Illustration by Ard Su<\/em><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ custom_padding=”7px||35px|||”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.5.1″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.5.1″][et_pb_post_title date=”off” comments=”off” featured_image=”off” admin_label=”Post Title” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ title_level=”h3″ title_font=”Oswald||||||||” title_font_size=”42px” title_letter_spacing=”2px” title_line_height=”1.2em” meta_text_color=”#04a3e3″ meta_font_size=”18px”][\/et_pb_post_title][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_5,2_5″ _builder_version=”4.5.1″ custom_padding=”||12px|||”][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.5.1″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text 1″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em”]<\/p>\n
For one Houstonian, a vinyl record isn\u2019t just a record \u2014 it\u2019s a gateway to escapism, history and a connection to his city and country.<\/p>\n
As an ethnomusicologist, Jason \u201cFlash Gordon Parks\u201d Wood\u2019s mission is to document the unknown corners of Houston\u2019s music scene.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can all benefit from knowledge,\u201d says Wood. \u201cThere\u2019s no need to hide it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He believes in sharing the culture he has uncovered with younger generations. The most important thing he wants them to know: You can trace back almost all great American music to the Bayou City. It\u2019s not only his work as a music historian that transmits this message. Woods is also a DJ, filmmaker, photographer and vinyl curator.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.5.1″][et_pb_audio title=”Flash Gordon Parks creates a love letter to Houston’s musical legacy” artist_name=”Fabiana Chaparro” album_name=”Next Generation Radio | Texas Newsroom | September 2021″ disabled_on=”off|off|off” admin_label=”Story Audio” _builder_version=”4.7.7″ background_color=”#002868″ hover_enabled=”0″ title_text=”FABIANA_FINAL_MASTER” audio=”https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2021\/10\/FABIANA_FINAL_MASTER.mp3″ sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_audio][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2021\/09\/210920-FABIANA-06-1.jpg” alt=”\u00d2The American dream is not my Indigenous dream. It’s so different than that,\u00d3 Jolie Varela said. \u00d2As an Indigenous woman, I would like to see our ceremonies restored, our traditions restored, our homelands restored, and our land back. When people come from other places and they come in the name of this American dream or in pursuit of this American dream, I don’t think they realize how that American dream erases Indigenous people, and further infringes upon our rights as Native people.\u00d3 (Photo by Jarrette Werk)” title_text=”210920-FABIANA-06″ align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”Image 1″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 1″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″]<\/p>\n
Houston native Jason \u201cFlash Gordon Parks\u201d Woods grew up surrounded by music. He continues to live in Houston, working toward building a historical narrative of America\u2019s music scene and, often, its roots in Houston\u2019s musicians. (Photo by Fabiana Chaparro)<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text 1.2″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em”]<\/p>\n
Woods grew up in South Houston in the 80s, and remembers watching his mother, a schoolteacher, take photographs at every family function and vacation. He says he got his love for history from her.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy childhood was filled with a lot of opportunities to be creative and be free,\u201d he recalls. \u201cGrowing up with a lot of older people that told stories was part of my journey of just growing and learning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Woods later learned documentary photography from his high school teacher, Ray Kenton.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2021\/09\/210920-FABIANA-09-1.jpg” alt=”\u00d2The American dream is not my Indigenous dream. It’s so different than that,\u00d3 Jolie Varela said. \u00d2As an Indigenous woman, I would like to see our ceremonies restored, our traditions restored, our homelands restored, and our land back. When people come from other places and they come in the name of this American dream or in pursuit of this American dream, I don’t think they realize how that American dream erases Indigenous people, and further infringes upon our rights as Native people.\u00d3 (Photo by Jarrette Werk)” title_text=”210920-FABIANA-09″ align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”Image 2″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 2″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″]<\/p>\n
Woods\u2019 family poses for a picture in their home\u2019s living room. Originally from Louisiana, his family made Houston their home when they migrated there in the 1950s. (Photo courtesy of Jason Woods)
<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text 2″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em”]<\/p>\n
Camera in hand, he has spent more than 15 years documenting his wider neighborhood and its people through photography, documentaries and research on American music.<\/p>\n
Woods\u2019 research is also influenced by the legacy of the Great Migration, a period between 1916 to 1970 where African-American people settled in various cities in the south as the economy boomed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNaturally you have a sense of pride of where you come from and where your roots are,\u201d explains Woods. \u201cBut I\u2019m very well aware of the ills and the hypocrisy of America. I\u2019m making the best of the situation.”<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text 3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em”]<\/p>\n
Woods\u2019 work as an ethnomusicologist has meant unearthing the untold stories of Houston, including the many black artists who were marginalized and exploited by the music industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important to me to tell the stories of people that probably didn’t benefit to the maximum of what they should have had during their heyday,\u201d he said. \u201cSome people get an opportunity to get a second chance, to get appreciated years after. Some people don\u2019t. Some people leave this Earth never really knowing how much they were loved.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Woods, to \u201cgive people their flowers\u201d and let them know others appreciate their work is key. He thinks that\u2019s the least he can do for the artists who shaped his childhood, present work and future legacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cSharing black stories is very important because, like most things in America, black people have been a critical part in the development of this country,\u201d said Woods. \u201cWe know that American music is black music, there\u2019s no way to get around it. The primary colors of music are gospel, blues and jazz, which are all American forms of music created by black people.\u201d<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2021\/09\/210920-FABIANA-01-1.jpg” alt=”\u00d2The American dream is not my Indigenous dream. It’s so different than that,\u00d3 Jolie Varela said. \u00d2As an Indigenous woman, I would like to see our ceremonies restored, our traditions restored, our homelands restored, and our land back. When people come from other places and they come in the name of this American dream or in pursuit of this American dream, I don’t think they realize how that American dream erases Indigenous people, and further infringes upon our rights as Native people.\u00d3 (Photo by Jarrette Werk)” title_text=”210920-FABIANA-01″ align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”Image 3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″]<\/p>\n
Woods thumbs through the vinyl collection at Mo\u2019 Better Brews, where he works as vinyl curator for the restaurant. The owners asked him to come work with them after the restaurant\u2019s opening this year on Juneteenth. (Photo by Fabiana Chaparro)<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2021\/09\/210920-FABIANA-04-1.jpg” title_text=”210920-FABIANA-04″ admin_label=”Image 4″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 4″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″]<\/p>\n
The vinyls in the restaurant all come from Woods\u2019 personal collection, which reaches up to thousands of records. He rotates the records displayed at Mo\u2019 Better Brews every season. (Photo by Fabiana Chaparro)<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text 4″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em”]<\/p>\n
Woods now also works as a vinyl curator at the vegan breakfast restaurant, Mo\u2019 Better Brews, which stands under the shade of a quaint yard overlooking the glass buildings of midtown Houston and its metro rail. The restaurant was opened this year on Juneteenth by the founders of Houston Sauce Company.<\/p>\n
The owners had been collaborating with Woods for four years, and asked him to work with them to create a black-owned business that promoted a lifestyle they all loved.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the opportunity to share some of Houston\u2019s music history with the patrons, and to expose people to various Houston artifacts,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Woods has over ten thousand records in his personal collection, amassed over 20 years. His passion for both music and education have led him to share this music with the public. Self-discovery, he notes, can come in a cheap record player spinning some old blues.<\/p>\n
\u201cRecords held so much information at one point. That\u2019s how they got it across,\u201d he says. \u201cWhether people were giving a speech, playing music or recording how to do aerobics \u2014 through records, you can go back and sort of see what the world was like.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2021\/09\/210920-FABIANA-08-1.jpg” title_text=”210920-FABIANA-08″ admin_label=”Image 5″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 5″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″]<\/p>\n
Woods deejays in his personal studio. Over the years, he has maintained several DJ residencies that range from Blues to Jazz to Soul\/Funk to Hip-Hop. (Photo courtesy of Jason Woods)<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text 4″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em”]<\/p>\n
As Woods continues to cultivate a vast network of evidence showing Houston\u2019s presence in nearly all American music genres, he has one motto to keep him grounded: think globally, act locally.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe work that I do is where I\u2019m at, and Houston is the place where I\u2019m at,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Woods hopes to be an inspiration for the next generation of Houston creatives. He draws connections between what his grandfathers played and what the youth today listen to \u2014 he notes that a lot of the artists that young people respect come from a lineage of great musicians, such as Ray Charles or James Brown.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cThere are people that already did this for us, who laid a great foundation. We just have to hold the torch up,\u201d he says. \u201cAt least, that\u2019s how I usually approach it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What does it mean to be an American? We are finding, coaching and training public media\u2019s next generation. This #nprnextgenradio project is created in Texas, where six talented reporters are participating in a week-long state-of-the-art training program. In this project we are speaking to people representing a diversity of experiences and backgrounds in gender identity, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":454,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"coauthors":[13],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/155"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/454"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/155\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/texasnewsroom2021.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}