Showing posts with label listen to this. Show all posts
Showing posts with label listen to this. Show all posts

Thursday, 1 December 2016

Listen to This! Protest Music for Troubling Times


The morning after the election all I knew was that I wanted to take some time to reflect. I knew that I was going to need a lot coffee, some Coltrane, some James Baldwin and some Gloria Steinem. As an incredibly privileged white Canadian I was going to take a few days to feel my feelings. 

I really didn't think that these were going to be our battles to fight, not on this level, not like this. But here we are. We're all going to need to roll our sleeves up and be a part of the resistance to normalizing Trump's attitudes and actions. But we also need to fill our reserves with coffee and books and music and the knowledge that we're not alone.

There is power in art. And what better art form than a uniquely American one, built on the culmination of hundreds of years of injustice and suffering to help us through these troubling times?

Without further navel gazing, here is some of my favourite jazz protest music to help sustain you, make you think and fire you up.*

*Most of it is familiar and legendary, dating back to the civil rights movement, but there is some fantastic new stuff from Christian Scott and Terence Blanchard as well. Want to share your favourite protest music? Drop a link in the comment section.















Sunday, 19 June 2016

REMEMBERING ALLEN TOUSSAINT

Originally published November 10, 2015 on my personal lifestyle blog, Miss Tracey Nolan.





I took these photos at a performance Allen Toussaint gave at the Toronto Jazz Festival in 2010. I last saw him not performing, but attending Satchmo Summer Fest this past August. He looked to be in excellent health, was as stylish and charming as ever. So sad he had to leave us this soon.

New Orleans and the music community will feel this loss acutely. Listening to the tunes helps though, doesn't it?

Two indisputable classics:








Dig a little deeper and check these out:
Getting all funky on some Guaraldi in 1970.
Schooling us on Professor Longhair on the BBC in the mid 80's.

Allen and Elvis, Ascension Day (live):