Eblen Macari Trio: Mexican-Arabic Fusion

The event notice read: "the ensemble uses myriad instruments to uncover the baroque and Levantine influences in Mexican music."

I'd never heard of a connection between Arabic and Mexican music, but Eblen informed me that there's a large population of Lebanese living in Mexico, and their musical traditions have influenced Mexican music.

Comprised of guitarist and composer Eblen Macari, harpsichordist Olga Martínez, and percussionist Kabalan Macari, the trio gave a concert titled De Beirut a Cosamaloapan at the Mexican Cultural Institute.  The program was described as "a meeting of contemporary music and son jarocho style with Arabic roots and Spanish baroque influence."  They played lush, lively Mexican-Baroque-Middle Eastern fusion in the form of original compositions and traditional songs using guitars (including a jarana), harpsichord, and ethnic percussion instruments (including the darbuka).

The group is based in Mexico and rarely performs in the U.S.  And their YouTube videos are not exemplary of the beautiful sounds from tonight's performance. Some things are meant to be savored only in the moment.

Caught Off Guard by a MEAM

Tonight, while listening to an internet radio station which plays obscure gems from the '60s and early '70s, I heard the opening notes of a song and froze.  It was vaguely familiar.  I listened intently as it progressed through the first verse.  Something started to happen in my brain.  The song was buried deep in my memory, from long ago, and my brain was attempting to reconstruct it as it went on.  When it climaxed at the chorus, I finally recognized it and my eyes welled with tears.  I was having what's called a MEAM - a Music-Evoked Autobiographical Memory.

The song was "I Ain't Got Time Anymore" by The Glass Bottle ((written by the late great Mike Leander and Eddie Seago and sung by Gary Criss), a beautiful but painfully sad song about the loss of a love.  I was just a kid when I first heard it on the radio in 1970.

Wanting to know more about this phenomenon, I found an article in Psychology Today called, "Why Do the Songs from Your Past Evoke Such Vivid Memories?" by Christopher Bergland, which explains the neuroscience of vivid musical memories.  Here are the main points:

Familiar songs light up areas in green 


 

• In a 2011 study, Finnish researchers discovered that listening to music activates wide networks in the brain, including areas responsible for motor actions, emotions, and creativity.
• In a 2009 study, researchers from UC Davis mapped the brain while people listened to music and found specific brain regions linked to autobiographical memories and emotions are activated by familiar music.
  
• Why do autobiographical memories linked to music remain so rich? If you haven't heard a song in years, the neural tapestry of that song stays purer, and the song will evoke stronger memories of a time and place from your past. The memories linked to overplayed songs can become diluted because the neural network is constantly being updated.

Preserving America's Audio-Visual Heritage

Library of Congress National A/V Conservation Center, Culpeper, VA

Today, I had the privilege of touring the Library of Congress's National Audio-Visual Conservation Center in scenic Culpeper, Virginia in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

It's the world's largest a/v collection -- a 45-acre campus housing over 1.1 million visual materials and 3.5 million audio recordings on over 90 miles of underground shelving in climate-controlled vaults (and a nuclear bomb-proof underground bunker).

underground storage vault

The collection includes motion pictures, television programs, radio broadcasts, and sound recordings (including MUSIC!!).

The show Elvis Presley got his start on

Fewer than 20% of American silent films still survive in their complete form.  And half of American films produced before 1950 no longer exist, while   post-1950 films are threatened by fading and other forms of deterioration.

Thanks to federal funding, this facility has state-of-the-art capabilities to preserve a/v media in every format dating back 100 years, and to store them in a petabyte-level digital storage archive. 

Preservation work

Mike Mashon, Head of Moving Images

78-rpm recording on metal, 1929

Paper print of D.W. Griffith's 1909 film, "The Lonely Villa"

Gene DeAnna, Head of Recorded Sound

Assortment of legacy microphones

 

Edison cylinder, 1912

Center Chief Greg Lukow in the 206-seat theater

Related links:
National Film Preservation Foundation
National Film Registry
National Recording Preservation Foundation
National Recording Registry

Code Pink 4 Peace

The bodacious DC chapter of Code Pink had a housewarming party today to celebrate their new digs in Northeast.  Present were lots of good food & drink, beautiful weather, and a great group of activists of all ages, flavors, and issues. 

Alicongaras

 The Colombian artist Marta Gutierrez is an architect by training who decided to follow her dream of becoming an artist.  Her latest exhibit, Critters + Doodles (Alicongaras y Mamarrachos), showcases her talent in the form of whimsical characters, paintings and drawings.  Here's a sample from the show, which was hosted by the Colombian Embassy.

on display at the Colombian Ambassador's residence

Happy Birthday, Richie Furay

David and Nancy Stone know how to throw a party.  And Richie Furay knows how to say thank-you.

The country-rock pioneer showed his appreciation to the promoters and the sell-out crowd who came to celebrate his 70th birthday with a heartfelt and high-energy performance tonight at the South Orange (NJ) Performing Arts Center.  And, like any great birthday party, there were plenty of surprises.

Richie with David & Ted Spero

The evening began with an intimate dinner for Richie & his band with family and friends.
 
Dinner was followed by a meet & greet reception with close to 100 fans -- many of whom have been following Richie's career since his early days with Buffalo Springfield, then Poco, Souther-Hillman-Furay, the Richie Furay Band and beyond.  As always, Richie was gracious with his time -- chatting, signing autographs, posing for photos.

The Richie Furay Band with Rusty Young

Then the concert got underway, along with the first special guest of the evening: Rusty Young, co-founder of Poco and master of the pedal-steel guitar.  Rusty engaged the audience with stories and songs and accompanied Richie on several tunes, including the 1973 Poco epic, Crazy Eyes.


The second surprise guest was original Poco drummer and vocalist George Grantham, who continued to play on and off with Poco until 2002, when he suffered a stroke.  George got a standing ovation as he walked onstage with the help of a cane and sang with Richie.

Richie Furay and George Grantham

Next up, a video filled with birthday messages from a who's-who of rock musicians including Graham Nash, Jim Messina, Kenny Loggins, Dan Dugmore, Waddy ("You don't look a day over 69") Wachtel, Chris Hillman, Paul Cotton, and many others.  At the conclusion, a birthday cake was trotted out, and it was the crowd's turn to sing to Richie.

Mark Volman greets Richie onstage

Then, one last video -- a birthday message from Mark Volman (founding member of The Turtles, former member of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention, and half of Flo & Eddie), who said he hoped to see Richie "real soon."  And right on cue, Volman walked onstage.  A perfectly choreographed surprise.

Here are a few YouTube videos courtesy of Buffalo Springgal (and check out 4 great Poco tracks in the jukebox):


This was my third trek to NJ to see Richie and the Stones, and it was worth every mile to be a part of their warm community of fans and friends for one memorable night of music and celebration.

Al Kooper at B.B. King's

Al, who rarely performs these days, did a two-night stand at B.B. King's in NYC to celebrate his 70th birthday.  He was supported by guitarist Jimmy Vivino and a backing band of profs from Berklee College of Music. He treated us to a mix of songs from his time with the Blues Project, Mike Bloomfield, Dylan, and the Stones. One of the best-dressed guys in the business, Al didn't disappoint with a sharp black glitter jacket and an exquisite paisley coat that gave me wonderful flashbacks.

Photos from tonight's show:

Ralph Nader is Unstoppable

Ralph Nader is on tour to promote his latest book:  "Unstoppable: The Emerging Left-Right Alliance to Dismantle the Corporate State."   

Ralph Nader speaking at Busboys and Poets

He's always a draw for me because he addresses the problems that everyone else ignores, and does so intelligently and succinctly.

If you purchase this book, please buy it at Barnes & Noble or your independent bookstore.

Peaches

Shocked and saddened to learn of the death of Peaches Geldof, 25-yr-old daughter of Boomtown Rats & Live Aid's Sir Bob Geldof.  I admired her poise, natural beauty, fashion sense, and gorgeous little family.

Wonderous Stories

"The Voice of Yes," Jon Anderson, performed at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside, PA, just outside Philadelphia.  This is probably the hundredth time (ok, slight exaggeration) that I've seen him since he parted ways with his band Yes and started touring solo (and once with Rick Wakeman).  His setlist has changed very little in all those shows.  Frankly, I wish he'd mix it up a bit, and I question some of his song choices (A Day in the Life?  On ukulele???).  But I keep going back because of That Voice.  It's just so darn beautiful. And once he starts singing Wonderous Stories and Soon, all is forgiven.

Firth of Fabulous

The incomparable British guitar master, Steve Hackett, delighted a packed theater of progressive rock fans with his show, Genesis Extended.  The Lincoln Theater on historic U Street in DC was the first stop on the tour.  This was my fourth Genesis Revisited show (VA, NY, Phila, DC) and every one has been thrilling.  This show is not for the hit-ster fans of later Genesis and Phil Collins.  Only deep, earlier album cuts served here.  The music is at once exhiliarating, emotional, esoteric, and enduring.  Most overheard comment:  "My God, I feel like I'm 17 again."

Below is a clip from the Lincoln Theater.  It's my favorite passage from Steve's extended guitar solo in the song, Firth of Fifth.  (Apologies for the jitters -- it's difficult to remain still when you're enjoying the music.)



Steve's official website

Genesis Revisited CD/DVD set

More videos from the tour

Lincoln Theater DC Setlist
Dance on a Volcano

Dancing With the Moonlit Knight

Squonk

Fly on a Windshield

Broadway Melody of 1974

The Lamia

The Return of the Giant Hogweed

The Musical Box

I Know What I Like

Horizons

Firth of Fifth

Lilywhite Lilith

The Knife

The Fountain of Salmacis

Supper's Ready

Encore

Watcher of the Skies

Los Endos

New Jimi Hendrix Stamp Misses the Beat

With great anticipation, I bought a sheet of new Jimi Hendrix stamps at the post office today.  Must admit disappointment.  The artist rendering just doesn't do it for me.  Artistic license maybe, but the resemblance isn't quite there, and the color palette doesn't seem authentic to psychedelic art of that era. 

 And what are those bizarre lines around his face?

If I were in charge....it would look more like this:

IMO, for the music icon series, the USPS should stick with photographs.  They did a much nicer job on the Ray Charles stamp:

Hope they do a better treatment with the upcoming John Lennon stamp.  Here's one of my favorites:

 And if they need an idea for the Jim Morrison stamp, how about this?

At the rate it's going, postage will be up to 69 cents before we know it.

Andy Shallal for Mayor

Andy Shallal, an Iraqi American, owner of hip local restaurant chain Busboys and Poets, and all-around good guy, is running for mayor of DC.  This jaded former political operative is not easily impressed, but after hearing him speak at a private fundraiser, I put a yard sign in my front window.

Andy's the sort of candidate that's in short supply  -- someone with integrity, honesty, real-world experience, not a career politician beholden to special interests, a progressive who walks the walk.  The mission statement for his restaurants is this:

Busboys and Poets is a community where racial and cultural connections are consciously uplifted...a place to take a deliberate pause and feed your mind, body and soul...a space for art, culture and politics to intentionally collide...we believe that by creating such a space we can inspire social change and begin to transform our community and the world.

andy4dc.com