Freedom Now Suite 2016

We Insist! Freedom Now was the first overtly political jazz album long-playing (LP) record featuring poetry and songs advocating for equality and justice. Recorded and released in 1960 to critical acclaim, We Insist! remains a landmark musical milestone composed by band leader/percussionist Max Roach in collaboration with poet Oscar Brown, Jr. In commemoration of the courage of their forbearers’ convictions and commitment to human rights, Dr. Anthony Brown’s GRAMMY-nominated Asian American Orchestra, re-imagines this significant project to share its timeless message of social and racial justice and its continuing relevance to today’s #BlackLivesMatter Movement and the upsurge of anti-Muslim violence.