Guantanamera

"Guantanamera" is most often presented in song as a soggy, tepid, love ballad. It's true origin, however, was as a poem of political protest. Written in 1925 by Cuban poet José Martí, translations vary widely, but I believe the one below best expresses the poet's true intent and that which gives the song enduring life as a statement of national pride. Inspirational Verse: "I know a fatal evil/Among the unspeakable shames/The enslavement of human beings Is the great shame of the world." 

Guantanamera by José Martí 

I am a truthful man,

From the land of the palm.

Before dying, I want to

Share these poems of my soul.

Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera

Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera

My verses are light green,

But they are also flaming red.

My verses are like a wounded fawn,

Seeking refuge in the mountain.

Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera

Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera

I cultivate a white rose

In June and in January

For the sincere friend

Who gives me his hand.

Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera

Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera

And for the cruel one who would tear out

This heart with which I live.

I cultivate neither thistles nor nettles

I cultivate a white rose.

Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera

Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera

I know about a fatal evil

Among the unspeakable shames:

The enslavement of human beings

Is the great shame of the world!

Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera

Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera

With the poor people of this earth,

I want to share my lot.

With the poor people of this earth,

I want to share my lot.

The little streams of the mountains

Please me more than the sea.

Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera

Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera

Charles Mingus' Meditations on Integration - 1963

Submitted:  1963 was a watershed year for music.

A Mother of All Inventions Spins His Wheels

I'm not going to pretend to be a Frank Zappa fan; too much pee-pee and ka-ka in the stew for my taste. But for those who are, this is a peek at the freak on the Steve Allen show ib 1963.  Ol' Steve apparently knew this could be the start of something big, 'cause he gave Frankie Z plenty of time to screw around. In case you don't have the patience for it all, they get this jalopy off the ground around the 12:00 minute mark.

This Could Be the Start of Something Big

with mystery guest

Rock and Roll Will Never Die (and Neither Will I)

Where were we? Oh yes.

The Rising Sun Collection

No one I know has ever been there, but everyone knows The House of the Rising Sun. 

How High the Moon?

The Question: How High the Moon?

The Answer: Very high indeed.

Some people say a man is made out of mud

Sixteen Tons was written by Merle Travis, the son of a Kentucky coal miner, in 1947.  It stands as a compelling tribute to those who dig this bitter earth.  

Merle Travis

Original Recording - 1947

They say it's spring, so it's time to Blossom, Dearie

Blossom Dearie (1924-2009) was an American jazz singer and interpreter most distinguished by her light, girlish voice of which the critic, Whitney Balliet wrote, "would scarcely reach the second story of a doll house." Her music was light, gentle and caressing, but also intimate, sophisticated and elegant and filled with delightful idiosyncratic humor. 

Her sound is perfect company for any occasion, including this fine spring day.

Cleo Laine Can Soar Forever

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever

In this performance from the mid-1980's Dame Cleo Laine shows Mariah Carey and every other high flying song bird what it is to sing a very, very high note (I believe it is a G above high C), while maintaining complete artistic integrity. In other words, this is more than simple show off talent run amok. 

Sister Rosetta Tharpe rocked the Gospel Truth

Rhythm and Blues, Rock and  Roll and Soul music have many fathers but relatively few mothers. One of the greatest "mothers" of them all, and "The Original Soul Sister" was Sister Rosetta Tharpe.  

A song for a winter's day

Remember Tommy Roe? Sure you do.
"Sweet little Sheila, my little Sheila, blue eyes and a pony tail."
"Oh, Sweet Pea, won't you dance with me? Won't ya, won't ya dance with me?"
"Hooray for Hazel, she put me down." etc, etc.

Well, it seems that when he took the bubble gum out of his mouth, ol' Tom was capable of digging just a little bit deeper. This is a lovely and needlessly obscure song of his called, "It's Now Winter's Day".  Let's give it a spin.

FRANK SINATRA LIVES!

Whatever else he may have been in myth or reality, Frank Sinatra was a momentous figure in the music of the last century. He reinvented the whole manner of singing popular songs, investing it with passion and rhythm, undercutting the tough guy diction with the tenderness of his phrasing and timbre, and infused it all with sex, grace and more than a hint of danger. That’s why he was first, last and always, "The Voice."

50 Great Song Lyrics; First Line Division

From "Row, Row, Row your boat" to Notorious B.I.G.'s "You're nobody until somebody kills you" every hit song needs a melody and a lyric that grabs you by the ear within seconds and won't let go - that stay with you for the rest of the day, that delivers plenty of "plop, plop, fizz, fizz." 
Then there are the great songs that quicken the mind and pulse; that linger as long as there is memory. These are songs that remind us that no matter the time or place, somewhere, another's heart understood your own. When the music is wedded to a great lyric, the understanding is apparent within the very first words. 

The First Line Champs

Van dancin' 'neath the cover of October skies

Of all the popular performers of our age, (that leaves you out, Vivaldi), none have been able to evoke the timeless pulse and feel of the seasons as well as Van Morrison, who, throughout his career, has composed a myriad of tone poems to the leaves, fields and meadows that ripple and flow under the dingle dangle of the dappled and starry skies. 
And who better to present a cascading cavalcade of these performances than yours truly, who has been proselytizing on behalf of this guy for nearly (well, I ain't saying for how long other than that we were all a whole lot older then) and who likely has more versions of this, perhaps his greatest tune, than Van's mama do.
If it is true, as the poet, Eliot wrote, "there is only the unattended moment, the moment in and out of time ...lost in a shaft of sunlight, the wild thyme unseen ... the winter lightning ...the waterfall, ... (and) music heard so deeply that it is not heard at all", then Van Morrison has seen and felt and heard and remembered and reminded us of many of those unattended moments - to which we gratefully say, "Turn up your radio and let me hear the song .... TURN IT UP!"

Moondance Number 10. In this, the final installment of the Moondance cavalcade, we find our hero in August, 2014, a week shy of his 69th birthday, returning to perform at his own Orangefield High School in Belfast, proving that even for a life long Irish Rover, you can always go home again.

We now end where we end. 10/30/14

All performance clips are below the break. (Rotten apples department. The video clips can only be viewed through Flash player, which is not available on Apple or Android devices).

May Your Strength Give Us Strength

"May your strength give us strength,

May your faith give us faith,

May your hope give us hope,

May your love give us love". 

Do you remember dancing in September?

Earth, Wind and Fire were smooth, stylish, warm and celebratory plus they had a real cool name and the great Philip (where is he now?) Bailey. What's not to like?

Four Warm and Wise Words

"Of the wonderful things that you get out of life there are four and that may not be many but nobody needs any more ." 

Jon Hendricks

Summertime Farewell

Jim Hall and Pat Metheny, two brilliant jazz guitarists, duet on George and Ira Gershwin's Summertime.

Charlie Haden: A Ballad for the Fallen

Famed jazz bassist Charlie Haden (August 6, 1937-July 11 2014) has passed away. 

19 Feet to Stardom

For those who have not seen the Academy Award winning documentary, 20 Feet From Stardom, the story of a few of the great background singers who contributed to many of the most popular recordings of our time, hopefully this will encourage you to do so. For those who have seen the film, here is some further research intended to move these wonderfully talented women just a bit closer to the recognition they all so richly deserve.