The last couple of weeks have been crazy, good, and challenging. I've been at the studio working on the music and audio for the PRC DVD. The DVD is coming together. I think you will enjoy watching it.
About a week ago, I went to the One Conference about Racial Reconciliation. The conference was sponsored by the Acts 29 Network. They a good group of people and it was great connecting with them.
While I was in Charlottesville at the One Conference, I connected with Alex Mejias of High Street Hymns. He's a great guy and you should check out his High Street Hymns stuff. I'll be playing with Alex 8pm, March 20 at his show, "Hymns for Haiti". I'm hoping to get him in for an interview on MAM TV soon.
I should be back on the blog wagon, so stay tune. I have more to share.
In this episode, David Bailey interviews "Throat Singer" Brian Grover. Brian shares "throat singing" techniques, the paralles between throat singing and blues, and much more. To get a list of the things he's referenced or to see more interviews, log on to: www.makingamelody.com
Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing Brian Grover who is a noted "Throat Singer". For those that are not familiar with throat singing, you will be amazed. It's fascinating!
The full interview will be posted tomorrow. In the interview, Brian talks about the art form, where it's from, and some of it's parallels with American blues music.
Two of my musical inspirations are Duke Ellington and of course, Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson would be an obvious inspiration for any 80’s baby and Duke Ellington is an obvious inspiration for any student of jazz. I admire their musical innovation and influence on popular music, but my admiration goes deeper.
Duke Ellington and Michael Jackson were two African-American artists that were so excellent in their craft that they helped to redefine what it means to be “black” in a culture where being “black” meant something derogatory and marginalized in the majority of society.
Duke Ellington is truly the King of Swing Jazz music. Benny Goodman was branded with the title, “King of Swing”, but Goodman himself admitted that he could not light a match to Duke and the other black jazz musicians that would hang out in Harlem, NY. As a matter of fact, Benny Goodman and his band members would go to Harlem after their gigs to learn how to play jazz at the jam sessions with black musicians. He and his band had a lot to risk with their reputation back then by seeing black people as equals and in certain areas superior.
During that era, Duke Ellington’s sophisticated music was called, “Jungle Music”. What a derogatory term to one of America’s greatest composers?
Ellington was aware of the racism and aware that he was not getting the respect that he deserved as the great artist he was. He had to sleep on the bus (not the hotel) and go to the bathroom on the side of the road when he was on tour. Instead of turning bitter, he used his injustice as a motivation to do something greater.
During that time, the music industry tried their best to marginalize black musical artists by promoting them as uneducated, untamed, jungle like entertainers. Duke Ellington got his nickname, “Duke” because of his regality. Part of Duke’s motivation to carry himself in a regal manner was to redefine to the ignorant, what “being black meant”.
To be “black” has always been something of dignity and honor to black people in America, even when there was a lot of rebranding to define black as something dishonorable.
The longevity of Duke’s character paved the way for other black intellectual musicians and artists.
By the time Michael Jackson came along, our country matured to the point where it wasn’t okay to call black music, “jungle music”, but it was unimaginable for a black artists to get world wide super star status similar to The Beatles.
During Michael Jackson’s peak, he added another definition of what it means to be black and the abilities that black people can achieve. Now we live in an error where a musical superstar can be any race or ethnicity. Thanks to these two men and others.
I’m sure that you all have seen plenty of Michael Jackson videos. Here is a video of a Duke Ellington composition.
Another one of my musical inspirations is Quincy Jones. “Q”(a nick named coined by Frank Sinatra) is living “music history”. He’s worked with every major musical performing artist in some capacity from the 1950’s to the present.
He’s been apart of every major evolution in popular music. He wrote the arrangement that made “Fly Me To The Moon” famous. He produced the number #1 Album of all times, Thriller. And he co-produced “We are the World”, the first single to ever be certified as multi-platinum. It’s a fascinating thing to look him up and see what he has been involved in over the past 60 years…. A living and breathing “music history”
I appreciate his efforts to raise money for the people of Haiti. I was watching the video today and it’s a very interesting thing to see what has happened in music over the past 25 years since “We are the World” was first released. Rap music was in its infant stage and now it’s as popular as jazz was when Quincy Jones starting to learn how to play music. Michael Jackson was the most popular artist at the time and now Lil’ Wayne is one of the most popular artists of this time. The implication of this reality is very interesting. I don’t know how I feel about that.
Let me know what you think.
…Meanwhile...
Check out both of the “We Are The World” videos. Also, please responsibly give to help our brothers and sisters in Haiti.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 7:22AM 
