16 Comments
May 1, 2023Liked by Andrew Jazprose Hill

I enjoyed this a lot. I grew up listening to his music, which my parents loved. Belafonte was a beautiful man too. I love Dao and Jamaica Farewell. We would sing those at family gatherings. Thank you, Andrew.

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Apr 28, 2023Liked by Andrew Jazprose Hill

More Odetta in the world - great thoughts and piece :)

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While I would quibble with the characterization that Belafonte wasn't a great singer, your essay hits on a central fact about him, which is that few had such a profound impact on our cultural life. Belafonte has received his laurels the past few days and they are all well deserved. As Sidney Poitier said of his long-time friend, "we owe him so much."

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Apr 27, 2023Liked by Andrew Jazprose Hill

I can remember when Belafonte burst on the scene and recall reading a novel that I think he later starred in. I was captivated by his voice before I ever saw him because he was an original and introduced songs that were not part of the culture. When he became an activist I admired him for his convictions. We lost someone great whose words still have meaning. Thank you for this.

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Apr 27, 2023Liked by Andrew Jazprose Hill

Lovely tribute with some interesting tidbits. Holding on to that 64 year old album is indicative of his cultural impact.

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More beautiful than (dare I say it?) Ali. My only quibble with your excellent elegy is that I would rank him as a great singer. His version of Cucurucucu Paloma is better than the Pedro Infante original, not bad for a non-native Spanish speaker.

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Apr 27, 2023Liked by Andrew Jazprose Hill

Excited to lean into this one sir

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