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"We play for the ancestors"—Leimert Park cultural ambassador Kamau Daáood
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A mythic figure in the Southern California arts scene, Kamau Daáood is a performance poet, educator, and community arts activist. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he was instrumental in transforming Leimert Park into a cultural center and is widely acknowledged as a major force driving L.A.'s Black cultural renaissance.
Kamau was a member of the Watts Writers Workshop and developed his style as a "word musician" with the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, under the direction of Horace Tapscott. Over the course of hundreds of readings, his words have lifted audiences from their seats. He's shared a podium with Gil Scott-Heron, The Last Poets, Amiri Baraka, and Sonia Sanchez, and has read in Egypt and Somalia.
In this episode, we discuss his passion, energy, and intensity as a poet and ambassador of arts and culture for the community in L.A., and his pride in contributing still to its vibrant traditions. We discuss jazz and what legends like John Coltrane, Billy Higgins, and Mr. Tapscott have meant to him and his journey, as well as his relationship with Juno Lewis—the master instrument-maker, vocalist, and percussionist who played on Coltrane's classic album Kulu Se Mama.
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