Episode 1: Magic in a Bottle

You can listen to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, or wherever you get your podcasts!

The Seeds of Black Lily is an audio documentary exploring Black music in Philadelphia at the turn of the century, focusing on a performance space started by the Jazzyfatnastees — Tracey Moore and Mercedes Martinez — Questlove, of The Roots, Richard Nichols, and Nu Ra.

In episode 1, we take a look into the beginnings of the movement that some began calling the Rebirth of Soul Music, and the role Philadelphia played in shaping the sound of an era.

Episode 1 features contributions from D. Ryva Parker, Lady Alma, Mike D., Dr. Philip Lamarr Cunningham, and a conversation with Dr. Claudrena Harold.

You can also listen to a playlist of the music mentioned in this week’s episode below!

Note: There was a critical omission/oversight on my part during the recording of episode 1. In the episode, it was stated that the Black Lily was started by the Jazzyfatnastees and Questlove. This is only partially true. Black Lily very much grew out of the jam sessions that were hosted at Questlove’s house. But, the idea for Black Lily — as we would come to know and see it — is a product of Rich Nichols’ innovative thinking. Nichols was the longtime manager for Roots and the manager for the Jazzyfatnastees. Nichols, alongside the Jazzyfatnastees, had the idea to host an open that would center women. For more details on how the Black Lily came to be, please listen to the Episode 3: An Act of Artistic Love to hear the Jazzyfatnastees in their own words.