Music and protest
Guts
I’m all for artists taking political stands, but I don’t think doing so is necessarily brave. In fact, it’s often preaching to the choir and even downright conformist. This, on the other hand, is brave. [Hat tip Adam Holland.]
People Make The World Go Round
A classic bit of Philadelphia soul by the Stylistics. Just the thing on a Sunday, as the world awaits more news from Tehran. (Tibbsy’s commentary on the song, on the sidebar of the YouTube clip itself, is worth a read.) [Update: I can’t help but marvel at the song’s construction, mostly revolving around an E minor 9-A minor 7 cadence.
Jazz and Protest: A Reappraisal
My essay on jazz and protest is now online at Z Word.
Speaking nonsense to power
[Credit where it’s due: the above phrase is Bill Maher’s.] Because writeups of the band Propagandhi appear in this week’s Time Out and Philadelphia Weekly, right alongside my own work, I feel obliged to comment. I don’t know Propagandhi’s music. I do know their politics, however. The links to ZNet and to the likes of John Pilger tell you all
Obama and hip-hop
Jonah Weiner has an interesting assessment. One apparent outcome: the complete and well-deserved marginalization of dead prez. I’ve had occasion to comment before on this Castro- and Chavez-loving rap duo, a propaganda outlet for the African Peoples Socialist Party and its cult-leader chairman, Omali Yeshitela. At last, it isn’t taken for granted that the president needs to live up to
Another Jazz Times letter
Once again, a reader attacks my July/August Jazz Times column on music and politics. Alan Embree of Hannibal, Missouri, writes: After reading David R. Adler’s Solo guest column [“Playing Changes for Change,” Aug. ’08] I debated whether to immediately cancel my subscription like I had done several years ago with Time magazine after tiring of the leftist rants of various writers
Rage Against … the Machine, Obama, whatever
David Carr reports on Rage Against the Machine’s protests at both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. According to Rage and its delusional followers, there is no difference between Obama and McCain. I suppose they’re waiting around for the Democratic candidate to champion Che and Mumia and the writing of crackpots like William Blum, as Rage’s website does. Way to
New at Democratiya
My review of Kabir Sehgal’s Jazzocracy: Jazz, Democracy, and the Creation of a New American Mythology (Better World Books) is now online in the Autumn 2008 edition of Democratiya.