UPR!SE is a blog dedicated to The Shrine's Patron Saint and inspiration, Fela Anikulpo Kuti.

The blog focuses on music, fashion, art, design, politics and culture. It is a celebration of trailblazing souls who rise up without compromise.

THE SHRINE, CHICAGO

Saturday, May 8, 2010

WINDY CITY CRATES 4: FELA + JORGE BEN = CHICAGO

A double post, as one of the tracks was only mastered in Chicago, but the group is a Chi-tilla homegrown giant AND it's a Fela Kuti cover. Up first is the Art Ensemble of Chicago's take on 'Zombie' from their 'Ancient To The Future: Dreaming Of The Masters Series Vol.1' album released in 1987 in Japan only. Side one is all original compositions by the group, while side two is all covers; Jimi Hendrix, Duke Ellington, Bob Marley, Otis Redding and Fela! The CD can be tracked down, good luck finding the record!



LISTEN: ART ENSEMBLE OF CHICAGO: ZOMBIE



Next up is Odell Brown with his version of the Jorge Ben classic 'Mas Que Nada' from his 1967 album "Mellow Yellow', recorded right here in the South Loop at Mar Ten studios! Wicked soul jazz organ workout clocks in at just over seven minutes! The most covered Brazilian song of all time, there are literally hundreds of versions of 'Mas Que Nada'! Dig covers?!?!? Of course you do! Check out more covers of 'Mas Que Nada' and other songs at Versions Galore! CLICK HERE

BRAZIL ON FILM / SIMONAL: YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TOUGH IT WAS



When Wilson Simonal sings, “Girls in miniskirts are cool,” and a colorful photomontage splashes tropical club-hopping 1960s Rio de Janeiro across the screen, you’ll want to jump up and dance. But a drama of classical proportions ultimately unfolds in this exploration of the spectacular rise and infamous fall of the undisputed king of Brazilian popular music. A towering and much-beloved presence—no other black entertainer in Brazil had his own television show or performed so many concerts—Simonal held his (mostly white) audience in the palm of his hand. Archival footage shows Simonal—smooth, satirical and sarcastic—as he sings and hobnobs with a stream of celebrities, including memorable moments with an evidently smitten Sarah Vaughn. But a military dictatorship ruled his country ruthlessly, with daily arrests, torture and murder. Simonal enlisted the dreaded National Information Service to resolve a dispute with his accountant and then, whether from arrogance or naïveté, declared he was one of them. True or not, his career was finished. Family members, musician contemporaries like Paulo Moura and Tony Tornado, football legend Pelé, journalists, editors and television producers all give voice to the cultural and political complexities of the period, while addressing vital questions: Was Simonal a tropical happy face for repression and censorship? Were his critics ideologues and racists? Was he self-destructive? Even the abused accountant weighs in. From this masterful, multifaceted account emerges a modern-day Icarus, his downfall coming only after ascension to the dizziest heights of fame.

—Kathleen Denny

SEE A CLIP FROM THE FILM: CLICK HERE

SKATEBOARDING IN UGANDA

Kitintale from Yann Gross on Vimeo.



Did you like the video? do you want to support the Ugandan skateboarders ?
Help them to expand the park and re-fix the mini-ramp!
Paypal account : skateboardugandadonate@yahoo.com