Langston Hughes – Harlem in Vogue: The Poetry and Jazz of Langston Hughes

As with many innovators, Langston Hughes’ legacy has largely gone neglected, overshadowed by the political heavyweights of the civil rights movement, but his contributions to jazz, as well as his shedding of light on life in 1920s Harlem, are finally getting some renewed, and well-deserved, attention. With a voice suited for radio drama and a dryly sardonic outlook on life that brims with wit and strength, he brings Harlem to vivid, if sometimes harsh, life.

This collection not only provides an illuminating collection of his poetry but also pairs him with two of jazz’s true heavyweights. Leonard Feather opts for a narrative approach, subdued horns and vivacious swing acting in tandem with Hughes’ turns of emotion, while Charles Mingus instead relies on his own innate sense of timing and groove to act as unpredictable travelling companion. While not the easiest listen, as a historical artefact it’s something to be treasured.