Jeff Mackler, the Co-Director of the Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal,
giving a speech on Mumia's behalf and against the U.S. occupation of Iraq.
The Mobilization was one of 50 non- profit organizations represented at the
free festival.
As the 2008 Power To The Peaceful festival got into full swing, excellent performances by the likes of Rebelution, one of the biggest new bands on the stateside reggae scene in 2008, and the articulately lamenting rap duo of Oakland pianist-vocalist Kev Choice and Richmond MC Silk-E, were juxtaposed on the main stage by an impassioned speech by Jeff Mackler, the Co-Director of the Oakland-based Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal, to not just free Mumia, but also get the troops out of Iraq; the latter sentiment was echoed by underground San Francisco rapper Sellassie in an excellent bit of freestyle after Rebelution's set. Read more »
Starting with an intense Opening Gala Concert at UCLA's Royce Hall, the World Festival of Sacred Music-- Los Angeles will once again be the talk of the town on L.A.'s music scene when it takes over venues all over the City and County, comprising 41 events over 16 days.
With 1,000 artists participating, 2008 marks the fourth such gathering of musicians from sources as diverse as the small republic of Tuva in western Asia to the halaus, or classical performing arts schools, of Hawaii. Since its inaugural run in 1999, the festival has taken place in intervals of three years, with the second and third editions having been held in 2002 and 2005. Read more »
As the bus I took to the 10th annual Power To The Peaceful Festival rolled toward the western end of San Francisco's Haight Street (where it famously crosses Ashbury Street), the plain white stucco front of the apartment buildings on either sides of the street were transformed into three-dimensional facades coated in zebra stripes and rainbows. I stepped off the bus to grab a large latté, and some free wi-fi, in a coffee shop named Coffee To The People. As I sipped my cup and reviewed the acts for Michael Franti's impending celebration of pacificism to the extreme, I looked around the inside of the café and saw a collage of bumper stickers covering the walls, featuring quotes by everyone from Abbie Hoffman to Aung San Suu Kyi. Read more »
The Anguilla Tourist Board and BET Event Productions, the producers of the Sixth Annual Anguilla Tranquility Jazz Festival, have nailed down the basic four-day logistical framework for the festival and have come up with a list of major international jazz instrumentalists and vocalists who will be included in its overall lineup, which is TBA at this time.
The event will begin at the interestingly-named CuisinArt Resort & Spa, which is located on the shore of southwestern Anguilla's Rendezvous Bay, on Thursday, November 6th. This first evening will focus on dinner and a show by the perennial jazz-r&b crossover favorite, Patti Austin.
