#RescueOurVotes https://t.co/kfUCTtZkWY
— Gregg Chadwick (@greggchadwick) August 14, 2020
Friday, August 14, 2020
Rescue Our Votes
Wednesday, August 12, 2020
Kamala Harris Makes a Strong Debut as VP Candidate
Here is Kamala Harris' complete speech and it is worth your time. #Mamala https://t.co/oDbIYUBtOt
— Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) August 12, 2020
Move on Up (Extended Version)
Time to Move On Up! Biden Harris 2020
Curtis Mayfield trending on Twitter for all the right reasons. #MoveOnUp #BidenHarris2020
Kamala Harris Is Ready to Go!
We are in a battle for the soul of this nation. But together, it's a battle we can win.@JoeBiden—I'm ready to get to work. pic.twitter.com/3PJcUTYBGU
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 12, 2020
Friday, August 07, 2020
Bon Jovi - American Reckoning (Lyric Video)
Bon Jovi - American Reckoning
America's on fire
There's protests in the street
Her conscience has been looted
And her soul is under siege
Another mother's crying
As history repeats
I can't breathe
There's protests in the street
Her conscience has been looted
And her soul is under siege
Another mother's crying
As history repeats
I can't breathe
God damn those eight long minutes
Lying face-down in cuffs on the ground
Bystanders pleaded for mercy
As one cop shoved a kid in the crowd
When did a judge and a jury
Become a badge and a knee
On these streets?
Lying face-down in cuffs on the ground
Bystanders pleaded for mercy
As one cop shoved a kid in the crowd
When did a judge and a jury
Become a badge and a knee
On these streets?
Stay alive, stay alive
Shine a light, stay alive
Use your voice and you remember me
American reckoning
Shine a light, stay alive
Use your voice and you remember me
American reckoning
I'll never know what it's like
To walk a mile in his shoes
And I'll never have to have the talk
So it don't happen to you
To walk a mile in his shoes
And I'll never have to have the talk
So it don't happen to you
Three little words written 'cross the chest
Of a twelve-year-old who hasn't lived life yet
"Am I next?" "Am I next?"
Of a twelve-year-old who hasn't lived life yet
"Am I next?" "Am I next?"
Stay alive, stay alive
Shine a light, stay alive
Use your voice and you remember me
American reckoning
Shine a light, stay alive
Use your voice and you remember me
American reckoning
Is this a moment or movement?
Is this the tide or a flood?
Is our American reckoning
Our story written in blood?
Or in love?
Or in peace?
Is this the tide or a flood?
Is our American reckoning
Our story written in blood?
Or in love?
Or in peace?
Stay alive, stay alive
Shine a light, stay alive
Use your voice and you remember me
Shine a light, stay alive
Use your voice and you remember me
Stay alive, stay alive
Shine a light, stay alive
Use your voice and you remember me
American reckoning
In our American reckoning
Shine a light, stay alive
Use your voice and you remember me
American reckoning
In our American reckoning
100% of this song's profits are going towards the Equal Justice Initiative - Bryan Stevenson.
Tom Morello - You Belong To Me
"Our present is tethered to our past. The overseer’s whip & noose of history are today echoed in the policeman’s baton & pistol. I had a very clear idea I wanted to express with the song & the video and that is: Sometimes, enough is enough." - Tom Morello
Thursday, August 06, 2020
Bon Iver - AUATC - Official Video
From celebrating art and music, to empowering women, to liberating incarcerated people, to fighting climate change, these organizations work tirelessly to foster a world that celebrates our humanity on a local, national, and global level. Please explore, support, and take action:
minneapolissanctuary.org
redlettergrant.org
eji.org
nivassoc.org
350.org
Created/Produced/Directed by Aaron Anderson and Eric Timothy Carlson
Artwork by Aaron Anderson and Eric Timothy Carlson
Dance/Movement: Randall Riley
Written by Phil Cook, Justin Vernon, Jim-E Stack, BJ Burton, and Jenn Wasner
Produced by Justin Vernon, Jim-E Stack, and BJ Burton
Mixed by Justin Vernon
Mastered by Huntley Miller
Vocals: Elsa Jensen, Jenny Lewis, Bruce Springsteen, Justin Vernon, and Jenn Wasner
Morphagene: Jenn Wasner
Synthetic String Parts: BJ Burton
Pianos: Phil Cook
Percussion and Drums: Jim-E Stack, Reggie Pace, Matt McCaughan, JT Bates, and Justin Vernon
Guitars, Ob6_Bass, and Banjers: Justin Vernon
Pedal Steel: Ben Lester
Fiddle: Barbara Jean Meyers
boniver.org
jagjaguwar.com
Wednesday, August 05, 2020
American Made
There's been a lot of talk about my vetting process lately. Here’s an inside look: pic.twitter.com/tFRKJOE3hi
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 5, 2020
Tuesday, August 04, 2020
Happy Birthday Barack Obama!
Happy birthday to my brother and friend, @BarackObama! Serving alongside you for eight years was the greatest honor of my life — and I'm grateful to have you by my side for these next 91 days. pic.twitter.com/qLl42Im40C
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 4, 2020
Thank you @BarackObama for your unwavering commitment to all Americans. You will be sorely missed. #ThanksObama pic.twitter.com/Somqud4Ggd
— Gregg Chadwick (@greggchadwick) January 19, 2017
Sunday, August 02, 2020
Cocktails with a Curator: Veronese's 'Choice Between Virtue and Vice'
In this week’s episode of “Cocktails with a Curator,” decipher the significance of the many fascinating elements that compose the other large allegorical painting by Paolo Veronese at the Frick, “Choice Between Virtue and Vice,” with Deputy Director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator Xavier F. Salomon. The program is paired with a Negroni Sbagliato, a twist on the cocktail from last week’s episode.
The Choice Between Virtue and Vice
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Cocktails with a Curator: Veronese's 'Wisdom and Strength'
I really enjoyed this episode of the Frick Collection's weekly series Cocktails With a Curator. The history of Veronese's "Wisdom and Strength" is fascinating. This episode brought back memories of Peter Watson's book on the history of the painting's collectors over the years. "The 16th-century painting "Wisdom and Strength," an allegory by the Venetian Paolo Veronese, passed through the hands of the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, Queen Christina of Sweden, the Duke of Orleans, and Thomas Hope, and survived war looting, art market fluctuations, and numerous journeys across Europe before reaching its current home at the Frick Collection in New York. British journalist Watson traces the colorful lives and times of the painting's owners, interjecting non- technical discussions of patronage, the history of pigment, and similar art historical topics." - Annette Melville
Book Available at: Wisdom and Strength by Peter Watson
Wisdom and Strength
Date:
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From the Frick: In this week’s episode of “Cocktails with a Curator,” enjoy a traditional Negroni with Deputy Director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator Xavier F. Salomon (pictured above) as he discusses “Wisdom and Strength,” one of two large allegorical paintings by Paolo Veronese that hang in the West Gallery at the Frick. Discover the hidden message behind the two principal figures in this picture: a bearded brute clad in a lion skin and a woman of noble bearing with a miniature sun above her forehead. Tune in next week for a discussion of the painting’s companion work, “Choice Between Virtue and Vice.”
To see this painting in detail, please visit our website: https://collections.frick.org/objects...
Harriet Tubman was a Nurse
Harriet Tubman's lifelong commitment to human rights exemplifies what it means to be a nurse. ❤️
— Bonnie Castillo (@NNUBonnie) August 2, 2020
Because #nurses vow to advocate for our patients, we know that it is literally our JOB to fight for a world that values their health and safety. pic.twitter.com/0uW9vrS5cw
Friday, July 31, 2020
Beyoncé, Shatta Wale, Major Lazer – ALREADY (Official Video)
From Rolling Stone: "Beyoncé has dropped the vibrant video for her song “Already” featuring Major Lazer and Shatta Wale, which is also a part of her Black Is King visual album. Black Is King is based on tracks from The Lion King: the Gift, the soundtrack from the 2019 film remake of The Lion King."
Sunday, July 26, 2020
Heraclitus Weeps!
Philosopher Heraclitus, weeping at the state of the world. Know just how he feels! Painted in 1609 (though totally relevant today) by Abraham Janssens, whose day is today. pic.twitter.com/J3u6yBblZH
— Peter Paul Rubens (@PP_Rubens) July 26, 2020
Americas Greatest Mistake
Watch, then please retweet, this great ad: https://t.co/LjnJfXEc3O— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) July 26, 2020
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
Auntie-fa in Portland
Love all these mom protestors in Portland. Lullaby singing “Hands up don’t shoot me” was not on my 2020 bingo card. pic.twitter.com/vBMV6PrRFw— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) July 21, 2020
Sunday, July 19, 2020
Cocktails with a Curator: Vermeer's 'Officer and Laughing Girl'
Officer and Laughing Girl
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From the Frick Collection:
In this week’s episode of “Cocktails with a Curator,” get up close to one of the Frick’s three beloved Vermeer paintings, “Officer and Laughing Girl,” with Curator Aimee Ng (pictured above). While enjoying your Kopstootje—a shot of jenever (a traditional Dutch liquor) paired with a pint of beer—join Aimee in examining the artist’s masterful skill at portraying light and exploring the complex histories behind a seemingly simple hat.
Further thoughts on this painting in Vermeer's Hat:
Saturday, July 18, 2020
Keep Our Eyes On the Prize
We were beaten, we were tear-gassed. I thought I was going to die on this bridge. But somehow and some way, God almighty helped me here. We cannot give up now. We cannot give in. We must keep the faith, keep our eyes on the prize. pic.twitter.com/eOw9uMYAAL— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) March 2, 2020
Do not get lost in a sea of despair.
Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble. #goodtrouble— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) June 27, 2018
The Power of John Lewis
The words of John Lewis from the 1963 March on Washington still ring true today, decades later. We must stand up against injustice to propel our country forward. #JohnLewisGoodTrouble pic.twitter.com/S4sQwFKFIf— John Lewis: Good Trouble (@JohnLewisDoc) July 12, 2020
Friday, July 17, 2020
Rest In Power John Lewis!
Goodbye, John Lewis. Thank you for the #goodtrouble pic.twitter.com/LDzDV1dKXW— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) July 18, 2020
Thursday, July 16, 2020
Monday, July 13, 2020
Must Watch Video From Author Don Winslow: "Democrats Stand Tall"
I'm sick of Donald Trump's brand of fake patriotism.— Don Winslow (@donwinslow) July 12, 2020
Our new video:#DemocratsStandTall pic.twitter.com/3aqLhpBe9F
Sunday, July 12, 2020
Shakespeare's Sonnet 80 arrives on the eve of Patrick Stewart's 80th birthday
Sonnet 80 arrives on the eve of my 80th birthday. #ASonnetADay pic.twitter.com/iqkUcAXSEM— Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) July 13, 2020
Chavis Flagg!!!
Let’s Goooo ! Rock + Roll https://t.co/nc0JEaKldX— Chavis Flagg (@chavisflagg) July 11, 2020
I love and appreciate all of you all https://t.co/N1NFNAk9Hs— Chavis Flagg (@chavisflagg) July 11, 2020
Happy Birthday Henry David Thoreau
Find your Walden Pond. @whatorthat @CPTStephtacular #HappyBirthdayHenryDavidThoreau https://t.co/5qvmvpxjDO— Gregg Chadwick (@greggchadwick) July 12, 2020
Friday, July 10, 2020
Cocktails with a Curator: Holbein's 'Sir Thomas More'
From the Frick Collection:
In this week’s episode of “Cocktails with a Curator,” Xavier F. Salomon, Deputy Director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator, examines one of the Frick’s most beloved paintings, Hans Holbein’s “Sir Thomas More.” Xavier considers More's relationship to humanist circles and the role of "friendship portraits" in making the absent present. In the words of More's devoted friend, Desiderius Erasmus, “life without a friend is no life." As a nod to the turbulent times of Tudor England, Xavier pairs this episode with a Bloody Mary cocktail.
Sir Thomas More
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Thursday, July 09, 2020
Asbury Park: Riot Redemption Rock N Roll - Feature Film
Asbury Park: Riot Redemption Rock N Roll - Feature Film
Wednesday, July 08, 2020
Sunday, July 05, 2020
Los Angeles 2020
>KTLA illegal firework footage is trending— Mach Dent (@Mach_Dent) July 5, 2020
>multiple comments about how "congratulations, we've literally become Blade Runner"
Me, a video editor with the soundtrack: pic.twitter.com/X1nchJGadb
Saturday, July 04, 2020
This 4th of July...
“American history is no fairy tale. It’s been a constant push and pull between two parts of the American character: the idea that all men – all people – are created equal and the racism that has torn us apart.” @JoeBiden #July4th— Karine Jean-Pierre (@K_JeanPierre) July 4, 2020
pic.twitter.com/Y643C1zZ7K
https://t.co/Y643C1zZ7K
‘What To The Slave Is The Fourth Of July?’: Descendants of Frederick Douglass Read his Famous Speech
The U.S. celebrates this Independence Day amid nationwide protests and calls for systemic reforms. In this short film, five young descendants of Frederick Douglass read and respond to excerpts of his famous speech, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" which asks all of us to consider America's long history of denying equal rights to Black Americans.
FEATURING (alphabetically)
Douglass Washington Morris II, 20 (he/him)
Isidore Dharma Douglass Skinner, 15 (they/their)
Zoë Douglass Skinner, 12 (she/her)
Alexa Anne Watson, 19 (she/her)
Haley Rose Watson, 17 (she/her)
You can read the full text of “What To The Slave Is The Fourth of July?” here:
https://teachingamericanhistory.org/l...
This video was inspired by Jennifer Crandall's documentary project "Whitman, Alabama". Visit http://whitmanalabama.com/.
Thursday, July 02, 2020
Fierce!
Just purchased this painting of Anna May Wong, and I love how fierce she looks. Thank you @greggchadwick for your lovely note. My first art purchase for my new LA home — based on an LA woman by an LA artist who heard me interviewing his LA friend from my LA guest bedroom. pic.twitter.com/UKaJpzLMQ0— Ailsa Chang (@ailsachang) July 2, 2020
Oh @greggchadwick I absolutely love it. Anna is going in my main hallway, where I can pass by her unflinching gaze everyday and channel her ferocity.— Ailsa Chang (@ailsachang) July 2, 2020
Stand Up (Official Lyrics) – Tom Morello x Shea Diamond x Dan Reynolds x...
Play this one loud! Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello fights the power in a blistering track that condemns police brutality, racism and transphobia.
“Stand Up” is a collaboration with producer the Bloody Beetroots, singer and transgender rights activist Shea Diamond, and Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds. Proceeds from the song will go to the NAACP, the Know Your Rights Camp, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Marsha P. Johnson Institute.
“When I call the police, will they just kill me? / Will they just kill you?” Reynolds screams on the track. “When I call the police, will they just protect me ‘cause I’m white-skinned too?”
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Monday, June 29, 2020
David Sancious Opens Our Eyes to Good Trouble
by Gregg Chadwick
“A time comes when silence is betrayal”
- Martin Luther King Jr.
April 4, 1967
"So you have a moral obligation, a mission and a mandate, to speak up, speak out, and get in good trouble. You can do it. You must do it. Not just for yourselves but for generations yet unborn."
- John Lewis
Lawrence University, June 2015
David Sancious’ new album Eyes Wide Open evokes Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, Gil Scott Heron's Winter in America, Herbie Hancock's The Prisoner, Steely Dan's Kid Charlemagne, and Terence Blanchard's music for Spike Lee's films. Sancious describes the album as “a movie for your ears.” Sancious' vocals, keyboards, and guitar are combined with spoken word passages, chants from protest marches, and news clips that form a cinematic soundscape which ventures into the urgent concerns of our time. Racial injustice, police violence against black folks, and the environmental destruction of our burning planet all come into view as we traverse Sancious' musical journey. Four powerful lyrical explorations open the album.
Marvin Gaye's What's Going On begins with the sounds of a party for a Vietnam veteran who has returned home. Underneath the celebration though is existential dread. In a similar fashion David Sancious' Eyes Wide Open opens with the muffled voices of a crowd marching. We hear the voices of protesters calling for change. Then Sancious sings "Hey it's not OK!"
Sancious critiques the Trumpian disdain for reason and science while at the same time grooving with the message of the streets. "Keep your eyes wide open, so you can really see", Sancious sings before warning us that "Shoot you in the back is the name of the town, somewhere in America."
Adriano Molinari's drumming propels us forward. Is there hope somewhere in America? Sancious' soundscape compels us to feel and see what's going on.
The album's second song, In the Middle of the Night describes the mental cost of systemic racism and a presidency gone crazy. A gentle Sakamoto-like piano opens the song.
Sancious speaks hushed lines of woe:
Then with a hint of David Bowie's Black Star voice Sancious sings:
The recent Medium post by Emily Joyner and Caroline Joyner comes to mind.
They write:
Eyes Wide Open's third song Urban Psalm #3 opens with news bytes and a clip of a Martin Luther King Jr. speech1:
"May I walk the streets alone, free from suspicion?" Sancious sings.
"When you look at me is it me that you see? Not something that you saw last night on TV. Because that's not me."
Listening to the song brought to mind the absurdly frightened, wealthy couple in St Louis, Missouri brandishing weapons at a group of peaceful protesters marching by their home on the way to a protest in front of the mayor's house. The protesters chant:
“We are here, we’ve been here, we ain’t leaving. We are love.”
The fourth song If confronts disasters due to climate change, environmental unrest, and racial strife.
Sancious asks us:
Four instrumental pieces create the second half of Sancious' auditory film.
Flip It combines Sancious propulsive Gary Clark Jr.- like guitar lines with keyboard arranged horn parts which echo Herbie Hancock's civil rights movement inspired album The Prisoner. Hancock used instrumental jazz to honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Sancious also acknowledges the vision of MLK in his jazz inflected Eyes Wide Open.
The Treehouse, the second instrumental track on Eyes Wide Open, brings to mind Bruce Hornsby's The Way It Is and 2Pac's riff on that song in his masterpiece Changes.
December mixes Spanish guitar with Terence Blanchard-like keyboards. We are in a Spanish movie that director Almodovar would relish. The soundscape is broad and healing. We are globally connected in a pandemic and a shared future.
The album's final song War in Heaven harkens back to Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Herbie Hancock with its swirl of sax parts and hushed vocals. A love supreme indeed!
As Terence Blanchard wrote recently on NPR:
Sancious describes Eyes Wide Open as, “The best work I've ever done.” I have to agree.
Buy David Sancious' Eyes Wide Open here.
Track Listing
Eyes Wide Open; In The Middle Of The Night; Urban Psalm #3; If; Flip It; The Tree House; December; War In Heaven.
Personnel
David Sancious: piano; Will Calhoun: drums; Michael Bland: drums; Vinnie Colaiuta: drums; Joe Bonadio: drums.
David Sancious: synth, guitar, vocals, organ.
*All Images from David Sancious Eyes Wide Open Lyric Video by John McCracken unless otherwise noted.
1. "Some Things We Must Do," Address Delivered at the Second Annual Institute on Nonviolence and Social Change at Holt Street Baptist Church
Author:
King, Martin Luther, Jr.
Date:
December 5, 1957
Location:
Montgomery, Ala.
Genre:
Speech
More on David Sancious:
David joined Bruce Springsteen’s band at 17 as one of the founding members of Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band whose name came from the street that David’s mom lived on in Belmar, New Jersey. It can be said that without David Sancious, there would be no E Street Band.
In 1974, David left the E Street Band and formed his own jazz-fusion ensemble Tone with drummer Boom Carter.
“I felt at the time I wanted to give my songwriting the same kind of focus and attention that Bruce was giving his”, said David.
David Sancious has created 7 gold albums and toured with Sting, Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Santana, and Seal among others.
DAVID SANCIOUS: EYES WIDE OPEN LYRIC VIDEO from John McCracken on Vimeo.
“A time comes when silence is betrayal”
- Martin Luther King Jr.
April 4, 1967
"So you have a moral obligation, a mission and a mandate, to speak up, speak out, and get in good trouble. You can do it. You must do it. Not just for yourselves but for generations yet unborn."
- John Lewis
Lawrence University, June 2015
David Sancious’ new album Eyes Wide Open evokes Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, Gil Scott Heron's Winter in America, Herbie Hancock's The Prisoner, Steely Dan's Kid Charlemagne, and Terence Blanchard's music for Spike Lee's films. Sancious describes the album as “a movie for your ears.” Sancious' vocals, keyboards, and guitar are combined with spoken word passages, chants from protest marches, and news clips that form a cinematic soundscape which ventures into the urgent concerns of our time. Racial injustice, police violence against black folks, and the environmental destruction of our burning planet all come into view as we traverse Sancious' musical journey. Four powerful lyrical explorations open the album.
Marvin Gaye's What's Going On begins with the sounds of a party for a Vietnam veteran who has returned home. Underneath the celebration though is existential dread. In a similar fashion David Sancious' Eyes Wide Open opens with the muffled voices of a crowd marching. We hear the voices of protesters calling for change. Then Sancious sings "Hey it's not OK!"
Sancious critiques the Trumpian disdain for reason and science while at the same time grooving with the message of the streets. "Keep your eyes wide open, so you can really see", Sancious sings before warning us that "Shoot you in the back is the name of the town, somewhere in America."
 |
Gregg Chadwick 1619 22"x30" gouache on paper 2020 |
The album's second song, In the Middle of the Night describes the mental cost of systemic racism and a presidency gone crazy. A gentle Sakamoto-like piano opens the song.
Sancious speaks hushed lines of woe:
"Five o'clock in the morning man ... Can't sleep, Can't believe I'm in this situation
These mathematics ... can't make it work
Brother needs a job!"
Then with a hint of David Bowie's Black Star voice Sancious sings:
"Oh ... Woe is We
Such a strange society
I bow my head and bend my knee
In the middle of the night, I don't sleep so well"
The recent Medium post by Emily Joyner and Caroline Joyner comes to mind.
They write:
"Like so many Black people in this country, we struggled to sleep, eat, or function in any way.White people, consider this moment your call to action. This is your violence, your history, and your responsibility. Racism is not a “cause” to consider donating to or learning about — it is the original sin of this nation, and your safety is predicated on its strength....Your white inaction is violence...The scars of these environments are deep and long-lasting for Black people. It is not our responsibility to educate you. You must realize your complicit behavior and do something about it, right now. Your indifference to a system you actively participate in is appalling. Your silence not only disgusts us — it endangers our lives."
"The basic thing about a man is not his specificity, but his fundamentals, not the texture of his hair or the color of his skin, but his eternal dignity and worth."
"May I walk the streets alone, free from suspicion?" Sancious sings.
"When you look at me is it me that you see? Not something that you saw last night on TV. Because that's not me."
 |
| Personal injury lawyers Mark and Patricia McCloskey threaten to commit personal injury against peaceful, unarmed Black Lives Matter protesters walking on the street in St. Louis, Missouri on June 28, 2020 |
Listening to the song brought to mind the absurdly frightened, wealthy couple in St Louis, Missouri brandishing weapons at a group of peaceful protesters marching by their home on the way to a protest in front of the mayor's house. The protesters chant:
“We are here, we’ve been here, we ain’t leaving. We are love.”
The fourth song If confronts disasters due to climate change, environmental unrest, and racial strife.
Sancious asks us:
"Can you see this world? So bright and shiny."The piano, drums, sax lines, and guitar are bright and open - imploring us to see the beauty in our world. And to do something to preserve our endangered earth.
“If the tears won’t leave your eyes
If the sun fell from the sky
If you could choose the color of your skin.”
Four instrumental pieces create the second half of Sancious' auditory film.
Flip It combines Sancious propulsive Gary Clark Jr.- like guitar lines with keyboard arranged horn parts which echo Herbie Hancock's civil rights movement inspired album The Prisoner. Hancock used instrumental jazz to honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Sancious also acknowledges the vision of MLK in his jazz inflected Eyes Wide Open.
The Treehouse, the second instrumental track on Eyes Wide Open, brings to mind Bruce Hornsby's The Way It Is and 2Pac's riff on that song in his masterpiece Changes.
December mixes Spanish guitar with Terence Blanchard-like keyboards. We are in a Spanish movie that director Almodovar would relish. The soundscape is broad and healing. We are globally connected in a pandemic and a shared future.
The album's final song War in Heaven harkens back to Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Herbie Hancock with its swirl of sax parts and hushed vocals. A love supreme indeed!
As Terence Blanchard wrote recently on NPR:
"We need a song with a melody that allows us all to say our piece, and lyrics that urge us to be our best selves. We need a future where we can rely on our own beliefs and not depend on those who have none. It's a precious moment in time when many hearts, ears, and minds are now open to listening, so let's take advantage of it and make our mark on the world. Let's all listen to each other, and write a song to sing together that will give us some peace. We are well overdue."David Sancious gives us the music to see with eyes wide open which implores us not to remain silent about the systemic racism in America, but instead to embrace John Lewis' "good trouble" as we create a more equitable society.
Sancious describes Eyes Wide Open as, “The best work I've ever done.” I have to agree.
Buy David Sancious' Eyes Wide Open here.
Track Listing
Eyes Wide Open; In The Middle Of The Night; Urban Psalm #3; If; Flip It; The Tree House; December; War In Heaven.
Personnel
David Sancious: piano; Will Calhoun: drums; Michael Bland: drums; Vinnie Colaiuta: drums; Joe Bonadio: drums.
David Sancious: synth, guitar, vocals, organ.
*All Images from David Sancious Eyes Wide Open Lyric Video by John McCracken unless otherwise noted.
1. "Some Things We Must Do," Address Delivered at the Second Annual Institute on Nonviolence and Social Change at Holt Street Baptist Church
Author:
King, Martin Luther, Jr.
Date:
December 5, 1957
Location:
Montgomery, Ala.
Genre:
Speech
More on David Sancious:
David joined Bruce Springsteen’s band at 17 as one of the founding members of Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band whose name came from the street that David’s mom lived on in Belmar, New Jersey. It can be said that without David Sancious, there would be no E Street Band.
In 1974, David left the E Street Band and formed his own jazz-fusion ensemble Tone with drummer Boom Carter.
“I felt at the time I wanted to give my songwriting the same kind of focus and attention that Bruce was giving his”, said David.
David Sancious has created 7 gold albums and toured with Sting, Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Santana, and Seal among others.
DAVID SANCIOUS: EYES WIDE OPEN LYRIC VIDEO from John McCracken on Vimeo.
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