December 2nd, 2008 Odetta (queen of folk, blues, and a leading voice for the civil rights movement) passed away at age 77. She performed for the entirety of her life and will continue to draw a great deal of attention for as long as people care about great music . If you don’t know her, I’m glad you are reading this. She is one of the true, great, all-American voices of all time; We are talking in the pioneering tradition of Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash. The type of singer who paves ways and blazes trails. She is most likely the first great female singer-songwriter of our time. Her death, moments before America takes a giant step into a future more reflective of the soulful and humane songs she was known for all her life, feels like Moses missing out on the promised land, and I hope the music industry carries her into the brighter future many Americans are hoping to be standing on the brink of. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called her “The queen of African-American folk music”. Basically, it seems really appropriate to get some Odetta remixes flowing in the club world. And some Nina Simone… Continue reading
minor progression 