Gibson Guitars Going Bankrupt, But Are We Surprised?

Gibson Guitars, the iconic guitar maker, has filed for bankruptcy citing low guitar sales.

I, however, am not really surprised.

See, Gibson still saw itself as a traditional guitar maker, even though the advancements of technology and change in the atmosphere of music and how it's perceived by the young generation is on a fast track forward. This old-school mentality didn't match the other makers, mostly Fender (who have taken a role in adapting to the modern trends to stay relevant). What ended up happening was Gibson kept raising the prices of their guitars to be able to break even, but finally priced themselves out of the market.

As you can see, the standard US Les Paul goes for $3,300. That wouldn't be a major issue unless you follow the news that Gibson's quality control has been bad for a while.

Now see their classic competitor, Fender's offering:

Their standard US Strat is for LESS THAN HALF of the Gibson, which as per the reviews is one of the best made Fenders in recent memory.

As long as you consider yourself a luxury brand (this isn't cars we're talking about), and trying to sell to broke musicians or beginners, you're gonna end up with a bad time. Not only that, many other makers do the Les Paul better.

Gibson is too iconic to die, but hoping a change of management and vision will bring it back on track.

Blues for Mother's Day

Today the day we acknowledge and thank the women of the world who have given their lives, effort, and time to take care of us. While mostly it is a time for celebration, the blues is always relevant.

Mothers go through so much to ensure we become better people, to stay healthy, to learn to do things right and to always be good.

It's definitely not easy to be a mother, so here's a small list of blues songs that talk about the hardships and tribulations of mothers everywhere (well except Elmore James' but I digress):

Mother's Blues - Leadbelly 

Mother Blues - Son Seals

Nobody Loves Me But My Mother - B.B. King

Mean Mistreatin' Mama - Elmore James

Motherless Child - O.V. Wright

Blues Winners at the 59th Grammy Awards

So the Grammy Awards happened last night, and while we are not concerned with anything else other than the blues, here are the winners of the two categories in Blues:

Personally speaking I would have liked Lurrie Bell to win the Traditional category, as I consider Bobby Rush to be more of soul/R&B, and The Record Company for Contemporary, but nonetheless congrats to the winners!

Here's a video from each winner:

Blues Review 2016

Another year has gone, this time one of the harshest. Wars, many influential celeb deaths, and Pokemon Go.

This year was a turning point for me, as I was signed to a record label and my album is coming early next year, as well having some great gigs and played in Bahrain for the first time with my rock side-project The Watertowers.

My album, coming soon in 2017

Blog wise I was not that active this year, mainly because my life and music commitments too a lot of my blog slice of the pie; hopefully you stuck around with me and I hope to bring you more blues next year. Have a good one everybody.

Oh, and in case you missed it, here's my latest Youtube upload of my band performing Dust My Broom at the DAI Fall Festival last month:

Another Year Without Jazz at Dubai Jazz Fest

Oh look! It's that time of year where I bash the Dubai Jazz Festival again.

It's not even been one year since my last post about this goddammed festival, but hey if it wasn't for beating on dead horses it wouldn't be the blues.

This year ladies and gents, without even announcing the full lineup, we get this for the 2017 edition:

Dear god they done fucked it up again. And get this: the cheapest ticket (per night of course, since Mariah and Enrique are playing on different days) is $90!

For comparison, at the Winter Jazz Festival in New York in January, you can buy an all-out pass for 5 full days with over 50 JAZZ artists for only $160 :

I don't wanna be too unfair about ticket prices, because hey, it's Dubai right? I mean... you can't compare it to New York fuckin' City right? (hint: sarcasm)

I still propose an anti-Dubai Jazz Fest be launched at the same day as the true anti-thesis of that watered-down, commercialized festival will be. But I digress, we know that won't happen.

So for a story 3 years running, this has been your grumpy neighborhood bluesman signing off. 

Continuing the Tradition: 'Dubai Jazz Fest' Ain't Got no Jazz

Happy New Year folks!

I wanted to discuss this issue as my first post of 2016 because frankly, it STILL fucking bugs me.

It is said you should let things go, to leave people be, to let them do what their own thing; and that you shouldn't let anyone bother you.

But in our case, I cannot let the Dubai Jazz Fest debacle go. The sidelining of jazz music at a show that's supposed to be it's namesake keeps going on, with no end in sight.

I wrote about this many, many, MANY times. If you are unfamiliar, let me quickly break it down for you:

In 2012, I posted a news update about Deep Purple headlining the Dubai Jazz Fest ('DJF' from now on), and at my unhappiness about that. Later, and in several posts, I showed how bad the organizers handled criticism towards them, like by deleting posts or telling people to 'deal with it'. Also, I mentioned how they were trying to broaden the scope of the event without giving us the 'jazz' portion.

In 2014, they had  jazz artists finally, but were shoved in the "Jazz Garden", a separate venue from the main stage where the 'big' artists will perform, and gave them short playing time.

So, back again this year, LOOK WHO WE HAVE:

TOTO!? SANTANA? DAVID GRAY?! LA BOMBA DE TIEMPO? SITNG!? AGAIN!!?

Before you guys go apeshit on me, Chris Botti (headliner with Sting) is a jazz trumpeter, however most of his music is based on pop music. Plus Sting is with him so that doesn't count.

And Postmodern Jukebox, who mainly got famous for making viral Facebook posts on their covers of modern songs, while talented, if not gimmicky, are not hardcore enough for real jazz fans.

In 2003, Dubai Jazz Fest had FUCKING ARCHIE SCHEPP,  BILLY COBHAM, & STANLEY JORDAN for fucks sake. That is the kind of jazz we want to see. 

If I, a self-proclaimed blues and jazz fan, wants to dish out hundreds of dirhams to see such an extravagant event, it would be pretty much against what I would want out of a jazz event. 

My rant might be getting old and redundant, and falling on deaf ears. But the DJF is doing the same. 

The official website of the DJF is [here]. But until then, the real home of Jazz in the Middle East is at the Jazz at Lincoln Center - Doha, and the small hotspots in Beirut. 

Response to Beirut.com's Article on Blues in Beirut

Yesterday, Mario Jamal wrote an article on Beirut.com called 'The Thrill Is Gone: Thoughts on a Blues Malaise in Beirut'. 

As a self-professed bluesman, who has performed in Beirut, Kuwait, and Dubai, I have to add my 2 cents in.

Mario, 

You seem to particularly know some blues music, but neither BB King, Bobby 'Blue' Bland nor Albert King are considered "Chicago Blues", and early delta blues players are more considered to be Robert Johnson, Son House, Blind Lemon Jefferson etc. RL Burnside was only a youngster when these bluesmen were at their prime. 

The White Stripes (through Jack White) and the Black Keys are not part of a blues-rock revival (if such a revival really exists). We know Jack White has shown interest in the early blues, even performing 'Death Letter Blues' by Son House live. But his overall music, including the Black Keys, have little to no commonality with early delta blues.

With that out of the way, let's move on to the Beirut scene:

During the 5 years I spent in Lebanon during my AUB years between 2000-2005, I performed in my own blues band, regularly I may add, back when Monot St. was active, and we played several music festivals in Hamra and Hadath, etc. Check more out [here] and [here].

At the time, only The Wanton Bishops were not in the blues scene. The rest you already mentioned. By the time I left, Shady Nashef & Band were unfortunately becoming a covers only band (not just blues), even though all on his team are amazing musicians. 

When I recently heard that the Real Deal Blues Band still plays till today, and that Quadrangle still stands, I think you then realize what the problem is.

The blues is a much highly regarded genre in Lebanon. Not only are the Lebanese more generally knowledgeable about blues and jazz compared to other places in the region, but they are also active band supporters and live music enthusiasts.

We fantasize about the history and imagery of what blues music is; and indeed in that sense the blues is evident in Beirut and Lebanon; isn't there poverty, destitution, and even more worse things going on?

The answer is simple; it's not popular ENOUGH to generate enough money for musicians to make a living, nor for the establishment to generate enough revenue to pay the band or to cover their costs.

I give you an example from my experience:

From 2003-2005 my band Evergreen Blues Band, was performing weekly at Roadhouse Blues pub in Monot. We were getting $100 a week FOR THE WHOLE BAND. 

How do you expect a 4 piece group to survive this? Granted we were college kids and we didn't care. But for someone older, with a family and responsibilities, this is ridiculous. 

So what did musicians have to do? They adapt. 

Either they perform other kinds of music, be a party / wedding / TV band, or end up taking regular jobs. I perform a lot of blues music today. but it's not enough to sustain me and my family (I have a daughter now).

That alone is enough cause for the blues; however just as Jazz is now the least popular genre in the US, where it was created, we have to always add the economic factor into it.

As much as I talk and discuss and preach about the blues, for 15 years now, I always have to remove my romantic fantasies and must embrace reality. 

2015 Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame - Blues Roundup

As discussed previously, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble and The Paul Butterfield Blues Band were inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame yesterday.

For SRV, John Mayer inducted him, saying:

“I’m a Stevie Ray Vaughan wannabe,” he concluded, “because I wanted to be Stevie and I still want to be Stevie. And if you ever pick up a guitar, is there anybody better to want to be than Stevie Ray Vaughan?” 

SRV's brother Jimmie accepted the award and said:

Stevie Ray Vaughan was my little brother,” he began. “I know he would want to thank the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but most of all, he’d want to thank his fans, all 18 million of them, that voted for him to get in here. He would be so proud and so would my mother and father.” 

After that, John Mayer, Jimmie Vaughan, and Gary Clark Jr. performed 'Six String Down', which is a song Jimmie wrote in tibute to his brother.

As for The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Peter Wolf inducted them, and said:

"The Paul Butterfield Blues Band brought something different to the genre, and they kicked down the door, and showed others how to really do it real differently."

The surviving members, including keyboardist Mark Naftalin, guitarist Elvin Bishop and drummer Sam Lay as well as the late Butterfield’s sons, spoke after the induction. Naftalin said: “It’s an honor and a privilege to be part of something historical.” 

Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Zak Brown performed Butterfield's "I Was Born Chicago":

@tmorello @zacbrownband bustin' out some Paul Butterfied jams @rock_hall #RockHall2015 pic.twitter.com/N2pP4Mll6Z
— DJ Pridemore (@RadioDJtheDJ) April 19, 2015

And the surviving band members performed Muddy Waters' 'I Got My Mojo Working" which was on their seminal self-titles album.

It was a good night and big exposure to some of the best bluesmen of our time.

Study: Blues & Jazz Musicians Live Longer, are More Stable

The blues means living hard, living through the treacheries of modern life. However, though the tropes include homicide, drug usage, etc, in a recent study, it's shown that blues musicians outlive musicians from every music genre out there. This is also true of jazz:

The above table shows the causes of death from every genre; as you can see, blues musicians die from heart related issues above every other, indicating usual long life. Jazz musicians have the highest death rate when it comes to cancer, also suggesting longevity. Hip-hop artists on the contrary, usually die from homicide related causes, above the overall average.

"This pattern reflects, to some extent, a confound in the data: musicians who are dying youngest belong to newer genres (electronic, punk, metal,rap,hip-hop) that have not existed as long as genres such as jazz, country, gospel and blues. Consequently, they have not had the same opportunity to live a full lifespan."

So in conclusion, if you want to live a long life, play the blues!

Jazz & Blues Commentary from 1964

I have recently acquired two vintage issues of Down Beat magazine from August 13 and October 8, 1964. The ads, the fonts, the jargon... lovely stuff.

Reading through these issues I got a sense of the sign of the times back in the early 60's. Avant-garde and free jazz were taking swift advances at "old" jazz, and there was a folk / blues revival going on. 

Jazz (and to a lesser extent, blues) criticism was also just as harsh as today (see my article Blues Purism vs. Evolution on one angle of it). There's also some great commentary, especially if you compare it to the present time.

I tried to get approval to transcribe a full article for you but with no reply. So for this, I'm going to post some of the things I have seen in these magazines that sort of give you the impressions that still resonate with jazz and blues today. Remember, this is stuff written 50 years ago!

"Who could be surprised that Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie beat all other trumpeters by a wide margin? Polls simply give established names a recognition they do not need."

"Most people haven't the faintest idea of the talent in their own towns. Why aren't they being covered?"

"It is foolish to call music you cannot understand "garbage" as it is to call it "genius". Jazz has evolved with one essential objective- to make clearer and more musically accessible the individualism of the performer."

"If the 'new thing' (ed: Free/Avant-Garde Jazz) musicians have really succeeded in blowing their own problems out of life, then they have every artistic reason to exist."

"There is a definite increase in interest of jazz records. We expect huge increase in sales going forward. People are more and more turning to jazz."

"Actually, I haven't seen anything spectacular yet. The coming year's jazz picture looks pretty dismal, as it's been for the last three or four years".

"It's people like John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Cecil Taylor and others that jazz clubs are closing all over the country!"

"Is it good for the blues to change like this? I don't think so. Back in the day, that was the real blues. Everything now seems commercial."

"I think the blues, the old country-style blues, will die with the original players." 

When a Horn Section Doesn't Work with Blues

Muddy's 1966 album Brass & The Blues; our case study

The stereotype for blues art and design is to always include a horn player, most of the time a saxophonist. It somehow emphasizes that a horn section is an integral part of a blues band.

While it not unusual to have a horn section in a blues setting, keep in mind the blues did not come the city; where the music scene is slick and refined. It came from the Mississippi delta, from the cotton fields, where music was learned by listening to others; no formal training or instruction... very 'primitive' and raw. A place where a harmonica was called a "Mississippi Saxophone", where it was about the hardships and not about getting down to the dancefloor.

So even since the dawn of jazz in the early 20th century in New Orleans with Dixieland Jazz, it had an urban flavor to it. And urban centers, such as Chicago and New York City, were very welcoming to this style of music, eventually leading to the Jazz Era of the 1920's, swing era of the 30's, and bebop of the 40's. 

The blues did not gain much popularity in the big cities until the mid-to-late 40's. One of the main Chicago blues pillars is Muddy Waters, whose raw Mississippi sound paired with electric guitars led to an explosion of inner city blues. None of these bands had horn sections. 

But later on, artists such as B.B. King started adding a horn section to their band. It ultimately gave them a more R & B, soul/gospel feel. So now you can hear a difference between several bands; one reason that B.B. King was successful is that he played 'higher class music', per the words of Muddy Waters. Horns always evoke a feeling or aura of sophistication.

Which brings me to the point today; in 1966 Chess Records decided to 'renew' Muddy's sound by adding a horn section to his traditional blues. The results were mixed, but the album sold well enough.

With the addition of horns, the music automatically changed to a more R&B sound. This is not the issue here, but rather it did not mix with the style Muddy was bringing forward. 

So if you ever get in a discussion about blues and horns, site the above example. 

Whiplash Wins, Jazz Loses

The Huffington Post published an article discussing the realism of the Oscar winning film Whiplash, drawing how the film portrayed jazz musicians and teachers in a wrong way. In the film, an aspiring jazz drumming student gets in a heated rivalry with his instructor at a music conservatory. The film won 3 Oscars for Best Supporting Actor, Film Editing, and Sound Mixing.

I do agree that the film overdid what real jazz players and instructors do; instructors don't call students names or be violent, and students have rarely (if ever) bled while practicing their instruments.

One jazz professor at Julliard, Mark Sherman, says:

"If Wynton Marsalis, who's my boss here at Juilliard, did that, called kids "cocksuckers" and badgered kids like that -- he'd be thrown out."

The good thing about the film is that is brings jazz into the big screen, something missing from today's media. And although the film went overboard with the drama for the sake of pulling in the audience, it might not have portrayed it in a way that might let people actually go out to listen or buy jazz records.

The full article is [here], what do you think?

The Only Shade You Need is Blue

Some folks need 50 shades to get their satisfaction.

With the blues, you have only one shade. And that one shade can give you all the emotions you need... from sadness and empathy to joy and hope.

The blues is more than a feeling, and it's not just about being sad. “Feeling blue” is expressed in songs whose verses lament injustice or express longing for a better life and lost loves, jobs, and money. But blues is also a raucous dance music that celebrates pleasure and success. Central to the idea of blues performance is the concept that, by performing or listening to the blues, one is able to overcome sadness and lose the blues.

If only Christian Grey said the words of Little Walter!

Closer Look: Minor Blues

In the general (and most popular) structure of the blues, called the '12-bar blues', the dominant chords are used for the key of a particular song. So for example, in the key of E, you would use the E7, A7, and B7 chords for that structure. 

In some cases however, and when you need an extra 'modal' sound or "less happy" tonality, you would instead use the minor chord. So instead of E7, you would play Em. This results in a completely different sound in a blues structure. Many bluesmen and jazz players used their own variations on the common 12-bar blues to add some variety. These added chords or the mellow minor sound tend to shift the blues sound to R&B or soul territory, as well as more variety in soloing to use more extended scales and chords.

The most popular minor blues song is by far B.B. King's 'The Thrill is Gone':

Some other great minor blues are:


'I Hear Nothing But The Blues' - Albert King

'Midnight Blues' - Gary Moore

'Double Trouble' - Otis Rush

'Moon Blues' - Otis Spann

'Who's Been Talkin' - Howlin Wolf

The Last Remaining Old School Mississippi Blues Musicians

The Huffington Post has published an article showcasing the last remaining old school blues musicians in Mississippi. The photographs were taken by Lou Bopp when he undertook an adventure to capture the blues aura of the Mississippi.

You can see the full list of photos [here]. Thanks Rita for the tip!

Big George Brock

Pat Thomas

T Model Ford

Blues & Religion

via Mojohand

'Blues is my religion, 7 days a week. The world is my chapel, the congregation is the people I meet' - Sonny Rhodes, from "Blues is My Religion".

It is accepted that the blues has origins from spirituals (among other things); the hymns that were sung in chapels rang across the halls and into the deepest parts of the soul. 

However, the blues was not the type of music to expect hope, forgiveness, salvation, or mercy. For the story of man ever since his origins was deep in sin (if you believe the gospel of course). 

Ever since the legend of Robert Johnson selling his soul to the devil at a crossroads became popular, the blues has been associated with being the blasphemous step-dad of the gospel (I say step-dad because otherwise it would entail purity or fidelity, which the blues ain't.)

Religious imagery is prevalent throughout blues music, particularly the blues of the 20's and 30's; songs talk about the devil, make fun of the preachers and reverends, use biblical imagery and speak of the afterlife, both heaven and hell, in frank terms. From the early days of the blues, there was an attack on religion and some of it's ways. One famous example is Son House's classic song "Preachin' Blues':

Oh, I'm gonna get me religion, I'm gonna join the Baptist Church (2X)
Oh, I'm gonna be a Baptist preacher and I sure won't have to work

I'm gonna preach these blues an' I want everybody to shout
Oooo…oh, I want everybody to shout
I'm gonna do like a prisoner, I'm gonna roll my time out

Oh, in my room, I bow down to pray (2X)
But the blues came along and blowed my spirit away

Oooh, I'd've had religion on this very day (2X)
But the womens and whiskey well they would no let me pray

new version from 1965 (for clarity):

Several blues men and women of that era such as Ma Rainey and others started singing songs about the hypocrisy of preachers, who claim to be pure and innocent but are drunkards and adulterers. Even as late as 1972, Muddy Waters in his song "Can't Get No Grindin", he states:

Some people said that a preacher won't steal;

I caught one down in my corn field.

Many bluesmen sich as B.B. King learned to sing at church, and some are very religious; however the real salvation of the blues lies within yourself, and not in the hands of a preacher or God. 

As a side note for further reading, many blues musicians used voodoo imagery in their songs. You can read more about Voodoo and the Blues in an article I wrote here.

U2 'Give Themselves Away' to Apple

Pun intended.

U2... probably one of the most controversial bands out there. Not because they throw feces around stage, or bounce their booty in suggestive ways, or chomp on live bats, but rather because of the polarizing love-hate relationship people have with them.

I'm on the hate side, as if it needed clarification. I hate their derivative music, Bono's ego, and anyone who calls himself "The Edge". But after their Apple collaboration, I hate them even more.

You see, musicians are supposed to be about the art, the sound, their integrity, their passion. We all diss fabricated corporate pop music of the Justin Beibers, Miley Cyruses and the like. We love 'real' music; we talk non-stop about how good music was back in the day; Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix etc. I certainly never stop talking about the Blues.

U2 polarize the population by acting corporate under the disguise of being humanitarians. Bono is considered a peace activist, but underneath those big shades, he's still a human being with greed. He spoke badly about free file sharing; but suddenly when you get $100 FUCKING million from Apple, who's to complain!?

GIVE EVERY FUCKING IPHONE USER (500 FUCKING MILLION ACCOUNTS) AN ALBUM OF THIS SHIT.  - Bono

Talk about extreme mass marketing. If I did that shit for free everyone would dump my attempts to the junk mail and call it spam. That's what I'd do.

So how is that ok U2? I also blame Apple for this stunt; but obviously it didn't work.

oops

The internet went batshit insane.

But the scary part is how Apple has such a power over our phones. Technology scares me sometimes.

But on to the case of music integrity; these days with the all time low CD sales, dwindling digital download and streaming sales, what is an artist to do? Some people say it's the survival of the fittest, and this is what U2 has done. 

But now this could set a bad precedent. Imagine one day you have free albums delivered to your phones en mass without your consent or permission on a regular basis. 

U2 have to literally give their music away now. Maybe because their music is still pretty shit and that's the only way to get their music out there? 

How can a musician who isn't a prostitute to the music industry make ends meet? Buddy Guy's superb album 'Rhythm & Blues' sold only 10,000 albums the first week on sale, and he's considered the biggest bluesman alive right now. 

Call me paranoid, but on the technological level and the artistic level, I fear for the future.

The Blues, Sex Pistols, Benny Goodman, & The Fight Against Tyranny

With all the hoopla surrounding the very quick rise of ISIL (Islamic State if Iraq & Levant, or now just IS - Islamic State), and all the bandwagon-ing, I thought I'd share a musical perspective to all of this.

Let it be known that I am a supporter of liberty; oppression and tyranny have no place in my book, be it a political system or religion. The iron fist/heel rule of power is an outdated concept that only shows the worst part of humanity.

While everyone is freaking out (not that I blame them), keep in mind that all the regional and international powers all have some interest in such a group existing, as it causes harm to one of the rival governments in some way.

Let's take a quick step back in history; below are three case studies (out of hundreds) about how music has stood up against the tyrannic laws and leaders:


1. THE BLUES

When you think of the blues, you think about misfortune, betrayal and regret. You lose your job, you get the blues. Your loved one falls out of love with you, you get the blues. Your dog dies, you get the blues. While blues lyrics often deal with personal adversity, the music itself goes far beyond self-pity.

The blues has deep roots in American history, particularly African-American history. The blues originated on Southern plantations in the 19th Century. Its inventors were slaves, ex-slaves and the descendants of slaves - African-American sharecroppers who sang as they toiled in the cotton and vegetable fields. It's generally accepted that the music evolved from African spirituals, African chants, work songs and field hollers.

The blues was instrumental in what lead to the civil rights movement, that allowed African-Americans equal rights as everyone else in the land of the free, by sparking social consciousness with the message of the music that spread out from the South and found it's way to the entire world.

2. BENNY GOODMAN (and Jazz in General)

Live in Moscow 1962

The USSR was a failed communist experiment that lead to the death of millions of innocent people at the hands of the state for ideological reasons.

A major factor that lead to the dissolution of the USSR was Western culture, such as jazz and jeans.

Millions of Russians and Soviets would tune in to Western radio stations and broadcasts and heard the music and about life under democracy. One day the Communist Party agreed to have Benny Goodman, the King of Swing, to perform in the USSR.

Here's a short video below from an original news story from that time,  a great flashback of the Cold War era:

It took many years, but eventually the Berlin Wall fell in 1990 and it was all over from then on.

3. THE SEX PISTOLS

I mean... anyone who sings a song about the bloody queen is enough to be on this list, especially when the singles cover is like the one above!

It was unheard of to have this type of rebellion against the system; in 1977 The Sex Pistols exploded the charts and the UK with this song, and there were rumors that the UK government had manipulated the sales charts to show the song at number 2, when in fact the actual numbers show it at number 1. 

This lead to a huge punk rock anti-establishment movement, with bands like The Clash performing songs like 'London Calling':

So now to the Arab scenario, if we are to stop an advancing terror, history tells us that such tyranny is never won by brute force, but by ideals of justice, equality, and liberty. 

Kanye Says He's On a Mission From God; But Is He?

There's always someone who claims he/she is such an important figure in society that they claim they are sent on a divine mission from God.

Today, it's Kanye West, who recently spoke on radio and had this to say:


"Don't worry about how I'm saying what I'm saying. Look at what I'm saying and how I feel my intent is.  You do not want to go against the power. I'm working on one mission, and that's a mission from God. I'm gonna make it very clear exactly what I'm here to do. I'm here to help. I'm going to apply all the blessings I've got. "We're moving to the future. [And] I'm gonna be the anchor."

Aside from the incoherent vagueness, the statement always takes me back to the original messengers of the Lord: 

In 1980, The Blues Brothers, originally a Saturday Night Live skit - turned Hollywood movie, set comedy films on fire as well as having a substantial role in reviving the blues as a genre. 

Why is this relevant? 

On the musical side of things, The Blues Brothers, and more notably Dan Aykroyd, have sought out to spread the message of the blues; indeed, in Blues Brothers 2000 he gives an inspirational speech to the band who is suffering from low morale and feel the cause is lost by saying: 

Elwood Blues: You may go if you wish. But remember this: walk away now and you walk away from your crafts, your skills, your vocations; leaving the next generation with nothing but recycled, digitally-sampled techno-grooves, quasi-synth rhythms, pseudo-songs of violence-laden gangsta-rap, acid pop, and simpering, saccharine, soulless slush. Depart now and you forever separate yourselves from the vital American legacies of Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Jimmy Reed, Memphis Slim, Blind Boy Fuller, Louie Jordon, Little Walter, Big Walter, Sonnyboy Williamson I and II, Otis Redding, Jackie Wilson, Elvis Presley, Lieber and Stoller, and Robert K. Weiss.

Donald "Duck" Dunn: Who is Robert K. Weiss?

Elwood Blues: Turn your backs now and you snuff out the fragile candles of Blues, R&B and Soul, and when those flames flicker and expire, the light of the world is extinguished because the music which has moved mankind through seven decades leading to the millennium will whither and die on the vine of abandonment and neglect.

That is the sound of a messiah; Kanye's boastful claims of being sent on a holy mission in rap music (I'm assuming by his quote) by showing extreme personality disorders such as throwing a fit when not winning a Grammy, or marrying one of the fakest women on the planet and having major egotistical issues, makes you wonder what kind of a message he's bringing? 

'Can Starbucks Save Jazz?'

Everytime I walk into a Starbucks I am impressed that there is some good quality Jazz music being played. I especially remember when one time 'Freddie Freeloader' from Miles Davis's album Kind of Blue was on and I got so overexcited that I told the barista 'Hey that's Freddie Freeloader!' while he looked at me in bewilderment.

While I thought it was a nice way to get people to hear jazz, I also thought that most people would just use it as ambient music while sipping their frappachinos; afterall, jazz is is no longer the music of the people. It's become music of the sophisticated, and these days people couple sophistication with coffeeshops.

What about an expert opinion on the matter?

Jazz historian Ted Gioia is a leading jazz critic and author; he has written several books on jazz and blues, as well as being active on the internet by starting up and co-chairing several jazz websites.

Most recently he wrote an article for the Daily Beast where he asks 'Can Starbucks Save Jazz?' or 'Jazz (The Music of Coffee and Donuts) Has Respect, But It Needs Love'.

In it, he argues:

'Jazz helps sell millions of cups of coffee, but sales of jazz records are in dire need of a caffeine jolt. Jazz festivals flourish by tapping into this allure of jazz—but increasingly fill their stages with artists from other genres.

So even if I applaud Starbucks and other retailers for exposing the general public to jazz, I still can’t take much comfort from its prominence in these settings. Let me be blunt: I don’t want the next generation of music lovers to associate jazz with Frappuccinos and frosted donuts.'

What do you think? Are we taking the matter too seriously (for more about purism read by article Blues Purism vs Evolution)