Podcasts/Radio
Voices from the Frontlines: Wake Up and Smell the Revolution – KPFK 90.7 FM Radio
Keith LaMar: Visionary, Black Liberation Fighter, wrongfully convicted, on death row – In Conversation with Eric Mann, January 31, 2023
*****
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The Brian Lehrer Show – WNYC – New York Public Radio
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A group of jazz musicians have been collaborating on a music project called 'Freedom First' to highlight the case of death row inmate, Keith LaMar who they believe is innocent. Amy Gordiejew, advocate for Justice for Keith LaMar, Arturo O'Farrill, 7-time Grammy Award-winning pianist and composer, global jazz studies professor at UCLA and the associate dean for equity, diversity and inclusion at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, and artistic director of the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance, and Albert Marques, pianist, composer and New York City schoolteacher, talk about his case and the music project.
*****
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Ntheos Podcast with Ondre Pasquini and Kevin Gutierrez
(available on multiple platforms)
In this episode, Ntheos Mag founders Ondre and Kevin share their passion for Crypto and get deep about life with Keith, the FIRST person to create an NFT from death row. Keith's piece (Motif #10) was made in collaboration with jazz composer, Brian Jackson, and digital artist, Omar Chérie; Keith wrote and performed a spoken word Haiku. The project, titled “Pieces of a Dream," celebrates the 50th anniversary of Brian Jackson and Gil Scott-Heron’s revolutionary album, “Pieces of a Man" and includes the collective artistic efforts of 21 award-winning artists.
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*****
Open Hands Podcast with Sarah Nickerson
(available on multiple platforms)
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Keith shares the story of his spiritual journey with us, and what it means to “keep the light on” through all of life’s difficulties.
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*****
The 730 Podcast with Wali White
(available on multiple platforms)
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Keith weighs in just three days after Brandon Bernard's execution, discussing Trump and defund the police, as well as his new book club he's kicked off with high school students in NYC through his Native Sons Literacy Program.
Love is the Only Freedom
Keith calls in to discuss what it was like growing up inner-city Cleveland and how he ended up in the juvenile justice system at the age of 13; how Richard Wright gave his life meaning; what he learned about himself while partaking in a 12-day prison hunger strike; and how he's maintained his sanity despite being in solitary confinement for 27 years.
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*****
Pieces of a Man Podcast with Brian Jackson
(available on multiple platforms)
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In the second half of the season finale, Brian and Keith touch on education, the uptick in support for the Justice for Keith LaMar campaign, redemption and friendship.
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Episode 7: Standard Bearer
Keith's time out-of-cell is severely limited, due to the high numbers of prison staff out sick with COVID. For this first of a two-part season finale, Keith lays it all out. Speaking from inside his cell, he talks about changes at the prison and reflects on an event that hit very close to home for him.
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Episode 6: Parachute? Insist!
Keith and Brian talk about a fallen Supreme Court heroine, Black heroines from the civil rights movement to Black Lives Matter and a fiery vocalist who, along with the great jazz icon Max Roach, moved the needle of black protest music early on in the sixties. With less than two weeks before the 2020 presidential election, Brian gets something off his chest.
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With an election only weeks away, Keith and Brian walk through how much to expect someone else to do for you post-election (hint: very little).
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Episode 4: Forget...Improvise
Keith turns the tables on Brian and gets him to spill the beans about his early life, how he found his musical path and the partnership that led him to be the bearer of a nearly 50-year legacy.
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In this episode, Keith and Brian unpack the "Case for Reparations" and a song that asks an unanswerable question.
Here the duo turns to Keith's efforts to free himself from an unlawful conviction and how he has maintained his sanity having been on death row and solitary confinement for 27 years. Brian answers some questions about whether or not he feels playing messages that for decades went unheeded was worth it in the end.
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Episode 1: Supreme Independence
Listen to Keith and Brian talk about the aftermath of one of the most unusual Independence Days ever and the continued disconnect between African-Americans and the holiday. They wind up on a more serene note discussing how the healing music of John Coltrane has inspired generations to reach within for the best of themselves, whether musicals or spiritually.
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*****
Anemoia Projects with Nathaniel and Zelda Edmunds
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The Importance of Knowing your Story — July 2020
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Living your Convictions, Protesting as a Tool, and the Value of Your Life — July 2020
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Reflections in the Wake of George Floyd — June 2020
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*****
Final Straw Radio — April 2020
This interview covers so much ground, from Keith's early years growing up in The Village, to his response to systemic oppression by developing his political voice, from navigating the rigors of being railroaded and sent to death row, to arriving at a place of living with deep purpose even from within the walls of solitary confinement... If you have been meaning to read Condemned but never got around to it, take a listen.
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Speech to The Racial Justice Summit, Pittsburgh — January 2020
