Jazz as a racist term? That’s rich. African-Americans provided the world with one of the most vibrant styles of music ever created. Almost immediately, musicians of every possible race and permutation have adopted it in a wonderful variance of ways, from Latin to Soviet. That someone of the musical caliber of Nicholas Payton can say something like this -

“Jazz is a lie. America is a lie … Playing Jazz is like running on a treadmill: you may break a sweat, but ultimately you ain’t going nowhere. I am Nicholas Payton and I don’t play ‘the j word.’ I play BAM (Black American Music).”

and not get called out on it immediately is rather sad. It’s also rather offensive, as Payton is trying to forcibly rip away the contributions of whites, latinos, Russians, Azeris, Norwegians, French, various African nationals, et cetera, of their roles in the development of the genre.

Read Victor Fiorillo’s article in full here, courtesy of the Philly Post.

While reading National Review Online, I came across the comment of an Iowa-based reader who left their opinion of the first time they heard Lennon’s legendary anthem:

“When ‘Imagine’ was new, and I was young, I, of course, took it literally as the way the world should work. Since at least partially growing up (being 57 now), I have come to understand John Lennon as one sarcastic SOB who delighted in demonstrations of his superiority over lesser beings. I am thinking that ‘Imagine’ was meant as a send-up of liberal utopia, an insult hidden in the open.”

Another reader who grew up in Soviet Czechoslovakia added this comment:

“That John Lennon song always bothered me. It reminded me of the spoiled children of the ‘West.’ They had everything they could possibly want, and they were free. Yet they complained. And, worse, they promoted ideas and regimes that were senselessly destroying other people’s lives.”

It makes one wonder if John Lennon was taking the piss against the liberals of his day. It’s a theory, of course, but one worth pondering.

I have to admit that it came as a shock to me when I read that the founders of The Pirate Bay were jailed for running their torrent site, but it seems that a retrial is in order, thanks to the judge having a conflict of interest in the case.

The BBC has more on the story here.

If you ever wish to license material in Azerbaijan, don’t bother.  90% of the software and music items available for purchase are bootlegged.  Let them rot until they fix the problem.

HT: IWPR.

I’m all for homeland security, but this proposed British law is ridiculous! Feargal Sharkey, former singer of The Undertones and now boss for UK Music, is screaming mad at this proposition. Hopefully common sense will win the day and this draconian law gets stuffed.

The Independent of London has more here.

A transsexual singer is showing more bravery than most Turks regarding the treatment of Kurds.  Bulent Ersoy, a flamboyant pop star, is in trouble with authorities for making comments pertaining to Turks fighting against the PKK, a group the government considers to be a terrorist organization.

Free Thoughts, a great blog concentrating more on politics than music, gives us an amusing post on Willy Chirino’s new songs for the freedom of Cuba, from his new album “Pa’Lante”. Read her post here.

God bless Cuba. May they be rid of their Castro curse soon.