Bruce's Beach at Sunset
(Public Domain)
John Malveaux of
writes:
In review of 2015 and consideration of projects for 2016, I returned to a
beautiful Manhattan Beach park with capturing ocean front view formerly
owned by African Americans. I attended the official renaming of the
park to BRUCE BEACH during a public ceremony on March 31, 2007. The
beach front property was taken from African American families through
eminent domain. See http://www.blackpast.org/aaw/bruce-s-beach-manhattan-beach-california-1920.
MusicUNTOLD will call for a reading of a movement from the hip hop opera, Assassins of the Soul, with
music by composer Ed Bland, text by Ed Bland and Mary Osmund Bland, to
consider production of one or more movements in 2016. See attachment for
1991 Los Angeles Times review of 'New World Order' from Assassins of the Soul.
John Malveaux
Music : eXindigo! Mixes Music, Politics in 'Order'
July 29, 1991|TIMOTHY MANGAN
Music and politics have always been a potent mixture, the
purely emotional appeal of the one enforcing the seemingly
logical propositions of the other. The contemporary music
group eXindigo! showed once again how strong the
combination can be, Saturday at Hermosa Beach Civic
Theater, with premieres of two works whose messages one
didn't necessarily have to agree with to recognize the
power they gained from musical statement.
logical propositions of the other. The contemporary music
group eXindigo! showed once again how strong the
combination can be, Saturday at Hermosa Beach Civic
Theater, with premieres of two works whose messages one
didn't necessarily have to agree with to recognize the
power they gained from musical statement.
"The New World Order" by Ed Bland proved deliberately
provocative and disturbingly cynical. Setting his work in
five titled movements for choir, piano and percussion,
Bland uses rhythmic speech to make his points
provocative and disturbingly cynical. Setting his work in
five titled movements for choir, piano and percussion,
Bland uses rhythmic speech to make his points
unambiguous, punctuating and underlining them with
instrumental interjections.
instrumental interjections.
In the movement "President Quayle," for instance, Bland
creates a martial tone with snare-drum riffs accompanying
a choir marching in place, which reports crisply that "he
didn't serve in Vietnam but President Quayle is a military
man." In "Gimme That Tape," the composer gives a pseudo-rap account of the Rodney King incident, the choir
exhorting: "Get smart, brothers. Change gangs. Become a
cop."
creates a martial tone with snare-drum riffs accompanying
a choir marching in place, which reports crisply that "he
didn't serve in Vietnam but President Quayle is a military
man." In "Gimme That Tape," the composer gives a pseudo-rap account of the Rodney King incident, the choir
exhorting: "Get smart, brothers. Change gangs. Become a
cop."
The title-piece is a question and answer session, the asking
done in monotones, the answering in a reasonable, factual
manner-- "Now that Russia is gone, we're the only bully on
the block." Set with great skill and directness, Bland's piece
is a Machiavellian look, charged- up with rhythm and
harmony, at present-day society. Laurie Gurman conducted,
as throughout the evening, effectively.
done in monotones, the answering in a reasonable, factual
manner-- "Now that Russia is gone, we're the only bully on
the block." Set with great skill and directness, Bland's piece
is a Machiavellian look, charged- up with rhythm and
harmony, at present-day society. Laurie Gurman conducted,
as throughout the evening, effectively.
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