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http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/.../703020333/1005 That's wiggity-whack! Rap hits decline Fans tired of lyrics, soft-porn videos BY NEKESA MUMBI MOODY ASSOCIATED PRESS Maybe it was the umpteenth coke-dealing anthem or soft-porn music video. Perhaps it was the preening antics that some call reminiscent of Stepin Fetchit. The turning point is hard to pinpoint. But after 30 years of growing popularity, rap music is struggling with an alarming sales decline and growing criticism from within about the culture's negative effect on society. Rap insider Chuck Creekmur, who runs the Web site allhiphop.com, says he got a message from a friend "asking me to hook her up with some Red Hot Chili Peppers because she said she's through with rap. A lot of people are sick of rap . . . the negativity is just over the top now." The rapper Nas, considered one of the greats, challenged the condition of the art form when he titled his latest album "Hip-Hop is Dead." It's at least ailing, according to recent statistics: Though music sales are down overall, rap sales slid a whopping 21 percent from 2005 to 2006, and for the first time in 12 years no rap album was among the top 10 sellers of the year. A recent study by the Black Youth Project showed a majority of youth think rap has too many violent images. In a poll of black Americans by The Associated Press and AOL-Black Voices last year, 50 percent of respondents said hip-hop was a negative force in American society. Nicole Duncan-Smith grew up on rap, worked in the rap industry for years and is married to a hip-hop producer. She still listens to rap, but says it no longer speaks to or for her. She wrote the children's book "I Am Hip-Hop" partly to create something positive about rap for children, including her 4-year-old daughter. "I'm not removed from it, but I can't really tell the difference between Young Jeezy and Yung Joc. It's the same dumb stuff to me," says Duncan-Smith, 33. "I can't listen to that nonsense . . . I can't listen to another black man talk about you don't come to the 'hood anymore and ghetto revivals . . . I'm from the 'hood. How can you tell me you want to revive it? How about you want to change it? Rejuvenate it?" Linked to mayhem Hip-hop also seems to be increasingly blamed for a variety of social ills. Studies have attempted to link it to everything from teen drug use to increased sexual activity among young girls. Even the mayhem that broke out in Las Vegas during last week's NBA All-Star Game was blamed on hip-hoppers. "(NBA Commissioner) David Stern seriously needs to consider moving the event out of the country for the next couple of years in hopes that young, hip-hop hoodlums would find another event to terrorize," columnist Jason Whitlock, who is black, wrote on AOL. While rap has been in essence pop music for years, and most rap consumers are white, some worry the black community is suffering from hip-hop -- from the way America perceives blacks to the attitudes and images being adopted by black youth. But the rapper David Banner derides the growing criticism as blacks joining America's attack on young black men who are only reflecting the crushing problems within their communities. Besides, he says, that's the kind of music America wants to hear. "Look at the music that gets us popular -- 'Like a Pimp,' 'Dope Boy Fresh,' " he says, naming two of his hits. "What makes it so difficult is to know that we need to be doing other things. But the truth is at least us talking about what we're talking about, we can bring certain things to the light," he says. Long-time criticism Criticism of hip-hop is certainly nothing new -- it's as much a part of the culture as the beats and rhymes. Among the early accusations were that rap wasn't true music, its lyrics were too raw, its street message too polarizing. But they rarely came from the youthful audience itself, which was enraptured with genre that defined them as none other could. "As people within the hip-hop generation get older, I think the criticism is increasing," says author Bakari Kitwana, who is part of a lecture tour titled "Does Hip-Hop Hate Women?" "There was a more of a tendency when we were younger to be more defensive of it," he adds. During her '90s crusade against rap's habit of degrading women, the late black activist C. Dolores Tucker certainly had few allies within the hip-hop community, or even among young black women. Backed by folks such as conservative Republican William Bennett, Tucker was vilified within rap circles. In retrospect, "many of us weren't listening," says Tracy Denean Sharpley-Whiting, a professor at Vanderbilt University and author of the new book "Pimps Up, Ho's Down: Hip-Hop's Hold On Young Black Women." "She was onto something, but most of us said, 'They're not calling me a bitch, they're not talking about me, they're talking about those women.' But then it became clear that, you know what? Those women can be any women." One rap fan, Bryan Hunt, made the searing documentary "Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes," which debuted on PBS this month. Hunt addresses the biggest criticisms of rap, from its treatment of women to the glorification of the gangsta lifestyle that has become the default posture for many of today's most popular rappers. "I love hip-hop," Hunt, 36, says in the documentary. "I sometimes feel bad for criticizing hip-hop, but I want to get us men to take a look at ourselves." Dances get heat, too Even dances that may seem innocuous are not above the fray. Last summer, as the "Chicken Noodle Soup" song and accompanying dance became a sensation, Baltimore Sun pop critic Rashod Ollison mused the dance -- demonstrated in the video by young people stomping wildly from side to side -- was part of the growing minstrelization of rap music. "The music, dances and images in the video are clearly reminiscent of the era when pop culture reduced blacks to caricatures: lazy 'coons,' grinning 'pickaninnies,' sexually super-charged 'bucks,' " he wrote. Crime connection And then there's the criminal aspect that has long been a part of rap. In the '70s, groups may have rapped about drug dealing and street violence, but rap stars weren't the embodiment of criminals themselves. Today, the most popular and successful rappers boast about who has murdered more foes and rhyme about dealing drugs as breezily as other artists sing about love. Creekmur says music labels have overfed the public on gangsta rap, obscuring artists who represent more positive and varied aspects of black life, such as Talib Kweli, Common and Lupe Fiasco. "It boils down to a complete lack of balance, and whenever there's a complete lack of balance people are going to reject it, whether it's positive or negative," Creekmur says.

my favorite, by far of this winstone,(husband)taylor,kenny wheeler collaboration, the first they recorded about 35 years ago is the 'touchstone.' subsequent recordings have been fine, but dont equal touchstone. the empathy between vocals, piano-keyboards, and trumpet-flugel is astounding. beautiful beautiful. in fact i bought another german pressing just in case. of my 5000 recordings, this one is securely in my top 10. end of rant. my the way, taylor has a sumptuous new trio disc, not on ecm. There's also a fine ECM LP with Tony Coe in place of Kenny Wheeler - sort of an 'honourary' Azimuth. All of the ECMs are well worth having IMO. Saw that group many years ago (1987?) at an early incarnation of the Bath Festival in Georgian suroundings. Superb ! coe/didnt noe/thanks!!!

thanks!

thanks!

my favorite, by far of this winstone,(husband)taylor,kenny wheeler collaboration, the first they recorded about 35 years ago is the 'touchstone.' subsequent recordings have been fine, but dont equal touchstone. the empathy between vocals, piano-keyboards, and trumpet-flugel is astounding, that is if you like chamber jazz. beautiful beautiful. in fact i bought another german pressing just in case. of my 5000 recordings, this one is securely in my top 10. end of rant. by the way, taylor has a sumptuous new trio disc, not on ecm. speaking of naim, check out their gorgeous beautifully recorded charlie haden-chris anderson duo recording from some years ago. if you dig the sensitivity of john taylor, you will LOVE chris anderson. Thanks for that, but I already have the Chris Anderson album. Speaking of him, you probably already know about his solo album on Mapleshade, Love Locked Out. It's really great too. Have you heard is trio album on Jazzland called Inverted Image? I don't know if it's ever been released on cd before, but it's worth seeking out. i love love locked out. thanks for the inverted image tip.

my favorite, by far of this winstone,(husband)taylor,kenny wheeler collaboration, the first they recorded about 35 years ago is the 'touchstone.' subsequent recordings have been fine, but dont equal touchstone. the empathy between vocals, piano-keyboards, and trumpet-flugel is astounding, that is if you like chamber jazz. beautiful beautiful. in fact i bought another german pressing just in case. of my 5000 recordings, this one is securely in my top 10. end of rant. by the way, taylor has a sumptuous new trio disc, not on ecm. speaking of naim, check out their gorgeous beautifully recorded charlie haden-chris anderson duo recording from some years ago. if you dig the sensitivity of john taylor, you will LOVE chris anderson.

teach the valve 'bone , too, i suppose?

i loved her stuff with the eckstein band when she was the girl singer, especially the duets with billy. the recordings sound sucks but the music is wonderful.

listening to count basie 'hey jackie robinson, hit that ball.'

natural ice----6 24 ouncers should get me through lazaro vega's show!

i have one of those shirts, but, alas, no model of such proprtion.

'the contest of pleasures' with axel dorner and xavier charles has been out about a year and is a captivating, haunting, acoustic recording. there is a more recent recording;i prefer this. http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/review_print.php?id=8626

he didnt like his music called free(unstructured). he discussed his intuitive playing with aacm members, and how he had to basically draw pictures while playing with classical players.

wnur this morning played a rather long phone interview with jenkins promoting a hothouse concert, when the melford, jarman, jenkins project was still in planning. the interviewer didnt know much about his music, i learned a great deal about jenkins life and his way of thinking and surviving and got a feel for the way his music was the way it was. if anyone would like to hear the interview, send a note and i'll put it in a little mp3 file.

kimiko kasai with cedar walton from the 70's is worth a listen. also a recording with hancock. morgana king and trio; May 26, 1994 Review/Cabaret; Morgana King Still Offers Sensuality and Honey By STEPHEN HOLDEN Three decades after Morgana King made a splash with her feverishly intense version of "A Taste of Honey," the singer, who will be 64 next week, still conveys the aura of a woman in the throes of a sensual obsession. Her style, so calculated as to risk seeming mannered, consists of pinching her voice into an ethereal hum and spinning out improvisations that suggest prolonged, half-stifled cries of passion. In Tuesday's opening-night show of her two-week engagement at the Ballroom (253 West 28th Street, Chelsea), Ms. King sang a version of "A Taste of Honey" that recaptured the tumultuous dreaminess of her original recorded version. Two other songs from "With a Taste of Honey," her landmark 1964 album -- "Corcovado" and "Lazy Afternoon" -- were among the high points of a set dominated by ballads. Among the more recent songs to receive the grand coloratura treatment were "A Song for You" and "Everything Must Change." Ms. King, whose show was dedicated to the jazz guitarist Joe Pass, who died on Monday, was backed by a trio led by Joe Puma, her longtime guitarist, whose style echoes Pass's quiet reflectiveness. In their fluid interaction, Mr. Puma stealthily fleshed out harmonies on which Ms. King floated her vocal reveries unencumbered by strict rhythmic meter. Much of the time, the guitar was so understated that it was almost like a shadow of the singer, sometimes leading, sometimes following a voice that is still capable of casting a spell. STEPHEN HOLDEN

http://www.ubu.com/film/bailey.html

looking forward this summer, for the first time in 50 years to kicking back in the sun, with not a care in the world, enjoying some major league baseball.

perhaps players who had to play pianos in clubs after dave would not enjoy the condition of the pianos. used to beat pianos to death, i'm told. would we have heard of dave if there had been no desmond? in a fair world red garland(and several others) would have been 10 times more popular than dave. that being said, his brandenburg gate(original recording with string orchestra) and elementals are recordings i have loved very much for 40 years. the matt dennis, dave digs disney, and jazz goes to college, and several others are favs.

sincere apologies. there i go believing the wire services again. i have never known tiger not to be most gracious and a better sportsman than golfer, if that's possible.

long time no guinness. this extra tastes unusually fine for guinness!

I pick the Senators to take the whole thing unless the Browns beat 'em. ah yes, the senators and browns! those were great days when there were 16 teams and you knew all the players on all the teams (and kids could organize and play games on sandlots and improvise rules and do their own umpiring. seen any kids playing baseball without a crappy creepy adult around for 20 years or so?) time to dig out a red barber broadcast!

I saw these guys in Seattle in 2003. Schlippenbach opened some amazing Monk stream-of-consciousness solo playing that blew my mind! I don't think he had it planned out at all...just skipping from one monk to the next, seamlessly - some of his more obscure compositions to boot. He's an incredible keysmith. Can't wait to hear 'Monk Casino'. that trio makes some of my favorite music in this world.

the early 1930's glenn miller arrangemennts for the ray noble band certainly were more than subtle hints of what was to come with his own orchestra.

amen

among the new rule changes is one that if the batter is in the box and no one is on base the pitcher must pitch within 12 seconds. the fcc anounced friday they are going to investigate the recent mlb-satellite tv deal which prevents many people from buying the major league tv package.