Hooked up with co-lister ck smart and DJ Kevin to see Pharoah Sanders
play at Yoshi's last Sunday. Ino-facking-sane! Brilliant! He brought
in a tabla player and violin player from the Morroccan collaboration he
did last year, and they jammed some wicked stuff. I'm sure Chris told
you the whole deal- he was stoked when they all played "Creator has a
Masterplan" as a finale. :-) Pharoah can still play some wicked stuff,
and his bandmates too. At one stage his drummer was drumming with his
hands, then clapping in front of his mouth while he hummed different
tones. The tabla player was pretty wicked as well. Pharoah also did a
cross between a gospel song and and African highlife a la "Rejoice", humming
and screaming away, getting the audience into it. Rad rad rad.... :-)
A couple of days later I talked to a woman by the name of Altaneze who
cooked for Pharoah while he was in town, as well as all the jazz guys who
come through. She's set up "Bright Moments" in memory of Roland
Rashaan Kirk to teach school kids with limited opportunities music.
She's a ball, and has enlisted people like Ben Harper to play for the
kids, and teach them.
Speaking of Ben Harper, his new album is excellent, if a little more
diverse than his first one. Slow ballads, folk songs, but also some
powerful screechers. I got to see him in concert in Bruxelles just
before I came back. It was intense. The best concert I've ever been
to. He started with "Oppression" then went into Marley's "Get up
Stand Up". At one point he did a cover of Wonder's "Superstition". He also
played a slow song off the new album, and the whole auditorium was
*silent*. He ended with "I'll Rise", the music slowly fading out, until
it was just him acapella, then he left the microphone and sang straight
from the stage. Intense. Just standing there, fist in the air, the
light on him, almost shouting the words. *Amazing*. I *wish* I had that
much intensity and conviciton in my work, my writing, my music.
Damn. We stomped and shouted for a second encore, and he belted out a
fierce version of "God-fearing Man", and again there it was- his utter
belief and conviction in what he was doing. Inspiring. (Not religioulsy,
mind you. At least not religiously for me...)
I guess I should say the same for Pharoah Sanders, but I wasn't nearly as
focused, as drawn into the power as I was at the Harper concert. I think
it has something to do with timing, generation and specific pertinence.
Sanders was, as a woman near us said, "a holy experience". Harper was...
He WAS...He just WAS.
Then again, you might think he's crap. To each his/her own. :-)
And if you think this is irrelevant, check Straight No Chaser, or ask the
DJs that play Bob Marley or Stevie Wonder or Miles Davis etc. The appeal
of this guy is pretty amazing- you could win a customized Ben
Harper *skateboard* deck at Tower over here.
And if you're wondering, Ben's paying me $35 to do all this. ;-)
Peace
Greg
Greg "Boyteen" Beuthin | Respect.... ___ Keep
(gregbb@uhunix.uhcc.hawaii.edu) | / | \ the
Social Sciences Computer System | DJ Billingsley | /|\ | vibe
University of Hawai'i at Manoa | ThePhatJazKat \/_|_\/ alive