mick’s blog

World Music with Angelita Montoya

March 16, 2018

World Music on Flamenco Fridays with Angelita Montoya.

Performing Bulerias

Hija del bailaor Juan Montoya y de Antonia “La Negra”.

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Daily Roots with Earl 16

March 16, 2018

The Peaceful Rastaman

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The Cosmos with Cygnus

March 15, 2018

 

 

Cygnus /ˈsɪɡnəs/ is a northern constellation lying on the plane of the Milky Way, deriving its name from the Latinized Greek word for swan. The swan is one of the most recognizable constellations of the northern summer and autumn, and it features a prominent asterism known as the Northern Cross(in contrast to the Southern Cross). Cygnus was among the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations.

Cygnus contains Deneb, one of the brightest stars in the night sky and one corner of the Summer Triangle, as well as some notable X-ray sources and the giant stellar association of Cygnus OB2. Cygnus is also known as the Northern Cross. Deneb is the tail star in the constellation and is the Arabic word for tail. One of the stars of this association, NML Cygni, is one of the largest stars currently known. The constellation is also home to Cygnus X-1, a distant X-ray binary containing a supergiant and unseen massive companion that was the first object widely held to be a black hole. Many star systems in Cygnus have known planets as a result of the Kepler Mission observing one patch of the sky, an area around Cygnus. In addition, most of the eastern part of Cygnus is dominated by the Hercules–Corona Borealis Great Wall, a giant galaxy filament that is the largest known structure in the observable universe, covering most of the northern sky.


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Sly Stone Day

March 15, 2018

Sly Stone (born Sylvester Stewart, March 15, 1943, Denton, Texas) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, most famous for his role as frontman for Sly and the Family Stone, a band which played a critical role in the development of soul, funk, rock, and psychedelia in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1993, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the group.

 The Stewart family was a deeply religious middle-class household from Denton, Texas. Born March 15, 1943, before the family had moved from Denton, Texas to Vallejo, California in the North Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area, Sylvester was the second of the family’s five children.

As part of the doctrines of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), to which the Stewart family belonged, the parents – K.C and Alpha Stewart – encouraged musical expression in the household. Sylvester and his brother Freddie along with their sisters Rose and Vaetta formed “The Stewart Four” as children, performing gospel music in the Church of God in Christ and even recording a single local release 78 rpm single, “On the Battlefield” b/w “Walking in Jesus’ Name”, in 1952. The eldest sister, Loretta, was the only Stewart child not to pursue a musical career. All of the other Stewart children would later adopt the surname “Stone” and become members of Sly & the Family Stone.

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Ry Cooder Day

March 15, 2018

Ryland PeterRyCooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, and record producer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.

Cooder’s solo work draws upon many genres. He has played with Captain Beefheart, Ali Farka Touré, Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Randy Newman, David Lindley, The Chieftains, The Doobie Brothers, and Carla Olson & the Textones (on record and film). He formed the band Little Village. He also produced the Buena Vista Social Club album (1997), which became a worldwide hit. Wim Wenders directed the documentary film of the same name (1999), which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2000.

Cooder was ranked eighth on Rolling Stone magazine’s 2003 list of “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” (David Fricke’s Picks). A 2010 ranking by Gibson placed him at number 32.

Cooder was born in Los Angeles, California, to father Bill Cooder and Italian-American mother Emma Casaroli. He grew up in Santa Monica, California, and graduated from Santa Monica High School in 1964. During the 1960s, he briefly attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon.He began playing the guitar when he was three years old. He has had a glass eye since he was four, when he accidentally stuck a knife in his left eye

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REBIm8jMrSA

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Charles Lloyd Day

March 15, 2018

Charles Lloyd (born March 15, 1938 in Memphis, Tennessee) is an American jazz musician. Though he primarily plays tenor saxophone and flute, he has occasionally recorded on other reed instruments, including alto saxophone and the Hungarian tárogató.

Lloyd’s working band since 2007 features pianist Jason Moran, bassist Reuben Rogers, and drummer Eric Harland.

Charles Lloyd at Russian River Jazz Festival, Guerneville, California, 1981

Charles Lloyd grew up in Memphis and was exposed to blues, gospel and jazz. He is of African, Cherokee, Mongolian, and Irish ancestry. He was given his first saxophone at the age of 9 and was riveted by 1940s radio broadcasts by Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Billie Holidayand Duke Ellington. His early teachers included pianist Phineas Newborn, Jr. and saxophonist Irvin Reason. His closest childhood friend was trumpeter Booker Little. As a teenager Lloyd played jazz with saxophone

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Lightnin’ Hopkins Day

March 15, 2018

Samuel JohnLightnin’Hopkins (March 15, 1912 – January 30, 1982)[1] was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist, and occasional pianist, from Centerville, Texas. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 71 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.[2]

The musicologist Robert “Mack” McCormick opined that Hopkins is “the embodiment of the jazz-and-poetry spirit, representing its ancient form in the single creator whose words and music are one act”.

Hopkins was born in Centerville, Texasand as a child was immersed in the sounds of the blues. He developed a deep appreciation for this music at the age of 8, when he met Blind Lemon Jefferson at a church picnic in Buffalo, Texas. That day, Hopkins felt the blues was “in him”.[citation needed] He went on to learn from his older (distant) cousin, the country blues singer Alger “Texas” Alexander. (Hopkins had another cousin, the Texas electric blues guitarist Frankie Lee Sims, with whom he later recorded.) Hopkins began accompanying Jefferson on guitar at informal church gatherings. Jefferson reputedly never let anyone play with him except young Hopkins, and Hopkins learned much from Jefferson at these gatherings.

In the mid-1930s, Hopkins was sent to Houston County Prison Farm; the offense for which he was imprisoned is unknown. In the late 1930s, he moved to Houston with Alexander in an unsuccessful attempt to break into the music scene there. By the early 1940s, he was back in Centerville, working as a farm hand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Vag4irlB30

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World Music with Bohemian Betyars

March 15, 2018

Named for the Robin Hood-like bandits of the 19th century, the band plays something described as speed punk freak fol with Hungarian folk Romani stylings.

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Daily Roots with Horace Andy & the Sticks

March 15, 2018

Zion Gate

3-15-18

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RHYTHM ROOTS WORKSHOP 3-14-18

March 14, 2018

RHYTHM ROOTS WORKSHOP

Wednesday March 14th 2018 noon-2pm

Partnership Resources Inc Minneapolis

With the “Just Do It” Percussion Team with Joe, Alex, Jolynn, Lavern, Renee, Jamie, Elijah and Alex.

Tearing it up!

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The Cosmos with NGC 1277

March 14, 2018

NGC 1277 is located near the center of the cluster Perseus, consisting of more than 1000 galaxies and located 240 million light years from us. It travels so fast through the cluster at a speed of 3 million kilometers per hour that it can not merge with other galaxies, absorb their stars or draw gas for star formation. In addition, in the center of the cluster, the intergalactic gas is so hot that it can not condense and form stars. The team was looking for the “slow development” galaxy in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and found 50 candidates, among which NGC 1277 was identified as unique because it contains a central black hole that is much more massive than a galaxy of this size can have. This was confirmed by the scenario that the supermassive black hole and dense structure of the galaxy grew simultaneously, but the stellar population ceased to expand due to the lack of an external inflow of material. The team has 10 other candidate galaxies that demonstrate a different degree of “slow development”. NASA’s James Webb space telescope, scheduled to launch for 2019, will allow astronomers to measure the movement of globular clusters in NGC 1277, which for the first time will provide an opportunity to assess how much dark matter is contained in the primary galaxy.

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Quincy Jones Day

March 14, 2018

Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933), also known as “Q“, is an American record producer, actor, conductor, arranger, composer, musician, television producer, film producer, instrumentalist, magazine founder, entertainment company executive, and humanitarian. His career spans six decades in the entertainment industry, a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, and 28 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend Awardin 1991.

Raised in Seattle, Washington, Jones developed interest in music at an early age, and attended the Berklee College of Music. He came to prominence in the 1950s as a jazz arranger and conductor, before moving on to work prolifically in pop music and film scores. In 1968, Jones and his songwriting partner, Bob Russell, became the first African Americans to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song, for “The Eyes of Love” from the Universal Pictures film Banning. That same year, Jones was the first African American to be nominated twice in the same year, as he was also nominated for his work on the 1967 film In Cold Blood for an Academy Award for Best Original Score. In 1971, Jones was the first African American to be the musical director and conductor of the Academy Awards ceremony. In 1995, he was the first African American to receive the Academy’s Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. He is tied with sound designer Willie D. Burton as the second most Oscar-nominated African American; each has seven nominations (Denzel Washington has nine nominations).

Jones was the producer, with Michael Jackson, of Jackson’s albums Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), and Bad (1987), as well as the producer and conductor of the 1985 charity song “We Are the World“, which raised funds for victims of destitution in Ethiopia.

In 2013, Jones was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as the winner, alongside Lou Adler, of the Ahmet Ertegun Award. Jones was also named by Time Magazine as one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century.

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Shirley Scott Day

March 14, 2018

Shirley Scott (March 14, 1934 – March 10, 2002) was an African-American hard bop and soul-jazz organist. Best known for working with her husband, Stanley Turrentine, and with Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, both saxophonists, Scott’s soulful Hammond talent gained her the nickname “Queen of the Organ”.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Scott was an admirer of Jimmy Smith, Jackie Davis (American soul jazz singer, organist and bandleader), and Bill Doggett (American jazz and rhythm and blues pianist and organist; and played piano and trumpet before moving to the Hammond organ, her main instrument, though on occasion she still played piano. In the 1950s she became known for her work (1956–1959) with the saxophone player Eddie Davis, particularly on the song “In the Kitchen”. She was married to Stanley Turrentine and played with him from 1960 to 1969. Later, she led her own group, mostly a trio. Saxophonist Harold Vick often played with her.

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Robert Pete Williams Day

March 14, 2018

Robert Pete Williams (March 14, 1914 – December 31, 1980) was an American Louisiana blues musician. His music characteristically employed unconventional structures and guitar tunings, and his songs are often about the time he served in prison. His song “I’ve Grown So Ugly” has been covered by Captain Beefheart, on his album Safe as Milk (1967), and by The Black Keys, on Rubber Factory (2004).

Williams was born in Zachary, Louisiana, to a family of sharecroppers. He had no formal schooling, and spent his childhood picking cotton and cutting sugar cane. In 1928, he moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana and worked in a lumberyard. At the age of 20, Williams fashioned a crude guitar by attaching five copper strings to a cigar box, and soon after bought a cheap, mass-produced one. Williams was taught by Frank and Robert Metty, and was at first chiefly influenced by Peetie Wheatstraw and Blind Lemon Jefferson. He began to play for small events such as Church gatherings, fish fries, suppers, and dances. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Williams played music and continued to work in the lumberyards of Baton Rouge.

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World Music with Yorùbá Bàtá

March 14, 2018

Featuring Làmídì Àyánkúnlé, master bàtá drummer from Èrìn-Òsun, Nigeria.

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Daily Roots with Jackie Edwards & The Aggrovators

March 14, 2018

Invasion (Wa Da Da) (extended mix)

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RHYTHM ROOTS WORKSHOP 3-13-18

March 13, 2018

RHYTHM ROOTS WORKSHOP

Partnership Resources Inc St Louis Park noon-2pm

With Chan, Marco and Erica from Chicka Boom Chicka Boom

Percussion Team preparing for their March 27th performance

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The Cosmos with NGC 1015

March 13, 2018

This stunning image from Hubble shows the majestic galaxy NGC 1015, found nestled within the constellation of Cetus (The Whale) 118 million light-years from Earth. In this image, we see NGC 1015 face-on, with its beautifully symmetrical swirling arms and bright central bulge creating a scene akin to a sparkling Catherine wheel firework.

NGC 1015 has a bright, fairly large centre and smooth, tightly wound spiral arms and a central “bar” of gas and stars. This shape leads NGC 1015 to be classified as a barred spiral galaxy — just like our home, the Milky Way. Bars are found in around two-thirds of all spiral galaxies, and the arms of this galaxy swirl outwards from a pale yellow ring encircling the bar itself. Scientists believe that any hungry black holes lurking at the centre of barred spirals funnel gas and energy from the outer arms into the core via these glowing bars, feeding the black hole, fueling star birth at the centre and building up the galaxy’s central bulge.

In 2009, a Type Ia supernova named SN 2009ig was spotted in NGC 1015 — one of the bright dots to the upper right of the galaxy’s center. These types of supernovae are extremely important: they are all caused by exploding white dwarfs which have companion stars, and always peak at the same brightness — 5 billion times brighter than the Sun. Knowing the true brightness of these events, and comparing this with their apparent brightness, gives astronomers a unique chance to measure distances in the Universe.

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Blue Mitchell Day

March 13, 2018

Richard AllenBlueMitchell (March 13, 1930 – May 21, 1979) was an American Jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, rock and funk trumpeter, and composer, who recorded many albums as leader and sideman for Riverside, Blue Note and Mainstream Records.

Mitchell was born and raised in Miami, Florida. He began playing trumpet in high school, where he acquired his nickname, Blue.

After high school he played in the rhythm and blues ensembles of Paul Williams, Earl Bostic, and Chuck Willis. After returning to Miami he was noticed by Cannonball Adderley, with whom he recorded for Riverside Records in New York in 1958.

He then joined the Horace Silver Quintet, playing with tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, bassist Gene Taylor and drummer Roy Brooks. Mitchell stayed with Silver’s group until the band’s break-up in 1964, after which he formed a group with members from the Silver quintet, substituting the young pianist Chick Corea for Silver and replacing Brooks, who had fallen ill, with drummer Al Foster. This group produced a number of records for Blue Note. It disbanded in 1969, after which Mitchell joined and toured with Ray Charles until 1971.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4Abjy7tHw8

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Roy Haynes Day

March 13, 2018

Roy Owen Haynes (born March 13, 1925 Boston) is an American jazz drummer and group leader. Haynes is among the most recorded drummers in jazz, and in a career lasting more than 70 years has played in a wide range of styles ranging from swing and bebop to jazz fusion and avant-garde jazz. He has a highly expressive, personal style (“Snap Crackle” was a nickname given him in the 1950s) and is known to foster a deep engagement in his bandmates.[citation needed]

He has also led his own groups, some performing under the name Hip Ensemble. His most recent recordings as a leader are Fountain of Youth and Whereas, both of which have been nominated for a Grammy Award. He continues to perform worldwide and was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1999. His son Graham Haynes is a cornetist; his son Craig Haynes and grandson Marcus Gilmore are both drummers.

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Interviews