Charlie
Haden has died.
The
liberals have Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder (You can tell
liberal political music because its fuzzy message is always easily
expropriated by corporate commercialism and even conservatives.)
But
the authentic left had Charlie Haden. A man who defined earnestness,
Haden was a key figure in the last wave of innovation in the African
American-inspired art form, jazz. Concurrent with political stirrings
in the 1960s, a musically radical group of musicians pushed
improvisational music to its limits. Liberating times produced
liberating music. Charlie Haden was an important part of it.
On
the economic side, Haden was a charter member of the Jazz Composers'
Orchestra Association, a group dedicated to overturning the greed of
club owners and record companies.
On the political side, he founded
the Liberation Music Orchestra,
a project paying homage to leftist music,
ranging from the Spanish Civil War to the South African Liberation
movement. A sampling of the LMO can be found here.
Haden's
unassuming manner belied an iron resolve. In 1971, despite warnings,
he publicly performed his Song
for Che
in fascist Portugal, dedicating it to the liberation movements in the
Portuguese colonies. Caetano's political police were not amused,
detaining him until US officials intervened. A performance of Song
for Che
can be heard here.
Charlie
Haden, paraphrasing Brecht, was essential.
Today,
righteously radical music is a rarity in the US. As in the fifties,
most musicians strive to make up for their timidity and sameness with
audacious names, theatrics and posturing, and juvenile
“rebelliousness.”
All the more reason to celebrate the few radical artists. The only
self-described communist US artist that I know of is the enormously
talented and intelligent Boots Riley of the group, The Coup. Listen
here,
here,
here,
and here.
Other hip hop artists with a radical left lean are Paris, Dead Pres,
and Immortal Technique. All forgo civility for truth.
Tom
Morello, a brilliant guitarist and often a collaborator with Boots
Riley, occupies the political space in rock located some distance
left of Springsteen.
And
country music has Steve Earle, about as radical as the genre will
allow since it hitched itself to hyper-patriotism.
The
revered genre of folk remains a friendly form for leftist lyrics.
David Rovics counts as perhaps the best new voice with fresh, bold
themes. Listen here
and here.
And Anne Feeney's intense partisanship has earned the deserved title
of labor's best musical friend. She can be heard here
and here.
Thanks
to Carlos Sa, my eyes and ears have been exposed to a treasure trove
of interesting international music available on youtube.
There
are countless versions of the haunting, poignant Carlos Puebla
tribute to Che Guevara, Hasta
Siempre. Polish
saxophonist,
Jan
Gabarek, has offered a jazz version for decades. A recent one can be
found here.
The
Spanish group, Jahmila, has an impassioned interpretation here.
French
singer Nathalie Cardone has made a career out of offering an
impassioned emotional interpretation of Hasta
Siempre
in settings ranging from slick studios to elaborately staged videos.
In this video,
she takes on the role of a French Marianne, clutching a baby to her
breast and a Kalashnikov over her shoulders while leading cane
cutters and urban poor to the Revolution. A bit over dramatic, but
certainly moving in the admiration evoked for the great
revolutionary.
Supremely
tasteful and elegant while intense and impassioned, Classico Latino
offers this
unique version of the tribute to Che.
No
music has inspired generations like the songs embraced by the
Republican cause in the Spanish Civil War. Contemporary versions
salute the dedication and sacrifice of the anti-fascist fighters.
Mexican American Lila Downs' version
captures the determination of the Communist organizers and leaders of
the legendary Quinto Regimiento.
An
equally impassioned interpretation is available on youtube
from the French group Watcha Clan.
Other
exciting videos recommended to me by Carlos Sa include:
Camila
Morales Millones
Brazilian
hip hop activists, O Levante Pretos
e Pretas de armas na mão
Spanish
Marxist artist, Pablo Hasel Comunista
and Apologia
al comunismo
Cyril
Mokaiesh Communiste
Three
videos from the powerful, hard driving Marxist-Leninist rock group
Los Monstruitos:
We
can say that rebel music-- hard-core revolutionary music-- is alive
and well, though little of it is in the English language. We can find
hope in the fact that young people in other lands are not afraid to
include socialism or Communism in their musical vocabulary, though
rarely in the US.
At
the same time, revolutionary zeal and romanticism often overwhelm
judgment and depth in youth culture. But maybe we are more in need of
zeal and romanticism at this historical juncture.
There
is no lack of zeal with this elderly Italian priest and his rendition
of Bella
Caio!
Zoltan
Zigedy