So what are YOU doing New Years Eve? Feel free to comment.
holiday
Yes!
Okay so this isn’t a Yes Christmas but the next best thing. I purchased this original album by Jon Anderson simply because he was the vocalist for one of my favorite progressive bands. This album blew me away. All the songs are great and this one is a perennial holiday favorite. High energy – needs played at full volume. Enjoy HOW IT HITS YOU from Jon’s holiday album 3 SHIPS. A great way to start the weekend.
Winter Fire & Snow
Well by now you’ve noticed a trend in recent post. My best intention is to post a different “holiday” themed song every day through Christmas.
Today’s selection is WINTER FIRE & SNOW sung by Irish vocal group Anuna. They first came to prominence is a stage production called Riverdance. This song is one of many songs on an album, that I believe is long out-of-print, also titled WINTER FIRE & SNOW.
Christmas Blues
A song to appeal to all adults. Holly Cole and her Trio first crossed my expanding auditory orbit when she released a jazz cover album of Tom Waits songs titled TEMPTATION. From that point on I said, “I need to know more about this amazing song stylist.”
CHRISTMAS BLUES was the title track of her very first recorded release a few years before she decided to cover Tom Waits. Who releases their first album as a Christmas album? LOL . Anyway it has become a standard and was also found on the JAZZ TO THE WORLD album of various jazz performers interpreting some of their favorite holiday songs.
HAPPY JUNETEENTH!
JUNETEENTH. It’s not a “federal” holiday but it is recognized in almost all of the states/territories of the United States – the exceptions (shamefully) are Hawaii and South Dakota. For people outside the United States, Juneteenth is the day the last slaves were freed 2.5 years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Texas was the hold out and dared to keep slaves even though their freedom had been decreed years earlier. Next to Independence Day (July 4th) I can think of no better reason for a holiday than to celebrate the day when America ended the overt enslavement of it’s own citizens of color. My God, why is this not a National/Federal holiday already? But enough preaching.
Here is my Juneteenth playlist. Enjoy.
Let’s kick it off with Pharell Williams FREEDOM
A blast from the past Kool And The Gange – CELEBRATE
A classic; The Staple Singers – I’LL TAKE YOU THERE
Michael Franti – GOOD TO BE ALIVE TODAY
While African Americans formed the largest portion of slaves, it also included all people of color – including the various tribes of Indigenous Americans and hispanics. Buffy Saint Marie – CARRY IT ON
Redbone – COME AND GET YOUR LOVE
And even though we are in the midst of a cultural revolution – now is NOT the time to stop. Ozomatli – CAN’T STOP!
Shaun Martin – ONE BIG PARTY
Knowing the conversation that MUST continue to happen if we will move forward as a species. We must be fearless. The Neville Brothers – FEARLESS
A reminder of what it’s about and why we should celebrate – Cynthia Erivo – STAND UP from the movie HARRIET (based on the life of Harriet Tubman)
Bonus Track – reality check – We are still a long way from where we need to be in our evolution of humanity. There is still racism and bias. The revolution must continue.
Nina Simone – AIN’T GOT NO (from the musical HAIR)
… on… a new baby….
I created a couple of Haiku’s to go with this favorite non-traditional Christmas song.
Heard the baby cry
Neighbors gently hush back to sleep
Thin walls breathe hope
Young woman, young man
Their Christmas gift arrived early
Joy all season long
Father’s Day…another American holiday to loathe
So last week I went to the greeting card store to purchase a fathers day card.
Scccrreeeeeech (sound of needle being dragged across vinyl) For those who are familiar with my work you may ask, “Why not just make him one of your own artwork?” Well the simple answer is that he doesn’t care for my work. Which is fine. Different strokes for different folks.
Now, on with the story.
If you are in America there is nothing more cliche than holidays, which is why I loathe them so much. The best thing about (most) holidays is that it just means I don’t have to go to work that day.
But everything else is pure cliche and pablum.
Father’s Day is no different. When shopping for a Fathers Day card and this is echoed in news stories and media coverage, you will find everything narrowed down to the following 5 subjects many of which are combined in some sort of competition:
- (humorous) Grilling
- (humorous) Sports (fishing, golfing etc)
- (humorous) Power Tools
- (humorous) traditional gifts satire (tie, socks etc)
- (serious) Thank you/Religious/Inspirational
Now this is just extremely disappointing, frustrating and maddening. I think the greeting card industry should be boycotted for all the garbage it sells. On top of that every news program has some sort of Father’s Day “gift list” which includes gifts of/related to …you guessed it… grilling, sports & power tools.
Of course it’s even sadder that almost no one questions this stuff – it’s just accepted blindly as the norm. So, goodbye individual expression and creativity. Out the window and down the garbage disposal. Father’s Day is just another holiday to loathe.
So what kind of card did I end up with? A sound gadget grilling card. The front states, “I’d like to give you a big grilled steak for Father’s Day” and when you open it up you see the picture of a cow (that actually mooo’s) and the words, “It just isn’t cooked yet”
I feel so unclean.
A Christmas Prayer
Lord God,
Father in Heaven
Thank you for this day
Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus of Nazareth
A man who would be, and did, become Messiah
The hope of all Israel and all of humanity
A man who taught, and showed us,
That we CAN have a relationship directly with you.
In this way he was the door, the gate,
Through which your spirit that dwells within us
Has been awakened.
We thank you for this awakening that removes all Hindrance
Even if that separation is political, social, religious
And now we thank you for this meal
And time of togetherness between family and friends
We bless this meal in the name of Jesus
That it may give us physical strength and stamina
We bless you that you may give us the mental and spiritual strength and stamina
To be a blessing to others we come in contact with;
Removing all wrong perceptions
In Jesus name, Amen.
I believe the best prayers are not prayers of thanks and requests (or to use consumerism terms – supply and demand). The best prayers are when we pray what we believe – not what we want or hope for. For example when we pray the Lords prayer do we hope these things are true that are mentioned OR do we really believe them? And how do we believe them?
Maybe some day I’ll dissect and expound on the Lords prayer specifically.
But for now – Merry Christmas everyone. Enjoy one of my favorite Christmas songs.
... on being and becoming ... 