Ben Sidran "Picture Him Happy" - El mito de Sísifo para los amantes del jazz

ABOUT BEN SIDRAN

Ben Sidran is widely recognized as the host of National Public Radio’s landmark jazz series “Jazz Alive”, which received a Peabody Award, and as the host of VH-1 television’s “New Visions” series, which received the Ace Award for best music series. A pianist, producer, singer and composer, he has recorded more than thirty solo albums, including the Grammy nominated Concert for Garcia Lorca, and produced recordings for such noted artists as Van Morrison, Diana Ross, Michael Franks, Rickie Lee Jones, Mose Allison and Steve Miller (with whom he co-wrote the hit song “Space Cowboy”). He is the composer of the soundtrack for the acclaimed film Hoop Dreams, and scored the documentary Vietnam: Long Time Coming,which won both the Aspen Film Festival audience award and an Emmy.  Sidran has authored two books on the subject of jazz, Black Talk, a cultural history of the music, and Talking Jazz,a series of conversations with inspirational musicians. He holds a PhD. in American Studies from Sussex University, Brighton, England, but has studiously avoided the academic life, preferring instead to spend his time performing, producing and writing.  

Escuchar la introducción de sus canciones al pianista de jazz Ben Sidran es en este caso una auténtica declaración de intenciones sobre los malos tiempos y la actitud con la que nos enfrentamos a ellos.

El personaje mítico de Sísifo es el tema de "Picture him happy". Imaginarle feliz a pesar del castigo que no acaba nunca empujando una gran piedra una y otra vez bajo el sol ardiente.

Picture Him Happy  (B. Sidran, Bulldog Music)

A man and a rock and a real steep hill
Sun so hot even the shadows can kill
He keeps right on pushing try to get to the top
But the forces of nature try make a man drop
He’s down on his knees in a world full of pain
But time after time, he gets back up again
You got the picture
You got to picture him happy

The sun is the truth and there’s no place to hide
The rock is time passing and time will abide
The hill is the shape of all things to come
The man he’s just suffering in the heat and the sun
Tryin' to find some meaning in a world that don’t care
But the rock won’t talk and the hill don’t share
You got the picture
You got to picture him happy
Picture him happy

It aint what you do it’s the way that you do it
It aint where you go its the way that you go through it
Desperate times call for desperate actions
Desperate minds need desperate distractions

The sun is so hot that you can’t breath the air
It’s an eye for an eye and everything is fair
Try to find a reason in a world where there’s none
There’s just this rock and this hill and this god awful sun
Now there’s change for a dollar and change for a dime
You wanna change your world you gotta change your mind
(2X) But when he gets near the top there’s a terrible thrill
He sees another man and another rock going up another hill
You got the picture
You got to picture him happy

Contra la arrogancia. Jane Goodall

por ISABEL NAVARRO

19 NOV 2017

• Compartir en Facebookhan compartido Facebook
• Compartir en Twitterhan compartido en Twitter
• Compartir en otras redes sociales

La empatía es una delicada forma de seducción. Te miro. Te escucho. No te pido. Permanezco. No huyo. Te descifro. No te imito. Siento contigo. La empatía no es un método científico. Es una ética. Jane Goodall (Londres, 1934) llegó a la reserva de chimpancés del río Gombe con 26 años, acompañada de su madre y un cocinero. Entre los tres montaron una tienda de campaña. Antes que ella, solo había intentado estudiar a los chimpancés en su estado natural un científico, pero llevó un séquito de 22 acompañantes y fracasó. En los años 60, se creía que los humanos eran la única especie capaz de crear y usar herramientas. La inglesa descubrió que David Greybeard, el primer chimpancé que le dio la mano y la acarició, usaba una rama desbrozada para pescar hormigas. Y cambió el paradigma arrogante de nuestra especie. Los académicos la criticaban por darle nombres y personalidades a los animales. Todavía no era primatóloga, pero les contestó: 'Yo no les doy personalidades, las describo'.

Didier Lourenco y la mirada femenina

Un pintor que crea imágenes intimistas de mujeres que descansan con sus mascotas mirando con curiosidad, o ciclistas paseando o gente que camina por la ciudad... 

Todo eso puede verse en la exposición "Hidden "que muestra su obra más reciente en una galería de Madrid.

Pero curioseando entre sus temas anteriores he encontrado "divertimentos" que son un guiño a obras de pintores como Velazquez, Ingres, Vermeer o Delacroix.. así como más mujeres soñadoras o voladoras.

http://www.didierlourenco.com

Modigliani en la Tate Galery de Londres desde el 23 de Noviembre

La Tate Modern de Londres expondrá obras de Modigliani incluyendo varias que el pintor no pudo incluir en su exposición individual de 1917 ya que fueron censuradas.

                                                       

Simplify - Leo Babauta

Simplify.

‘In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness.’ ~Henry David Thoreau

BY LEO BABAUTA.

The tendency of life in our society is to become more complicated: Internet, television, shopping, work, family commitments, possessions, eating, debt … these things pile on top of each other endlessly.

This is a rather bad formula, as our days have a limited capacity, and so do we as humans. We can only do so much, only handle so many tasks and possessions and social commitments, and filling ourselves to those limits means we stress our breaking points.

It takes a bit of conscious effort to simplify, but it’s one of the greatest things I’ve ever learned to do.

Simplify everything. That might sound hard, but with practice it’s actually fairly easy, and leads to a quiet, content, lovely life full of space, with only the things in it that matter to me: my family, my writing, with some reading and workouts thrown in.

So how do you simplify? As simply as possible.

Here are a few ways:

1. Block off some disconnected time. The Internet is amazing, but always being connected means you’re always pulled in a thousand directions at once. It’s hard to focus, hard to connect with others, hard to get out into nature and be active. So schedule some time every day for disconnection: maybe a block in the morning where you get your best work done, and a block in the afternoon when you get out and active, or connect with friends or family.
2. Start eliminating commitments. List your commitments, and pick one to eliminate today. It’s a simple matter of making a call or sending an email explaining that you can’t do the commitment. Trust me, they’ll find a way to live without you. You’ll start to free up time for what’s more important to you.
3. Start purging possessions. Every day, find 5 things to donate or give to friends. Or clear an entire shelf or countertop, leaving only the things you actually use, getting rid of the rest. Slowly your possessions will be simplified to just the essentials.
4. Ban shopping for 30 days. You can do this. Don’t buy anything except the essentials (food, toiletries, basic supplies). If you think you really need it, put it on a list to be evaluated after the 30 days.
5. Wash your bowl. When you’re done eating, mindfully wash your bowl. When you’re done with anything, get in the habit of pausing before moving onto the next thing, and cleaning up after yourself. Put your food away. Put your clothes where they belong. Put your keys in one spot. Clean the sink before you leave it. This simple habit will keep you mindful while saving you lots of cleanup later.
6. Schedule time for what’s important. What’s most important to you? Your spouse or kids? Creating? Reading novels? Cooking, gardening, crafts, carpentry? Make the time for it.
7. Get outdoors once a day. Too often we are stuck at a desk or on the couch. Get outside, take a walk, enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. Go for a hike or a run with a friend. Play some sports. Run around and play tag with your kids. These simple activities will change your life.
8. Eat some plants. Learn some simple recipes that incorporate super healthy foods you might not be eating: kale, spinach, broccoli, quinoa, berries, flaxseeds, lentils, avocados, black beans, squash, raw almonds and walnuts, garlic, turmeric, cayenne, cinnamon. These simple plants will make you strong like oxen.
9. Drink tea. Green tea brewed from relatively fresh whole tea leaves is calming, healthy, and wonderful. A daily tea ritual keeps you grounded and mindful.

Frank Ostaseski - The five invitations.

In difficult times carry something beautiful in your heart - Blaise Pascal

"In difficult times, carry something beautiful in your heart." - Blaise Pascal

Bob Sands Big Band nos acerca al mejor jazz. Recordando a Duque Ellington

Una magnífica interpretación de clásicos del jazz en un recuerdo apasionado a Duke Ellington por parte de una Big band que lidera el saxofonista Bob Sands. 

Una sesión divertida y didáctica amenizada por los comentarios de Bob sobre las distintas canciones que la banda ha interpretado (Perdido, Cotton tail, Blood Count, Purple gazelle, Satin doll...) ante un público entregado y entusiasta. 

 


                                             Fundación Juan March de Madrid 11/11/2017

Documental 'La Segunda Oportunidad' - Ecoembes Orquesta infantil con instrumentos reciclados

Una experiencia de educación musical con  instrumentos musicales fabricados con elementos de la vida diaria que además de enseñar a tocar da a los niños la oportunidad de aprender valores y disfrutar de la música.



"En la tierra nada se presta más para alegrar al melancólico..." Martín Lutero.

Exposición colección Alicia Koplowitz en Bilbao

Teaser de l'exposition "De Zurbaran à Rothko. Collection Alicia Koplowitz - Grupo Omega Capital" from Culturespaces on Vimeo.

The five minutes yogi - Cindy Lee

A complete yoga practice involves the following: forward bending, twisting, backward bending, side bending, inverting, breath awareness, resting and meditation. This can be accomplished in five minutes. Once you do this yoga program a few times, I can almost guarantee that it will be less difficult to find a spare five minutes than it was before. If you still don’t think you have five minutes, just pick one of the things on the list above, and do that for five breaths. (Hey, you can even do the last two in bed!) Then later in the day, do another one. By the end of the day you will have done a complete yoga program. Who knows? Maybe those five breaths will evolve into ten breaths, which is about one minute, and then that minute will turn into five. Only time will tell.

Begin your five-minute yoga session by sitting comfortably, either on a cushion or even two, or on a chair. Close your eyes and take five full breaths, in and out, through your nose. Watch the path of the breath as it goes all the way down to your groin, and then back up and out of your nostrils.

1. Downward Dog. This pose will strengthen your arms and legs, lengthen your spine and relieve tightness in the back of your legs, shoulders and neck. Even though it is not a full headstand, your head is still lower than your hips, so the pose can be considered an inversion.

2. Hand-walking meditation into forward bend. Slowly, sensuously, walk your hands back to your feet from Downward Dog. It’s fine to bend your knees at any point. Notice how your weight shifts from four supports to just two. When you get all the way to the back of your mat hold onto your elbows to help the spine pour out of the legs even more.

3. Standing Cat and Standing Cow (forward and backward bends). Place your hands just above your knees and roll up halfway. On the inhale, drop your spine, lift your sitting bones and your chest. On the exhale, reverse the curve, lifting your navel up as you drop your head and tuck your pelvis. Repeat this at least five times.

4. Walking meditation. After your last spinal curve, round all the way up to standing. Hug your left thumb with your left fingers, and then wrap your right hand around that. Place your hands just below your navel, and rest your gaze on the floor about six feet in front of you. Slowly walk to the front of your mat or practice space. Let the texture of your feet on the floor wake you up.

5. Reverse Warrior. Step your feet about four feet apart. Turn your right toes out and your left toes in slightly. Bend your right leg and extend your arms out. Slide your left hand down your left thigh and reach your right arm up into Reverse Warrior.

6. Dancer Pose. You can do this with your leg lower than in this photograph, and you can also do it with your extended arm on a chair or on the wall.

7. Standing Twist with knee bent. You can also do this with one hand on a chair or on the wall.

Do poses five through seven for three to five breaths, and then do them on the other side. After you’re through, lay down on your back, close your eyes and rest for thirty to sixty seconds.https://www.lionsroar.com/the-five-minute-yogi/

Loving Vincent - Trailer 2016 (web)

http://adelaidereview.com.au/arts/cinema/film-review-loving-vincent/

Una curiosa animación realizada sobre miles de pinturas al óleo nos cuenta una posible biografía o indagación sobre la vida y muerte de un artista famoso en nuestros días  pero que vivió la  soledad y la falta de reconocimiento público durante toda su vida.