May 3, 2008

• Hi all!
  Keeping busy doing all sorts of things-like putting a table and 2 chairs together,
  and other appts. for me and my daughter. 

  It’s a beautiful day here, sunny and bright-puts me in the mood for spring cleaning!
  Have lots to do.

  How is it in your world?!

  
  

  Elder’s Meditation of the Day – May 3
  “But I have learned a lot from trees: sometimes about the weather, sometimes about animals, sometimes about the Great Spirit.”
  –Walking Buffalo, STONEY
  Nature is the greatest teacher on the Earth. Nature produces many different plants, animals, trees, rocks, birds, insects and weather patterns. Nature designed all these various things to grow and multiply while at the same time live in harmony with each other. We can learn a lot of we observe and study Nature’s system of harmony and balance. Today, go sit on a rock and quietly observe and ask to be shown the lessons.

  Great Spirit, Nature is my teacher. Today, let me be the
  student.

  If Only
  Locating The Underlying
  Cause

  Often, when we’re unhappy, we fall into the habit of thinking
  that, if only one or two particular things in our life would change, everything
  would be fine. We might focus on the fact that we need a new car, or a raise, or
  a change in our living situation. We dwell on this one thing and strategize, or
  complain, or daydream about what it would be like to have it. Meanwhile,
  underneath the surface, the real reason for our unhappiness sits unrecognized
  and unaddressed. And yet, if we are able to locate and explore the underlying
  cause of our discontent, all the surface concerns have a way of working
  themselves out in the light of our realization.

  Maybe we really do just
  need a new car, and maybe moving to another city would improve our life
  situation. However, it can only help to take some time to explore what’s going
  on at a deeper level. Sometimes, when we take a moment and stop focusing on
  external concerns, we get to the heart of the matter. We might realize that all
  our lives we’ve been dissatisfied, grasping at one thing after another, only to
  be dissatisfied about something else once we get what we want. Or perhaps we’ll
  notice a pattern of running away from a place, or a relationship, when things
  get too hard. We might then wonder why this keeps happening, and how we might
  work through the difficulty rather than just escaping it. The point is, slowing
  down and turning our attention within can save us a lot of energy in the long
  run, because it is very often the case that there is no external change that
  will make us happy.

  Once you’ve taken the time to inquire within, you
  can begin to make changes that address the deeper issue. This can be hard at
  first, especially if you’ve grown used to grasping for outside sources in order
  to quell your discontent, but in the end, you will be solving the problem at a
  deeper level, and it will be much less likely to recur.

  Hugh Masekela Presents the Chisa Years
  1965-1975
  Hugh Masekela
  2005

  Having scored with his 1968 instrumental, “Grazing in the
  Grass,” and his blazing number at the Monterey Pop festival, Hugh Masekela was
  an in-demand producer who too often found himself turning out watered-down
  versions of the steamy Afro-fusion he longed to create. Chisa Records was
  Masekela’s own small label, his chance to break out on his own, to create and
  market the spirited African-pop sound that would one day fall into the catch-all
  category of World Beat music. Hugh Masekela Presents the Chisa Years,
  then, is a collection of unreleased tracks and B-sides from the label’s heyday,
  and the stuff on display here ranges from rock-steady proto-acid jazz to buoyant
  African-pop, the wellspring from which would one day come Paul Simon’s
  Graceland, and so many others.

  The most energetic band here is the
  amazing Baranta, which rocks a steady Afro-pop vibe with a twin guitar
  effect—one doing a low-end wah-wah and the other in full fuzz mode. Vocalist
  Miatta Fahinbulleh belts out high-end African lyrics, soaring over a waterfall
  cascade chorus on the manic “Tepo,” and there’s an incredible fuzz freak-out
  guitar solo in the middle of “A Cheeka Laka Laka.” During this last song,
  Fahinbulleh sings out in English for celebration of the unity between Africans
  and countercultural northerners: “The blackbird is calling for justice / The
  white bird is calling for peace.” A muscle-heavy backing-vocal harmony mixes
  with chugging, spacey guitar to fuse the two spirits even more closely together.

  The most instantly funky and irresistible track here, though, will
  likely be “Afro-Beat Blues,” which features Masekela on horns and a nonstop,
  percolating soul-funk groove. The singing is low and half-spoken over crunchy
  guitar, drums, and a low and in-no-hurry heavy, throbbing bass that’s so tight
  and sanctified no amount of police or rioting could stop it. Masekela’s Chisa
  record imprint eventually folded up shop, but not before the 10-year run
  celebrated in high style on this worthy album. It’s a must for students of the
  global beat, fans of Masekela, and any intrepid explorer looking to shake those
  “Afro-Beat Blues.”
  

  	Listen to all sound clips from this CD
  “Afro-Beat Blues” “Tepo” “A Cheeka Laka Laka”

  Buy this CD

  

  Ever wonder
  what happened to

  those cute and crazy hippie
  girls

  who did drugs in the
  60′s?….OR….
  What the ‘cool’ girls of today will

  look like in the
  future?

   

    

  

  On that note, I’ll end this!!

  I love you!!

  

  • 1:16 pm
  • 28 Comments