw broom / She didn't know what she was doin’ / She could hardly understand / That she was really sweepin’ up / Pieces of a man.
The late Gil Scott-Heron wove his evocative poetry among strands of soul, jazz and blues to create an urban tapestry that reflected the salient social and political issues of his time. Considered by many the Godfather of rap, Heron first came to public notice with his live, spoken-word recording Small Talk at 125th and Lenox, which he followed in 1971 with his debut studio album as a singer/songwriter, Pieces of A Man. Recorded with a small jazz combo featuring the great Ron Carter on bass, Heron used voice, piano and guitar to wrap his thoughts and imagery in sweet and soulful melodies.
Although best known for its b-side single, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” we feature here the record’s title track, which is perhaps Heron’s strongest vocal performance and showcases the beauty of his verse. Enjoy.
By Robb Patryk
Listen to this track, and all others featured in this series, on the Flashback Soul playlist at Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/robb.patryk/playlist/1DDb0sGAD1uAhVVACKWq7M