Jun 29, 2008

Deep River




...sophistication of melodic design intertwined with word, rhythm, harmony, meaning, idea, tension and release....what an ecstatic, haunting reinterpretation of the great Joni Mitchell! Many moons ago, I bought a book of her poems, "The Complete Poems and Lyrics", looking for another lens to peer through. Her genius is clearly evident in her musings. In the late 90s, Janet Jackson sampled one of her songs, "Big Yellow Taxi" in her smash hit, "Got 'Til It's Gone", which exposed a new generation of young people to the work of this rare musical/poetic genius. Herbie Hancock has also injected renewed interests in Joni Mitchell's music with this Grammy award winning masterpiece. My favorite, "Edith & The Kingpin", is a mind-blowing, time-shattering seduction .Enjoy!


Herbie Hancock: River-The Joni Letters

Jun 22, 2008

A Beauty Blessing





As stillness in stone to silence is wed
May your heart be somewhere a God might dwell.

As a river flows in ideal sequence
May your soul discover time in presence.

As the moon absolves the dark of resistance
May thought-light console your mind with brightness.

As the breath of light awakens colour
May the dawn anoint your eyes with wonder.

As spring rain softens the earth with surprise
May your winter places be kissed by light.

As the ocean dreams to the joy of dance
May the grace of change bring you elegance.

As clay anchors a tree in light and wind
May your outer life grow from peace within.

As twilight fills night with bright horizons
May beauty await you at home beyond.

- John O'Donohue from his book Divine Beauty


Jun 19, 2008

..when words fail...




Words are only painted fire; a look is the fire itself”
-Mark Twain


Great video and even greater message. As someone once said, words may show a man's wit, but actions his meaning.

OneLove

::MixMasterE::

Jun 9, 2008

Barack On Jay-Z, Kanye & The State Of Hip Hop



This is quite interesting. Imagine Barack in the White House blasting "Hard Knock Life" or "Jesus Walks" rocking to the beat while getting ready to attend a G-8 Summit? Are we witnessing the beginning of a revolution in American politics? A clearing in the landscape to allow a multiplicity of visions/ideas/possibilities to take root and grow?
Only time will tell but this moment is a critical and exciting one...

OneLove!

::MixMasterE::

Jun 5, 2008

Living In A Historical Moment



The root of this historic moment is steeped in slavery, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights struggle and the injustices and inequities that still prevail. Alas, as Alexander Pope once proclaimed:

"Hope springs eternal in the human breast;
Man never Is, but always To be blest:
The soul, uneasy and confin'd from home,
Rests and expatiates in a life to come."


Peace

::MixMAsterE:::

Jun 1, 2008

..this elusive strangeness....




All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.


-Shakespeare

The New Corporation

  The New Corporation ​is a 2020 documentary directed by Jennifer Abbott and Joel Bakan, law professor at the University of British Columb...