Southern Culture And Emotions That Are Painful

I do not know why it is so difficult to socially communicate with others. The thing that puzzles me about living in the South is the way so many of us have so much anger and horrid animosity toward others. Also, it is strange how if you are a bit different in your thinking then you can be totally rejected as a human being or you can be socially wrecked.

Even though you try to be yourself (as your mother might have admonished you to do) the fact is if you are not some sports jock or muscled hot-shot macho man then you are nothing...a non-human.  I am sick of seeing this lunancy of people refusing to be attracted to someone just because they may be somewhat intellectual or what we Southern folks call "different."  Some souls even say they always pick jerks to be attracted to and they look like they bemoan that fact and yet these same humans keep right on doing this odd mode of behavior over and over. It makes a person wonder why can't people enjoy life with all kinds of people and dig music people like Tom Petty and unique movie souls like Jack Nicholson in "The Shining." 

I wish it could be possible to have lots of really strong intense joy in life and not this horrible disgusting feeling of being destroyed by another human being...And of course it is also extremely hard on a human when you feel you are being "scammed" or "played." I wish it were ok in this weird culture of ours to be "happy" like what happens when you hear good Jimi Hendrix music....or maybe good romantic vocalists like Patsy Cline. I want some love and respect and understanding...I feel that many of us are this way. Let's get things much better and please all you deities let's have some real protection from all the evil, mean and disgusting jerks and morons who try so hard to harshly and disgustingly destroy us.

My youngest Son

He was a tremendous writer. So talented. Creativity was his way of life. Memories are so good.

Bamboo lifts all our spirits

Gazing at the delicacy of bamboo arrangements helps us. Makes us realize the beauty of nature and somehow we begin to enjoy our lives even more. God bless us all. Let's get back to nature as Thoreau said. What a great Thursday this is.

NY Giants...A Cultural Great Unit!

I WANT TO SAY that the super performance of the New York Giants and their ace QB Eli Manning was so great at this year's Super Bowl.  It is fascinating how many cultural tributaries flow through our country. Sunday, Feb. 5 big greatness happened again. Truly it is a terrific joy to see the artistic creativity that was shown by the mighty GIANTS.  Blessings be to Manning, Coughlin, the Maras and the fine Giants organization!

Jo Jones, A Marvelous Man of the Drums

SPARKLING, bursting and pulsatingly profound jazz drumming can grab us and allow us many percussive sound thrills. One man of the drums who changed modern music a tremendous amount was the artful individualist, Jo Jones.  This fellow was born in Chicago but moved to Alabama where in the latter part of the 1920s, he slid smoothly into the jazz music arena playing in the fine aggregation, the Walter Page Band.  A little bit later, in 1933, Jones got into the Count Basie unit.  That band was strong and feisty in the 1930s. His eloquent music career rocketed upward and a bit later it was realized Jones had a terrific impact on grand drummers like Louie Bellson, Max Roach, Kenny Clarke and Buddy Rich.

WHILE IN THE POWERFUL COUNT BASIE BAND,  Jo Jones revamped the total concept of what imaginative jazz drumming was all about.  Jones moved away from the stodgy four beats a bar routine and experimented rather vigorously coming up with a bright and shiny sleek touch on the cymbals.  Jones could make a percussionist's weaponry surge with new artistic breakthroughs...indeed his brashness and vivid style brought his music into a finesse-oriented new wild world much like the tremendous engaging impact of an Andy Warhol in the discipline of art.

The Shi-sa dogs of Japan are remarkably similar to the well-honed artful pulsating that is right there in the very beautifully engaging jazz drumming art of Mr. Jo Jones.  Creative, fiery ideas can surround us all so very beautifully. It is "cool" to find ourselves enveloped in all the bold, rivers that make up the modern artful total life experience.

CLEVERLY, the delicate and profound percussive thinking of Jo Jones can prove fascinating for the listening audience. In the late 1930s and 1940s the man, Jo Jones, created unusually imaginative jazz music working with the sophisticated Freddie Green on guitar and the very fine Walter Page on the bass. These guys engineered a provocative melange of sounds for the glory days of the Count Basie Band. Vibrant, aggressive jazz drumming like that of the skilled percussionist, Jo Jones, produces passionate aural fun for us cats who truly dig the meaningful music that is jazz.

WE NEED GREAT DRUMMING to wake us up to the vigorous thrills that make the wonders of life a  panorama of greatness we all can enjoy.