Tag Archives: Music

2011

From Harlem to Hainan!

What do the free Summer concerts in New York City for 2011 have to do with me in China???

So, here I sit on a beach on a tropical island off the coast of The People’s Republic of China. Meanwhile, 8,361 miles (13,455k) away on another island in the United States of America, people are looking forward to what they’ll do for their 2011 summer in New York. I know this because one of my websites, www.FreeSummerConcerts.com has started to receive a marked increase in visits starting a few days ago.

Back in the summer of 2005, shortly before I left Harlem, New York, for Saipan, I started the site to provide a compilation of all the free music events throughout the five boroughs of New York City. The site was an instant success (“free” always works online), and as you can see from the tracker snapshot below, the interest and sign-ups begin as early as January each year even though the site won’t actually resume until the first day of Summer, June 21, 2011.

So, every summer, from wherever I happen to be (last year I was on Saipan), I research and compile the free music events throughout the city, and (1)post them to the website, (2) email them twice weekly to a mailing list of tens of thousands. The site generates money if/when visitors click on the Google ads on the site.

 I promote the site thusly:

Never miss a free concert
in NYC’s parks, piers, plazas and pathways!

Every summer, New York’s parks, piers, plazas and pathways host some of best musical entertainment in the world! From Rock, Reggae, Jazz, European Classical, R&B, Electronic, Hip Hop, Country, Salsa, Folk and more– it’s all absolutely free! Wouldn’t it be convenient to know what’s going on and when so you don’t miss out? Let FreeSummerConcerts.com notify you by email of practically every morning-time, lunch hour, after work and weekend concert well in advance to make your plans!

400+ free events each year!

A Partial List of Events We Cover:

Central Park Summerstage | City Parks Events | River to River Concert Series| Martin Luther King Concert Series at Wingate Field | Seaside Concert Series Summer in The (Union) Square | Music at the (Chelsea) Piers | Harlem Meer Events| Lincoln Center Out of Doors| Charlie Parker Jazz Festival | JazzMobile Celebrate Brooklyn | 47th Annual Washington Square Music Festival | JVC Jazz Festival Namburg Orchestral Concerts | Jones Beach Ampitheater | Madison Square Park | Siren Festival | World Financial Center Concerts | NBC Today Show

Here’s what happened over the past 20 days

Here is what happened over the past 20 weeks.

And what happened over the past 20 months.

I find these tracker details fascinating. I have no idea what happened on January 14 to have visits jump from a daily average of about 5 or 6, to suddenly 32. But, once the tipping point occurs, it continues and grows.

Just another secret lesson in “Nomadpreneuring 101!” From The Jamaican on the island of Hainan, China, to you wherever you are!

shhhh….Secret behind the Secret: This particular post also serves as a promotional tool. Once the search engines record this post, it will show up in people’s google alerts, and also higher in the google listings for searches.

You can check out the ever-changing stats of my site yourself by visiting the site, scrolling all the way down and clicking on this little icon: Free Summer Concerts

2010

There’s always a song!

From: walt@jamaicaninchina.com
Subject: Jamaican in China!–There’s always a song…
Date: October 31, 2010 8:43:46 PM GMT+08:00

“All my bags are packed, it’s early morn,
taxi’s waiting, he’s blowing his horn….”

Those are the lyrics from the song, “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” by Peter Paul and Mary. Ok, so, in this case, it wasn’t a taxi, it was actually my friend, Cong, who was nice enough to drive me to the airport for my 9:00am morning escape from Beijing!

But, I digress. I have a point to make.

My point is that if this were a video biography, I would have certain relevant songs playing as the soundtrack. Why? Because I love music!

I’m sure I’m not saying anything particularly profound or revealing, here, so I’ll tell you a little about myself so you can appreciate that statement.

Once I landed on this planet many years ago, and started really appreciating the music here, I realized that there were a few decades of recorded music that I had “missed,” and that I needed to catch up on. So, while a youth in New York city, I would listen endlessly to every radio station I could, including WCBS101.1-FM, the “oldies” station, to catch up on the music of the 30s, the 40s, the 50s, the 60s, the 70s–every conceivable genre and artist from Ray Charles, Mose Allison, Frank Sinatra, George Jones, Ronnie Milsap, Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and everything else I had arrived too late on the planet to experience first hand. Radio is man’s greatest invention! However…The most frustrating thing about the whole concept of radio, in my opinion, is that while I’m listening to one song on one radio station, there’s another 20 songs playing on all the OTHER stations that I’m missing!

The second most frustrating thing about the concept of radio is waiting all day to a specific station to hear a particular song, but because of my habit of listening to several stations at once, arriving back at that station only to hear the deejay say “….and that WAS Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry! Thanks for waiting all day to hear it!”

The third most frustrating thing about the whole concept of radio is arriving at a station to hear the final notes and lyrics of what sounds like a GREAT song, and then have the deejay NOT mention the artist and song title. Aaaarggh!

Music marks the memorable milestones of life and has the power to transport me back to certain moods and moments long forgotten.

I alluded to this in Jamaican on Saipan, upon discovering what now ranks as one of my favorite radio stations–KZMI-FM on Saipan–and all the happy memories that program director, Lewie Tenorio, and his choice of music evokes in my own life.

But, here too, I digress, and delay the final arrival of my point….which is that there’s always a song running through my mind playing as the soundtrack of my life. So, today’s episode includes a little soundtrack for your listening pleasure. (And yes, these are all some of my favorite songs!)

“I’m leaving, on a jet plane,
I don’t know when I’ll be back again…”
Leaving on a Jet Plane (1967/1969) by Peter Paul & Mary  (Lyrics: John Denver)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fa3h3pnhg8s

Chinese readers: https://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzE0NTYzNzY=.html

After a three-hour flight, I arrived in Kunming, in Yunnan Province, China at about 12:30pm. As I exited the airport, I was greeted by a blast of warm air, hot sunshine, and…..while others were hustling about, queuing to get a taxi, bus or meet their loved ones to depart the airport as quickly as possible (you can see them in the background)….

I found a spot directly in the sun, lifted my face to the life-giving rays, and just soaked it in for about half-hour!….

[Cue music….


“I look up to the Sun,
to see if the day is done,
to see my future that lies within…”

Elements (1983) by Black Uhuru  Anthem LP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK-tt2PWy6I
Chinese readers: no youku.com equivalent, sorry

The plan is to hang out here in Kunming for a few days, enjoy the sunshine, then I’ll be on my way. Cue music….

“We can sing in the sunshine,
We’ll laugh everyday,
We’ll sing in the sunshine,
Then I’ll be on my way…”
“We’ll Sing in the Sunshine” (1964) by Gale Garnett

And the beautiful ladies at the Spring City Star Hotel say hello! It’s such a lovely place…Waitaminit! Aren’t those the lyrics to Hotel California!!!????

“Welcome to the hotel california

Such a lovely place
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the hotel california
Any time of year, you can find it here”
Hotel California (1977)  by the Eagles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgLfoQfmSQ4
Chinese readers: If you can’t access youtube, try https://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTA5MTY5MTI4.html

Hmmmm…Now, how does the rest of that song go?

…You can checkout any time you like,
But you can never leave! “

uh-oh

>gulp<

 

2010

Cool Ruler come an’ gone!

From: walt@jamaicaninchina.com
Subject: Jamaican in China!–Gregory Isaacs, The Cool Ruler, R.I.P.
Date: October 27, 2010 11:46:36 AM GMT+08:00

This is a brief, but important interlude from my adventures here in China, to let fans of Jamaican culture, and Reggae specifically know that noted Reggae singer, Gregory Isaacs, (aka “The Cool Ruler”) passed on Oct 25, 2010.

Gregory Isaacs’ astonishing collection of music (some say he recorded over 500 albums) was a staple of my playlist for the five years I was known as “Sir Walt” the Reggae DJ on New York’s WKC-FM radio station. Every Thursday night, from 11:30pm to 1:00am, I would play the music of an international array of Reggae artists with different styles, particularly Lovers Rock.

In case you’re not aware, within what the outside world simply knows as “Reggae,” there are, in fact, many different “styles” and sub genres.

The fast-tempoed, dance club oriented style popularized by artists such as Sean Paul, Shabba Ranks, et.al, is just one of these. A visit to a well-stocked Reggae shop or private collection, however, might have music arranged in the following categories:

  • Roots & Culture
  • Lovers Rock
  • Studio One (the famous recording studio that, because of its unique sound, is considered a genre unto itself!)
  • African/International
  • Dancehall, and
  • Slackness (a dancehall style that tends towards the risque, to put it mildly)

Within Lovers Rock, certain names reign supreme: Dennis Brown, Freddie McGregor, Sugar Minott, John Holt, Beres Hammond, Maxi Priest, June Lodge, Frankie Paul, Winston Reedy, Delroy Wilson, just to name a few, and, of course, Gregory Isaacs, who is credited with originating, popularizing and essentially, being the epitome of the Lovers Rock artist in lyrical content and his signature delivery in which he punctuated key verses of his songs with a seductive moan that only Gregory could pull off!His most popular song was the international hit “Night Nurse.”(Search for it on youtube)

 

NIGHT NURSE
Tell her try her best just to make it quick
Woman tend to the sick
‘Cause there must be something she can do
This heart is broken in two

Tell her it’s a case of emergency
There’s a patient by the name of Gregory
Night nurse
Only you alone can quench this yah thirst

My night nurse, oh gosh
Oh the pain is getting worse!

To add a variation on the  theme, he followed it up with “Private Secretary”

PRIVATE SECRETARY
She said she wants to be
my personal secretary

She’ll fix my desk, she’ll fix my chair
Yes, she told me she would take good care
You’re a middle-aged business man, (she said)
and I sure want to give a hand

My own top favorite Gregory albums are

 

– Extra Classic
– Red Rose for Gregory, and
– Out Deh (the cover for which the photo below was taken)

Even though Gregory was most popular as a Lover’s Rock artist, he had many songs which made revealing social commentary, and chronicled his own life’s journey. Out Deh, the title track, which means “Out There” was written by Gregory while he was incarcerated.

OUT DEH!
I was taken from my people, robbed of my liberty
I was tired of the jail house, but the jail house wasn’t tired of me
Every day you take a stock, [it’s] just war along the whole cell block
And all that I can hear the prisoners say, “a strictly out deh!”

Out Deh!
A so me hear dem say
Out Deh!
A so me hear dem pray. One day.

 

Photo of Dennis Brown, Freddie McGreggor, and Gregory the don in the white hat! (early 1980s, perhaps; from the Jamaicans.com forum)

FOR MORE PHOTOS, NEWS REPORTS AND A FORUM for FANS WHO ARE SHARING THEIR GREGORY ISAACS MEMORIES, visit the Gregory Isaacs tribute page at
https://www.jamaicans.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1181867&page=1