September 4, 2008
Brazilian Jazz Madness
Learn to play the Samba and Bossa Nova (which means New Trend) with this hip dude!
Hope this helps with the rhythm question.
The Bossa Nova video is here
Brazilian jazz is the term for the style of jazz popular or associated with Brazil. The style is sometimes seen as a Brazilian outgrowth of cool jazz as many of the early populists of jazz in Brazil were associated with that sub-genre. It was noted for the bossa nova, which mixes samba and jazz, and a greater use of guitar than in North American jazz. CD reissue of Daviss 1957 LP Birth of the Cool, collecting much of his 1949 to 1950 work. … Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music created by Antonio Carlos Jobim and João Gilberto and first introduced in Brazil by Gilbertos recording of Chega de Saudade, in 1958, a song written by Antonio Carlos Jobim, first released as a single, and shortly thereafter as the album.
Hence it became popular in the United States as a kind of “new sub-genre.” Preparation for that might have been interest in samba shown in the 1942 Disney film Saludos Amigos and in US the popularity of Carmen Miranda. However Brazilian jazz itself gained a following in the early 1960s. In 1962 American tenor saxophonist Stan Getz and guitarist Charlie Byrd had success with Jazz Samba. This album fused jazz with Brazilian music. Brazilian musicians achieved success. The guitarist João Gilberto and his wife, the singer Astrud Gilberto, worked with Getz and on their own albums. The composer Antonio Carlos Jobim played a crucial role in bringing the music a wide and respectable audience. Sergio Mendes helped popularize the music in Japan and became the biggest Brazilian star in the U.S., although later his popularity waned.
Samba is one of the most popular forms of music in Brazil. Samba music is in 2/4 time, which means there are two counts per bar of four beats of music. Each count is two beats long. It is important to learn the proper count in order to maintain an accurate tempo when dancing. Say the count in your head and your feet will follow. Think “one and two, one and two.”
http://www.expertvillage.com/video/56765_drums-beats-bosa-nova.htm
Listen to Brazilian jazz here
August 30, 2008
So you want to dodge the draft….
Awesome site with video! Listen to draft dodgers tell their stories here: http://archives.cbc.ca/war_conflict/vietnam_war/topics/348/
Don’t for get to read the Manual for Draft Age Immigrants to Canada before you head north! Find out more about it here: http://www.radicalmiddle.com/manual.htm
An interesting article about how Vietnam draft dodgers in Canada are now helping war resisters avoid going to Iraq. Read about it here: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/202432_resist06.html
Carter Pardons Draft Dodgers
Just a day after Jimmy Carter’s inaguration, (January 1977) he followed through on a contentious campaign promise, granting a presidential pardon to those who had avoided the draft during the Vietnam war by either not registering or traveling abroad.
Some in veterans’ groups, like Tip Marlow of the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization, said Carter did too much by allowing those who evaded the draft to come home without fear of prosecution.
Meanwhile, many in amnesty groups say that Carter’s pardon did too little. They pointed out that the president did not include deserters — those who served in the war and left before their tour was completed — or soldiers who received a less-than-honorable discharge. Civilian protesters, selective service employees and those who initiated any act of violence also were not covered in the pardon.
Read more here: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/asia/vietnam/vietnam_1-21-77.html
August 25, 2008
Six Years Question 1
Act 1 Scene 2
What made Tom’s wife sick?
The Weldon Spring Former Army Ordnance Works site (35 miles west of St. Louis) occupied more than 17,000 acres and operated from 1941 to 1944. During its operation, the site produced the explosives including trinitrotoluene (TNT) and dinitrotoluene (DNT) for the U.S. Armed Services. A series of land transfers left the Army with 1,655 acres, which it has operated since 1959 for the Army Reserve as the Weldon Spring Training Area. Contaminated areas are spread throughout the 17,000 acres of the site, with the greatest concentration in the Training Area. Investigations have identified a number of potentially contaminated areas, including seven unlined lagoons where TNT wastewater was stored, TNT production lines, two DNT production lines, drainage ditches below TNT production lines, and eight areas where explosive wastes were burned. Approximately 5,000 people live within 3 miles of the site, and approximately 70,000 people obtain drinking water from St. Charles County wells located within 3 miles of the hazardous substances at the site. Surface water in the area flows either to the Mississippi River watershed to the north or the Missouri River watershed to the south. Surface waters located within 3 miles are used for recreational activities.
EPA document – http://www.epa.gov/region07/cleanup/npl_files/mo5210021288.pdf
Dramaturgy Central 