Gil Scott-Heron – ‘I’m New Here’ out early 2010.
13 October, 2009
In early 2010 Gil Scott-Heron will release a brand new album entitled ‘I’m New Here’ on XL Recordings.
Here are four excerpts from his first album of new material since 1997; ‘A.M.’, ‘I’m New Here’, ‘Me And The Devil’ and ‘I’ll Take Care Of You’. These tracks have been recorded in New York over the past 18 months.
Live review: Gil Scott-Heron at the El Rey and new album
12 October, 2009
“For those of you who believed I wouldn’t be here,” Gil Scott-Heron told the El Rey crowd with an amiable smile Sunday night, “you lose.” It was the 60-year-old poet, musician, spoken-word sage and hip-hop harbinger’s first show in L.A. in several years. After decades of parsing media mirages in song, it was as if Scott-Heron’s mere appearance onstage were his latest political provocation. He said nothing about the drug- and health-related predicaments that had kept him from performing in the U.S., except to suggest that the rumors on the Internet had been, to borrow the words of another humorous and acutely race-conscious American raconteur, Mark Twain, greatly exaggerated. The message was simply this: Gil Scott-Heron is still here.
Seated behind a keyboard, Scott-Heron introduced himself to the audience with a freewheeling and amusing monologue that took in the ludicrousness of CNN-commissioned “experts,” the trick of finding your own “-ology” and the problems with February as Black History Month and calendars in general. He announced a new record (his first in more than a decade and a half) to be released next year, “I’m New Here,” which he joked would surprise listeners as much as “the old ones you have not bought,” and a book, “The Last Holiday,” chronicling Scott-Heron and Stevie Wonder’s 1980s campaign to make the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a national holiday.
Scott-Heron began the set by himself, with his song dedicated to voting rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer in honor of her Oct. 6 birthday, “95 South (All of the Places We’ve Been).” He was then joined by his band, including saxophonist Leon Williams, guitarist Ed Brady, bassist Robert Gordon, keyboardist and vocalist Kim Jordan and drummer Kenny Powell. They launched into another song, “We Almost Lost Detroit” (also from the 1977 album “Bridges”), after Scott-Heron’s shout-out to a “brother named Common” who sampled the song for 2007’s “The People.”
It was a meditative and exuberant night. The set continued with the rousing rebuke to “the military and the monetary” in “Work for Peace,” the vivacious musicological query “Is That Jazz?,” his stirring national elegy “Winter in America” and “Your Daddy Loves You,” which Scott-Heron dedicated to his own daughter in the audience. The singer who boldly derided Ronald Reagan in “B Movie” and “Re-Ron” refrained from mentioning any specific political figures. This was not an evening for discussion of how “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” or an open letter to rappers in a “Message to the Messengers.” Read the rest of this entry »
Upcoming Films That You Should See Part 2: Capitalism – A Love Story
11 October, 2009
Michael Moore: Capitalism – A Love Story 2009
Upcoming Films That You Should See Part 1: South of The Border
11 October, 2009
Oliver Stone’s South of the Border 2009
Royal Mail: a battle for us all
9 October, 2009
The postal workers’ fight is crucial for every worker, student, pensioner and unemployed person in Britain.
It is part of a much bigger war – over public services, jobs, union rights, and pay and conditions at work. It’s about who will be made to pay for the economic crisis.
A victory for the postal workers would show everyone else that resistance is possible and that workers can win. It would help develop the strength needed to beat back the assaults.
A defeat would encourage further attacks. Read the rest of this entry »
The End of Murdoch’s London Paper!
30 August, 2009
News International announced last week that it planned to close its afternoon freesheet, the London Paper having lost £12.9m in year to end of June 2008. The last edition will likely be printed on September 18th 2009.
The announcement signals an end to the London freesheet wars, which began almost exactly three years ago in August 2006. Read the rest of this entry »
Who Do You Think You Are Kidding Mr Murdoch???
30 August, 2009
(Laugh? I nearly cried!!…)
James Murdoch, The Chairman and Chief Executive for Europe and Asia of News Corporation and son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, speaking last week at the Edinburgh International Television Festival attacked the BBC and its online expansion claiming it is a threat to “independent journalism”, and called for an “overhaul of regulation”.
Mr Murdoch also said in his lecture that the BBC is “dominant” and that its “income is guaranteed and growing.”…
The Crisis of Credit Visualized
17 August, 2009
By the author: “The goal of giving form to a complex situation like the credit crisis is to quickly supply the essence of the situation to those unfamiliar and uninitiated. This project was completed as part of my thesis work in the Media Design Program, a graduate studio at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. For more on my broader thesis work exploring the use of new media to make sense of a increasingly complex world.”
See http://www.crisisofcredit.com
To watch this short animation in HD click here http://www.vimeo.com/3261363
Murdoch’s War On Journalism
5 August, 2009
August 4, 2009
John Pilger
I MET Eddie Spearritt in the Philharmonic pub overlooking Liverpool. It was a few years after 96 Liverpool football fans had been crushed to death at Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield, on April 15, 1989. Eddie’s son, Adam, aged 14, died in his arms. The “main reason for the disaster,” Lord Justice Taylor subsequently reported, was the “failure” of the police, who had herded fans into a lethal pen.
“As I lay in my hospital bed,” Eddie said, “the hospital staff kept the Sun away from me. It’s bad enough when you lose your 14-year-old son because you’re treating him to a football match. Nothing can be worse than that. But since then I’ve had to defend him against all the rubbish printed by the Sun about everyone there being a hooligan and drinking. There was no hooliganism. During 31 days of Lord Justice Taylor’s inquiry, no blame was attributed because of alcohol. Adam never touched it in his life.”
Three days after the disaster, Kelvin MacKenzie, Rupert Murdoch’s “favorite editor,” sat down and designed the Sun front page, scribbling “THE TRUTH” in huge letters. Beneath it, he wrote three subsidiary headlines: “Some fans picked pockets of victims”…”Some fans urinated on the brave cops”…”Some fans beat up PC giving kiss of life.” All of it was false; MacKenzie was banking on anti-Liverpool prejudice.
When sales of the Sun fell by almost 40 percent on Merseyside, Murdoch ordered his favorite editor to feign penitence. BBC Radio 4 was chosen as his platform. The “sarf London” accent that was integral to MacKenzie’s fake persona as an “ordinary punter” was now a contrite, middle-class voice that fitted Radio 4. “I made a rather serious error,” said MacKenzie, who has since been back on Radio 4 in a very different mood, aggressively claiming that the Sun’s treatment of Hillsborough was merely a “vehicle for others.”
When we met, Eddie Spearritt mentioned MacKenzie and Murdoch with a dignified anger. So did Joan Traynor, who lost two sons, Christopher and Kevin, whose funeral was invaded by MacKenzie’s photographers even though Joan had asked for her family’s privacy to be respected. The picture of her sons’ coffins on the front page of a paper that had lied about the circumstances of their death so deeply upset her that for years she could barely speak about it.
Such relentless inhumanity forms the iceberg beneath the Guardian’s current exposé of Murdoch’s alleged payment of $1.7 million hush money to those whose phones his News of the World reporters have criminally invaded. “A cultural Chernobyl,” is how the German investigative journalist Reiner Luyken, based in London, described Murdoch’s effect on British life. Read the rest of this entry »
Chávez Urges Obama To Change His Ambiguous Discourse
14 July, 2009
Venezuela’s President blamed the CIA for the coup in Honduras
President Hugo Chávez urged his US counterpart Barack Obama’s Administration to stop shilly-shallying and condemn the coup d’état against Honduran President Manuel Zelaya.
During his weekly radio and TV program Aló Presidente (Hello President) last Sunday, Chávez avoided holding the US ruler responsible for the events in Honduras. He rather pointed to “the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the US Department of State and the Pentagon,” Efe reported.
Chávez claimed that if Obama moved to withdraw the US troops from the Honduran military base of Palmerola, revoke the visas and seize the properties that the members of the de facto government own in the United States, the situation for the coup leaders would become untenable.
Obama “is not going to trick us with an ambiguous discourse or with a smile,” warned Chávez. He added that Obama wants to be seen “as a peaceful dove, as an innocent lamb.”
The Venezuelan ruler said that he would rather deal with former US President George W. Bush than with Obama. In Chávez’s words, “you better face the head of the empire assuming his role as such, than face someone who is off and on.”
Chávez recalled that US President John F. Kennedy was killed by US “imperial” forces. “I hope they do not kill Obama, because Obama is biting off more than he can chew.”
Furthermore, the Venezuelan ruler admitted that he has “talked with several Honduran military officers.” He said that he knows that middle and low rank officers in the Honduran Army are unhappy with the current situation. Therefore, Chávez predicted that Zelaya would return to his country.
“Zelaya will return to his country. The government of Honduras will decide whether to kill him or not. He is willing to die,” the Venezuelan Head of State said.
Finally, he drew the attention of the de facto government about the arrest of a group of Venezuelan journalists in Honduras. Chávez said that “if anything happens” to the staff of the Venezuelan TV channels who are currently working in Honduras, the de facto authorities shall take responsibility for their actions.
Chávez added that despite the US military power, political changes in Latin America will not cease.
“The process of change in Latin America is not going to stop, President Obama. You can send the Fourth and the Sixth Fleet, or the world’s largest bombers, but changes will not end,” Chávez said.
Translated by Gerardo Cárdenas
Source: El Universal
Call centre workers from across Britain came together at a meeting at last month’s CWU conference. The meeting was unlike most others at the conference, with many of the participants far younger than the average delegate, and most at firms that do not recognise the union.
Nevertheless, the picture of how activists are recruiting included stories of great creativity in the face of bosses that are determined to keep call centres union-free zones.
For obvious reasons, activists’ names have been changed. Read the rest of this entry »
Hiromi Uehara 上原ひろみ
12 July, 2009
Hiromi Uehara (上原ひろみ, born 26 March 1979) is a jazz composer and pianist born in Hamamatsu, Japan. She is known for her virtuosic technique, energetic live performances and blend of musical genres such as jazz, progressive rock, classical and fusion in her compositions.
Hiromi started learning classical piano at age 5. She was introduced to jazz by her piano teacher Noriko Hakita when she was 8. At age 14, she played with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. When she was 17, she met Chick Corea by chance in Tokyo, and was invited to play with him at his concert the very next day. After being a jingle writer for a few years for Japanese companies such as Nissan, she enrolled to study at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. There, she was mentored by Ahmad Jamal and had already signed with jazz label Telarc before her graduation.
Since her debut in 2003, Hiromi has toured the world and appeared in numerous jazz festivals. She will be performing live at the 2009 edition of the TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival on June 29th. She performed in London on 10th July at the Barbican, City of London.
For more information on Hiromi Uehara see
- Official web
- Official web (Japanese)
- Official Hiromi Fanclub
- Hiromi Uehara wikipedia page
- HiromiJazz An unofficial website about Hiromi with news, CD reviews, interviews and a discussion forum.
- Hiromi Uehara Tour Dates at Telarc
- Hiromi Uehara at MySpace
- In-depth Hiromi interview with Anil Prasad of Innerviews
- Tony Grey
- Dave Fiuczynski
- Martin Valihora
- Keyboard Magazine – The Upward Spiral
- Live Performing Spain with Chick Corea
Source: Youtube & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiromi_Uehara
Marxism 2009
2 July, 2009
Here is the final timetable for Marxism 2009 with full details of speakers and meetings.
If you are looking to attend some of these workshops and meetings here is some useful information. Read the rest of this entry »
Coup in Honduras: Military Ousts President Manuel Zelaya, Supporters Defy Curfew and Take to the Streets
29 June, 2009
In the first military coup in Central America in a quarter of a century, the Honduran military has ousted the democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya. Former Parliamentary speaker Roberto Micheletti, who was sworn in as Zelaya’s replacement on Sunday, has imposed a two-day nationwide curfew. But hundreds of Zelaya supporters remain on the streets, and shots were fired at protesters near the presidential palace early Monday morning.
See latest from Democracy Now
Total workers have won a stunning victory to beat back bosses’ attacks on their unions. Read the rest of this entry »
Cuba50
27 June, 2009
CUBA 50 is a hub for any event, large or small that aims to celebrate and showcase the best of Cuban culture and talent in 2009.
From world class touring music and dance to national and regional theatres, galleries and exhibitions, Cuba 50 will be out there offering something for everyone, from live performances and film festivals to schools workshops and seminars.
Alongside sporting links to the Olympiad and Sustainable Living initiatives, this will be the biggest ever celebration of Cuban culture, of art, music, education, dance, film, photography and theatre.
From a country renowned for its vibrant cultural mix, events will be taking place across the UK throughout 2009 and culminating with the Cuba 50 highlight, a major London festival in Summer 2009.
From the rhythms of salsa and the cha cha cha, to the beauty of Afro Cuban dance to the precision of formal ballet; theatre, in a specially commissioned series of readings and performances of Cuban drama; seminars and talks from leading cultural commentators; art and photography exhibitions in some of London’s leading galleries; Cuban film festivals around the country; and the fantastic Barbican Cuba50 festival, featuring some of the world’s best musicians.
People across the world have come to love Cuba through seeing and experiencing the island’s culture, born of hundreds of years of history and a rich mix of cultures.
This is a unique festival and the biggest mix of performances and events to celebrate Cuban culture in Europe – Cuba 50!
Check out the Cuba50 website for more info.
Bala Fria & Twitter
13 November, 2009
Due to time restraints and commitments I have been unable to visit this blog as much as I would like of late. I have thus now opened up all comments so any visitors to this site will now be able to comment on issues and different subjects without moderation. Comments will appear straight away so any debates or talks on subjects can potentially evolve unhindered and without my interaction. Of course I do still visit the blog to look at different things and use the links on the page for my own personal websurfing but I have found that twitter caters better to my personal needs to express opinions and comment on music and politics etc. Please visit me at twitter.com/balafria
I do hope that bala fria continues to be a useful resource and of interest to people. Your comments are always welcomed. Let’s also talk on twitter where the ability to interact in real time is enhanced.
Thanks and keep visiting.
Tio
Filed in bala fria
Tags: bala fria, twitter, balafria, tio catire, tio, changes, comments, moderation. uncensored