Now Men can Rock n' Roll while Urinating

Piss-o-Caster!!

April 13, 2012 is JAZZ DAY

International Jazz Day is April 30 (as designated by UNESCO), but in the US it will be April 13.

A statement by Jazz Forward Coalition stated:

To further ensure the successful outreach of this one day celebration, Jazz Forward Coalition has taken on the role as facilitator to supply branding materials, contact resources and expertise in developing jazz activities in your community. As you know, jazz, America's gift to the world, is a powerful cultural force and a source of national pride which led the U.S. Congress to pass HR 57, declaring Jazz a national treasure. However, its tremendous economic impact is less understood. Jazz Day aims to celebrate this economic impact by shining a spotlight on how jazz is an integral part of building community by providing both a link to our national musical heritage while delivering a creative workforce which spreads economic opportunities to multiple sectors throughout our cities. The goal for 2012 is to present and document the multitude of jazz events on Jazz Day. Once tallied, we will have an eye-opening look at the true awareness and participation in Jazz in America and present it as a true cultural and economic energizer in communities throughout the United States.

See the post [here.]

Hear 2 Hours of Music from Coltrane and Monk

Over on American Routes, a 2 hour program has been posted to celebrate two jazz giants: John Coltrane and Theolonious Monk.

The first hour focuses of Monk, while the second is on 'Trane.

Article about Jazz in the Soviet Union

Master & Margarita have an interesting article about jazz in the Soviet Union (USSR).

The part I liked the most:

In 1947, under influence of the Zhdanov doctrine, the Soviet propaganda started a large anti-cosmopolitanism campaign which lasted until 1952. The core message was that the Western culture degenerated. Soviet citizens had nothing to learn from the West, on the contrary, the progressive Westerners had much to learn from the Soviet people. The jazz bands were the victims of this ideology. Jazz and related music was described as bourgeois music and many bands were disbanded. Those who remained tried to avoid to be labeled as a jazz band, or joined the bards in the magnitizdat.

View the full article [here.]

The REAL Use for a Guitar Stand

Pink Floyd got it Right in 1977

I'm not keen on bringing politics into this blog; but something occurred to me when I was listening to the Animals album by the Floyd released in 1977.

It's a political satire concept album; talking about the three main pillars of society: the Dogs, the Pigs, and the Sheep. Each represents the classes of society, with the pigs being in control and the dogs doing their bidding, and the sheep are the mindless masses.

So why is this relevant?

Well starting in 2011, the Arab Spring brought down many tyrants of the Middle East (Hosny Mubarak, Muammar Qaddafi, Bin Ali etc).

The story of the song "Sheep" (written by Roger Waters) on the album discusses how the mindless masses collectively turn against the pigs and dogs, and then control their own fate... until:

Bleating and babbling we fell on his neck with a scream
Wave upon wave of demented avengers
March cheerfully out of obscurity into the dream.

Have you heard the news?
The dogs are dead!
You better stay home
And do as you're told
Get out of the road if you want to grow old.

The sheep are now taking over the role of the pigs; it's also inspired from George Orwell's "Animal Farm" where the pigs and humans become friends despite being enemies in the beginning.

Now the movement of all the "freed" Arab countries is to choose and elect political Islam into power; one wonders if after all this pain, bloodshed, and strife was worth something in the end.

Here's the track:

Sad Day for the Blues: The House that Chess Built under Big Dispute

Chess Records, the ultimate blues label of it's time, whose roster included Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Etta James, Willie Dixon, Chuck Berry, just to name a few, is now under a huge dispute between the Chess family (Marshall Chess, son of the great Leonard Chess) and the current owners, the Willie Dixon estate.

Willie Dixon's estate purchased the property in 1997 to save it from being demolished from it's historic location in Chicago. Since then they have renamed it "Blues Heaven Foundation" and have removed the Chess logo and any mention of the Chess Family.

Marshall Chess is obviously upset, and Marie Dixon, daughter of Willie Dixon and current owner of the building, has said they did this since the Chess family refused to donate money to renovate.

Either way, it's a sad day to hear this about one of the world's most important music labels.

You can read the full article [here.]

Great Read about Miles Davis in the '80's

Over on Burning Ambulance, Phil Freeman wrote a great article called "Miles Davis In The ’80s".

If you have the time read it... it's a reflection of the electric moods of Miles at the time.

[here.]

Want to Dress like Miles Davis?

The artists at Moxy Creative have designed some prints of what popular artists wear so you can mimic them (some of the artists include Prince, Michael Jackson and others)

So if you want to look like Miles Davis during what looks to be the late 50's, look at the picture and get to shopping!

My Father, Jamal, Receives 2nd Guinness World Record

Jamal Sleeq, my dad, was awarded a Guinness World Record in 2007 for Largest Rosary Bead Collection (masba7a).

He has just received a certificate for his second Guinness World Record, for Largest Opaline Glass Collection.

Congrats to Jamal and the Sleeq (Slik, Sleiq) family in Lebanon and abroad!

Example of Opaline: