Elson Trinidad (elson@westworld.com)
Wed, 15 Dec 1999 11:32:13 -0800
Steve Catanzaro wrote:
> And it's got me thinkin' (just for fun, since we're all afrophiles here),
> can I think of just 5 white boys who can rock as hard in Afroamerican styles
> as the originators? Well, I've got to reach way back for...
> 4. Lalo Schifrin... well, I don't know what his nationality is, but who can
Lalo is from Mexico. (C'mon, the name "Lalo" is a giveaway, ese) and of part
French(?) Russian(?) ancestry.
> 3. Medeski, Martin, & Wood.
The general consesnus is, yes, they're funky, but no, they're not innovators.
> 2. Keith Jarrett. Yeah. You thought he was black! But, I don't think he is,
He's half-black, I believe.
> There ya have it. 5 white (or non-black) outfits that deserve at least a
> little credit from genius cats like Mos!
What about the Brecker Brothers? Or some of the dudes from Tower of Power?
Or Aretha Franklin's session musicians from back in the day (all of the backing
musicans on "Respect" where white boys...believe it or not!)
As for Shadow, no, I'm not taking anything away from him, and none of this is
his fault, but do note that the recent popularity of the "DJ Celebrity" as
dictated by the Major Labels only focuses on white DJs? A recent dance music
convention had a DJ symposium where all of the panelists were white. The
reporter who covered it noted the absence of any Black DJs on the panel (after
all, they started the modern form of the DJ culture) or Asian-American DJs like
Q-Bert, Mixmaster Mike, Dan the Automator etc (some of whom are regarded by many
to be among the DJ elite).
Then again, there's never been a non-white contestant on the "Who Wants to be a
Millionaire" show, but that's another story...(hey, what do you expect from the
Aryan Broadcasting Company?)
> (honorable mention; Donald Fagen, Bill Evans, and Elson, only 'cuz he met
> Stevie Wonder.)
Whoa, hold it, who you callin whitey?
Elson
non-white and non-black (in other words, in the eyes of the American mainstream,
I don't even exist...)
--- 30 -
:. elson trinidad, los angeles, california, usa :. elson@westworld.com :. www.westworld.com/~elson
"funny how frustration breeds desire" - meja
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