Article recounts BAG history

Floyd LeFlore (back) and Julius Hemphill
were two of the key members of BAG

The Black Artists Group (BAG) was active in the late Sixties and early Seventies, and with its mix of music, poetry, dance, visual arts and theater was considered the St. Louis counterpart to Chicago's Assocation for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). A number of BAG members went on to prominent careers, including Julius Hemphill, Oliver Lake and Hamiet Bluiett, and the organization's accomplishments are a fascinating chapter in local music history.

Benjamin Looker, who matriculated at Washington University and played jazz gigs around town as a bassist during his time in St. Louis, has written a book entitled The Point From Which Creation Begins: The Black Artists' Group in St. Louis. There's an excerpt online at AllAboutJazz.com that gives an overview of BAG's history and impact, and despite Looker's somewhat stilted, academic prose style, it's a well-researched and worthwhile read, especially if you are unfamiliar with the group's work. Some of the internal links among the four sections of the article are non-functional, but you can follow these links to read parts 1, 2, 3 and 4.