#julius lester

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Q: You have been politically engaged, but you have never succumbed to ideology, which has devoured some of the best black writers of my generation.

A: Perhaps I did not succumb to ideology, as you put it, because I have never seen myself as a spokesman. I am a witness. In the church in which I was raised you were supposed to bear witness to the truth. Now, later on, you wonder what in the world the truth is, but you do know what a lie is.

—James Baldwin, James Baldwin: Reflections of a Maverick, New York Times, May 27, 1984 (interview with Julius Lester)

[Robert Scott Horton]

[chantssecrets]

Julius Lester, whose literature explored African American life.

[picturebookshelf]

The Last Tales of Uncle Remus

As Told By: Julius Lester -- Art: Jerry Pinkney This Edition: 1994 -- Original stories recorded in the late 19th century

[germanpostwarmodern]

House (1970) built for himself in Los Angeles, CA, USA, by Lester Wertheimer. Photo by Julius Shulman.

[jgthirlwell]

06.08.24 Rebekah Heller's Bassoon Ensemble perform The Holy Presence of Joan d’Arc, by Julius Eastman, arranged for bassoons by Rebekah. Performers included Maribel Alonso, Trey Coudret, Alexander Davis, Ryan Ghassemi, Joy Guidry, Stephanie Patterson, Sara Schoenbeck, Jamael Smith, Joseph Swift and Francisca Wright. Conducted by Lester St Louis, performed at the Fridman Gallery NYC.

[argo-ii-official]

RIP Caeser you would have loved Lester.

[ifiamanythinginthefuture]

FIIIRRSSSTTTT FIIICC!!!

Yeah, I already had it posted way before I made this blog, but. Shush.

Tags underneath:

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Major Character Death

Fandoms: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan

Relationships: Apollo & Artemis (Percy Jackson) Apollo & Arrow of Dodona (Percy Jackson)

Characters: Apollo (Percy Jackson) Lester Papadopoulos (Percy Jackson) Arrow of Dodona (Percy Jackson) Meg McCaffrey (mentioned) Piper McLean (mentioned) Jason Grace (mentioned) Medea (Percy Jackson) (mentioned) Gaius Julius Caesar | Emperor Caligula (Percy Jackson) (mentioned) Artemis (Percy Jackson) (mentioned)

Additional Tags: Apollo Needs a Hug (Percy Jackson) Lester Papadopoulos Needs a Hug (Percy Jackson) the Arrow of Dodona is the Arrow of Dodona Zeus is An Amazing Father (Percy Jackson) (lie) Apollo-Artemis Sibling Bonding kinda maybe probably apollo has trauma we stan a bitch with trauma I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping Mentions of Suicide Attempted Suicide Self-Harm Angst Hurt No Comfort hurt almost no comfort Shakespearian English The Burning Maze (Trials of Apollo) Spoilers Missing Scene The Trials of Apollo Spoilers Apollo-centric (Percy Jackson) POV Apollo (Percy Jackson)

[tsartistry]

amoset thoughts and headcanons and feelings and and and please i love them so much goddd please please please pleasepl

ahhhhhh I love amoset SO MUCH

There is something so compelling about the intimacy of sharing your mind and body with another entity. It's the same thing that draws me to Venom so much (and I still maintain that my Venom friends need to get into The Kane Chronicles and bring that Symbrock energy to Amos and Set!!)

I think Set just really likes humans, more than the other Egyptian gods think is appropriate. I find it very funny that when Shu scolds Anubis for getting too close to Sadie, Shu's entire reasoning boils down to "mortals are gross."

Which leads me to believe Set's mindset is "Yes, mortals are gross, that's what I love about them! They're weird and messy and illogical. You never know what they'll do next!"

(It seems Anubis is more like his dad than he'd like to admit 😏)

I'd need to read TKC again to be sure, but given how estranged Amos was from Julius, I get the impression that Amos and Set could find common ground in being outcasts & they're both healing those old wounds through familial bonds with Carter and Sadie. In the Brooklyn House Magicians Manual, there is a subplot where Set celebrates his birthday by playing annoying (but harmless) pranks around Brooklyn. He'd rather spend his birthday hanging out with the Kanes than partying in the Duat 🥺 he loves those dumb mortals even if he'll never say it out loud.

I think the relationship between Set and Amos is always going to be a little bit tainted by the circumstances that brought them together. They're a perfect match now, but there's always this lingering knowledge that Set is probably not who Amos would have chosen if he hadn't already been Set's hostage first. It's not something they regularly discuss, but the knowledge is there.

(Which is why in the Niobe Fic, when Lester takes the Path of Set, it means SO MUCH to him even though he'll never admit it. Lester is the first magician in millennia to CHOOSE Set.)

In conclusion, have some more Venom panels that are giving Set

[biggie-chcese]

oh your a fire emblem fan? Name every fire emblem character

bet.

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light (+ remake and sequel)

playable: marth, caeda, jagen, cain, abel, draug, gordin, wrys, ogma, barst, bord, cord, castor, darros, julian, lena, navarre, merric, matthis, hardin, wolf, sedgar, roshea, vyland, wendell, rickard, bantu, caesar, radd, roger, jeorge, maria, minerva, linde, jake, midia, dolph, macellan, tomas, boah, beck, astram, palla, catria, est, arran, samson, xane, tiki, lorenz (FE1), elice, gotoh, frey, norne, athena, horace, etzel, ymir, nagi

non-playable: mostyn, malledus, anna (and every following iteration that isnt playable), nyna, aurelys, anri, cornelius, liza, miloah, naga (let's slash out future iterations too), adrah, artemis, cartas, marion, iote, ordwin, ludwik, jiol, camus, michalis, gharnef, medeus, gazzak, gomer, hyman, bentheon, merach, emereus, harmein, kannival, mannu, zharov, khozen, volzhin, heimler, grigas, hollstadt, morzas, sternlin, orridyon, xemcel (me when i'm an incel with pronouns), rumel, rucke, gail, toras, dahl, yodel, eibel, willow, nehring

Fire Emblem Gaiden + Echoes

playable: alm, lukas, gray, tobin, kliff, silque, clair, clive, forsyth, python, luthier, mathilda, delthea, tatiana, zeke, mycen, celica, mae, boey, genny, saber, valbar, kamui, leon, atlas, jesse, sonya, deen, nomah, faye, fernand, emma, shade, yuzu, randal

non-playable: mila, duma, rudolf, massena, jedah, marla, hestia, dolth, jamil, desaix, slayde, barth, garth, lawson, gazelle, zakson, blake, wolff, grieth, mikhail, garcia, tatarrah, nuibaba, seazas, xaizor, magnus, mueller, jerome, gharn, hades, argentum, aurum, cerberus, naberius, liprica, halcyon, lima IV, irma, berkut, rinea, forneus, jarth

Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War

playable: sigurd, alec, naoise, arden, azelle, lex, quan, ethlyn, finn, midir, edain, dew, ayra, jamke, deirdre, chulainn, lachesis, beowolf, lewyn, silvia, erinys, tailtiu, claud, brigid, seliph, lana/muirne, larcei/creidne, scáthach/dalvin, oifey, diarmuid/tristan, lester/deimne, julia, fee/hermina, arthur/amid, iuchar, iucharba, shannan, patty/daisy, leif, nanna/jeanne, finn, ares, lene/laylea, tine/linda, febail/asaello, ced/hawk, hannibal, coirpre/charlot, altena

non-playable: oifey, arvis, shannan, mariccle, mananan, eldigan, grahnye, manfroy, sandima, kurth, victor, cigyun, lahna, dimaggio, gerrard, filat, munnir, cimbaeth, batu, imuka, eve, alva, eva, elliot, philip, boldor, macbeth, voltz, clement, zyne, chagall, jacobi, papilio, pizarl, dobarl, myos, daccar, annand, cuvuli, pamela, díthorba, donovan, lamia, slayder, vaja, byron, ring, andrey, lombard, reptor, travant, magorn, azmur, aida, lewyn/forseti, julius, manfroy, arvis, bloom, hilda, ishtar, ishtore, harold, schmidt, danann, liza, vampa, fetra, eliu, bramsel, jabarro, muhammad, ovo, brian, scipio, kutuzov, coruta, maikov, kanatz, disler, travant, arion, jake, musar, judah, ridale, morigan, zagam, robert, boyce, rodan, felipe, palmark, yupheel, fisher, daggon, baran, meng, maybell, bleg, mus, bovis, tigris, lepus, draco, anguilla, equus, ovis, simia, gallus, canis, porcus, loptous, forseti, salamander, gair, maera, heim, baldr, hoðr, od, njörun, dáinn, nál, ullr, fjalar, thrud, ced, bragi, yudu

Fire Emblem: Thracia 776

playable: leif, finn, eyvel, osian, halvan, dagdar, tanya, marty, ronan, lifis, safy, brighton, machyua, lara, fergus, karin, dalsin, asbel, nanna, hicks, shiva, carrion, selfina, cain, alva, robert, fred, olwen, mareeta, salem, perne, troude, tina, glade, deen, eda, homer, linoan, ralf, ilios, sleuf, sara, miranda, shannam, misha, xavier, amalda, conomor, diarmuid, saias, ced, galzus

non-playable: august, dryas, raydrik, veld, manfroy, julius, ishtar, reinhardt, kempf, bloom, seliph, julia, lewyn, travant, arion, altena, hannibal, coirpre, weissman, bucks, lobos, bandol, truman, aizenau, rumei, merlock, dobalzark, largo, gomes, oltof, cullough, baráth, seimetol, fraus, zaom, rist, baldack, paulus, makroy, codda, aihiman, brook, mua, nicolov, mueller, rinecok, palman, gustav, wolff, cowen, alfan, farden, coruta, zile, mus, bovis, tigris, draco, canis, porcus, yubel, romeo, carl

Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade

playable: roy, marcus, alen, lance, wolt, bors, merlinus, elen, dieck, wade, lot, shanna, chad, lugh, clarine, rutger, saul, dorothy, sue, zelot, trec, noah, astolfo, lilina, gwendolyn, barthe, ogier, fir, sin, gonzalez, geese, klein, thea, larum, echidna, elffin, bartre, raigh, cath, melady, perceval, cecilia, sophia, igrene, garret, fae, hugh, zeiss, douglas, niime, juno, dayan, yoder, karel

non-playable: damas, rude, slater, erik, dory, wagner, devias, leygance, henning, scott, nord, zinc, scouran, oro, robarts, morgan, ain, gelero, flaer, randy, maggie, rose, ohtz, raeth, narcian, windham, arcard, martel, monke, sigune, gel, roartz, teck, thoril, brakul, kudoka, maral, kabul, chan, murdock, galle, pereth, zephiel, brunnya, jahn, idunn, guinivere, mordred

Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade

playable: mark, lyn, sain, kent, florina, wil, dorcas, serra, erk, rath, matthew, nils, lucius, wallace, eliwood, marcus, lowen, rebecca, bartre, hector, oswin, guy, merlinus, priscilla, raven, canas, dart, fiora, legault, ninian, isadora, heath, hawkeye, geitz, pent, louise, karel, harken, nino, jaffar, vaida, renault, athos, farina, karla

non-playable: eleanora, leila, elbert, kishuna, darin, nergal, uther, lloyd, linus, brendan, limstella, sonia, ursula, zephiel, guinivere, bramimond, batta, zugu, glass, migal, carjiga, bug, bool, heintz, beyard, yogi, eagler, lundgren, groznyi, wire, zagan, boies, puzon, erik, sealen, bauker, bernard, fargus, damian, zoldam, uhai, aion, teodor, cameron, oleg, eubans, jasmine, paul, pascal, kenneth, jerme, maxime, georg, kaim, denning, fire dragon, desmond, hellene, murdock, natalie, ephidel, jan, hausen, marquess araphen, helman, jake, igor, fae, sophia, roy, lilina, reissmann, roland, durban

Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

playable: eirika, ephraim, seth, franz, gilliam, vanessa, moulder, ross, garcia, neimi, colm, artur, lute, natasha, joshua, forde, kyle, tana, amelia, innes, gerik, tethys, marisa, ewan, duessel, cormag, l'arachel, dozla, saleh, rennac, knoll, myrrh, syrene, orson, lyon

non-playable: fomortiis, vigarde, mansel, morva, pablo, klimt, dara, carlyle, o'neill, breguet, bone, bazba, bandit, saar, zonta, novala, murray, tirado, binks, gheb, aias, beran, saaga, nada kuya, melina, zethla, monica, zabba, mcgregor, caellach, riev, ismaire, selena, glen, hayden, valter, renais

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

playable: ike, titania, boyd, oscar, rhys, shinon, gatrie, soren, mia, ilyana, mist, rolf, marcia, lethe, mordecai, volke, kieran, brom, nephenee, zihark, sothe, jill, astrid, makalov, stefan, tormod, muarim, devdan, tanith, reyson, janaff, ulki, calill, tauroneo, ranulf, haar, bastian, lucia, geoffrey, largo, elincia, ena, nasir, naesala, tibarn, giffca

playable in a weird way: oliver, shiharam, petrine, bryce, ashnard

non-playable: black knight, caineghis, dheginsea, gareth, greil, izuka, kurthnaga, leanne, lorazieh, nealuchi, sanaki, sigrun, lotz, zawana, ikanau, havetti, maijin, dakova, emil, balmer, kamura, nedata, kotaff, danomill, mackoya, seeker, norris, gashilama, kimaarsi, kayachey, homasa, kasatai, schaeffer, tomenami, lillia, rikard, gromell, bertram, hafedd, heddwyn, ramon, lekain, hetzel, rajaion

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (will avoid repeats from PoR)

playable: micaiah, edward, leonardo, nolan, laura, aran, meg, volug, fiona, vika, nailah, rafiel, heather, danved, lyre, kyza, skrimir, pelleas, renning, lehran

non-playable: agony, aimee, almedha, amy, ashunera, alder, ashera, burton, callum, catalena, daniel, djur, goran, isaiya, istvan, jarod, jorge, kezhda, laverton, levail, lombroso, ludveck, maiel, maraj, muston, nico, numida, pain, pugo, radmin, roark, rolf's mother, rommit, seliora, septimus, sephiran, sergei, silvano, tashoria, valtome, veyona, wystan, yeardley, yune, yuma, zaitan, zeffren, zelgius

Fire Emblem Awakening

playable: chrom, robin, lissa, frederick, sully, virion, stahl, vaike, miriel, sumia, kellam, donnel, lon'qu, ricken, maribelle, panne, gaius, cordelia, gregor, nowi, libra, tharja, olivia, cherche, henry, say'ri, tiki, basilio, flavia, gangrel, walhart, emmeryn, yen'fay, aversa, priam, lucina, owain, inigo, brady, kjelle, cynthia, severa, gerome, morgan, yarne, laurent, noire, nah

non-playable: validar, naga, grima, first exalt, garrick, phila, raimi, roddick, orton, victor, hierarch, vasto, chalard, campari, vincent, mustafa, dalton, ke'ri, gecko, jamil, xalbador, cassius, ruger, holland, nelson, morristan, gyral, dalen, nombry, ezra, ignatius, farber, cervantes, pheros, excellus, algol, mus, bovis, tigris, lepus, draco, anguilla, equus, ovis, simia, gallus, canis, porcus, zanth, ardri, old hubba

Fire Emblem Fates

playable: corrin, azura, felicia, jakob, kaze, silas, mozu, shura, izana, ryoma, hinoka, takumi, sakura, hana, subaki, saizo, orochi, rinkah, kagero, oboro, hinata, hayato, setsuna, azama, kaden, reina, yukimura, scarlet, xander, camilla, leo, elise, effie, nyx, arthur, charlotte, benny, beruka, selena (formerly severa), niles, odin (formerly owain), peri, laslow (formerly inigo), keaton, flora, gunter, fuga, kana, shigure, dwyer, midori, sophie, shiro, kiragi, caeldori, asugi, hisame, rhajat, mitama, selkie, siegbert, forrest, ignatius, nina, ophelia, percy, soleil, velouria

playable in a weird way: daniela, lloyd, llewelyn, haitaka, kumagera, nichol, candace, daichi, funke, senno, zhara, tarba, gazak

non-playable: garon, iago, mikoto, lilith, arete, sumeragi, anankos, kilma, hans, kotaro, omozu, anthony, zola, rainbow sage, katerina, ikona, layla, cassita, cadros

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

playable: byleth, sothis, edelgard, hubert, ferdinand, linhardt, caspar, bernadetta, dorothea, petra, dimitri, dedue, felix, ashe, sylvain, mercedes, annette, ingrid, claude, lorenz, raphael, ignatz, lysithea, marianne, hilda, leonie, yuri, balthus, constance, hapi, rhea, seteth, flayn, hanneman, manuela, gilbert, alois, catherine, shamir, cyril, jeralt, monica, tomas, jeritza, anna, aelfric

special little guys: gatekeeper, abysskeeper

non-playable: metodey, thales, solon, kronya, cornelia, myson, odesse, bias, chilon, pittacus, kostas, miklan, pallardó, acheron, baron dominic, baron ochs, christophe, claudia, count charon, count ordelia, count rowe, derick, duke gerth, emile, erwin, fleche, glenn, godfrey, grégoire, gwendal, holst, ionius ix, judith, klaus i, kyphon, ladislava, lambert, leopold, lonato, loog, ludwig, lycaon i, lycaon iii, margrave edmund, marquis vestra, matthias, nader, oswald, pan, patricia, randolph, rodrigue, rufus, tiana, volkhard, waldemar, wilhelm i, viscount kleiman, seiros, sitri, nemesis, indech, macuil, blaiddyd, charon, daphnel, dominic, fraldarius, gautier, gloucester, goneril, lamine, riegan, maurice, aubin, chevalier, noa, timotheos, luca, iris, chevalier, bernhard, gajus, wilhelm, marcelle, simone

Fire Emblem Engage

playable: alear, vander, clanne, framme, alfred, boucheron, etie, céline, louis, chloé, yunaka, alcryst, citrinne, lapis, diamant, amber, jade, ivy, zelkov, kagetsu, fogado, bunet, pandreo, timerra, merrin, panette, hortensia, seadall, rosado, goldmary, lindon, saphir, mauvier, veyle, jean, nel, nil, zelestia, gregory, madeline, rafal

non-playable: sombron, hyacinth, zephia, griss, marni, lumera, sommie, ève, morion, seforia, nelucce, teronda, rodine, abyme, mitan, totchie, tetchie, durthon, anisse, calney, pinet, sean, anje

while the emblems are said to be different from the canon version, i will be leaving them out since they're pretty much the same as the already listed characters

OCs from the Archanea Saga: frost, dice, malice, belf, roberto, reiden

OCs from the Cipher cards that aren't in the Echoes DLC: alice, valjean, niamh, poe

OCs from the warriors spinoffs not dividing them by playability because i dont care: rowan, lianna, darios, yelena, oskar, velezark, SHEZ!, arval/epimenides, berling, getz, lazley, simon, adrienne, jetz, baron gillingr, baron barnabas, viscount essar, viscount lochin, viscount hymir, viscount menja, viscount fenja, viscount mateus, viscount elidure, viscount gideon, count duval, marquis erebus, baron pryderi, baron mateus, viscount brennius, yvette, viscount enid, count geraint, baron müller, viscount siward, viscount albany, viscount burgundy, leif, anaximandros, dolofonos, the immaculate one, anselma, victoria, gunnar, krouffer, banfig, kite, morianne, laetitia, duke ifan, zoltan

OCs from that fuckass gacha game

playable in some way: kiran, alfonse, sharena, anna, gustav, henriette, askr, ash, bruno, veronica, letizia, embla, elm, nifl, fjorm, gunnthrá, hríd, ylgr, múspell, surtr, laegjarn, laevatein, helbindi, hel, eir, ymir, líf, thrasir, ganglöt, loki, thórr, peony, mirabilis, plumeria, triandra, freyr, freyja, eitr, ginnungagap, niðavellir, reginn, ótr, fáfnir, dagr, nótt, eitri, seiðr, heiðr, gullveig, kvasir, nerþuz, ratatoskr, heiðrún, eikþyrnir

non-playable: feh That Fucking Bird That I Hate, fehnix, hvergel, menja, angrboða, alfaðör, alfrik, billingr, dvalinn, grer, þjazi, veðrfölnir, njörðr, hræsvelgr, níðhöggr, læraðr

i am not listing the fucking alts. you get the point. never test me again.

[fefuckability]

Genealogy qualifier time! Back to having way more men than women to vote on :( Will begin Friday, December 20th at 3pm EST

Here’s how it’s going to work:

There are going to be eight qualifying polls (four for the men, four for the women)

Pick your most bangable favorite from each poll

Polls will run for one week

The top 32 male characters and the top 16 female characters will qualify for the men’s and women’s bracket

We will be using whatever names are listed on their wikis because that is what the official localization is now

Polls:

Qualifier 1 (Sigurd, Naoise, Alec, Arden, Azelle, Lex, Quan, Midir, Jamke, Chulainn)

Qualifier 2 (Beowulf, Lewyn, Claud, Byron, Manfroy, Arvis, Eldigan, Travant, Seliph, Scathach)

Qualifier 3 (Dalvin, Oifey, Diarmuid, Tristan, Lester, Deimne, Arthur, Amid, Luchar, Lucharba)

Qualifier 4 (Shannan, Leif, Ares, Febail, Asaello, Ced, Hawk, Hannibal, Julius, Arion)

Qualifier 5 (Ethlyn, Edain, Ayra, Deirdre, Laquesis, Sylvia, Erinys)

Qualifier 6 (Tailtiu, Lahna, Annand, Aida, Dithorba, Lana, Muirne)

Qualifier 7 (Larcei, Creidne, Julia, Fee, Hermina, Daisy, Nanna)

Qualifier 8 (Jeanne, Lene, Laylea, Linda, Altena, Ishtar, Hilda)

Extra notes under the cut

Characters who are excluded from voting:

FINN AND BRIGID because they won the their respective Thracia brackets. I am not allowing winners to participate in multiple brackets. If you are wondering where they are, they're missing because they've already won.

Anyone who obviously both looks and acts like a literal child. The standard is literally “if a reasonable adult could look at this character and immediately clock them as a child, then they’re out”. Some characters are borderline so discretion may be used. We are not taking manga ages or "Kaga dream scenario" ages into account. Characters I have determined are "too baby" are: Dew, Coirpre, Charlot, Patty, and Tine.

Anyone who lacks either a unique portrait or a unique name.

Characters who do not have a unique human form.

Most of the antagonists, due to most of them being palette swaps. Exceptions were made specifically for Dithorba (due to her existence in FEH) and Aida (I'm pretty sure she's more important than the other palette swaps. Also she's hot).

Additional Notes:

I'm using FEH and Cipher art where possible, but the pickings are really slim on some of these guys

[petervintonjr]

"...the people who dwell in the land of dimness, the people who could not see themselves except as formless shadows moving in a mist, the people who had gouged out their own eyes to keep from looking at themselves in the mirror, these people, these glorious people were none other than ourselves: The Americans." --from Jonoah & the Green Stone

A fascinating "What If?" story, today we look at the all-too-brief life and career of Henry Dumas, author and poet. Born in 1934 Arkansas, Dumas's family moved to Harlem when he was ten years old. A lover of Gospel music and an admitted fan of the standup comedy of Moms Mabley (see Lesson #32 in this series), Dumas married Loretta Ponton in 1955 and had two sons, and served in the Air Force until 1957, which included postings in Texas and in the Arabian peninsula (the latter of which would inform a great deal of the underlying mythologies and storytelling narratives of his work). He completed some coursework at Rutgers University but never graduated.

By 1967, Dumas had established himself as a teacher and director of language workshops at Southern Illinois University. Some of his earliest works appeared in the Hiram Poetry Review, of which he later himself became editor. On May 23, 1968, Dumas was shot and killed in the 125th Street/Lenox Avenue station of the New York City subway, by a (white) New York City Transit police officer who claimed that Dumas had been threatening another unidentified person with a knife. Unfortunately there were no witnesses and no testimonies, and the records of the incident itself were unrecoverable in 1995.

With an honest reckoning of events forever out of reach, much of Dumas's work might otherwise have been lost to time, were it not for the resurgence of interest visited upon him by novelist Toni Morrison. Morrison had read and studied several of Dumas's posthumous publications, significantly Ark of Bones and Other Stories, and Poetry for My People, both of which had been published by Southern Illinois University Press in the 1970's. Inspired by Dumas's literary gift, Morrison kicked off a "book launch party" in 1974 to generate fresh interest in Dumas's work.

Much of Dumas's posthumous work is represented in many anthologies, including: Black Fire edited by Imamu Amiri Baraka (1968); the play Play Ebony, Play Ivory (1974), which prompted Julius Lester to name Dumas as "the most original Afro-American poet of the sixties;" Goodbye Sweetwater: New and Selected Stories (1988); and Echo Tree: The Collected Short Fiction of Henry Dumas (2003).

[sera-fable]

Thought Provoking Books & Books That Have Important Voices! Pt. 26

251. Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff (Banned Book/Middle-grade/Ghosts/Gender Identity/Grief/Coming Out/Mystery)

252. Read People Like A Book by Patrick King (Self Help/Human Behavior/Verbal & Nonverbal Signals/Scholarly/Tales/Psychology)

253. Wandering Son series by Takako Shimura (Realistic Manga Series/Banned Books/Trans Characters/Gender Identity/Bullying/Puberty/Slice-of-Life/Middle School Characters)

254. Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine (Historical Fiction/Magical Realism/Historical/Civil War/Coming of Age/Adult/Historical Fantasy)

255. Zenobia July by Lisa Bunker (Middle Grade/Challenged Book/LGBT/Realistic Fiction/YA/Contemporary)

256. Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi (Memoir/Science Fiction/Mythicism/Thriller/Madness/Trauma/Identity/Self Harm/Mix of Genres)

257. When Dad Killed Mom by Julius Lester (YA/Challenged Book/Fiction/Domestic Violence/Trauma/Family/Social Themes/Family Dynamics)

258. Watchmen comics by Alan Moore (Graphic Novel/Comic/Fiction/Superheroes/Dystopian/Historical Fiction/Cold War)

259. Top 250 LGBTQ Books for Teens: Coming Out, Being Out, and the Search for Community by Michael Cart (Challenged Book/LGBT/Nonfiction)

260. Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura (Magical Realism/Japanese Fantasy/Friendship/Emotions/Mental Health/Bullying/YA/Contemporary)

[lboogie1906]

Julius Lester (January 27, 1939 - January 18, 2018) was born in St. Louis, the son of a Methodist minister. He spent much of his childhood in Missouri. He graduated from Fisk University with a BA in English.

He became active in the Civil Rights movement, going to Mississippi in 1964 as part of the movement called the Mississippi Summer Project.

He began working full-time for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee as head of its photography department in Atlanta.

His writing career began in 1967 when a publisher read his essay “The Angry Children of Malcolm X,” and offered him a contract to develop it into a book. The book, titled Look Out, Whitey! Black Power’s Gonna’ Get Your Mama, would be the first book to explain the term Black power and place it in the context of African American history.

He has published more than forty books, including non-fiction, children’s books, poetry, and novels. Among the awards these books have received are the Newbery Honor Medal, the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, the National Book Award Finalist, the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Honor Book, and the New York Times Outstanding Book. His books have been translated into eight languages.

He joined the faculty of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst as a professor of African American Studies. He joined the Judaic and Near Eastern Studies Department and taught courses there and in the English and History departments until his retirement (2004). He became the only faculty member to be awarded all three of the University’s most prestigious faculty awards: The Distinguished Teacher’s Award, the Faculty Fellowship Award for Distinguished Research and Scholarship, and the Chancellor’s Medal, the University’s highest honor. The Council for Advancement and Support of Education selected him as the Massachusetts State Professor of the Year.

He served as lay religious leader of Beth El Synagogue in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[helloerynn]

READING LIST: Children's Books

Green: Currently Reading

Pink: LOVED IT!

Orange: Liked It

Strikethrough: DNF/Not For Me

A Boy Called Slow by Joseph Bruchac

A Carp for Kimiko by Virginia Kroll

A Day with Wilbur Robinson by William Joyce

A Pack of Lies by Geraldine McCaughrean

A Starlit Somersault Downhill by Nancy Willard

All Aboard Trains by Mary Harding

Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman

Annabelle Swift, Kindergartner by Amy Schwartz

Anno's Magic Seeds by Mitsumasa Anno

Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky by Faith Ringgold

Back Home by Gloria Jean Pinkney

Bad Day at Riverbend by Chris Van Allsburg

The Bamboo Flute by Garry Disher

Baseball Saved Us by Ken Machizuki

Belinda by Pamela Allen

Berlioz the Bear by Jan Brett

Big Al by Andrew Clements

Bill's New Frock by Anne Fine

Black and White by Tana Hoban

Black Like Kyra, White Like Me by Judith Vigna

Blue and The Gray by Eve Bunting

The Boggart by Susan Cooper

Boo to a Goose by Mem Fox

Boomer Goes to School by Constance McGeorge

The Bracelet by Yoshiko Uchida

The Call of the Wolves by Jim Murphy

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. 

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

Clippity-Clop by Pamela Allen

Dandelions by Eve Bunting

Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures with The Family Lazardo by William Joyce

Dinosaur Roar! by Paula and Henrietta Strickland

Dogs Don't Wear Sneakers by Laura Numeroff

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

Drylongso by Virginia Hamilton

Eleanor by Barbara Cooney

The Empty Pot by Demi

Feel the Wind by Arthur Dorros

Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting

Free Fall by David Wiesner

Frogs by Gail Gibbons

From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons

Gentle Willow by Joyce C. Mills

George Shrinks by William Joyce

Going West by Jean Van Leeuwen

Good Queen Bess by Diane Stanley

Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say

The Great Elephant Chase by Gillian Cross

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie

Heather Has Two Mommies by Lesleá Newman

The Honey Makers by Gail Gibbons

Horace by Holly Keller

How Night Came From the Sea by Mary-Joan Gerson

I Can Hear the Sun by Patricia Polacco

I Love My Daddy Because... by Laurel Porter-Gaylord

If You Made a Million by David M. Schwartz

In for Winter, Out for Spring by Arnold Adoff

It Could Always Be Worse by Margot Zemach

Island Boy by Barbara Cooney

John Henry by Julius Lester

The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

Koala Lou by Mem Fox

Leonardo da Vinci by Diane Stanley

Let the Celebrations Begin! by Margaret Wild

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes

Magic Beach by Alison Lester

Mama, Do You Love Me? by Barbara M Joosse

The Man Who Kept His Heart in a Bucket by Sonia Levitin

Martha Speaks by Susan Meddaugh

Matilda by Roald Dahl

The Matzah that Papa Brought Home by Fran Manushkin

Max's Chocolate Chicken by Rosemary Wells

Max's Dragon Shirt by Rosemary Wells

Merlin and the Dragons by Jane Yolen

Minerva Louise by Janet Morgan Stoeke

Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman by Alan Schroeder

Mirandy and Brother Wind by Patricia C. McKissack

The Mitten Tree by Candace Christiansen

Mrs/ Katz and Tush by Patricia Polacco

My Body Belongs to Me from My Head to My Toes by Pro Familia

My Very First Mother Goose by Iona Opie

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg

New Shoes for Sylvia by Johanna Hurwitz

Nothing but the Truth by Avi

Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann

Oh, the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss

The Old Woman Who Named Things by Cynthia Rylant

Oliver's Vegetables by Vivian French

One Hundred Angry Ants by Elinor J. Pinzes

Owl Babies by Martin Waddell

Pit Pony by Joyce Barkhouse

The Planets by Gail Gibbons

Rabbit Makes a Monkey of Lion by Verna Aardema

The Rainbabies by Laura Krauss Melmed

The Rainbow Fish by Marcus

Rechenka's Eggs by Patricia Polacco

Reuben and the Fire by Merle Good

The Rough-Face Girl by Rage Martin

Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran

Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat by Amy Tan

The Salamander Room by Anne Mazer

Sam and The Tigers by Julius Lester

Seashells Crabs and Seastars by Christiane Lump Tibbitts

The Seashore Book by Charlotte Zolotow

The Seven Chinese Brothers by Margaret Mahy

Shrek by William Steig

Six Dinner Sid by Inga Moore

Stephanie's Ponytail by Robert Munsch

The Sunday Outing by Gloria Jean Pinkney

The Stinky Cheese Man by Jon Sciezka

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson

The Sweetest Fig by Chris Van Allsburg

The Talking Eggs by Robert D. San Souci

Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back by Joseph Bruchac

Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco

Tillie and the Wall by Leo Lionni

Time For Bed by Mem Fox

Tough Boris by Mem Fox

Town Mouse, Country Mouse by Jan Brett

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! by Jon Scieszcka

Tuesday by David Wiesner

Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg

Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen by Dyanne DiSalvo-Ryan

The Very First Americans by Cara Ashrose

Voyage of The Basset by James C. Christensen

Waiting for Anya by Michael Morpurgo

War Boy by Michael Foreman

We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen

What Lives in a Shell? by Kathleen Weidner Ziegfeld

Why the Sky is Far Away by Mary-Joan Gerson

The Widow's Broom by Chris Van Allsburg

Wilma Unlimited by Kathleen Kroll

The Wolf by Margaret Barbalet

The Wretched Stone by Chris Van Allsburg

Zomo The Rabbit by Gerald McDermott

[forthegothicheroine]

When I was a kid, my family had a collection of Julius Lester’s retellings of the Uncle Remus stories, intended to preserve the folktales while excising the framing device. The voice they were told in didn’t have a specific named character (in case, Lester said, people didn’t like one he came up with) but they did have personality, making jokes and commentary on the situations. (”Just because you die in one story doesn’t mean you have to be dead in the next- that wouldn’t be any fun!” is a line that stuck with me.)

One of the most important lessons I learned about folklore came from a story where Brer Rabbit did something bad and violent without any good reason, as trickster figures often do, to Brer Wolf. At the end of the story, the narrator addresses the reader. And he says, paraphrasing from my memory: “I don’t like this story. I don’t think what Brer Rabbit did was right, and it upsets me. But when I think about what sort of things could be done to the tellers and their families to make them want to tell a story like this, then it starts to make sense.”

When we teach inherited stories, be they religious, mythological, or folkloric, I think that’s a good way to approach it, especially when teaching to children. If they think what happens in a story was wrong, you don’t have to try and find a way to say it’s alright. You can say “Yeah, that does read as really strange. Let’s talk about it, and why people might have told it that way!”

[jpbjazz]

LÉGENDES DU JAZZ

HAMIET BLUIETT, LE PLUS MODERNE DES SAXOPHONISTES BARYTON

“Most people who play the baritone don’t approach it like the awesome instrument that it is. They approach it as if it is something docile, like a servant-type instrument. I don’t approach it that way. I approach it as if it was a lead voice, and not necessarily here to uphold the altos, tenors and sopranos.”

- Hamiet Bluiett

Né le 6 septembre 1940 au nord de East St. Louis à Brooklyn, dans les Illinois, Hamiet Ashford Bluiett Jr. était le fils d’Hamiet Bluiett Sr. et de Deborah Dixon. Aussi connu sous le surnom de Lovejoy, le quartier de East St. Louis était majoritairement peuplé d’Afro-Américains. Fondé pour servir de refuge aux anciens esclaves affranchis dans les années 1830, le village était devenu plus tard la première ville américaine majoritairement peuplée de gens de couleur.

Bluiett avait d’abord appris à jouer du piano à l’âge de quatre ans avec sa tante qui était directrice de chorale. Il était passé à la clarinette cinq ans plus tard en étudiant avec George Hudson, un populaire chef d’orchestre de la région. Même s’il avait aussi joué de la trompette, Bluiett avait surtout été attiré par le saxophone baryton.

Après avoir amorcé sa carrière en jouant de la clarinette dans les danses dans son quartier d’origine de Brooklyn, Bluiett s’était joint à un groupe de la Marine en 1961. Par la suite, Bluiett avait fréquenté la Southern Illinois University à Carbondale, où il avait étudié la clarinette et la flûte. Il avait finalement abandonné ses études pour aller s’installer à St. Louis, au Missouri, au milieu des années 1960.

Bluiett était au milieu de la vingtaine lorsqu’il avait entendu le saxophoniste baryton de l’orchestre de Duke Ellington, Harry Carney, jouer pour la première fois. Dans le cadre de ce concert qui se déroulait à Boston, au Massachusetts, Carney était devenu la principale influence du jeune Bluiett. Grâce à Carney, Bluiett avait rapidement réalisé qu’un saxophoniste baryton pouvait non seulement se produire comme accompagnateur et soutien rythmique, mais également comme soliste à part entière. Expliquant comment il était tombé en amour avec le saxophone barytone, Bluiett avait déclaré plus tard: "I saw one when I was ten, and even though I didn't hear it that day, I knew I wanted to play it. Someone had to explain to me what it was. When I finally got my hands o n one at 19, that was it."

DÉBUTS DE CARRIÈRE

Après avoir quitté la Marine en 1966, Bluiett s’était installé à St. Louis, au Missouri. À la fin de la décennie, Bluiett avait participé à la fondation du Black Artists' Group (BAG), un collectif impliqué dans diverses activités artistiques à l’intention de la communauté afro-américaine comme le théâtre, les arts visuels, la danse, la poésie, le cinéma et la musique. Établi dans un édifice situé dans la basse-ville de St. Louis, le collectif présentait des concerts et d’autres événements artistiques.

Parmi les autres membres-fondateurs du groupe, on remarquait les saxophonistes Oliver Lake et Julius Hemphill, le batteur Charles "Bobo" Shaw et le trompettiste Lester Bowie. Hemphill avait aussi dirigé le big band du BAG de 1968 à 1969. Décrivant Bluiett comme un professeur et mentor naturel, Lake avait précisé: “His personality and his thoughts and his wit were so strong. As was his creativity. He wanted to take the music forward, and we were there trying to do the same thing.”

À la fin de 1969, Hemphill s’était installé à New York où il s’était joint au quintet de Charles Mingus et au big band de Sam Rivers. Au cours de cette période, Bluiett avait également travaillé avec une grande diversité de groupes, dont ceux des percussionnistes Tito Puente et Babatunde Olatunji, et du trompettiste Howard McGhee. Il avait aussi collaboré avec le Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra.

En 1972, Bluiett avait de nouveau fait équipe avec Mingus et avait fait une tournée en Europe avec son groupe. Collaborateur plutôt irrégulier de Mingus, Bluiett quittait souvent le groupe avant de réintégrer la formation un peu plus tard. En 1974, Bluiett avait de nouveau regagné le giron du groupe de Mingus aux côtés du saxophoniste ténor George Adams et du pianiste Don Pullen, qui deviendrait plus tard un de ses plus fidèles collaborateurs. Il avait aussi joué avec le groupe de Mingus à Carnegie Hall. Bluiett avait continué de travailler avec Mingus jusqu’en 1975, lorsqu’il avait commencé à enregistrer sous son propre nom.

Le premier album de Bluiett comme leader, Endangered Species, avait été publié par les disques India en juin 1976. L’album avait été enregistré avec un groupe composé d’Olu Dara à la trompette, de Junie Booth à la contrebasse et de Philip Wilson à la batterie. En 1978, Bluiett avait enregistré Birthright, un magnifique album live dans lequel il avait joué en solo durant quarante minutes et qui comprenait un hommage à son idole Harry Carney.

En 1976, la même année où il publiait son premier album solo, Bluiett avait co-fondé le World Saxophone Quartet avec d’autres membres du Black Artists Group comme Oliver Lake et Julius Hemphill. Le saxophoniste ténor (et clarinettiste basse) David Murray faisait également partie de la formation. Surnommé à l’origine le Real New York Saxophone Quartet, le groupe avait amorcé ses activités en présentant une série de cliniques et de performances à la  Southern University de la Nouvelle-Orléans, avant de se produire au Tin Palace de New York. Menacé d’une poursuite judiciaire par le New York Saxophone Quartet, le groupe avait éventuellement changé de nom pour devenir le World Saxophone Quartet (WSQ).

Le groupe avait enregistré son premier album (d’ailleurs largement improvisé) sous le titre de Point of No Return en 1977. Jouant une musique diversifiée allant du Dixieland au bebop, en passant par le funk, le free jazz et la World Music, le groupe avait remporté un énorme succès (il est aujourd’hui considéré comme une des formations de free jazz les plus populaires de l’histoire) et avait reçu de nombreux éloges de la critique. Qualifiant le groupe de ‘’the most commercially (and, arguably, the most creatively) successful" de tous les ensembles de saxophones formés dans les années 1970, Chris Kelsey écrivait dans le All Music Guide: ‘’At their creative peak, the group melded jazz-based, harmonically adventurous improvisation with sophisticated composition." Commentant un concert du groupe en 1979, Robert Palmer avait déclaré dans le New York Times: “The four men have made a startling conceptual breakthrough. Without ignoring the advances made by musicians like Anthony Braxton and the early Art Ensemble of Chicago, they have gone back to swinging and to the tradition of the big‐band saxophone section.” Palmer avait ajouté: “Some of the music looks to the more archaic end of the tradition, to the hocket‐style organization of wind ensembles in African tribal music, and in doing so it sounds brand new.” 

Reconnaissant la contribution de Bluiett dans la création du son d’ensemble du groupe, Kelsey avait précisé:  "The WSQ's early free-blowing style eventually transformed into a sophisticated and largely composed melange of bebop, Dixieland, funk, free, and various world musics, its characteristic style anchored and largely defined b y Bluiett's enormous sound." Très conscient de l’importance de la mélodie, Bluiett avait toujours insisté pour que le groupe se concentre principalement sur les balades et l’improvisation. Il expliquait:  “I think melody is very important. When we went into the loft situation, I told the guys: ‘Man, we need to play some ballads. You all playing outside, you running people away. I don’t want to run people away.’ ”

Parallèlement à sa collaboration avec le World Saxophone Quartet, Bluiett avait également publié d’autres albums comme leader comme Im/Possible To Keep (août 1977), un enregistrement en concert qui comprenait une version de quarante minutes de la pièce ‘’Oasis - The Well’’ (en trio avec le contrebassiste Fred Hopkins et le percusionniste Don Moye) et une version de trente-sept minutes de la pièce Nali Kola/On A Cloud en quartet avec le pianiste Don Pullen. En novembre 1977, Bluiett avait enchaîné avec Resolution, un album enregistré en quintet avec Pullen, Hopkins et les percussionnistes Don Moye et Billy Hart. À peine un mois plus tard, Bluiett avait récidivé avec Orchestra Duo and Septet, qui mettait à profit différentes combinaisons de musiciens comprenant le violoncelliste Abdul Wadud, le trompettiste Oldu Dara, le pianiste Don Pullen, le joueur de balafon Andy Bey, le flûtiste Ladji Camara, le contrebassiste Reggie Workman, le joueur de oud (un instrument à corde d’origine iranienne) Ahmed Abdul-Malik et le batteur Thabo Michael Carvin.

Avec le temps, les albums de Bluiett publiés en dehors de sa collaboration avec le World Saxophone Quartet étaient devenus de plus en plus accessibles. En faisaient foi des parutions comme Dangerously Suite (avril 1981), qui était une sorte de bilan de la musique populaire afro-américaine, et Ebu (février 1984), enregistré avec John Hicks au piano, Hopkins à la contrebasse et Marvin Smith à la batterie. L’album live  Bearer of the Holy Flame (juillet 1983) documentait la collaboration de Bluiett avec un quintet composé de Hicks au piano et de deux percussionnistes. En juillet 1987, Bluiett avait aussi collaboré avec le trompettiste sud-africain Hugh Masekela dans le cadre de l’album Nali Kola qui mettait en vedette un saxophoniste soprano, un guitariste et trois percussionnistes africains

Littéralement passionné par son instrument, Bluiett avait également dirigé plusieurs groupes composés de plusieurs autres saxophonistes baryton. Également clarinettiste, Bluiett avait formé en 1984 le groupe Clarinet Family, un ensemble de huit clarinettistes utilisant des clarinettes de différents formats allant de la clarinette soprano E-flat à la clarinette contrebasse. Le groupe était composé de Don Byron, Buddy Collette, John Purcell, Kidd Jordan, J. D. Parran, Dwight Andrews, Gene Ghee et Bluiett à la clarinette et aux saxophones, de Fred Hopkins à la contrebasse et de Ronnie Burrage à la batterie. Le groupe a enregistré un album en concert intitulé Live in Berlin with the Clarinet Family, en 1984.

DERNIÈRES ANNÉES

Le World Saxophone Quartet avait continué de jouer et d’enregistrer dans les années 1990. Lorsque Julius Hemphill avait quitté le groupe pour former son propre quartet au début de la même décennie, c’est Arthur Blythe qui l’avait remplacé. En 1996, le groupe avait enregistré un premier album pour l’étiquette canadienne Justin Time. Intitulé "Four Now’’, l’album avait marqué un tournant dans l’évolution du groupe, non seulement parce que c’était le premier auquel participait le saxophoniste John Purcell, mais parce qu’il avait été enregistré avec des percussionnistes africains. Comme compositeur, Bluiett avait également continué d’écrire de nombreuses oeuvres du groupe, dont Feed The People on Metamorphosis (avril 1990) et Blues for a Warrior Spirit on Takin' It 2 the Next Level (juin 1996).

Lorsque le World Saxophone Quartet avait commencé à ralentir dans les années 1990 après la fin de son contrat avec les disques Elektra, Bluiett s’était lancé dans de nouvelles expérimentations comme chef d’orchestre. En collaboration avec la compagnie de disques Mapleshade, Bluiett avait fondé le groupe Explorations, une formation combinant à la fois des nouveaux talents et des vétérans dans un style hétéroclite fusionnant le jazz traditionnel et l’avant-garde. Après avoir publié un album en quintet sous le titre If You Have To Ask You Don't Need To Know en février 1991, Bluiett avait publié deux mois plus tard un nouvel album solo intitulé Walkin' & Talkin', qui avait été suivi en octobre 1992 d’un album en quartet intitulé Sankofa Rear Garde.

Depuis les années 1990, Bluiett avait dirigé un quartet appelé la Bluiett Baritone Nation, composé presque exclusivement de saxophonistes baryton, avec un batteur comme seul soutien rythmique. Mais le projet n’avait pas toujours été bien accueilli par la critique. Comme le soulignait John Corbett du magazine Down Beat, "Here's a sax quartet consisting all of one species, and while the baritone is capable of playing several different roles with its wide range, the results get rather wearisome in the end." Le groupe avait publié un seul album, Liberation for the Baritone Saxophone Nation’’ en 1998, une captation d’un concert présenté au Festival international de jazz de Montréal la même année. Outre Bluiett, l’album mettait à contribution les saxophonistes baryton James Carter, Alex Harding et Patience Higgins, ainsi que le batteur Ronnie Burrage. Commentant la performance du groupe, le critique Ed Enright écrivait: "In Montreal, the Hamiet Bluiett Baritone Saxophone Group was a seismic experience... And they blew--oh, how they blew--with hurricane force." Décrivant le concept du groupe après sa performance, Bluiett avait précisé:

‘’This is my concept, and it’s all about the baritone, really. The music has to change for us to really fit. I’m tired of trying to fit in with trumpet music, tenor music, alto music, soprano music. I'm tired of trying to fit in with trumpet music, tenor music, alto music, soprano music. It takes too much energy to play that way; I have to shut the h orn down. Later! We've got to play what this horn will sound like. So, what I’m doing is redesigning the music to fit the horn {...}. It’s like being in the water. The baritone is not a catfish [or any of those] small fish. It’s more like a dolphin or a whale. And it needs to travel in a whole lot of water. We can’t work in no swimming pools.The other horns will get a chance to join us. They’ve just got to change where they’re coming from and genuflect to us—instead of us to them.”

En mars 1995, Bluiett avait publié un album en sextet intitulé  New Warrior, Old Warrior. Comme son titre l’indiquait, l’album mettait à contribution des musiciens issus de cinq décennies différentes. Le critique K. Leander Williams avait écrit au sujet de l’album:  "The album puts together musicians from ages 20 to 70, and though this makes for satisfying listening in several places, when it doesn't w ork it's because the age ranges also translate into equally broad--and sometimes irreconcilable--stylistic ones.’’ Tout en continuant de transcender les limites de son instrument, Bluiett avait également exprimé le désir d’une plus grande reconnaissance. Il expliquait: "[A]ll the music these days is written for something else. And I'm tired of being subservient to it. I refuse to do it anymore. I refuse to take the disrespect anymore." En juin 1996, Bluiett avait publié  Barbecue Band, un album de blues.

Après être retourné dans sa ville natale de Brooklyn, dans les Illinois, pour se rapprocher de sa famille, enseigner et diriger des groupes de jeunes en 2002, Bluiett s’était de nouveau installé à New York dix ans plus tard. Décrivant son travail de professeur, Bluiett avait commenté: “My role is to get them straight to the core of what music is about. Knowing how to play the blues has to be there. And learning how to improvise—to move beyond the notes on the page—is essential, too.”

À la fin de sa carrière, Bluiett avait participé à différentes performances, notamment dans le cadre du  New Haven Jazz Festival le 22 août 2009. Au cours de cette période, Bluiett s’était également produit avec des étudiants de la Neighborhood Music School de New Haven, au Connecticut. Le groupe était connu sous le nom de Hamiet Bluiett and the Improvisational Youth Orchestra.

Hamiet Bluiett est mort au St. Louis University Hospital ade St. Louis, au Missouri, le 4 octobre 2018 des suites d’une longue maladie. Il était âgé de soixante-dix-huit ans. Selon sa petite-fille Anaya, la santé de Bluiett s’était grandement détériorée au cours des années précédant sa mort à la suite d’une série d’attaques. Il avait même dû cesser de jouer complètement du saxophone en 2016. Même si le World Saxophone Quartet avait connu de nombreux changements de personnel au cours des années, il avait mis fin à ses activités après que Bluiett soit tombé malade. Les funérailles de Bluiett ont eu le lieu le 12 octobre au Lovejoy Temple Church of God, de Brooklyn, dans les Illinois. Il a été inhumé au Barracks National Cemetery de St. Louis, au Missouri.

Bluiett laissait dans le deuil ses fils, Pierre Butler et Dennis Bland, ses filles Ayana Bluiett et Bridgett Vasquaz, sa soeur Karen Ratliff, ainsi que huit petits-enfants. Bluiett s’est marié à deux reprises. Après la mort de sa première épouse, Bluiett s’était remarié, mais cette union s’était terminée sur un divorce.

Saluant la contribution de Bluiett dans la modernisation du son du saxophone baryton, Garaud MacTaggart écrivait dans le magazine MusicHound Jazz: "Hamiet Bluiett is the most significant baritone sax specialist since Gerry Mulligan and Pepper Adams. His ability to provide a stabilizing rhythm (as he frequently does in the World Saxophone Quartet) or to just flat-out wail in free-form abandon has been appare nt since his involvement with St. Louis' legendary Black Artists Group in the mid-1960s." 

Tout en continuant de se concentrer sur le saxophone baryton, Bluiett avait continué de jouer de la clarinette et de la flûte. Avec son groupe Clarinet Family, il avait même contribué à faire sortir de l’ombre des instruments moins bien connus comme les clarinettes contrebasse et contre-alto ainsi que la flûte basse.

Refusant de confiner son instrument à un rôle essentiellement rythmique, Bluiett avait toujours considéré le baryton comme un instrument soliste à part entière. Il expliquait: “Most people who play the baritone don’t approach it like the awesome instrument that it is. They approach it as if it is something docile, like a servant-type instrument. I don’t approach it that way. I approach it as if it was a lead voice, and not necessarily here to uphold the altos, tenors and sopranos.” 

Refusant de se laisser dominer par les ordinateurs et les nouvelles technologies, Bluiett avait toujours été un ardent partisan d’un son pur et naturel. Il poursuivait: "I'm dealing with being more healthful, more soulful, more human. Not letting the computer and trick-nology and special effects overcome me. I'm downsizing to maximize the creative part. Working on being more spiritual, so that the music has power... power where the note is still going after I stop playing. The note is still going inside of the people when they walk out of the place." Doté d’une technique impeccable, Bluiett affichait une maîtrise remarquable de son instrument dans tous les registres. Le jeu de Bluiett, qui atteignait un total de cinq octaves, lui permettait de jouer dans des registres qu’on croyait jusqu’alors hors de portée du saxophone baryton.

À l’instar de son collaborateur de longue date, le saxophoniste ténor David Murray, Bluiett était un adepte de la respiration circulaire, ce qui lui permettait de prolonger son phrasé sur de très longues périodes sans avoir à reprendre son souffle. Reconnu pour son jeu agressif et énergique, Bluiett incorporait également beaucoup de bebop et de blues dans le cadre de ses performances. Très estimé par ses pairs, Bluiett avait remporté le sondage des critiques du magazine Down Beat comme meilleur saxophoniste baryton à huit reprises, et ce, sur quatre années consécutives de 1990 à 1993 et de 1996 à 1999. Décrivant la virtuosité et la polyvalence de Bluiett, le critique Ron Wynn écrivait dans le magazine Jazz Times en 2001: ‘’There haven’t been many more aggressive, demonstrative baritone saxophonists in recent jazz history than Hamiet Bluiett. He dominates in the bottom register, playing with a fury and command that becomes even more evident when he moves into the upper register, then returns with ease to the baritone’s lowest reaches.’’

Décrivant Bluiett comme un des saxophonistes les plus dominants de son époque, le critique Stanley Crouch avait déclaré: "He had worked on playing the saxophone until he had an enormous tone that did not just sound loud. And the way that Bluiett described Harry Carney's playing — he basically was telling you how he wanted to play: 'I want to be able to play that very subtle, pretty sound, way at the top of the horn, if necessary. I want to play a foghorn-like low note. And if they want a note to sound like a chain beat on a floor, I can do that, too.'"

Tout aussi à l’aise dans les standards du jazz que dans le blues, Hamiet Bluiett a enregistré près de cinquante albums au cours de sa carrière, que ce soit en solo, en duo, dans le cadre de petites formations ou en big band. Bluiett a collaboré avec de grands noms du jazz et de la musique populaire, dont Babatunde Olatunji, Abdullah Ibrahim, le World Saxophone Quartet, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, James Carter, Bobby Watson, Don Braden, Anthony Braxton, Larry Willis, Charles Mingus, Randy Weston, Gil Evans, Lester Bowie, Don Cherry, Eddie Jefferson et Arthur Blythe. Même s’il croyait que les musiciens devaient faire un effort pour se rapprocher du public, Bluiett était aussi d’avis que le public devait faire ses propres efforts pour comprendre la musique qu’on lui proposait. Il précisait:  "Get all the other stuff out of your mind, all of the hang-ups, and just listen. If you like it, cool. If you don't like it, good too. If you hate it, great. If you love it, even better. Now if you leave the concert and don't have no feeling, then something is wrong. That's when we made a mistake."