domingo, 28 de dezembro de 2008

A MINHA BANDA DE SEMPRE - NEW CONNECTION





Final de ano, hora de nostalgia.....

sexta-feira, 19 de dezembro de 2008

DISCOS CA DE CASA



Simplesmente um grande disco de Paulo "Tiger Man" Furtado. Apropriado á época.

segunda-feira, 8 de dezembro de 2008

MUCHACHITO E SANTOS DE VERACRUZ





Não deixa de ser um conceito engraçado o de esta banda e artista de Barcelona. A banda dá um concerto e o "pintor" pinta uma tela em pleno palco e em tempo real. E a verdade é que este Santos de Vera Cruz tem uma obra bastante interessante.

sábado, 6 de dezembro de 2008

ULTIMA AQUISIÇÃO - FELA KUTI ANTHOLOGY







Fela was born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria,[2] to a middle-class family. His mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, was a feminist activist in the anti-colonial movement and his father, Reverend Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti, a Protestant minister and school Principal, was the first president of the Nigerian Union of Teachers. His brothers, Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti and Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti,both medical doctors, are both well known in Nigeria.

Fela was sent to London in 1958 to study medicine but decided to study music instead at the Trinity College of Music. While there, he formed the band Koola Lobitos, playing a style of music that he would later call Afrobeat. The style was a fusion of American Jazz, psychedelic rock, and Funk with West African Highlife. In 1961, Fela married his first wife, Remilekun (Remi) Taylor, with whom he would have three children (Femi, Yeni, and Sola). In 1963, Fela moved back to Nigeria, re-formed Koola Lobitos and trained as a radio producer for the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation. In 1969, Fela took the band to the United States. While there, Fela discovered the Black power movement through Sandra Smith (now Isidore)—a partisan of the Black Panther Party—which would heavily influence his music and political views and renamed the band Nigeria ’70. Soon, the Immigration and Naturalization Service was tipped off by a promoter that Fela and his band were in the US without work permits. The band then performed a quick recording session in Los Angeles that would later be released as The ’69 Los Angeles Sessions.

Fela and his band, renamed Africa '70, returned to Nigeria. He then formed the Kalakuta Republic, a commune, a recording studio, and a home for many connected to the band that he later declared independent from the Nigerian state. Fela set up a nightclub in the Empire Hotel, named the Afro-Spot and then the Afrika Shrine, where he performed regularly. Fela also changed his middle name to Anikulapo (meaning "he who carries death in his pouch"),[3] stating that his original middle name of Ransome was a slave name. The recordings continued, and the music became more politically motivated. Fela's music became very popular among the Nigerian public and Africans in general. In fact, he made the decision to sing in Pidgin English so that his music could be enjoyed by individuals all over Africa, where the local languages spoken are very diverse and numerous. As popular as Fela's music had become in Nigeria and elsewhere, it was also very unpopular with the ruling government, and raids on the Kalakuta Republic were frequent. In 1974 the police arrived with a search warrant and a cannabis joint, which they had intended to plant on Fela. He became wise to this and swallowed the joint. In response, the police took him into custody and waited to examine his feces. Fela enlisted the help of his prison mates and gave the police someone else's feces, and Fela was freed. He then recounted this tale in his release Expensive Shit.

In 1977 Fela and the Afrika ’70 released the hit album Zombie, a scathing attack on Nigerian soldiers using the zombie metaphor to describe the methods of the Nigerian military. The album was a smash hit with the people and infuriated the government, setting off a vicious attack against the Kalakuta Republic, during which one thousand soldiers attacked the commune. Fela was severely beaten, and his elderly mother was thrown from a window, causing fatal injuries. The Kalakuta Republic was burned, and Fela's studio, instruments, and master tapes were destroyed. Fela claimed that he would have been killed if it were not for the intervention of a commanding officer as he was being beaten. Fela's response to the attack was to deliver his mother's coffin to the main army barrack in Lagos and write two songs, "Coffin for Head of State" and "Unknown Soldier," referencing the official inquiry that claimed the commune had been destroyed by an unknown soldier.

Fela and his band then took residence in Crossroads Hotel as the Shrine had been destroyed along with his commune. In 1978 Fela married 27 women, many of whom were his dancers, composers, and singers to mark the anniversary of the attack on the Kalakuta Republic. Later, he was to adopt a rotation system of keeping only twelve simultaneous wives.[4] The year was also marked by two notorious concerts, the first in Accra in which riots broke out during the song "Zombie," which led to Fela being banned from entering Ghana. The second was at the Berlin Jazz Festival after which most of Fela's musicians deserted him, due to rumors that Fela was planning to use the entirety of the proceeds to fund his presidential campaign.

Despite the massive setbacks, Fela was determined to come back. He formed his own political party, which he called Movement of the People. In 1979 he put himself forward for President in Nigeria's first elections for more than a decade but his candidature was refused. At this time, Fela created a new band called Egypt 80 and continued to record albums and tour the country. He further infuriated the political establishment by dropping the names of ITT vice-president Moshood Abiola and then General Olusegun Obasanjo at the end of a hot-selling 25-minute political screed titled "I.T.T. (International Thief-Thief)."

In 1984, he was again attacked by the Military government, who jailed him on a dubious charge of currency smuggling. His case was taken up by several human-rights groups, and after 20 months, he was released from prison by General Ibrahim Babangida. On his release he divorced his 12 remaining wives, saying that "marriage brings jealousy and selfishness."[5] Once again, Fela continued to release albums with Egypt 80, made a number of successful tours of the United States and Europe and also continued to be politically active. In 1986, Fela performed in Giants Stadium in New Jersey as part of the Amnesty International Conspiracy of Hope concert, sharing the bill with Bono, Carlos Santana, and the Neville Brothers. In 1989, Fela & Egypt 80 released the anti-apartheid "Beasts of No Nation" album that depicts on its cover U.S. President Ronald Reagan, UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and South African Prime Minister P.W. Botha with fangs dripping blood.

His album output slowed in the 1990s, and eventually he stopped releasing albums altogether. The battle against military corruption in Nigeria was taking its toll, especially during the rise of dictator Sani Abacha. Rumors were also spreading that he was suffering from an illness for which he was refusing treatment. On 3 August 1997, Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, already a prominent AIDS activist and former Minister of Health, stunned the nation by announcing his younger brother's death a day earlier from Kaposi's sarcoma brought on by AIDS. (Their younger brother Beko was in jail at this time at the hand of Abacha for political activity). More than a million people attended Fela's funeral at the site of the old Shrine compound. A new Africa Shrine has opened since Fela's death in a different section of Lagos under the supervision of his son Femi Kuti.

The musical style performed by Fela Kuti is called Afrobeat, which is essentially a fusion of jazz, funk, psychedelic rock, and traditional African chants and rhythms. It is characterized by having African-style percussion, vocals, and musical structure, along with jazzy, funky horn sections. The endless groove is also used, in which a base rhythm of drums, shekere, muted guitar, and bass guitar are repeated throughout the song. This is a common technique in African and African-influenced musical styles, and can be seen in funk and hip-hop. Some elements often present in Fela's music are the call-and-response within the chorus and figurative but simple lyrics. Fela's songs were almost always over 10 minutes in length, some reaching the 20- or even 30-minute marks, while some unreleased tracks would last up to 45 minutes when performed live. This was one of many reasons that his music never reached a substantial degree of popularity outside of Africa. His songs were mostly sung in Nigerian pidgin, although he also performed a few songs in the Yoruba language. Fela's main instruments were the saxophone and the keyboards, but he also played the trumpet, guitar, and made the occasional drum solo. Fela refused to perform songs again after he had already recorded them, which also hindered his popularity outside Africa. Fela was known for his showmanship, and his concerts were often quite outlandish and wild. He referred to his stage act as the Underground Spiritual Game.

"In Wikipedia"

domingo, 26 de outubro de 2008

GAUDI - COMILLAS - ASTURIAS, SETEMBRO 2008






Fui surpreendido com esta obra do grande Antonio Gaudi, por terras Asturianas, numa vila chamada Comillas

sábado, 25 de outubro de 2008

sábado, 18 de outubro de 2008

quarta-feira, 15 de outubro de 2008

segunda-feira, 13 de outubro de 2008

domingo, 12 de outubro de 2008

ASTURIAS, SETEMBRO 2008






Já tenho saudades das férias...

quinta-feira, 9 de outubro de 2008

ULTIMA AQUISIÇÃO



O ultimo a chegar cá a casa. Diga-se de passagem bastante bom e óotimo para as viagens casa-trabalho.

domingo, 5 de outubro de 2008

A ULTIMA AQUISIÇÃO



A nova menina cá de casa...

sábado, 4 de outubro de 2008

JARDIM EL CAPRICHO - MADRID, 28 SETEMBRO 2008





No final do século XVIII e princípio do século XIX, Madrid chegou a contar com uma série de vilas suburbanas que circundavam a cidade num raio máximo de 10 quilómetros. O processo de formação de quase todas estas foi praticamente o mesmo. Inicialmente eram hortas com modestas edificações ou simples casas de lavoura, que foram sendo ampliadas e renovadas ao mesmo tempo que iam aparecendo os jardins.

Em 1783 os Duques de Osuna compraram uma quinta, situada na vila de Alameda e no ano seguinte Pablo Boutelou um dos melhores jardineiros da corte, apresentou um projecto para a ordenação do denominado Jardim Baixo, que por essas datas era o eixo principal da quinta.

Três anos depois, a condessa contratou Jean Baptiste de Mulot com a condição de não trabalhar para outras casas do país. Mulot vinha da corte de Maria Antonieta e conhecia perfeitamente o Petit Trianon de Versalles. Para a duquesa idealizou um projecto paisagista de estilo inglês cujos traços gerais realizou durante a sua estadia em Espanha assim como o começo das obras de Albejero e do santuário. Quando este se foi em 1795 a Alameda ficou a cargo do jardineiro francês Pierre Prevost e do pintor e cenógrafo italiano Angel Maria Tadey. Entre 1792 e 1796 foram levadas a cabo obras no palácio ficando dita construção a cargo dos arquitectos Manuel Machuca Vargas e Mateo Mediana sucessivamente. Em 1807 a invasão francesa obrigou a duquesa a mudar-se para Cádis. Com o regresso ao trono de Fernando VII, a duquesa recuperou o seu capricho e em 1815 ordenou a construção do Casino de Baile seguindo o projecto do arquitecto António López Aguado.Após a morte da duquesa, o seu neto encomendou a este arquitecto a realização de dois monumentos, um em memória à duquesa, “Exedra de la Plaza de los Emperadores”, e o outro em memória do duque, “La Isla de Lago”
Até ser adquirida pela Câmara Municipal de Madrid em 1974, a quinta de “La Alameda de Osuna” passou por diferentes proprietários e em 1985 foi declarada Património de Interesse Cultural, factor que tem sido fundamental na recuperação e restauração integral deste conjunto que representa o mais original e consumado exemplo de vila suburbana do século XVIII em Espanha, para além de ser um dos poucos exemplos de jardim paisagista que existe hoje em dia em Espanha.

In "www.turismomadrid.es"

Quanto ao concerto posso dizer que foi interessante. Clássicos de Jazz, bem interpretados, e o facto de ser curioso assistir a um concerto num jardim lindissimo ás 12h30m. Depois do concerto segue-se.... o almoço

domingo, 14 de setembro de 2008

O PLAGIO É UMA COISA MUITO FEIA

................ Mas quando o tempo não abunda e a disponibilidade é pouca......

Deixo-vos com Camille, uma das vocalistas da banda Nouvelle Vague.



MAIS UMA VEZ OBRIGADA

http://gabinete-de-curiosidades.blogspot.com/

terça-feira, 2 de setembro de 2008

domingo, 31 de agosto de 2008

REALIDADES URBANAS - MADRID, AGOSTO 2008





Madrid, Parque del Retiro, Agosto de 2008

sábado, 30 de agosto de 2008

DISCOS CA DE CASA - OST LUNA PAPA





Uma bela banda sonora de um filme igualmente delicioso. Realizado em 1999 por Bakhtyar Khudojnazarov trata-se um filme de e para sonhadores com um humor sábio e muito próprio.

Aconselha-se a escuta e o filme.

domingo, 10 de agosto de 2008

AS ULTIMAS AQUISIÇÕES



Sabado, 9 de Agosto de 2008. depois de um passeio muito bem acompanhado nada como uma passagem pela FNAC de Callao, mesmo ao final da Calle Preciados a ver como estavam as "promoções". Promoções ou não estas foram as minhas aquisições do dia. Dois carroceis de emoções.
Pascal Comelade neste "Expontex Sinfonia" de 2006, e o GRANDE Tom Waits com a sua maravilhosa "Alice" de 2002.
Nota: Curioso ver o tipo de instrumentos utilizados e tocados por Pascal Comelade: piano, toy pianos, farfisa Organ, acordion, vibes, percurssions, ukulele, tuba, melodica, mini-twist airgam 1965 plastic guitar, electric guitar.
Enfim....

sábado, 9 de agosto de 2008

DISCOS CÁ DE CASA - MILES DAVIS - DOO BOP



Por aqui irei apresentando um pouco a minha discoteca pessoal. Esta rubrica tinha que comecar com um dos meus discos preferidos de smpre. O Fantástico Doo Bop de Miles Davis, gravado em 1991, pouco antes da sua morte a 28 de Setembro do mesmo ano. Aceitam-se sugestões de escuta.

domingo, 27 de julho de 2008

FESTIVAL BENICASSIM - 2008









Mis um grande festival de musica aqui por estes lados da fronteira. Foi em Benicassim (perto de Valencia) nos passados dias 18, 19 e 20 de Julho. Nomes como Morrisey, Vive la Fete, Leonard Cohen, Tricky, Sigur Ros, Siouxie entre outros estiveram presentes.

domingo, 20 de julho de 2008

CONCERTOS PERDIDOS - TOM WAITS, ESPANHA, JULHO 2008





Foi em San Sebastian e em Barcelona (por desgraça não passou por Madrid), nos passados dias 12 e 14 de Julho.

Fica para a próxima.... se a houver!!!!!

segunda-feira, 30 de junho de 2008