In The Heart of The Moon-Ali Farka Toure 1949-2006

Malian Guitar Legend Ali Farka Toure Dies at 67

"One of the most internationally successful West African musicians of the '90s, Ali Farka Toure was described as "the African John Lee Hooker" so many times that it probably began to grate on both Toure's and Hooker's nerves. There is a lot of truth to the comparison, however, and it isn't exactly an insult. The guitarist, who also plays other instruments such as calabash and bongos, shares with Hooker a predilection for low-pitched vocals and mid-tempo, foot-stomping rhythms, often playing with minimal accompaniment. Toure died on March 7, 2006 from the bone cancer which he had been battling for years; however, he was able to complete one last album before passing". by Richie Unterberger

Herb Alpert's Whipped Cream & Other Delights Re-Whipped

40th Anniversary Edition
"It'll never be known exactly what made Whipped Cream & Other Delights Herb Alpert's big commercial breakthrough -- the music or the LP jacket's luscious nude model covered almost entirely with simulated whipped cream. Probably both. In any case, Alpert's most famous album is built around a coherent concept; every song has a title with food in it. Within this concept, Alpert's musical tastes are still refreshingly eclectic; he uses Brazilian rhythms on "Green Peppers" and "Bittersweet Samba," reaches back to the big-band era for the haunting "Tangerine," uses Dixieland jazz on "Butterball," and goes to New Orleans for the Allen Toussain-penned title track (familiar to viewers of TV's The Dating Game). He also has developed a unique sense of timing as a producer, using pauses for humorous effect, managing to score his second Top Ten hit with a complex, tempo-shifting version of "A Taste of Honey." No wonder Alpert drew such a large, diverse audience at his peak; his choices of tunes spanned eras and generations, while his arrangements were energetic enough for the young and melodic enough for older listeners. Whipped Cream & Other Delights, number one in the U.S. for eight weeks, is available on CD, though the cover obviously doesn't make as alluring an impression as it did on LP". by Richard S. Ginell
...y ahora "Whipped Cream & Other Delights Re-whipped", un tributo moderno de este gran Album. Los Artistas son: Thievery Corporation, Medeski Martin & Wood, John King, Mocean Worker, DJ Foosh, Camara Kambon, Anthony Marinelli and Ozomatli.

The New York Public Library Acquires Archive of Beat Writer William S. Burroughs

Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs
(AP Photo/HO/First Run Features)








"The New York Public Library has acquired the personal archive of William S. Burroughs, one of the Beat Generation writers who challenged the standards of 1950s America.The archive includes draft versions of his most famous work, Naked Lunch, a hallucinogenic journey of an addict descending into hell, which was banned in Boston and eventually won a landmark obscenity ruling.The archive will become part of the Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature which already holds Jack Kerouac's literary and personal archive."






Photo: The New York Public Library



"The archive's correspondence includes hundreds of unpublished letters to Burroughs, often accompanied by carbon copies of Burroughs' replies, from scores of writers and artists, including Jack Kerouac, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Gregory Corso, Terry Southern, Timothy Leary, J.G. Ballard, Leroi Jones (Amiri Baraka), the French sound poet Henri Chopin, and especially numerous examples from Allen Ginsberg and Paul Bowles. Unpublished letters to Burroughs include letters from Kerouac, Leary, Ginsberg, Leroi Jones, Chopin, Corso, Ferlinghetti, Bowles, and Southern." NYPL

La Oficina Plastica en Chile

Ignacio B

"Las acciones de la Oficina Plástica se dirigen a ayudar: Animales, naturaleza, patrimonio arquitectónico. Hay que considerar también a los individuos que ligan sus vidas con estas causas, estableciendo lazos de solidaridad con ellos para poder hacer efectiva su labor y su desarrollo personal". IB

www.laoficinaplastica.blogspot.com