Gil Scott-Heron - Winter in America

The First Minute of a New Day is an album by American vocalist Gil Scott-Heron, keyboardist Brian Jackson, and the Midnight Band—an eight-piece musical ensemble. It was released in January 1975 on Arista Records. Recording sessions for the album took place in the summer of 1974 at D&B Sound in Silver Spring, Maryland. It was the follow-up to Scott-Heron's and Jackson's critically acclaimed collaboration effort Winter in America. The First Minute of a New Day was the first album to feature "Winter in America", the title track of Scott-Heron's previous album which was not featured on its original LP release. The album was reissued on compact disc by Scott-Heron's label Rumal-Gia Records in 1998.

This follow-up to the righteous and soulful Winter in America LP continues with the solid, decidedly left-of-center jazz-R&B that made him a cult figure throughout the '70s. This output, with the opening meditation of "Offering" and the right-on "Ain't No Such Thing as Superman," solidifies Heron's place in the pantheon of jazz poets. Dig the recited (possibly improvised) live take of "Pardon Our Analysis," a follow-up to his seminal "H2O Blues." And some reissues feature four unreleased tracks, including a live medley of "The Bottle/Guan Guanco."

Following the little commercial success experienced by Scott-Heron's previous LPs, the album had multi-chart success, which seemed promising for their new record label. Even though Scott-Heron's previous albums, in specific Pieces of a Man and Winter in America, featured singles, they did not chart. However, no singles were released for The First Minute of a New Day, off the album or for promotion.

Gil Scott-Heron – vocals, piano, electric piano, guitar
Brian Jackson – synthesizer, keyboards, flute, vocals
Bilal Sunni Ali – flute, harmonica, saxophone
Danny Bowens – bass
Eddie Knowles - percussion, conga
Barnett Williams - percussion
Victor Brown – percussion, vocals
Charlie Saunders – congas, drums
Bob Adams – drums
Victor Bowens – tambourine, vocals, bells