Jacques Coursil – Black Suite

A Jazz Landmark of the Black Diaspora Reborn

First released in 1971 as part of BYG Records’ groundbreaking Actuel series, Jacques Coursil’s Black Suite remains one of the boldest expressions of the Black Diaspora’s creative and political awakening. Recorded in Paris on June 10, 1969, this visionary work now returns in a newly restored and remastered edition, revealing it’s full depth and clarity for the first time in decades. Featuring a transatlantic ensemble – Jacques Coursil, Anthony Braxton, Arthur Jones, Burton Greene, Beb Gurin, and Claude Delcloo – Black Suite bridges the radical spirit of the American avant-garde and the intellectual fire of postcolonial Europe. Across two long, meditative movements, Coursil transforms jazz into a language of liberation, evoking the writings of Frantz Fanon, Lopold Sdar Senghor, and Aim Csaire as well as the fierce energy of the Civil Rights era. “Black Suite is a work of Black Excellence.” – Kevin Le Ge