Freedom First - Music From Death Row

Doubtful

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 uprising in which several prison blocks were taken over and a guard and nine inmates were murdered. LaMar is charged without conclusive evidence for the murder of 5 of these detainees, and after questionable statements from those involved, he is sentenced to death by an all-white jury.

No matter how hopeless his vision of the future was, Keith LaMar did not leave it at that and decided to fight for his freedom. During his time in prison he has developed into a spoken word artist, and he decides to share his story in search of support. And he finds it. Convinced of his innocence, he continues to receive support from thousands of donors to this day and, together with the Catalan jazz pianist Albert Marquès, he formed the project 'Freedom First - Music From Death Row'.

Jazz concert

LaMar's moving poetry mixes live on stage with the contemporary jazz of the international band, by having LaMar dial in during each performance via a live connection with the Ohio State Penitentiary (or through recordings in the event of a poor connection). This way, 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 penalty. Want to read more about this moving story? See The New York Times, EL PAÍS and Keith Lamar's website.