American writer, poet and activist Keith LaMar has been in a maximum-security prison in Ohio for more than 30 years. LaMar was sentenced to death in 1993 after the Lucasville Prison Riot, an 11-day riot in which several prison blocks were taken over and a guard and nine inmates were murdered. LaMar was charged without conclusive evidence with the murder of five of these inmates, and after questionable statements from those involved, an all-white jury sentenced him to death.
However hopeless his future prospects were, Keith LaMar did not leave it at that and decided to fight for his freedom. During his time in prison, he focused on writing spoken word, and he decided to share his story in search of support. And he found it. Convinced of his innocence, he received support from thousands of donators to this day, and together with Catalan jazz pianist Albert Marquès, he created the project Freedom First – Music From Death Row. With Freedom First, he has found a form for sharing the stage with jazz musicians: at each performance, he is present via a live connection from the Ohio State Penitentiary, or through recordings if the connection is too fragile. Thus Freedom First becomes more than a jazz concert; above all, it is a call for justice by a prisoner who wants to express his faith in humanity despite his death sentence.
Want to read more about this thrilling story? Read these The New York Times & EL PAÍS articles and Keith Lamar’s website.
Keith LaMar poetry, Albert Marquès piano, Erin Corine voice/flute, Manel Fortia double bass, Marc Ayza drums
