Umi Says

Mos Def

Freedom

Oh, Freedom

Oh freedom, oh freedom, oh freedom over me And before I'd be a slave I'll be buried in my grave And go home to my Lord and be free

No more moaning, no more moaning, no more moaning over me And before I'd be a slave I'll be buried in my grave And go home to my Lord and be free

No more crying, no more crying, no more crying over me And before I'd be a slave I'll be buried in my grave And go home to my Lord and be free

Oh freedom, oh freedom, oh freedom over me And before I'd be a slave I'll be buried in my grave And go home to my Lord and be free

There'll be singin', there'll be singin', there'll be singin' over me And before I'd be a slave I'll be buried in my grave And go home to my Lord and be free

There'll be glory, there'll be glory, there'll glory over me And before I'd be a slave I'll be buried in my grave And go home to my Lord and be free

Oh freedom, oh freedom, oh freedom over me And before I'd be a slave I'll be buried in my grave And go home to my Lord and be free

Good Songs

I've been neglecting my hip-hop and R&B lately since I've been listening to mostly jazz for the past few weeks. I'm a little disappointed in myself. So here are several really good funk, soul, and hip-hop songs I really like. Have fun!



The Pharcyde-Passin Me Be
A love poem about high school love and an ode to the "dopest Ethiopian." Great song, great samples, great lyrics.

Now in my younger days I used to sport a shag
When I went to school I carried lunch in a bag
With an apple for my teacher cuz I knew Id getta kiss
Always got mad when the class was dismissed
But when it was in session, I always had a question
I would raise my hand to make her stagger to my desk and
help me with my problem, it was never much
Just a trick, to smell her scent and try to sneak a touch
Oh, how I wish I could hold her hand and give her a hug
She was married to the man, he was a thug,
His name was Lee, he drove a Z,
he'd pick her up from school promptly at three o'clock
I was on her jock, yes indeedy I wrote graffiti on the bus
First I'd write her name then carve a plus,
with my name last, on the looking glass,
I seen her yesterday but still I had to let her pass

She keeps on passin me by
She keeps on passin me by
She keeps on passin me by
She keeps on pass

When I dream of fairytales I think of me and Shelly
See she's my type of hype and I can't stand when brothers tell me
That I should quit chasin' and look for something better
But the smile that she shows makes me a go-getter
I haven't gone as far as asking if I could get with her
I just play it by ear and hope she gets the picture
I'm shootin for her heart, got my finger on the trigger
She could be my broad, and I could be her nigga
But, all I can do is stare
Back as kids we used to kiss when we played truth or dare
Now she's more sophisticated, highly edu-ma-cated
not at all over-rated, I think I need a prayer
to get in her boots and it looks rather dry
I guess a twinkle in her eye is just a twinkle in her eye
Although she's crazy steppin, I'll try to stop her stride
Cause I won't have no more of this passin me by

And I must voice my opinion of not even pretending she didn't have me
Strung like a chicken, chase my tail like a doggie
She was kind of like a star, thinking I was like a fan
Dude, she looked good, down side: she had a man
He was a rooty-toot, a nincompoop
She told me soon your little birdie's gonna fly the coop
She was a flake like corn, and I was born not to understand
By lettin her pass I had proved to be a better man

She keeps on passin me by
She keeps on passin me by
She keeps on passin me by
She keeps on passin me

Now there she goes again, the dopest Ethiopian
And now the world around me be gets movin in slow motion
whenever she happens to walk by why does the apple of my eye
overlook and disregard my feelings no matter how much I try?
Wait, no, i did not really pursue my little princess with persistance
And I was so low-key that she was unaware of my existance
From a distance I desired, secretly admired her
Wired her a letter to get her, and it went:
My dear, my dear, my dear, you do not know me but I know you very well
Now let me tell you about the feelings I have for you
When I try, or make some sort of attempt, I symp
Damn I wish I wasn't such a wimp!
Cuz then I would let you know that I love you so
And if I was your man then I would be true
The only lying I would do is in the bed with you
Then I signed sincerely the one who loves you dearly, PS love me tender
The letter came back three days later: Return to Sender
Damn!

She keeps on passin me by..



The JBs-Pass the Peas
Great funky song with trombone from James Brown's backing band

D'Angelo-Devil's Pie
I love me some neo-soul, especially funky neo-soul. This hip-hop-influenced song is too funky.

Erykah Badu-Soldier
This jam was produced by Madlib (at least I think so). Cool vibe and good beat.

TLC-Creep
One of my fav songs of all time. Great beat, catchy lyrics.

Funkadelic-Can You Get To That
More traditional/doo wop-influenced soul from a great funk band.

Black Sheep-The Choice is Yours (Revisited)
With a jazzy bass sample from my boy McCoy Tyner, pianist known for his collaborations with John Coltrane.

Digable Planets-Rebirth of Slick
Funky bass sample from Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers

Dr. Octagon-Girl Let Me Touch
Misogynistic lyrics aside, this song is hilarious and has a great beat

Fugees-How Many Mics
Lauryn Kill killin' them all softly on the mic

Fugees-Killing Me Softly With His Song
Lauryn Hill!!!!! I love you, baby girl!

K'Naan-Hoobaale
My boy K'naan sings/raps over traditional Somalian music. Good stuff

Kanye West-Addiction
Good stuff.

KMD-Contact Blitt
Samples my boy Lee Morgan, including Wayne Shorter's solo.

Lil Wayne-Did It Before
Produced by Kanye.



Atlantic Creoles in the Age of Revolutions

Jane Landers book, Atlantic Creoles in the Age of Revolutions, is an excellent overview of the relationship between the bourgeois-democratic wave that swept across Western Europe, United States of America, and the Spanish American colonies and the populations of African descent. Atlantic Creoles, or peoples of African descent who were creolized, responding to the Age of Revolutions in varying ways. Blacks from Florida, the Carolinas, Cuba, and Haiti responded to these tumultuous times by allying themselves with forces of revolution, counter-revolution, monarchism, republicanism, and in some instances, with indigenous groups, such as the Seminoles of Florida. By choosing to fight for monarchism, as represented by Spain, France, or Britain, or liberal republics such as Revolutionary France, peoples of African descent in the years between 1776 and 1848 fought for their own interests and parties that they believed would best preserve their freedom. 


One thing I enjoyed in this book is how Landers shows how related and transnational the worlds of African Creoles truly were during this period. The widespread use of black militia units in the Spanish colonies and the development of cofradias and cabildos de nacion promoted black corporate identity. Black militia units were exempt from civilian courts because the fuero militar was extended to them. This made joining the militia more prestigious for blacks and offered them tangible opportunities for social mobility. The cofradias evoled from the associations blacks and pardos developed through the Catholic Church and the all-black militias. Cabildos, or associations developed for both slave and free blacks based on African ethnic groups. Membership in both types of organizations often overlapped and both supported the fusion of African and Spanish cultures and religious traditions. However, the cofradias and cabildos were stronger in Cuba than elsewhere.


 However, Biassou and Jean Francois, the early slave leaders of the Haitian Revolution, who sided with Spain and served as royal black auxiliaries against the French and British, were dispersed in the late 1790s when France and Spain made peace. Some were dispersed to Florida, which remained a Spanish colony until the 1819 Adams-Onis Treaty sold the territory to the US by 1821. Then when the Americans took over Florida, many blacks who had served in Florida's black militias for Spain, chose to come to Cuba where they joined free black militias of Cuban descent in Matanzas and Havana neighborhoods. So blacks from Saint Domingue/Haiti, Florida, the nascent US, and Cuba mingled, intermarried, and fought for revolution and counter-revolution simultaneously. 


When one takes into consideration the fact that the republican US wanted to expand slavery and US territory in North America, it makes sense that free blacks in Florida allied themselves with Spain and the Seminoles to resist US expansion. Spanish colonies' looser race relations made life easier for free blacks if they accepted Catholicism and took Spanish names. Indeed, prior to the 1790s and even into the early antebellum period, Spanish Florida was a sanctuary for runaway slaves, which obviously infuriated southern elites. Furthermore, one can understand why Biassou and Jean Francois, the early slave military leaders of the Haitian Revolution, would remain allies of Spain instead of Toussaint L'Ouverture, who switched to Republican France. Spain provided the slave rebels with arms, food, and protection from slavery while Britain attempted to occupy the colony to restore slavery and the situation in revolutionary France probably seemed to precarious. Besides, people of African descent across the Americas often identified with kings, even Louis XVI or the kings of Spain, since the metropolitan governments issued slave codes and were more likely to protect slaves from the excesses of white colonists. Indeed, as Macaya, one of the African-born slave leaders of the Haitian Revolution said, "I am the subject of three kings: the King of Kongo, the king of France, and the King of Spain." Slaves and free people of color in Cuba also identified with kings, which makes sense when one remembers that the US and Britain were still pushing for slavery, although both officially ended the slave trade.


The paradox of free black Floridians choosing Cuba rather than staying and becoming African-Americans lies in the increasingly racist society that was developing in Cuba at the time. For instance, between 1790 and 1820, over 300,000 enslaved Africans were imported to toil on sugar plantations and sugar mills for white elites. Prior to the 19th century, Cuba possessed a large free black population with access to social mobility through militias. They played a vital role defending Havana from the British in the 1760s and because of their military service, the special status it conferred on black men, and free black representation in many trades, free people of color in Cuba were socially superior to free blacks in most Caribbean islands. However, the rise of sugar, which is made with blood, depended on the Africanization of Cuba. 


As one can probably imagine, the horrible spectacle of an independent black state to the east (Haiti), a large free black population used to some social mobility and independence, and massive numbers of enslaved Africans with little knowledge of the Spanish language and culture frightened white Cubans. This entailed the effective curtailment of military exemptions and autonomy for free blacks. So its interesting that free blacks from Florida chose exile in Cuba in 1821 while the colony had already turned to African slave labor for the growth of sugar plantations. Free blacks and mulattoes still had cofradias and cabildos to increase social cohesion and for mutual aid, but they could no longer expect the old 3-tiered racial system. In fact, Cuba became similar to the 2-tier racial order extant in the United States. Blacks could no longer move as freely, associate with others autonomously from the Church or white authorities, move freely, carry arms, associate themselves with abolitionist sentiments from Britain or the US, etc.


In summation, Landers book is a success. She efficaciously elucidates black actions and reactions to the wider world around them during a revolutionary phase in world history. In fact, she demonstrates the importance and historical agency of Afro-descended groups in resisting American expansionism in Florida, slavery in Haiti, Cuba, and Florida, and their multiple tactics for doing so. Blacks from the American South fled to Florida since it was a southern underground railroad, and they defended and fought for Spanish colonial officials and indigenous groups to preserve their liberty. However, one should never assume these free blacks and maroons always fought as subaltern groups for Indians and Spaniards. Black men such as Abraham formed their own villages and towns in the midst of Indian villages and often led indigenous groups because of their relationships with chiefs. For example, Abraham led Indians against Andrew Jackson in the Seminole Wars, and played a huge role in the eventual resettlement of the Seminoles and their black allies to Oklahoma in the Trail of Tears. Of course American records from the 1810s and 1820s refer to powerful black leaders like Abraham as "slaves" of the Indians yet the writers don't seem to notice the contradiction of black "slaves" leading Indians. Landers's coverage of the Haitian Revolution was unfortunately incomplete, but she does get across the importance of recognizing other lesser-known heroes and leaders of the movement. Men like Biassou played a huge role in organizing the early revolts in 1791 into a larger movement in the northern plains of Saint Domingue. His decision to fight for Spain against France and Britain was pragmatic, given the chaos of the times. 


All things considered, kudos to Landers for writing this good overview of black Creoles in the circum-Caribbean area during this time. Fighting for the US was irrational to most blacks since they all knew their only role in American society was slavery. Therefore blacks took the initiative and chose allies who would best protect their interests and liberty. This entailed violent revolution in Haiti and fighting for distant monarchs who were counter-revolutionary. However, some blacks embraced aspects of the Age of Revolution, such as abolitionism and liberalism. Abolitionist newspapers and letters were read by literate blacks in Cuba, for example, who would become targets of repression by the Cuban government after several slave revolts and conspiracies shook the island.

The Best of Tears for Fears

TFF is one of my favorite 80s bands and I’ve decided to compile a list of my favorite songs and explain why I love them so much with a review of the lyrical content and music. 

However, in order to truly understand TFF, comprehension of Arthur Janov’s theory of primal therapy is required. Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, the duo comprising TFF, are both advocates of primal therapy, even naming their band after Janov’s suggestion, “tears as replacement from fears.” Indeed, TFF released their debut album, The Hurting to spread primal therapy to a wider audience and make enough money to finance a trip to America to undergo it. Primal therapy is essentially an approach to mental health involving taking the patient back to the “primal” or first experience of a repressed emotion or feeling. After the patient sees how this crucial first experience has contaminated their view of their whole life, some patients respond with sobs, cries, and for the intense repressed emotions, screams. “Shout” from the album, Songs from the Big Chair is an allusion to primal screaming and its supposedly beneficial aspects towards healing. According to Janov’s observations, the reliving of repressed feelings allows one to feel them properly, because the circumstances in which they were first experienced pressed them into the unconscious storage of repression. One must seek therapy because these blocked out experiences haunt us at any similar situation that resembles the original or primal experience. In order to receive primal therapy, one must learn to feel, which requires one to truly want to learn and break through old habits. 

Primal therapy is not widely accepted by mainstream psychology and psychotherapy. Some accuse Janov of being overly reductionist because he believed all neuroses had a primal cause and responded to the same treatment. Researchers in psychotherapy also argue that primal therapy doesn’t provide outcome studies to substantiate its effectiveness and it fails to sufficiently take into account transference, which is the unconscious redirection of feelings and desires that are repressed. Furthermore, the critics argue that cathartic release through violent behavior or screaming does not eliminate the neurosis. In spite of being seen as a New Age therapy by mainstream psychology, primal therapy has prominent advocates, such as John Lennon, Yoko Ono, James Earl Jones, and Roger Williams. 

Now that one clearly sees the influence of Janov on TFF, the meanings of their songs becomes rather obvious in many cases. Indeed, the debut album, The Hurting, is all about the angst of adolescence, a recent experience for the then-young band. Now I shall proceed to list my favorite tracks from the aforementioned studio album. 

“Memories Fade”
A great song featuring saxophone and the usual great vocals of TFF. Also sampled by Kanye for “Coldest Winter.” “Memories fade but the scars still linger.”

“Change”
Great song from TFF’s debut album. Roland considered the lyrics to be “cheap pop lyrics” and yes, they are somewhat meaningless, mainly the “where does the end of me become the start of you?” Despite the lyrics, the music is great synth-pop.

“Start of the Breakdown”
Referring to the primal scream with lyrics such as, “scratch the earth, dig the burial ground.” The song is about reliving those repressed emotions to finally heal. The song’s meaning could also be related to Roland’s father, who had several nervous breakdowns, which could explain “I can’t understand you.”

“Mad World”
My favorite TFF song of all, it was written by Roland while observing the people through his window in his flat in Bath. It was also featured in the cult film, Donnie Darko. 

My favorite tracks off of Songs from the Big Chair

“Head Over Heels”
Also featured in Donnie Darko. The beautiful piano melody and awesome lyrics about a man who is head over heels in love but cannot understand why because she keeps her distance and lacks ambition. 

“Everybody Wants to Rule the World”
This is the song that started my love of TFF. The melody and lyrics just make this an awesome song. “Welcome to your life/There’s no turning back”

“Listen”
The most ambient track on Songs from the Big Chair, it doesn’t really fit in with the rest of the album. Spanish lyrics are incorporated in the song and the combination of vocals and the beat give it a quasi-African sound. 

“Shout”
Obviously referring to primal therapy, this anthem-like hit became one of the main TFF songs. 

The best from Seeds of Love

“Woman in Chains”
Amazing duet between the soulful Oleta Adams and Roland Orzabal. The song is about two things: sexism and domestic abuse and the need to free the feminine side of men. Freeing the feminine in males is once again an allusion to primal therapy because men must learn to feel their emotions for treatment. Of course the song is also about sexism. In the music video, a woman who has an abusive boxer husband is called “the great white hope” can be seen as a reference to the white boxer, James Jeffries, the white boxer defeated by the 1st black heavy champion, Jack Johnson, in 1910. 

“Year of the Knife”
Another favorite with an enjoyable beat and good singing. 

“Advice for the Young at Heart”
A song addressed to newlyweds, the pop melody and and lyrics show that it is a song with a real message. 

“Swords and Knives”
I really enjoy the vocals, and it sounds like another duet with Oleta and Roland. “When life begins with needles and pins, it ends with swords and knives.” I believe the song is about drug abuse that eventually causes detachment from others and can lead to violence. 



The following album, Elemental, has a few catchy songs but is an otherwise weak album. Highlights include “Elemental,” “Break It Down Again” and “Gas Giants.

Raoul and the Kings of Spain is a more interesting and challenging album for me than the last. Produced during a time of personal problems (and possibly an extramarital affair) for Roland Orzabal, the album has an obvious reference to his Spanish heritage. According to Roland, his father used to tell him and his brothers that they were related to the presidents of Argentina, something Roland considers incredibly unlikely. Raoul is also the name of his son. 

“Me and My Big Ideas”
Featuring the wonderful voice of Oleta Adams, this is my favorite song from the Raoul and the Kings of Spain album. The lyrics suggest that this song relates to the personal problems Roland experienced at the time, mainly an extramarital affair. He is telling his paramour that he can no longer see her and that is “big ideas” of love and duty to his family “won’t wash away her tears.” 


“Sketches of Pain”
A play on Miles Davis’ Sketches of Spain, the song has a great flamenco guitar part near the end that reflect Roland’s Spanish heritage. 

The most recent TFF album, Everybody Loves a Happy Ending, is rather disappointing. The reunion of Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal should have led to a stronger album, but it still has one gem. 

“Closest Thing to Heaven”
The best track off their 2004 album, this pop song about a dying loved one has a great melody and vocals. One can easily hum it and the pleasant chorus informs you that your dying love will go to a better place. 

The song, “Schrodinger’s Cat,” from Saturnine Martial & Lunatic is also a good song. The album of B-sides and previously unreleased material is actually quite interesting and deserves a couple of listens. I’m still digging the guitar, harmonica and piano near the end of “Schrodinger’s Cat.” In addition, check out “Pharaohs” for a cool B-side of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.”

Smile

Michael Jackson's favorite song, Smile, is also a favorite of mine. An old Charlie Chaplin song, Smile has survived decades to be one of the great pop standards of American 20th century music. I've decided to post videos to Nat King Cole, Michael Jackson, Sun Ra, Janelle Monae, and hopefully Jackie McLean's renditions of this classic. It's the perfect song for lifting one's mood or making the day just a little brighter.

Michael Jackson
This version is not so jazzy but features the inimitable vocals of Michael Jackson, the lesser-known Robert Figueroa of pop music. Gotta show some love for this recently deceased brother.

Nat King Cole
Another great singer. Makes me happy when skies are gray.

Sun Ra
A very classy take featuring vocals by June Tyson, female vocalist in Sun Ra's Arkestra. Very conventional but sweet and catchy. The lyrics are everything but short of genius.

Jackie McLean's interpretation of the standard is more jazz-influenced, or more of a bop/post-bop take on this classic. McLean's alto, the interesting bass solo at the end, all make this an interesting take on a pop standard from a post-bop perspective

http://listen.grooveshark.com/s/Smile/2KQXYV?src=5

Janelle Monae
Covers her idol Michael Jackson's favorite song. Beautiful guitar, enough said.

Stevie Wonder

Big band swing backing, with young Stevie Wonder singing in 1963