Oprah's Book Club Author Spotlight: James McBride

“I do not listen to songs when I write,” James McBride tells Apple Music. “I don’t listen to music for pleasure. I listen to music to be inspired by the musicians, the lives they’ve led and the truths they’ve told.” The author of Oprah’s latest book club pick Deacon King Kong compiled this playlist of jazz and soul classics that helped inform the acclaimed new novel, set in 1969 Brooklyn—along with his reasons for picking each one. Watch the latest instalment of Oprah’s Book Club on Apple TV+, get the book on Apple Books and add McBride’s playlist to your library. Phoebe Snow, ”There’s a Boat That’s Leavin’ Soon for New York” “Snow had a disabled daughter, and she stopped touring to care for her child. I didn’t know until recently that Snow was white, and I’d been loving her music for years. The recording also features a solo by Jerome Richardson, a pioneer jazz flutist. I met him years ago, back when New York was dangerous and jazz players who learned to play in clubs were plentiful.” James Moody, “The Moody One” “Moody plays flute on this outtake, which collapses into laughter when he makes a mistake and starts singing. It shows how even the best musicians in the world know how to adjust, in music and life. In 1980, I was on a bus in Manhattan and James Moody got on. I said, ‘Mr. Moody, what are you doing on this bus?’ I was young; I assumed great musicians like James Moody rode around in limos. Moody said, ‘I’m on this bus because the subway makes me nervous.’” Sonny Rollins, “St. Thomas” “The greatest pure improviser in jazz never told the same joke twice in his music. I took that lesson to me in my books. I never try to tell the same story twice. I talk to Sonny Rollins every couple of weeks. He always asks, ‘What work are you doing here, for our planet?’” Quincy Jones, “If I Ever Lose This Heaven” “This was during the era when Quincy helped lead jazz towards its transition into popular music. Gorgeous work by some of the finest musicians in the world, including flutist Hubert Laws and trombonist Frank Rosolino.” Ennio Morricone, “Love Theme” from Cinema Paradiso “The theme of innocence is captured wonderfully in this music. I saw Morricone in one of his rare stateside appearances many years ago at Radio City.” Stephen Sondheim, “The Day Off” “From the musical Sunday in the Park With George. Sondheim and writer James Lapine present a series of characters in a city park on a Sunday. The brilliant series of musical motifs portray this park scene and these characters more efficiently and thoroughly than a novel could. Who says you need to be a novelist to write novels?” Rev. Milton Brunson, “I’m Free” “I grew up in a community where death meant freedom from the difficult struggles of life. No one sings about that kind of magic better than the great gospel artists from Chicago.” Derek Lee Ragin, “I Don’t Feel No Ways Tired” “By my Oberlin classmates vocalist Derek Ragin and the late choir director Moses Hogan. Probably my favourite piece of recorded music. It still brings tears to my eyes. Moses was the first person I ever met when I stepped onto Oberlin’s campus. Derek is still alive today, and still sings wonderfully.” Jimmy Scott, “Someone to Watch Over Me” “I played tenor sax in Jimmy’s band in the early 1990s. He was so supportive of me during the lean years. Jimmy taught me how to play a ballad. He didn’t sing ballads. He built them. Slowly. Carefully. One brick at a time. Stories that are built for speed don’t last. A story that builds for power is built slowly. Melody. Character. It’s all the same. It all connects. Take your time.” Anita Baker, “Love You to the Letter” “This is a ballad, I wrote this for Anita Baker. It’s not a classic, but I love her voice. She knows how melodies connect.” Earth, Wind & Fire, “Be Ever Wonderful” “Just a beautiful song by soulful wonders who understood the kaleidoscope of the American soul sound.” Kool & The Gang, “Who’s Gonna Take the Weight” “One of the baddest group of jazz musicians to ever high-step out of New Jersey. Guitarist Charles Smith, tenorman Ronald Bell (Bayaan) and his brother bassist Kool Bell were pioneer R&B players who never got credit for their contribution to pop music.” Les McCann, “Compared to What” “Live with Eddie Harris. The lyrics of that song are as relevant now as they were when Gene McDaniels wrote them several decades ago. The execution is hard-driving, old-fashioned and relentless.” Nina Simone, “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free” “Nina Simone’s version of Dr. Billy Taylor’s classic says it all.” Oscar Brown Jr., “But I Was Cool” “Funny and wonderful.” Eddie Jefferson, “See If You Can Git to That” “More wonderful.” Charles Mingus, “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” “A profound goodbye for tenorman Lester Young.” Wallace Roney, “For Duke” “One of the great musicians of our era, lost to COVID-19. Wallace never got the attention he deserved.” Bill Withers, “Do It Good” “I always liked what Bill Withers had to say and what he stood for. Work hard. Do the job. Be yourself.” Eric Bibb, “Lonesome Valley” “I grew up with Eric Bibb in NYC. He sings for the people. He’s been doing that since we were children.”