Date: February 2, 2013
Location: the Cooper Union Foundation Building
Text by Dawoud Kringle
On a moderately cold Cooper Union’s Great Hall was packed with everyone who is connected with the NYC jazz and poetry scene to pay tribute to the late master poet Jayne Cortez.
Text by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi
I met Ms. Jayne Cortez at Mr. Ornette Coleman’s birthday last year. Unfortunately I had no chance to speak to this lady due to many guests around her. Now I feel very bad that I didn’t try harder to start a conversation with her.
Mr. Butch Morris is a different case. I have met this gentleman a couple of times, at music panels, at concerts and one I had the chance to play in his NUBLU ORCHESTRA. This gig was very interesting and disappointing at the same time. There was no way for me to understand his special way of conducting. It was very annoying and limiting my musicality. But…it was an experience and I feel lucky that I had the chance to perform with him.
Unfortunately I came a little late to NY because all the living legends started to leave mother earth for ever.
Courtesy of PUNK IN AFRICA website
Title: Punk In Africa
Director: Keith Jones
Producer: Deon Maas
Released year: 2011
Time: 82 minutes
Countries: South Africa/Zimbabwe/Mozambique
In 1976, as the Soweto Uprising was moving the anti-Apartheid struggle into a more militant stance, another revolution of sorts was starting in cities across South Africa. Inspired from abroad, but entirely filled with its own unique anger and outrage, punk rock exploded into a country where the Rolling Stones were banned from the radio. In their clothing and hairstyles, their lyrics and their decibel levels, these bands with both black and white musicians such as Wild Youth, Gay Marines and National Wake broke the law. Punk rock in the Apartheid era was called the music of the devil.
Artist: Rudresh Mahanthappa
Title: Gamak
Label: ACT Music & Vision
Genre: jazz
Indian-American alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa‘s who’s a Guggenheim fellow and 2012 Downbeat International Critics Poll alto Saxophonist of the Year, new CD Gamak came out this week fusing jazz, progressive rock, heavy metal, country, American folk, go-go, and also incorporating traditions of Indian, Chinese, African, and Indonesian music. Gamak, coming from the South Indian term for melodic ornamentation gamaka, is a musical concept or guideline how a composer and improviser can approach melody.
This is his second release on ACT Music & Vision featuring David “Fuze” Fiuczynski (on guitar), François Moutin (on acoustic bass) and Dan Weiss (on drums).
Recomennded post: David Fiuczynski Interview: Blowin’ A “Fuze” At BAM Cafe!
