What a compelling title for an exhibition! On 7/13/2011 I saw this exhibition of African American Portraits at the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia.

The portrait photos themselves are spectacular, and the narratives accompanying the photos are must-reads. These are the summary stories of dozens of African Americans who blazed trails, including two of my favorites: Coleman Hawkins who positioned his tenor sax as the centerpiece for explorations in jazz and pioneering improvisation based on chords rather than rhythms, and James Brown whose experimentation with complex rhythms changed the way music is made.