Kareem's Weekend Boost
5 Things to Watch, Read, or Listen to This Weekend (Oct. 8-10)
Please attribute any references of this article to Kareem.Substack.com
Well, my friends, I’ve curated a few of my favorite things for you to enjoy this weekend. As always, I welcome your comments.
LISTEN (music)
Art of Protest by Various Artists
Jazz has been the soundtrack to African American life in many different ways. It has been a source of entertainment, an expression of personal drama, and a narrative of life for Black people in America. It’s also been a vocal sound of protest. When most people think of protest songs, they picture folky white performers like Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Phil Ochs. But protest has also been a rich part of jazz. Art of Protest is a compilation of various contemporary jazz, neo-gospel, and hip hop artists’ musical commentary on social issues. It’s musically and spiritually exhilarating while articulating the thoughts and feelings of many in the Black community. Go here for a sampler of the songs and bios of the artists.
Of particular interest is Senabella Gill’s interpretation of Billie Holiday’s 1939 classic “Strange Fruit.” The lyrics were based on a poem written by a white Jewish schoolteacher after seeing Lawrence Beitler’s photograph of the 1930 lynching of Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith. It was named “song of the century” by Time magazine in 1999.
Listen to Senabella Gill’s “Strange Fruit” here.
For comparison, here’s Billie Holiday singing “Strange Fruit.”
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WATCH (movie)
No Time to Die
For me, it wouldn’t matter whether it’s good or bad. It’s Daniel Craig as James Bond. ‘Nuff said. I loved Casino Royale and Skyfall. I even enjoyed the head-scratchingly incomprehensible Spectre. But No Time to Die has Bond back in top form, even though he is retired from MI6. Particularly exciting is the introduction of Black actress Lashana Lynch as the new 007 and the reprisal of Bond’s Goldfinger superspy car, the 1963 Aston Martin DB5.