Mission Rebels in Action was a youth empowerment and employment organization founded in 1965 that served the primarily Brown and Black youth of the Mission District of San Francisco.
My father, Rev. Jesse James, was one of the founders.

The idea of writing this suite of music was sparked by the online discovery of a short film of my father from 1969. It briefly features a one year-old me, and was available to view, online, in seven pieces. I was shocked to see this footage for the first time, and it inspired me to do more research, during which I found: an archived TV news story from 1966, chronicling a meeting between Mission Rebels and San Francisco union leaders; a radio interview with Jesse talking about the origins of the group; and a wealth of other information about the Mission Rebels and my father from various Bay Area newspaper and magazine articles, found mostly through the online portal of the San Francisco Public Library.
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J.J.’s Boogaloo – Jesse was a music-lover, and this warm-up is a piece for me to imagine him dancing.

The Average Adult – The... more
credits
released December 5, 2025

ALAN WILLIAMS - trombone, voice

BETH CUSTER - clarinet, voice

KEITH LAWRENCE - viola, voice

DAVID JAMES - guitar, voice

LISA MEZZACAPPA - bass

JOHN HANES - drums

ALLEGRA BANDY - voice

SÒLÁS BURKE-LALGEE - voice

with the recorded voices of Rollin Post, Linda Wilson, and Rev. Jesse James

Music composed by David James (BMI)