Dreaming of a Black Christmas

[omega minimo]

At work on Friday, holding up the CD cover, told a friend “I’m Dreaming Of A Black Christmas." We’d had enough of Mannheim Steamroller and Burl Ives on commercial radio. “The Original Soul Christmas” and the Christmas spirit expressed by Clarence Carter, Otis Redding (“Merry Christmas Baby”) Ray Charles, Carla Thomas, Joe Tex, Booker T. & The MG’s, William Bell (“Everyday Will Be Like A Holiday”).

The music of the Christmas season coming through the public radio and TV (and many churches) features lovely, traditional, etheric acapella voices--- young girls, flute and harp in ancient cathedrals, choir hand bells, young men in deep harmonies... the sound of the Holy Spirit expressed in cold, northern places.

Listening to those angelic voices soar under medieval vaults and soaring buttresses, feeling the power of baritones and basses crooning together, it’s striking how the Christmas spirit seems so CEREBRAL, disembodied, something other than... soulful.



Remembering the feeling from the Gospel Tent at an outdoor summer concert with dozens of genre stages and two days of bands. In that tent, onstage and down in the crowd, the Spirit is THERE, it is being INVOKED. It is comin’ down and comin’ up and comin’ through from all sorts of places-- if you can’t FEEL it, may as well go over to the Death Metal stage. Or stay with the Holy Spirit as a Living Presence, in the air, in the hearts of us together, under canvas and soaring tent poles.

Remembering the “comeback” tour a few years ago where Al Green blew the roof off the Memorial Auditorium with his soul/revival/shaman ecstatic energy.....

And Christmas Day. Brother James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, took this time of peace, of transition, of soul, to exit this stage. His struggles are over, he has joined the Music of the Spheres.

Rest In Peace, James Brown. With gratitude to all the artists and soul doctors that have saved Christmas forevermore, from being only white as snow and sometimes just a bit too chilly.



In the coming New Year, as we turn attention to holding un/elected leaders accountable and restoring the Soul of this nation, let us honor and remember the City and People of New Orleans. This was a test, this was only a test, of the Emergency Outrage System... this was a glimpse of what the malign neglect of corporate-run government has in store for you and yours. The faces of those abandoned in New Orleans are our faces-- they are us. We can restore the Soul of the nation if we dare face what has been done in our name.

Happy Holydays. Peace.

RIP James Brown. Forever In Our Hearts.

[EFerrari]

1. Lovely tribute to a wonderful artist.

:hug:

K&R

[omega minimo]

2. They say it "comes in 3's"-- Humbling to reflect on the Greats who are passing on

Hey, Joe Barbera, James Brown... the Boomers' cultural signposts!


:pals: Best to you, sfexpat2000 :toast:

[EFerrari]

3. So many losses.

I wished I believed in an after life -- or at least, one with life in it. :)

:toast: to you, my friend.

[Karenina]

4. Ahmed Ertegun from Atlantic Records...

Can I get in on this? :toast:

[omega minimo]

5. omg That's IT. Thanks Karenina! What a milestone...

knew there was another that slipped my mind...

Mr. Ertegun-- the end of an era... a reminder of the time before megacorpmedia owned it all...

:toast:

[jaysunb]

6. Ironically,

just yesterday I listened to the entire " Soul Christmas " box set. My brother in law yelled from the other room, " who's that singing that song ?" ( It's Christmas )
We had a good laugh when I told him it was James Brown. He's not old enough to remember the James Brown & the Famous Flames of the 50's.....back when he was singing ballads like everyone else.

Boy, how time flys.

RIP JB, you gave us much.

[omega minimo]

7. On the soul wavelength.....

I'll be lookin' for that set-- oh yeah this is a Rhino CD. No JB-- love the Clarence Carter and Otis Redding....

This music was pivotal to the progress of the pre-Reaganism decades.

:hi:

[uppityperson]

8. RIP James Brown

[Hekate]

9. That's beautiful, omega. Thanks and happy holydays to you too.

:hug:

Hekate

[omega minimo]

10. Best to you and Happy New Year, Hekate.

:yourock:

[Chipper Chat]

11. My favorite carol: White Christmas by Charles Brown:

Here's a link to a cool animation:
http://www.thecompassgroup.biz/merryxmas.swf
Watching this will COMPLETE your holiday!

[omega minimo]

18. Love Charles Brown! Not so sure, tho, 'bout those

Joe Camel reindeer! :scared:

Cute flick. Thanx and merry xmas. B-)

[snot]

12. What does the little tri-sected pie-chart point to? nt

[TahitiNut]

14. Manipura

The solar plexus chakra is related to the transition from base to higher emotion, energy, assimilation and digestion, and is said to correspond to the roles played by the pancreas and the outer adrenal glands, the adrenal cortex. These play a valuable role in digestion, the conversion of food matter into energy for the body.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manipura

[omega minimo]

17. Thot maybe snot meant the red/blue/yellow circle below deep blue figure

I wondered about that too......



Happy New Year, TahitiNut :hi:

[Swamp Rat]

13. .

:hug:

[omega minimo]

16. +

:loveya:

[G Hawes]

15. Lots of talent, Mr. Brown had

He certainly earned his stripes, and lots of them.

I remember seeing him a few years ago on some annual awards show where he was presenting a life time achievement award to someone else (he'd already earned and been awarded his own, several years earlier) but his act on that occasion was an absolute classic, as always.

May he rest in peace.

[Gelliebeans]

19. Ironically

My husband and I were driving on Christmas eve and we saw a billboard for our local venue that was showcasing an upcoming event with James Brown and my husband said, "I would really like to see him." This is the first I had heard of his death (haven't watched much tv in the last couple of days). I was going to surprise hubby with tickets. I will have to tell him when he wakes up this morning. James was a legend.

[omega minimo]

20. Another living legend will be honored tonight if you feel like turnin on the tube

Smokey Robinson (with Dolly Parton and others) on the Kennedy Center Honors broadcast Tues. nite. Smokey!! He still has the voice of an angel.

Happy New Year to you and Mr. Gelliebeans. :pals:

[omega minimo]

21. Kick for Smokey, Aretha, the Temps and even W. turkey-necking to "Tears of a Clown"

:yourock:

[omega minimo]

23. One more kick for The Hardest Working Man In Show Business

:hug:

[Gelliebeans]

22. Happy New Year

to you and yours also omega minimo :pals: