Jazz Minute: Black Jazz Records

Narrated by East Bay Yesterday host Liam O’Donoghue, this Jazz Minute is a collaboration celebrating the legacy of Black Jazz Records, the groundbreaking Black-owned label founded in Oakland in 1969 during the height of the Black Power movement. Created by pianist Gene Russell and percussionist Dick Schory, Black Jazz gave a platform to a new generation of artists whose music reflected spiritual, cultural, and political self-determination. Though the label released just 21 albums over six years, its influence continues to reverberate through modern jazz and hip-hop, inspiring artists across generations and remaining a powerful symbol of artistic independence, cultural pride, and Bay Area creativity.