Bluebird Records

Wikipedia - "Bluebird Records is a sub-label of RCA Victor Records originally created in 1932 to counter the American Record Company in the '3 records for a dollar' market. Along with ARC's Perfect Records, Melotone Records and Romeo Records, and the independent US Decca label, Bluebird became one of the best selling 'cheap' labels of the 1930s and early 1940s. (RCA pressed the 'two hits for two bits' cheap Crown label, independently owned in New York City, from 1930–1933, and Crown's sales probably also influenced RCA to get in on the cheaper priced market.)"
Wikipedia
The 78rpm Record Home Page
Big Road Blues
YouTube: Fats Waller & His Rhythm-Undecided, California Ramblers-Two Shadows (Kay Ray), Carter Family-When The World's On Fire, Earl Hines & His Orch-Number 19, Red Nichols & His Orch-Poor Butterfly, Erskine Hawkins & His Orch-Bicycle Bounce, Artie Shaw & His Orch-Non-Stop Flight, Tampa Red-Mean & Evil Woman, Washboard Sam-Bucket's Got A hole In It

Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune

Wikipedia - "Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune is a documentary film on the life and times of folk singer-songwriter Phil Ochs. The film, released theatrically in January 2011, was written and directed by Kenneth Bowser. Its title is taken from one of Ochs' best known songs, 'There but for Fortune'. The film features extensive archival footage of Ochs, as well as scenes reflecting the turbulent political climate of the 1960s during which he emerged as a spokesperson on causes such as racial injustice, political oppression, the horrors of war, and labor issues."
Wikipedia
Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune
pbs: Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune (Video)
amazon
The Mumpsimus (YouTube)
Remembering Phil Ochs

2008 September: Phil Ochs
2011 December: All the News That's Fit to Sing

Art in the streets of Kabul

"Inside the blackened ruin of Kabul's cultural centre, a spray-painting of a woman in a burqa sits at the foot of a staircase to nowhere, beside a line of poetry mourning everything that has been lost to Afghanistan in three decades of violence. The painting is the work of Shamsia Hassani, 24, probably her country's first serious graffiti artist."
Guardian
Guardian: Kabul graffiti – in pictures
BBC - Graffiti art hits the streets of Kabul (Video)

Iconic Artist Talk: Meredith Monk

Meredith Monk, '16mm Earrings', 1966, performance
"It seems like Meredith Monk has always worn her hair in braids. Sometimes several, sometimes only one or two, but always braids. It’s a fitting consistency for an artist who’s been just as unwavering in her artistic goals. Sure, there have been changes in scale, in personnel, and the occasional need for a magnificent tower with a double helix staircase, like artist/collaborator Ann Hamilton's."
BAM 150 (YouTube - Quarry (1977) and impermanence (2006)
THE VOICE IS A LANGUAGE

REVOLUTIONESQUE

"In more radical radical poetry journal news, you’ve got to check out Esque Mag Issue 3, called 'Revolutionesque,' which was just released today. For this one, editors Amy King and Ana Božičević asked contributors to respond to the idea of revolution."
Poetry Foundation: Let’s Read Revolutionesque
REVOLUTIONESQUE

Hajj: journey to the heart of Islam

Catalan Atlas, Majorcan Jewish cartographer Abraham Cresques, 1375
"One of the five pillars of Islam central to Muslim belief, Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca that every Muslim must make at least once in their lifetime if they are able. This major exhibition charts the history of this deeply personal journey."
British Museum (Video)
Telegraph - Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam, British Museum, review
British Museum Blog (Video)
Guardian - Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam at the British Museum; in pictures
NYBooks: Bringing Mecca to the British Museum
YouTube - The Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam at the British Museum

The Vision Thing - Martin Scorsese

"At 69, an age when most Hollywood directors have been packed off after a hollow cavalcade of plaudits, roasts, and nostalgic fetes, Martin Scorsese is once again panicked about hitting a deadline. His new movie is Hugo, a 3-D children's movie being released by Paramount Pictures this Thanksgiving weekend, and Scorsese has never before directed in 3-D, nor, God knows, made anything resembling a kid flick."
Fast Company: The Vision Thing
Fast Company: How to Lead A Creative Life (Video)
Co.Create: Martin Scorsese’s Film School: The 85 Films You Need To See To Know Anything About Film

2009 August: Marty Scorsese
2010 September: The Directors: Martin Scorsese (2000)

The City of Samba

"Tilt shift of the Carnaval party in Rio de Janeiro. Made by Keith Loutit and Jarbas Agnelli. Captured during Carnaval of 2011."
vimeo: The City of Samba

Harry Partch

Wikipedia - "Harry Partch (June 24, 1901 – September 3, 1974) was an American composer and instrument creator. He was one of the first twentieth-century composers to work extensively and systematically with microtonal scales, writing much of his music for custom-made instruments that he built himself, tuned in 11-limit (43-tone) just intonation."
Wikipedia
Harry Partch
American Mavericks: Harry Partch's Instruments (Video), (1)
The Quality of Vitality: Music by Harry Partch
amazon
YouTube: BBC Documentary - Part 1 of 6, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6.
Music Studio - Part 1 of 2, Part 2.
YouTube: Harry Partch

Andreas Schelfhout

Frozen canal near castle
Wikipedia - "Andreas Schelfhout (February 16, 1787, The Hague – April 19, 1870, The Hague) was a Dutch painter, etcher and lithographer, known for his landscape paintings. He belongs to the Romantic movement. His Dutch winter scenes and frozen canals with skaters were already famous during his lifetime. He became one of the most influential Dutch landscape artists of his century. He started as a house painter in the framing business of his father. He already started painting pictures in his spare time."
Wikipedia
BBC
Google

Kraftwerk – Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

"Over eight consecutive nights, MoMA presents a chronological exploration of the sonic and visual experiments of Kraftwerk with a live presentation of their complete repertoire in the Museum's Marron Atrium. Each evening consists of a live performance and 3-D visualization of one of Kraftwerk's studio albums—Autobahn (1974), Radio-Activity (1975), Trans-Europe Express (1977), The Man-Machine (1978), Computer World (1981), Techno Pop (1986), The Mix (1991), and Tour de France (2003)—in the order of their release. Kraftwerk will follow each evening’s album performance with additional compositions from their catalog, all adapted specifically for this exhibition."
MoMA
Brooklyn Vegan: Kraftwerk playing eight full albums at MoMA (YouTube Radioactivity, Autobahn, The Model, etc.)
Synthtopia: (YouTube: Kraftwerk 3 - Trans Europe Express (1977); Hitler reacts to Kraftwerk MoMa ticket limit)

Katie Paterson

3 litres glacial meltwater, 3 litres silicon, 3 turntables [2007]
"Katie Paterson was born in Glasgow in 1981 and educated at Edinburgh College of Art from 2000-2004 and at the Slade School of Art from 2005-7. Paterson’s artistic practice is cross-medium, multi-disciplinary and conceptually driven, with emphasis on nature, ecology, geology and cosmology."
Ingleby Gallery
Katie Paterson
James Cohan
AnOther
RHIZOME: Interview with Katie Paterson
YouTube: TateShots: Katie Paterson, Artist Katie Paterson on Moon Transmission, Katie Paterson

I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight

Wikipedia - "After the marked lack of success achieved by his first album, Henry The Human Fly, British singer/songwriter/guitarist Richard Thompson struck up a personal and professional relationship with Linda Peters, a session singer. I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight was the first album by the duo of Richard and Linda Thompson. Where his first album was treated harshly by the critics, the second was hailed as a masterpiece."
Wikipedia
YouTube: I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight, Jet Plane in a Rocking Chair, Pavanne, Withered and Died, Dimming of the Day, A Heart Needs A Home, Sisters

2011 July: Shoot Out the Lights - Richard and Linda Thompson

Choreographic, Lucinda Childs

"Choreographic innovator Lucinda Childs joins Philip Bither, McGuire Senior Performing Arts Curator, for a candid discussion of her artistic collaborations and her legacy."
Walker Art (Video)

2008 June: Lucinda Childs
2010 January: Einstein on the Beach
2011 March: Carnation

Fatboy Slim

Wikipedia - "Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook on 31 July 1963 in Bromley, England) better known by his former stage name Fatboy Slim, is a British DJ, electronic dance music musician, and record producer.[3] He is a pioneer of the big beat genre that achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s. Cook has achieved considerable success in the UK charts, performing as Fatboy Slim and with The Housemartins, Beats International, and Freak Power."
Wikipedia
Fatboy Slim
UbuWeb: Weapon of Choice, 2001 (Video)
YouTube: Push The Tempo, Bird of Prey, Don´t let the man get you down, Funk in the Punk, Apache

Reported Sightings: Art Chronicles, 1957-1987 - John Ashbery

"Ashbery's art reviews for the Paris Herald Tribune , ARTNews , New York and Newsweek go beyond journalism. Generous, astute, never dull and possessed of catholic taste, this poet-critic shows us what is special about a Bonnard or a Grandma Moses. He especially admires artists who have undertaken individualistic, spiritual pilgrimages, like Marsden Hartley, Odilon Redon ('a kind of Cezanne of the unconscious'), Belgian fantasist Leon Spilliaert and undervalued American still-life painter John F. Peto. Nearly 100 reviews and essays are gathered here, amplified by 35 color and black-and-white reproductions."
amazon: Reported Sightings: Art Chronicles, 1957-1987

V. S. Naipaul

Wikipedia - "Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad 'V. S.' Naipaul, TC (born 17 August 1932) is a Nobel prize-winning Indo-Trinidadian-British writer who is known for his novels focusing on the legacy of the British Empire's colonialism. He has also written works of non-fiction, such as travel writing and essays."
Wikipedia
NYT: V. S. Naipaul
The New Yorker: Wounder And Wounded
Post Colonial Web
The Atlantic: Man Without a Country
amazon: V. S. Naipaul
Forum: The Masque of Africa: Glimpses of African Belief (Video)

The Kinks

Wikipedia - "The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a wide range of genres, including rhythm and blues, British music hall, folk and country."
Wikipedia
The Kinks
The Rock Hall
YouTube: You really got me, All day and all of the night, Tired of Waiting, Set Me Free, Sunny Afternoon, Waterloo Sunset, Lola

John Cassavetes / His Life and Work

"Yum ! A full-length documentary about John Cassavetes, of course featuring the wonderful Gena Rowlands. I'm on vacation. Enjoy some TV for me."
WFMU: John Cassavetes / His Life and Work

2008 September: John Cassavetes
2010 December: Shadows (1959)
2011 June: A Woman Under the Influence (1974)

The Renaissance Portrait from Donatello to Bellini

"It has been said that the Renaissance witnessed the rediscovery of the individual. In keeping with this notion, early Renaissance Italy also hosted the first great age of portraiture in Europe. Portraiture assumed a new importance, whether it was to record the features of a family member for future generations, celebrate a prince or warrior, extol the beauty of a woman, or make possible the exchange of a likeness among friends."
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
MetMuseum: Artworks
NYT: Getting Personal
euronews: NY’s Met welcomes Renaissance portraiture (Video)

Everything is a Remix

"Everything is a Remix is produced by me, Kirby Ferguson, a New York-based filmmaker. This site is a companion piece to the four-part video series. The first three episodes of the series have been published and part four should be released in late November. Donations are much appreciated and help me devote as much time as possible to research, writing and production."
vimeo: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
Everything is a Remix

Fact-Simile

"These limited-edition poetic collectibles are printed on recycled paper and available for just 99 cents on our website. Subscriptions to the entire 2012 series are just $10 plus shipping and, as always, our 2010 and 2011 Poetry Trading Cards are still available individually or as a complete set. Happy Reading."
Fact-Simile Blogspot
Fact-Simile

John Cage: I Have Nothing to Say and I Am Saying It (1990)

"John Cage On His Way With Sound, By JOHN J. O'CONNOR: Perhaps the most striking thing about John Cage is his ability to reduce just about anyone in his vicinity to a gentle smile. For more than 50 years, the distinguished, influential and often provocative composer has been challenging audiences with his work and his ideas. All the while, his primary goal has been disarmingly simple. Mr. Cage is interested, as he puts it, in 'increasing one's enjoyment of life, to become more open.'"
UbuWeb (Video)

2008 February: John Cage
2009 February: P22 Music Text Composition Generator
2010 January: 4'33"
2010 October: Obscure No. 5 - Jan Steele / John Cage
2010 October: Indeterminacy
2010 November: Silence: lectures and writings
2011 January: Toy piano
2011 January: John Cage In Norway
2011 March: 27 sounds manufactured in a kitchen
2011 May: Imaginary Landscape No. 1 (1939)
2011 October: Water Walk

Fear of a Black Planet - Public Enemy

Wikipedia - "Fear of a Black Planet is the third studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released April 10, 1990, on Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records. Production for the album was handled by the group's production team The Bomb Squad, who expanded on the dense, sample-layered sound of the group's previous album, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988). They constructed elaborate sound collages for the album's music, incorporating varying rhythms, numerous samples, media sound bites, and eccentric music loops, which reflected the content's confrontational tone. Fear of a Black Planet contains themes concerning organization and empowerment within the African-American community, while presenting criticism of social issues affecting African Americans at the time of the album's conception."
Wikipedia
YouTube: Fight The Power, Burn hollywood burn, 911 is a joke, Can't Do Nuttin' For Ya Man, WeLCoMe To THe TeRRoRDoMe - 90BPM, Brothers Gonna Work it Out

2009 May: Public Enemy
2011 July: It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back - Public Enemy

Boubacar Traoré

Wikipedia - "Boubacar Traoré (born 1942 in Kayes, Mali) is a renowned singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Traoré also goes by the nickname Kar Kar, 'the one who dribbles too much' in Bambara, a reference to his soccer playing: 'a nickname I got from playing soccer when I was young. People would yell Kari, Kari - dribble, dribble - the name stuck with me.'"
Wikipedia
amazon
NYT: Video: Boubacar Traoré in Brooklyn (Video)
YouTube: KarKar, Minuit, Je Chanterai Pour Toi, Portrait (eng subs), Mariama, Tunga Magni

Father Guido Sarducci

Wikipedia - "Father Guido Sarducci is a fictional character made famous by American comedian Don Novello. Sarducci, a chain-smoking priest with tinted eyeglasses, works in the United States as gossip columnist and rock critic for the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano (sometimes mentioned as The Vatican Enquirer, a take-off of the tabloid The National Enquirer)."
Wikipedia
W - Don Novello
YouTube: Father Guido Sarducci on art school, Saint Patty, Interviews Pope John Paul II about jet lag, The Secret of Life, 5 Minute University

Mad Professor

Wikipedia - "Mad Professor (born Neil Joseph Stephen Fraser, 1955, Georgetown, Guyana) is a dub music producer and engineer known for his original productions and remix work. He is considered one of the leading producers of dub music’s second generation and was instrumental in transitioning dub into the digital age. He is a prolific producer, contributing to or producing nearly 200 albums. He has collaborated with reggae artists such as Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Sly and Robbie, Pato Banton, Jah Shaka and Horace Andy, as well as artists outside the realm of traditional reggae and dub, such as Sade, Massive Attack, The Orb, and Brazilian DJ Marcelinho da lua."
Wikipedia
Ariwa
last.fm
YouTube: A Dub Lesson, Mad Professor mix : Sandra Cross & Wild Bunch 1982, Mad Professor - U-Roy, Chase The Devil Dub, "what's going on?" marvin gaye, Bob Marley - Mad Professor - Lively Up Yourself, Live dub at Studio Um Dois

Berlin Stories - Robert Walser

"Over the next few days, we will be running several excerpts from Robert Walser’s Berlin Stories, which have been translated into English for the first time by Susan Bernofsky, and just published in a new edition by New York Review Classics. Walser arrived in Berlin from Switzerland in 1905 and wrote hundreds of short reflections about the city’s charms. As Bernofsky writes in her introduction, 'The chirpy delight some of his narrators take in the city’s hum and bustle also reflects his own status as an outsider who enjoys blending in with the crowd.' The story that follows is drawn from a longer piece. —The Editors"
NYBooks: Berlin and the Artist, In the Electric Tram, Aschinger
NYBooks: A Letter From Susan Bernofsky, Translator of Robert Walser’s Berlin Stories
amazon
Bookslut

New York City Graffiti and Street Art Project

Art Kids Left Alone At Last (Court Rules Against Graffiti Law)
"LC Graffiti and Street Art Project was produced by Lewis & Clark College's Watzek Library and Off-Campus and Study Abroad Program. It was an experiment to develop and employ mobile technologies for teaching and learning with the expectation that it might serve as a model for creating collaborative digital image projects with mobile devices and Flickr for non-traditional classroom settings."
New York City Graffiti and Street Art Project
LC Graffiti & Street Art Project

BRAFA 12

"For the tenth time, the Brussels Antiques & Fine Arts Fair will take place in the large halls of the mail sorting station of 'Thurn & Taxis'. The exhibition space comprises a total surface of 14.000 m², spread over room 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the building A. This historical building, located along the Willebroek canal, is a wonderful example of the Belgian industrial architectural heritage. It was built around 1903-1904 according to the plans of the architect Van Humbeek and was originally used as a storage place for transit merchandise."
BRAFA 12 (Video)
From Delvaux's "Breakfast" to Beetle Collages, Belgium's BRAFA Fair Was Laden With Highlights