RIP Ornette Coleman

Rest in peace, Ornette Coleman. You were a true jazz legend, whose influence on jazz developments in the 1950s and 1960s was some of the most "out there" yet still accessible music I have ever heard. Who could ever forget the immortal "Lonely Woman?" Or "Ramblin"? The Latin flourishes of "Una Muy Bonita?" One can never forget your ambition and courage in playing the violin, an instrument you had no training it, for jazz improvisation. You will be missed.

RIP Mandela

Although I am not really too interested in hagiography, Mandela was indeed a 'great' person and complex figure whose death, though perhaps to be expected, will be mourned forever. It seems ironic that he would die so close to the anniversary of the death of Fred Hampton, illustrating how the struggles of black folks in the US and Africa are entwined.

http://africasacountry.com/three-myths-about-mandela-worth-busting/
http://africasacountry.com/songs-for-mandela-south-african-edition/