Eisen-martin, Tongo

"I came across Tongo saying something in passing in an interview with Mayor London Breed. It was so insightful, poetic and deeply felt I wanted to know who he was. I devoured the poetry books that were available and then set out to invite him to make a recording. I had no idea what the session would be like. We were strangers. He showed up, there was no small talk, and he went to the microphone. He then created a 22 minute poem, no notes in his hands, and I looked at the engineer, and our minds were blown. It was flawless, and it was meaningful, and it was channeled from some other place. I said, do you have anything else to say? And he began another piece that lasted another 22 minutes or so. And it was also flawless,and incredible. And so I looked at the engineer and I said, 'I think we have a record.' Now I’ve never seen a record cut in one sitting, I figured it was reserved for geniuses like Thelonious Monk or Robert Johnson or something. And so I realized Tongo is a genius too. The poetry is so loud and crisp and clear and fueled with energy. It has a connection back to Gil Scott Heron, The Last Poets, Langston Hughes but it is also not derivative in the least, but new and of it’s own time."—Sonny Smith, Rocks in your head records 
 
“Tongo’s words are bricks-with which he builds houses, breaks windows, and - strangely- enticesyou to take a bath in. I first heard his poetry and got scared of dying. Like- I better figure shit out because this is the new shit and he’s on somethingI’m not. He’s noticing shit that I better notice if I want to experience life in color. He knows that to live- you gotta make shit aroundyou move. You can’t just watch. I’m thrilledthat this album is coming out so y’all can be scared of not living too.”—Boots Riley 
 
"Words are a kind of architecture – where the bricks exist on page or spoken into the either. A form is built and becomes a body that will not soon wilt… the spoken word is timeless and immortal. Here in this collection Tongo kicks the new jazz – a classic sense of form ad stylethat is dare I say it smolderingly masculine, drumming, with someone who clearly has an old ear for dialogue. This coolection read icadest and with a heavy hand in the past not withstanding, still boasts verbage that is very very fresh. Bravo."—Brontez Purnell