Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Friday, November 20, 2009
Jazz saxophone legend, Sonny Rollins, issues a global warning
YEAH Sonny…
Wish I could go to the Dec. 6th concert. My buddy from Rocking The Boat also is pretty good friends with Pete Seeger. Pete comes to a lot of the Rocking the Boat events. My friend’s father used to take us the Clearwater festival quite a bit when we were growing up and it is always fun.
Excellent article, Mick.
Posted by JOS from Chicago on 11/20 at 12:05 PMThanks, JOS. I’m hoping to give Rocking the Boat a plug on Planet Green soon.
Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria on 11/20 at 12:28 PMWas I reading Sonny Rollins or Mickey Z? I felt like he was reading straight from one of your past articles. Who knew he was so eco-conscious? Well, I guess some knew but I didn’t. Pretty cool.
Loved your article on eco-art. You come up with some nifty topics for Planet Green.
Posted by Charles from Jersey City on 11/20 at 02:37 PMThanks, Charles. And btw, I’m always open to suggestions for Planet Green articles.
Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria on 11/20 at 05:59 PMMany thanks for these two planet green articles Mickey. They really struck a chord. No pun intended.
There are only a few artists who I can say speak for me. The quote you provide of Sonny Rollins is just tremendous. I’ve always loved the way he plays too. When he says of environmental concerns “that’s what I worry about more than jazz” I’m just blown away: it was a similar feeling that got me thinking of things more important than my career back in 2001.
In the eco-art article, you got me thinking about how my work fits into that conversation. Whenever I perform I am asked to provide a text about myself (in the absence of much press on me). Lately I came up with this line, that in my work I seek to “...bring audiences into a state of emotional and intellectual curiosity that meets the conditions for meaningful dialogue with the culture at large.” As an artist and performer I want to be able to serve the same function as an artist and performer in a culture that doesn’t subjugate everything and everyone in sight. Not to toot my own horn (oof!), but starting from this point often feels utterly radical.
Posted by Keir from here and there on 11/20 at 07:28 PMThank you, Keir...not only for a poignant and inspiring comment but also for liking these two articles so much. As I wrote about a radical sax player, I thought of you a lot and was genuinely looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
For the 900th time, I’ll say: None of my posts are complete until the Expendables weigh in.
Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria on 11/20 at 07:58 PMWow, amazing article Mickey.
I love Sonny Rollins, but I had no idea he was so vocal about the state of the world. This is so refreshing, because usually it’s the other way around. I really dig someone’s music and then they totally sell out. Another interesting thing you noted was his grandmother’s influence on him. As a new father, I think it’s critical that parents don’t shield their kids from their activist pursuits. Had Sonny’s grandmother not involved him in her political activism, perhaps he would not have developed such a sound understanding about our “finite planet.”Posted by Mike from Cariboo on 11/21 at 01:37 AMThanks, Mike. I also learned more about Sonny while putting that post together. It’s gratifying to witness the reactions to his words.
Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria on 11/21 at 08:12 AMThe finite planet idea should be basic wisdom.
Early in my formative years, me and some friends were going over the wealth/poverty gap and other stuff. One of the guys said: “It’s easy, if you freeze time at any one point there is a fixed and finite amount resources on the planet. If you take some for yourself, it had to come from somewhere else.”
I may be muddling his words, but you see the point.
Posted by Andy from shanghai on 11/21 at 12:39 PMHere’s a photo gallery of this year’s Vegan Taoist festival in Phuket Thailand.
Warning, it’s the one with all the extreme piercings also.
No animal products allowed for the whole 9 days of the festival with all food served being Vegan.
Posted by Andy from shanghai on 11/21 at 07:04 PMThose are amazing photos, Andy.
Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria on 11/21 at 09:34 PMAndy, picture 12 is INTENSE.
Posted by Mike from Cariboo on 11/21 at 10:42 PMHello Expendables.
FYI: A new post is now up.
Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria on 11/22 at 07:33 AM
Next entry: "Self Defense for Radicals" to be released next month
Previous entry: Why wait till 2012?
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