“I really sing songs that move me. I’m not in show business; I’m in the communications business. That’s what it’s about for me.”
On August 15th, 1969, Richie Havens opened Woodstock — birthplace of the sort of magic we have come to seek from music festivals. After three (yes three!) hours of performing, having been called back several times and having ran out of songs, Richie improvised a song based on the old gospel “Motherless Child.” His version, “Freedom,” instantly became — and remains 44 years later — a hymn for generations of people actively hoping and working to make our world a better place.
Although he was more of a discrete figure of the Village, Havens never gave up militantism through his humanist music, and his legacy of over 25 albums is often cited as a major influence for younger musicians.
Richie passed away at age 72 on Earth Day. Because we too are hopers, we like to think of this coincidence as one last message from the artist to us.
Rest in peace.
Dynasty Handbag performs tonight at Valentine’s in Portland with Alicia McDaid, New Moon Poncho and DJ Jen O of Akin Jewelry. It’s not something that you want to miss on — avoid crushing regret by attending.
William Bensussen aka The Gaslamp Killer, a hyperactive, hypersonic, LA-based channeler for all the right musical vibes, plays April 19 at Desert Gold with Warp Records in the Amigo Room at Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs — here, he represents for all the deep musical woo we love and believe in, as part of the Serato Icon Artist Series.
NPR Music is making their first venture out to the Western desert in their five years of existence, and making Ace Palm Springs their homebase during Coachella and Desert Gold. They’re doing field recordings in the area and capturing impromptu poolside recordings with artists staying with us during Desert Gold, and shooting some video. Tonight, they host karaoke in the Amigo Room with guests like Third Man Records, Warp Records, Modular, We Are Free and Stereogum, and we hope to see you on the mic as well. See the full Desert Gold schedule and get a room.
LOS ANGELES : WOMBLETON RECORDS
Jali Musa Jawra is from the Kankan region of Guinea in West Africa. The Jali (or “Djeli”) prefix on his name means “musician by birth”; both of his parents were jalis as well, you see. Traditionally speaking, Djelis were more or less wandering minstrels in this part of Africa. He is best known for playing the Kora, a 21-string bridge-harp, though he also mastered the balafon, basically a wooden xylophone from the idiophone family of tuned percussion instruments. He plays guitar and sings, too — but doesn’t everyone. Am I right Hollywood?
Moving to Abidjan in the Ivory Coast to play in Mory Kante’s band in the late 1970s put Jawara in a more progressive state of mind. When he split from Kante in ’83 he developed his own, hypnotic and exciting style of modern African Mandinka music. The album this tune was taken from, “Soubindoor”, was recorded in London in 1988 and was released on Island’s Mango imprint.
The song is about how suspicion and mistrust can ruin otherwise loving relationships. So to put it in your frame of reference, Wombleteens, this song is like West Africa’s answer to “Love Will Tear Us Apart”. I’d like to hear what Jawara could do with “Shadowplay” or “Disorder”, wouldn’t you!
- From the selectors at Wombleton Records in Highland Park — all vinyl all the time for all the people.
“Let’s sound as much like Yazoo as we can… We loved Yazoo.” — Antony Hegarty in an interview with Terry Gross on the mission statement behind Hercules & Love Affair’s sound. Yazoo hailed from Essex in the UK — Don’t Go spooked its way into 1982 and blew minds on both sides of the pond.
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