Provocations

Alanis Morissette interview at Women's Conference

As I post, I'm listening to an interview with Alanis Morissette given today at a women's conference. She is introduced as "one of the most influential female rock musicians in contemporary music." An articulate and warm conversation - impressively inclusive.

Hang Drum Duet

I love to drum - on my djembe, doumbek, my exercise-ball desk seat . . .   And in our drum circle, spontaneously improvising as we weave our rhythm thoughts together. Not to mention the big smiles when we end with a flourish.

Before the advent of much of the above, a thought, an instrument in fact, emerged. It was called a drum but it plays a tune too. I know I can play it. I knew it five years ago when I listened to and watched one of the first videos of someone playing the hang, as it's now called. Anyone know of an old hang that needs a home?

Cowboy Junkies: Time for some music - its been a while

Sit back, there's lots here: Margo Timmins and the Junkies play acoustic. They call it Acoustic Junk.

• More Junkies

Michael Jackson and Rabbi Schmuley Boteach

I'm so saturated with this MJ stuff, irritated and concerned that the fascinated repetition of every detail is obscuring matters that really do need our attention. I realize also that the sheer weight of never-ending information - where a hiccup receives equal analysis with a heart-stop - is obscuring the real lessons that this man's life contains, beyond the talent and the music.

Michael Jackson, from an interview with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach:

I am going to say something I have never said before and this is the truth. I have no reason to lie to you and God knows I am telling the truth. I think all my success and fame, and I have wanted it, I have wanted it because I wanted to be loved. That's all. That's the real truth. I wanted people to love me, truly love me, because I never really felt loved. I said I know I have an ability. Maybe if I sharpened my craft, maybe people will love me more. I just wanted to be loved, because I think it is very important to be loved and to tell people that you love them and to look in their eyes and say it.

Rabbi Shmuley’s statement on the passing of Michael Jackson

My family and I have just heard that Michael Jackson has passed away. Our thoughts and prayers are with his children and the Jackson family. Michael Jackson’s death is not just a terrible tragedy for three young children who will now be orphaned. It is also an American tragedy that affects us all. Our culture, in which fortune and fame readily eclipse family and life nurturing-values, is claiming an increasing number of casualties. There was a great beauty and gentility in Michael’s soul. His talents far surpassed those of his contemporaries and he yearned deeply to make the world a better place. I am saddened that the emotional pain he lived with prevented him from finding the meaning and connectedness which he longed for. The saddest aspect to this tragedy is that so many watched it happen and few did anything to stop it. I pray that Michael’s death will not be in vain and that we see a return, even among Hollywood celebrities, to the spiritual and family values that are life sustaining.

Miriam Makeba is gone . . .

Miriam Makeba, dubbed "first lady of South African song" by Nelson Mandela, died today.  Her music was banned under the apartheid regime but we (I grew up there) still found ways to listen to her. Hard to believe now that The Click Song was forbidden.  Here she is:

Harper afraid to repeat his ignorant remarks in French. Michel Rivard responds anyway.

For those not following the lead-up to the Canadian general election: Our fear-mongering leader recently cut funding for the arts (I'll spare you the details) and backed this up with a few patronizing and ignorant remarks about people who care about such things.  From The National Post:

"I think when ordinary working people come home, turn on the TV and see a gala of a bunch of people at a rich gala ... all subsidized by the taxpayers - claiming their subsidies aren't high enough when they know those subsidies have gone up - I'm not sure that's something that resonates with ordinary people," Mr. Harper told reporters.

Significantly, Harper, who is reasonably bilingual and usually doesn't hesitate to speak French, refused to repeat these comments in the language of most of the "ordinary people" of Quebec.

So, for his Philistine, narrow, meanness, I think he deserves this YouTube video which has already had over 100,000 views and is described by The Post as "the most talked-about political ad of the Quebec campaign".

Latest poll: "Last night's tracking showed a noticeable jump in Bloc support in Quebec coinciding with attacks on Stephen Harper's views and comments related to culture." - CPAC - Nanos Tracking

KT Tunstall sings for Survival International

From Survival International: "Bruce Parry, star of the BBC series ‘Tribe’ and ‘Amazon’, has teamed up with some of the music world’s brightest stars to create a fundraising album for Survival International, entitled "Amazon/Tribe - Songs for Survival". Bruce has worked with producer Martin Terefe on the album that includes KT Tunstall, will.i.am (Black Eyed Peas), Johnny Borrell (Razorlight), Tom Baxter, Mystery Jets, Jason Mraz, Yusuf Islam, Hot Chip, the Go! Team and Mike Oldfield."

See also:

• Destruction of tribe and their forest home to make way for cattle ranching
• The Kalahari Bushmen's struggle to retain their land, culture and existence

Fezeka's Voice: a choir goes to England

For some years I've been donating my time to work on a web site for the organization Education without Borders.  I'm doing it for a friend and, just as much, for the cause itself.  The project has taken its first form within a school near Cape Town in South Africa - and that's where I was born and raised.

Fezeka Senior Secondary School "is the only black high school offering classes in Xhosa, Sotho and Tswana. As a result, the school is bursting at its seams and turns away over 300 students each year. Currently the school has 1,750 students with up to 45 students per class."

Education without Borders has done much in the six years of its involvement with Fezeka. Recently, some pretty spectacular results from the efforts of the school staff, students and EwB have emerged - through the school choir and its teacher.  We'll be able to share some of their pride and enjoyment in a soon-to-be-released documentary movie, Fezeka's Voice. Meanwhile, here's the trailer:

The Fezeka School Choir are being filmed by Ciel Productions as part of a documentary recording their journey from the Gugulethu Township in South Africa to Salisbury International Arts Festival.

DVD Now available to buy

K T Tunstall, Avril Lavigne, Pink, Lily Allen

Time for some music.

Once in a while I come across a woman singing her own way into the world, speaking for herself and, within the possibilities of public spotlight, being herself too - and I like their music. I like them first then I listen and I like that too. So, here they are, my four favourite contemporary women singers singing. Each one of them speaks a lot of sense too. But for now, here's the music. Watch out for interviews with these women.

K T Tunstall

Avril Lavigne

Pink

Lily Allen

Show me the country where bombs had to fall

Show me the country where the bombs had to fall,
Show me the ruins of the buildings once so tall,
And I'll show you a young land with so many reasons why
And there but for fortune, may go you or I - or I.

-  Phil Ochs.