60's

PBS - The Day the 60s Died (2015)
HDTV | 1280x720 | .MP4/AVC @ 2891 Kbps | 55mn 55s | Audio: English AAC 149 kbps, 2 channels | Subs: English | 1.19 GiB
Genre: Documentary | History

On April 30, 1970, President Richard Nixon shocked the nation by announcing the U.S. invasion of Cambodia. At college campuses across the country, masses of students took to the streets in protest. Five days later, four Kent State students would be shot dead by National Guardsmen. The mayhem that followed has been called the most divisive moment in American history since the Civil War. The Day the 60s Died chronicles the chaotic month of May 1970, when it seemed America was at war with itself. From the students and guardsmen who witnessed the Kent State shootings to a young G.I. in the Cambodian jungle, how did the events of that turbulent spring affect who these people became? How have the shockwaves from these events reverberated into the present? During May 1970, frustration and anger split American society apart and we still live in the aftermath of that rift. The Day the 60s Died is an important story to be told now as our nation grapples with the growing divide in how Americans see their nation and each other.

Rhino continues with their admirable excavation of the Atlantic vaults with this, their second round of some of the label's '60s jazz highlights. In the spotlight are such instrumental heavyweights as Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Eddie Harris, Charles Mingus, Hank Crawford, and Yusef Lateef, and on the vocal end there's fine work by Betty Carter and Mose Allison. Yes, this album might have a tough time competing with similar collections from the Blue Note and Impulse! imprints. But then again, those labels would be hard-pressed to come up with a selection as varied as this: From the truly idiosyncratic Ellington musings of Kirk ("Creole Love Call") to a taste of Aquarius age jazz by Charles Lloyd ("Dreamweaver: Meditation/Dervish Dance"), this 14-track disc truly runs the '60s jazz gamut.