Late at the Library: Superjam - 50 Years of Radical Words

This extraordinary session features some of the most outspoken voices of the last six decades in an unflinching celebration of the power of words and ideas.

Marking 50 years since they were formed in New York in May 1968, The Last Poets remain an incendiary live act. Fluid, politically charged and mischievous lyrics from Abiodun Oyewole and Umar Bin Hassan meet the inventive drum rhythms of Baba Donn Babatunde to intoxicating effect.

Jazz poet Michael Horovitz has been performing, writing, publishing and re-consitituting the literary applecart since the late 1950s. His appearance at the International Poetry Incarnation in 1965 alongside Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso and Lawrence Ferlinghetti remains landmark counter-cultural moment. For this event he re-ignites his Bankbusted Nuclear Detergent Blues project, recorded in 2014 with Paul Weller and tonight’s guest musicians Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon.

Also appearing are more of our finest wordsmiths and performers including Salena Godden, Ben Okri and Joelle Taylor.

DJ on the night is Don Letts, film maker and BBC6 Music host.