page_title: Rivers of My Fathers
section_title: Musical style
hierarchical_section_title: Rivers of My Fathers / Composition / Musical style
caption_attribution_description: Brian Jackson English: Photo: Monique Delatour taken Dec. 18, 2005 in Harlem, NY
context_page_description: "Rivers of My Fathers" is a song by American vocalist Gil Scott-Heron and keyboardist Brian Jackson. It was written and composed by Scott-Heron and Jackson for their first collaborative album, Winter in America. The song was recorded on October 15, 1973 at D&B Sound Studio in Silver Spring, Maryland and produced by Scott-Heron and Jackson with assistance from engineer Jose Williams.
  "Rivers of My Fathers" is a soul song with a jazz arrangement. Scott-Heron's Afrocentric lyrics make references to African-American cultural roots and slavery. Although it was not released as a single, the song was recognized by writers for its instrumentation and theme of cultural significance, and regarded as one of Scott-Heron's best compositions.
context_section_description: "Rivers of My Fathers" is a soul song, performed with a jazz-based arrangement spanning over eight minutes; the longest track issued on Winter in America. Recorded on October 15, 1973 at D&B Sound Studio in Silver Spring, Maryland, the session for the song, as well as Winter, featured a scaled-down lineup of Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson, with drummer Bob Adams and bassist Danny Bowens, as well as a limited personnel for production. With Scott-Heron, Jackson and audio engineer Jose Williams heading production, these circumstances provided an effective forum for a reliance on strong African and R&B influences during the conception of "Rivers of My Fathers". Scott-Heron and Jackson were credited as Perpis-Fall Music, Inc.. The song opens with swing-styled rim shots by Bob Adams. The opening instrumentation continues into the first two minutes, before Scott-Heron enters with vocals. Usually a spoken word performer, Scott-Heron's baritone voice accompanies and adds weight to the dark groove by vocalizing poetry, providing the lyrical subject matter to the composition.
caption: Brian Jackson co-wrote the song and played piano.
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