Test of phone email to blog

Does this work?

world cup!

haven't used this blog in a bit, but due to my ongoing concerns about facebook owning my life, i'll be using this rather than that to do any updates from the field. that is, if we choose to take time to find the 'net from south africa. the 'net with the keeper should be much more interesting. ;)

Content Curation: Why Is The Content Curator The Key Emerging Online Editorial Role Of The Future?

This is kinda what I do, but not so much the "continually" bit - the day job tends to get in the way of that. ;)

But this is also what the day job does - on a more systematic basis though.

Welcome to the future.

Content Curation: Why Is The Content Curator The Key Emerging Online Editorial Role Of The Future?

Time to Lower Digital Music Cost

Now this is what i've been saying for a long time - drop your digital prices folks! StrategyEye - Industry Intelligence

Another great african music blog

There are so many great music blogs out there (awesome tapes from africa, mudd up, etc - too many to list here) and yet I feel like the African Music blog scene is limited. So when I find new blogs (or am turned on to them) I get way psyched. In this case, Adam turned me on to this blog - "Underground Spiritual Game".

Excellent stuff. Full playlists of podcasts. excellence indeed!

Enjoy.

Pitchfork: Articles: Killin' the Game: New Music From West Africa

Great, long article on new African music. Pitchfork isn't usually my bag, but I like it when they do this kind of stuff! Pitchfork: Articles: Killin' the Game: New Music From West Africa

WADaBo Calendars -Dance & Drum in Boston (& Cambridge)

So I haven't put this up since June of last year, and their have been some updates. Check out the calendar below, and if you want to subscribe to the calendar via XML, iCAL, or HTML, use the following links.

XML: Please use the following address to access your calendar from other applications. You can copy and paste this into any feed reader:

http://www.google.com/calendar/feeds/r26bktjma8ks5qpi0tia5o9fj8@group.calendar.google.com/public/basic

iCAL: Please use the following address to access your calendar from other applications. You can copy and paste this into any calendar product that supports the iCal format.

http://www.google.com/calendar/ical/r26bktjma8ks5qpi0tia5o9fj8@group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics

HTML: Please use the following address to access your calendar in any web browser.

http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=r26bktjma8ks5qpi0tia5o9fj8%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/New_York

You can embed Google Calendar in your website or blog. Use the google configuration tool to generate the HTML you need.

Used Pontiac Vibe (mine) for Sale? Maybe!

We're thinking about selling a car. . . my car. I love this car, so it's a bit hard for me to contemplate. But really, do we need 2 cars when I live <2 miles from work? So as hard as it is for me to do this - I'm thinking seriously about selling the first new car I've ever bought. I've taken good good care of my Vibe, so I'm looking for a good home for it. I'll throw some pictures of the car up here shortly, but in the meantime, here's the deets. Get in touch if you're interested in seeing it or a test drive. I don't know what I would accept yet for an offer, but I'll edit this post as soon as I do know.

The details:
2003 Pontiac Vibe Sport Wagon 4D
70,000 miles (actually a little less, but we'll round up for the moment)
4-Cylinder 1.8L engine
Automatic Transmission
Front Wheel Drive
Roof Rack
Air Conditioning
Dual Front Air Bags
Power Steering
ABS (4-Wheel)
Cruise Control
Power Door Locks
Power Windows
Tilt Wheel
Alarm
AM/FM Stereo
Single Compact Disc

Values (based on above details)
MSN Autos: $4775 Trade In Value
Kelly Blue Book: Excellent: $7,055; Good: $6,555; Fair: $5,955 (I'd put my car in the "Good" range)

Edmunds.com (who says Vibe is a "used car best bet"):
2003 Pontiac Vibe 4dr Wagon
Private Party Value for "Average Condition"
National Base Price $6,032
Optional Equipment $340
Cruise Control $34
4-Speed Automatic Transmission $160
Power Windows $44
Power Door Locks $38
Anti-Theft Alarm System $64
Color Adjustment
Silver $14
Regional Adjustment
for Zip Code 02145 $-37
Mileage Adjustment
70,000 miles $270
Condition Adjustment
Average $-1,330
Total $5,289


Private Party Value for "Clean Condition"
National Base Price $6,032
Optional Equipment $340
Cruise Control $34
4-Speed Automatic Transmission $160
Power Windows $44
Power Door Locks $38
Anti-Theft Alarm System $64
Color Adjustment
Silver $46
Regional Adjustment
for Zip Code 02145 $-37
Mileage Adjustment
70,000 miles $270
Condition Adjustment
Clean $0
Total $6,651

Values searched for on 7/20/09

I'm a Conde Nast Traveler. Ha!

So I just submitted a photo to a Conde Nast contest. A condenastest? Anyway, . . . I probably don't fit the typical profile of their travelers, so I submitted a photo that probably doesn't fit their typical photo profile. Here is text I submitted along with it:

The first night of our honeymoon. A small restaurant in the heart of the old city in Lisbon. A rotating cast of local amazing Fado singers and two wonderful guitarists. Hours of unexpected flavors, sounds, and ambiance, both culinary and musical. While this is not a traditionally "great vacation" photograph of flowers, buildings, landscape - this photograph sums up some of what we experienced in this moment. Towards the end of dinner, the lights were dimmed, the doors closed, and the music began. Over the next few hours and glasses of port, we knew that we were in a transformative environment to match our recent transformation to married couple. This is the best of travel - great music, food, meeting locals, and learning about ones self. The photograph captures the musicians (singer standing behind guitar player on right), the view we had out the door, and of course a bottle in the foreground.

Coumba Sidibe 1959 - 2009

. . . has passed to the ancestors.

I got the call with the sad news from a Malian friend today. Coumba was a pioneer, one of the women who helped create what we now know as the Wassoulou style of music. In the 60s and 70s in Mali, music in the Wassoulou region was transforming from sacred and traditional to the popular front, with that transition being led by female singers including Coumba and mali n'goni players who transformed that instrument from 4 strings (doson'goni) to 6 strings (kameln'goni).

I first met Coumba through a friend Mamadou Sidibe, a n'goni player who was living in NYC at the time. He introduced me to Coumba, and with the assistance of Moussa Traore, I produced/promoted/managed a show for Coumba in Cambridge, MA. The show was amazing, and featured Ramata Diakite on backing vocals for Coumba. Mamadou had initially come to the US with Coumba, and for that reason alone, I am grateful to Coumba. However, further, Coumba opened up the path for artists like Ramata Diakite and Oumou Sangare, and now generations of female singers to rise in Mali.

Coumba had been brought back to the front of my mind in late April when some filmmakers sought me out to find Coumba. I sincerely hope that they were able to find her, and talk with her, and film her before she passed. Too often it seems that artists only get their due after they have passed.

Megan Romer has a nice write-up as does Banning Eyre of Afropop Worldwide. Apparently the radio in Mali is all abuzz with the news and playing her music. In that vein - some video below (i'll try and dig up audio from that show in cambridge and/or find my CDs of hers and rip them).

Coumba - Thank You, may your transition to the ancestors be easy, may you continue to lead, may you not be forgotten, and may you rest in peace.







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From Coumba's bio I wrote up for the show in Cambridge:

Coumba Sidibé was born in 1959 in the Wassoulou region of Mali, West Africa in the village of Koniko. She was born to family of singers and dancers. Her grandparents were some of the most famous singers in the region, and her father was a famous dancer of the Sokomkou masks and secret societies.

When she was 8, Coumba sang in place of her mother at a wedding. Even at this early age, her talent and musicianship was apparent. From this point forward, she was a regular at weddings and other cultural ceremonies. From 1974 until 1977 (from the ages of 15 to 18) she won “Best Female Vocalist” in the National Competitions held in Mali’s capital, Bamako.

She then shifted her attention to a group setting, and became a member of the Ensemble Instrumental National du Mali. Coumba also started performing as the lead singer of her own group in the early 1980’s.

Coumba’s first album was the highest selling album ever in Africa for a female vocalist. Coumba’s significant touring in support of this and subsequent albums brought Wassoulou music and its distinct singing style to the forefront of the world music scene in Africa, Europe and the United States. After a worldwide tour of almost 10 years, Coumba settled down to tour exclusively in France for a number of years. She has since been performing and raising a family in Mali and New York City.

As Wassoulou music has swept across the globe, legendary singers have followed in the footsteps of Coumba, with Oumou Sangare and Ramata Diakité among those citing Coumba’s work and dedication in their own success.

To say that Coumba Sidibé is a legend does not capture the range and depth of her impact. Her robust, tenor vocal stylings brought Mali to the rest of the world.

Other Links:

• Mali Music Bio
  
• Last.fm Profile
• Blog post on her track in the "Stop Excision" compilation