Maybe it was the dreadlocks. In any event, back when Terrance McKnight was at Georgia State University majoring in piano, many assumed he was there to play basketball. “It got a little wearing,” says McKnight, the velvet-voiced DJ for classical-music radio station WQXR (105.9). These days, the host of “All Ears” delights in showing how all great music — baroque, spirituals, jazz — shares a common theme: “It’s all about human emotion,” he says, “and that spans time and race and culture.” He’s moderating a talk about music and dance in August Wilson’s plays Saturday at the Greene Space, 44 Charlton St. Here’s what’s in his library.
The Mis-Education of the Negro, by Carter G. Woodson
My birth certificate lists my parents as Negroes. I figured it made me one, too. Woodson, a scholar who came up during the Harlem Renaissance, asserts that the psychological conditions required to sustain slavery are largely still in place. It’s a must-read for Negroes, their children and those interested in their ways.
Makes Me Wanna Holler, by Nathan McCall
This is the autobiography of a man who spent three years in jail for some small felony, then went to Norfolk State University, worked for the Atlanta Constitution and then as a writer for The Washington Post. There, in the late ’80s, he found himself trapped between a professional glass ceiling and a community (himself included) stained by complexes of inferiority.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey
I read this in graduate school when I had a hand injury and couldn’t play piano. The big take-away for me was the idea of being proactive. So instead of feeling sad for myself, I started listening to the radio and practicing with my [good] hand. It all made a lot of sense to me.
Miles: The Autobiography, by Quincy Troupe
Quincy got [jazz trumpeter Miles Davis] to forget someone was writing his story, and he opened up about drugs, women — crazy stories! He told about driving his Lamborghini and being so paranoid about being followed, he left the car at a stoplight and checked into a hotel! Musicians tend to be eccentric. Reading Miles gave me permission to be myself.