Lorenzo Thomas and David Henderson with Ghetto Violence: March 19, 1976

Lorenzo Thomas, in his premier reading on the West Coast, thanks his hosts and says: "I want to talk about the tears and sorrows of the people." He introduces and reads his poems: "Euphemysticism" as opener; "Suicide Administration (Homage to Pablo Neruda)"; then three translations (adapting French translations from the colonial era and post-colonial Portuguese) of works by African poets: poet-geographer Francisco José Tenreiro, of the island colony São Tomé ("Cansada Señora Calata") and of revolutionary poet-politicians Agostinho Neto, President of liberated Angola ("Kinaxixi"), and Marcelino Dos Santos, of Mozambique ("To a Child of My Country", a poem in response to the murder of Emmett Till). Returning to his own poems, Thomas reads "Ancient Habits or Customs," "Le Zodeco Ne Pas Seul (à Clifton Chenier)," blues poem "House of Red Lights," "Framing the Sunrise," and closes with "Grandpa's Spells," titled after Jelly Roll Morton's composition (in a powerful rendition varying considerably from the poem as in The Collected Poems of Lorenzo Thomas, Wesleyan UP, 2019). Then, after a pause, in an encore return to the stage Thomas reads "Saint." 

David Henderson, fronting the nine-piece Bay Area ensemble Ghetto Violence, joins the band to sing his poems adapted to music: "De Mayor of Harlem" (title poem to his 1970 book from E. P. Dutton), "Hail to the Chief" ("agit-rock...dedicated to the next Presidential election"), "It Makes No Difference" ("a song for the blues spirit"), "Crossroads" (ending with a stand-alone solo by Basuki Bala on baritone sax). Henderson pauses to note: "These are all songs from the play 'Ghetto Violence,' by the way...," then performs "Roaches in My Cadillac" and ("two poems put together") "Egyptian Book of the Dead" and, after a brief connecting bridge, "Ruckus Poem," with the band stretching out. The performance concludes with "Love Is a Circle."

Henderson, at the opening and again after their last number, introduces the members of the band, all Bay Area musicians: on trumpet, Mondre Moffett (of the illustrious Moffett musical family, of Oakland), with a three-piece reeds section featuring Gary Hammon, Paul Fenner III (both on tenor saxophone), and Basuki Bala (baritone sax, flute, other reeds & percussion); Craig Street and special guest Calvin Keys, guitars, with Ernest Lemon, bass guitar; and Bob Braye and Willie Reeves, drums and congas, respectively.