Just a brief hiatus, celebrating the passage of time in a timeless place....Nicaragua. I'll be back soon, with a vengence... like MacArthur with fresh stories of 4-year old Nica parties, blind bluesmen, and maybe even a movie review or two.
Until then, I'll be basking in the sun on the shores of Coco Beach for the long weekend with some friends.
Well, here we go again....Another Columbine. Another school massacre to remind all of us that we have a gun problem in America. I know, I know, people kill people, not guns.....I know the argument. If you keep law-abiding citizens from owning guns, we're all defenseless victims to the real criminals that obtain them illegally anyway. Alas, the Constitution guarantees the right to bear arms......Essentially, that is the argument for the pro-firearms folks....Well, you gotta start somewhere.
How come Great Britain, with 53 million inhabitants, registered only 46 gun-related homicides last year, while New York City, with 8 million, accounted for 579? Folks, something is amiss. So, what do we do? I think a good place to start would be to simply follow the model of a country that has low violence rates due to firearms...simple as that. Perhaps our cultural brothers across the pond have it right? Who knows? It's worth a shot (pardon the pun). Let's limit firearms to recreational use, distributed by clubs and hunting associations. Over time, perhaps we can begin reigning in the guns that are already out there. I know this is 'pie in the sky', but we have to do something. This is crazy!
As for the right to 'bear arms'. Any politician that uses this Constitutional 'crutch', should note that it was written in the context of citizens' leverage against the tyranny of government. In 2007, we have much more important issues to focus on then whether Washington is going to get medieval on its' inhabitants. Besides, it isn't 1789. Aside from a few deluded militiamen in Montana, an armed insurrection is highly unlikely anytime soon. Who wants a modern-day Shays' Rebellion? This 'right' was guaranteed in a time in history when oppressive monarchies and fledgling democracies were taking root in the Western world. In this context, the balance of power and insurance against abuse of power was procured through the ominous threat of armed insurrection. Like I said folks, the 18th century is history.
So, where do we go from here? I'd like to hear what you have to say......
Well, I really didn't have time to do a blues review this morning, so I'm going to offer some more of my own music I suppose. Tomorrow or Wednesday....whichever comes first, there will be a blues review. But, for now, here are three works-in-progress for me. Freight Train, Hard Times In New York Town, and Cocaine Blues.......
I was inspired by John Hurt this morning, so I decided to offer my own rendition of one of his classics.....'Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor'. Hope you enjoy....
Well, another stormy Monday.....not quite. It hasn't rained in Managua in all of 2007. Can you imagine?! I thought this place would be overrun with flora and fauna. Instead, half of the year resembles the dust bowl of the Oklahoma plains. At any rate, it's time for another installment of Monday blues...and boy, do I have 'em.
It's a little lonely around here, as we've enjoyed some great company over the last month. So, a little blues is fitting for this quiet Monday morning. What better place to look than Mississippi John Hurt. I have quite a few of his recordings, all of them great. From his original 1928 Okeh recordings, to his warm 1964 Oberlin College performance, you really can't go wrong. So, it's probably fitting that you first check out Complete Studio Recordings (3 cds), a collection from the 1960s folk and blues revival, which saw the 're-discovery' of John Hurt's music.
John Hurt's story is compelling. Born in Teoc, Mississippi in 1893, he learned the guitar at the age of 9, with his mother eventually buying him a guitar for $1.50. He claimed that the sound of his very own guitar was the 'sweetest in the world'. His style is distinct.....a sweet, mellow voice, parroting the man himself, coupled with a relaxed, yet complex syncopated guitar style, contrasting the hard-edged 'delta' sound of fellow Mississippi contemporaries. Hurt sings blues, but he is a hybrid, not unlike Leadbelly, able to weave in and out of the American songbook with ease. At any rate, throughout his early life, he partnered with local musicians, playing dances, parties and so forth, toggling between the rough, hard-edged life of a sharecropper and that of local entertainer. By word of mouth, representatives of the short-livedOkeh label, invited him to record two sessions, one in Memphis and the other in New York City. However, both were considered failures, and the label, as well as Hurt's music, faded into obscurity in the subsequent years of the Great Depression.
That all changed though. In 1963, upon studying the lyrics of 'Avalon', an ode to Hurt's hometown, musicologist and blues enthusiast, Tom Haskinssent a telegram to John. Incredibly, Hurt soon traveled to New York and Washington, playing for responsive crowds. His performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1963 spawned his rise in popularity and the subsequent release of three albums. From 1963, until his death in 1966, Hurt experienced an amazing transformation from obscure sharecropper to international celebrity, even performing on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. One of the more accessible bluesmen of the era, Hurt displayed a grace and good nature that oozes through the music. When I listen to his music, I imagine sitting in a rocking chair with him on a back porch, listening to crickets and sipping sweet tea.
Even in death, Hurt's music lives on. His hometown has dedicated Blues and Gospel Festival in his honor, every July3-4, and guitarists continue to draw inspiration from his alternating bass fingerpicking. For a good introduction to his style of playing, check out Stefan Grossman's Guitar Workshop. Originally, I was going to write a review of one of his albums, but I just couldn't do it. So, this is my introduction to Hurt's music. Perhaps, at a later date, I will concentrate more on the nuance between the actual recordings.
Well....looks like I need to buy a National Champs t- shirt with a little velcro patch, so I can attach a little football and basketball, depending on the time of year.
Seriously, what a year for the Gators!
Admittedly, I'm not much of a basketball fan, but it is amazing what this team accomplished. In this day and age, it is rare for a team that accomplished so much, so early, to come back and go for it again......especially in basketball! They are a team, in a time in which the sport is defined by individuals. Kudos to Noah and company!
Can't wait for Tebow to come out firing in the fall to defend the 'other' championship....
This week, I'd like to share my thoughts about perhaps the best Blues album in my whole collection.....Atlanta Twelve String by Blind Willie McTell. Not only are these 1948 recordings absolute masterpieces, they were issued on a short-lived Atlantic Records venture, assuring impeccable recording quality.
Thanks to Bob Dylan's 1980s ode, I discovered McTell's music a decade or so ago. Born in Thomson, Georgia at the turn of the century, Willie bounced around Georgia, buskingand recording under various aliases for over 30 years, leaving several quality recordings in his wake for posterity. Amongst them, Atlanta Twelve String stands out as the definitive session.
Tuned ultra-low, at times, his E goes all the way down to Ab, McTell pairs his distinct voice with an expertly played Stella 12-string. McTell, blind early in childhood, was known to travel New York City alone, guided by an incredible memory. This capacity serves him well in his music, as he effortlessly weaves in and out of the American songbag....boogie woogie, gospel, blues, folk...it's all here.
Of special note, Dying Crapshooter Blues stands out, with its healthy dose of gallows humor and card-playing metaphors of death. Personally, I enjoy the breadth of themes, bouncing from somber Son House-esque songs of the 'the cooling board' to the playful 'Kill It Kid'. McTell's range of storytelling is quite impressive, encompassing mortality, poverty, urban prosperity, and religion....all equally believable. Of all of his recordings, this one finds him in prime form. In prior recordings for John and Alan Lomax, in the 1920s-30s, he covers a wider range of music, yet this one captures the essence of Georgia blues.
Like Tommy Johnson before, McTell died in the 1950s, not living to see the great revival of their music a short time later in the 1960s. Interestingly, McTell recorded a Last Session in 1956, shortly before his death, which was said to have been recorded by an astute owner of a liquor store that he frequented in the Atlanta area. In subsequent years, the White Stripes, Allman Brothers, Bob Dylan, among others, have covered his music. For example, if you listen to Dylan's World Gone Wrong, McTell's influence oozes out. At any rate, check out McTell's music when you can. You will thank me.
this blog is a collection of random thoughts and ideas from my experiences in nicaragua, the world in general. basic themes include essential what i find to be interesting, with emphasis on music, books, travel, and my family. atlanta braves, florida gators, romania, bob dylan, fingerpicking blues, politics, and travel
