October 25, 2008
at 5:28 pm
· Filed under Michiganology
Did you watch the debate between Carl Levin and Jack Hoogendyk for the US Senate?
I love the way Jack Hoogendyk answers questions. Jack’s ideas are great, his ethical standards are high. I think Jack will be a great replacement for Carl Levin.
You can watch another debate (between Carl Levin and Jack Hoogendyk) that was held in Grand Rapids, Michigan (on Sunday, October 19, 2008) on the WGVU web video channel - Decision 2008 US Senatorial Debate.
After getting a great response from the stuff we posted about the 2008 Detroit Jazz Festival, decided to see what we could find (in the YouTube archive) about previous Detroit Jazz Festivals.
Here’s a sweet compilation of scenes and sounds from the Detroit Jazz Festival 2007.
Watch closely, and you’ll see Mr. Travelin Blues show up on this flick too!
September 20, 2008
at 9:59 am
· Filed under Michiganology
Nearly 1,000 people showed up in support of new Detroit Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr. at Wayne State University … story in Free Press says it’s a new era, a new beginning for Detroit.
More images of the Detroit 2008 International Jazz Festival continue to emerge — a couple weeks after the event — as people get a chance to upload them to Flickr, etc.
Mary Oliver and Wolter Wierbos at Detroit Jazz Festival 2008
This is Derek Trucks and his band playing “I Wish I Knew” – recorded live at the 29th Detroit International Jazz Festival, September 1, 2008.
The full title of the song is “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free”.
I wish I knew how it would feel to be free
I wish I could break all the chains holding me
I wish I could say all the things that I should say …
The song was written by Dr. Billy Taylor (along with Dick Dallas?) back in 1954. It was originally recorded by Nina Simone in 1967 on her Silk and Soul album. Billy Taylor also recorded his own instrumental version back in 1967. He said that he wrote the song (perhaps his best known composition) for his daughter Kim, describing it as a very spiritual song.
“I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free” was used as a theme song on the BBC, a theme song for the 2004 Olympics, as music for a Coca-Cola commercial, and also served as an anthem for the civil-rights movement.
The video quality (on this youtube video) is not that great, but I think it’s the perfect way to close out this labor day weekend I Love Detroit series, and as Mike Mattison sings at the end of the video — Everyone Should Be Free!
It’s just like Donald Miller said in Blue Like Jazz: “jazz music was invented by the first generation out of slavery… it is very hard to put on paper; it is so much more a language of the soul … It is a music birthed out of freedom.”
This is Derek Trucks and his band playing at the Detroit 2008 Jazz Festival with the Millender Center in the background. Derek first impressed the music industry playing guitar as an 11 year old child prodigy. By age 12 we was playing professionally and touring.
Sky Covington sings at Pontiac, Michigan Arts, Beats, and Eats Festival on August 31, 2008. Sky typically performs the songs of Billy Holiday (1915-1959), who was an American jazz singer and song writer. Billy Holiday is perhaps best remembered for song, Lady Sings the Blues, which has become a jazz standard.
