Open Evening:
Program Highlights and Current Events, Aug. 19, 1970

In a program recorded on August 19, 1970, Charles Amirkhanian and Bill Northwood highlight upcoming shows on KPFA and current events in the San Francisco Bay Area. After a couple of brief musical selections by Amirkhanian and the Ba-Benzele Pygmies of the Central African Republic, the two are joined in the studio by Richard Friedman who talks about KPFA’s foray into ambient field recordings with the new series, “The World Ear Project”. This is followed by an excerpt of a interview with sculptor and political activist, Beniamino Bufano, originally recorded on February 11, 1957, in which the artist describes his work with Chinese potters and his memories of Mahatma Gandhi, including the Indian leader’s famous Salt March and subsequent imprisonment. Charles then plays two excerpts by 20th century composers, Carlos Chávez and Lou Harrison. The program concludes with an excerpt from the funeral service for Jonathan Jackson and William Christmas, two members of the Black Panther Party, who had been shot just days before during an attempted jail break and kidnapping.