and resonating through your legend
are powerful heavy notes --
played loud and unpolitely;
the new music of the soul.
It is simply what you did --
...and it was beautiful.
-- Richie M. (2008) from "Ode to Buddy Bolden"
***
He wasn't Buddy Bolden but I wanted to dedicate a portion of my post to a recent musical inspiration of mine. The underground Hip Hop DJ and producer known as Nujabes (36) was introduced to me in 2009 by my buddy Eddy (from The Dodo Nest and The Stanton Street Collective)) and I make sure to listen to Nujabes at least several times a week. The closing lines to my 2008 poem "Ode to Buddy Bolden" reflect the type of wondercholly* I express toward finding out about the death of Nujabes during the February 26th earthquake (7.2 in scale) that hit the coast of Japan.
Buddy Bolden holds the legend for first playing jazz, yet all that is left is a single memory contained in one photograph (no recordings. Now Nujabes has left behind a legacy, (his music) which infuses hip hop beats with modal jazz in order to create a serene and rueful quality to his music which was mostly left underground. I dedicate this post to the man, Jun Seba (Nujabes).
*(I totally just made up a word that fuses Wonder with Melancholy in order to describe a very specific emotion)
Here is the story:
Nujabes, Underground Hip Hop artist, Dead at 36
Sample of his music:
They are provided in the link above but here is a sample of his work:
***
Moving on from this segment, I wanted to share my delight in announcing my contribution to "underground music." Its not much but I've recently made attempts at Busking with several members of the Stanton Street Collective. For those of you not familiar with the phrase busking, it simply means to play on the streets for change. I don't know why, but somehow this has a negative connotation that is comparable to begging; yet the situation is much more complex than this simple comparison. To me, busking is one of the purest art forms and for me, nothing compares to the joy of people who stop and appreciate what you are doing.
On St. Patrick's Day 2010, Freddy, Josh, and myself grabbed our equipment and played on the corner of Cincinnati St. and Mesa. Josh mostly played on the Latin percussion, I alternated between Sax and helping Josh with the percussion, and Freddy dressed up in his mime-act, handing out balloon animals and performing magic tricks to curious spectators. I really must say that this was a well-rewarding and enlightening adventure. Much to my amazement the club-goers were very receptive of our presence.
On a slightly different note, the following Saturday we played at Medallion's Restaurant (San Carlos building on the corner of Texas and Campbell) for the big premiere of EPTV. According to their facebook profile, EPTV is "El Paso’s premiere entertainment and culture television/web show...The show is for the city and by the city; this means the content, your expressions and ideas, and El Paso’s diverse culture and lifestyles are ready to be represented and appreciated." (EPTV - El Paso)
I really appreciate this concept and I was glad to be part of the opening party. We ended up playing for the crowd wining and dining at the Medallions Restaurant and even more exciting is that we were followed by Billy Townes and his trio!! Local poet and friend Lawrence Barrett was gracious to snap a few photos from my camera phone:
Image: Beautiful and talented EPTV host Karina Lujan introduces The Stanton Street Collective to the stage!
On Stage: Rich (sax), Freddy (guitar), Eddy (bass), and Tony (drums)
Image: Richie poses on stage as he recites from his own original poetry
Image: The Stanton Street Collective; providing atmospheric fluidity and fun
Image: Alfredo Gutierrez (dressed as Charlie Chaplin) entertains the crowd with some colorful juggling and pantomime.
The pictures don't do any justice, but it really was a fun event. EPTV took some photos as well and once they are available they should be added. As for the event, local entrepreneur Al Soto provided a "Review, Opinion, Commentary" (known as ROC'ing) on the event:
EPTV Reception and Premiere by Al Soto.
Speaking of Lawrence Barrett; after providing some very flattering commentary, he shared with me his latest publication of poetry titled no brakes i'm crashing (2010) as a gift. This is his fourth publication after Letters from the Meat Market of Paradise (2009), Ah, Desolation! (2009), and Yell Louder Please (2009). Lawrence has been featured in El Paso Magazine, a featured performer in The Barbed Wire Open Mic Series and performs in other open-mic nights around the city. I am proud to call Lawrence a friend and I hope to read his latest collection of poetry and publish my thoughts in future postings.
Lawrence also shared with me a copy of his latest creative endeavor -- music from his self-produced album Acoustic Shadows (2010). I look forward to listening to these sounds and beats and providing feedback on this carefully planned CD.
On a side note: Look for a Stanton Street Collective CD to hit the lower frequencies soon.
***
Wow, this is the longest post I have done in a while. This is most likely due to the advantage of spring break.
Sadly, it has come to an end and most of my time will be again dedicated to school and work. (Ah, grad school fun)
Anyway, I'll leave off with my latest "poem"
Broken Spring
The frailty of ambitious plans,withered away and dead on the hands.
But what time didn't destroy
we embraced with great joy.
My Spring, sprung a leak
has it truly been a week?
There ain't no time, like no-time.
- Richie M. ( March 2010)
(meh)
Oh well, it should be stated explicitly that this isn't that serious of a poem. I hope everybody enjoyed their Spring Breaks. See you around! :D
**
Peace and love,
-Rich*
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