mMix: Music

lyric archives, music archives, different releases, bonus tracks, free music, song of the day…

Beautiful Struggle – KPFK

Last night I had the privilege to play a song on “Beautiful Struggle” on KPFK here in Los Angeles.  The theme of the evening was education and the cutbacks we’re facing in California.  For more info on the March 4th Strike, go to: http://defendcapubliceducation.wordpress.com/

Co-host, Michael Datcher, had prompted me that the show would be on education issues.  And just a few days earlier I’d performed with Anne Feeney at an activist retirement community on the campus of UCBerkeley.  One of the women after the show told me how my song, “Jackson, MS,” captured issues that aren’t being taught in schools much these days.  So I pulled that one out for the show.

Jackson, Mississippi (Live on KPFK)

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On Sketches of Spain

"Sketches of Spain" coverI heard this today.

Carlos Santana:

“One thing is to fall in love with a woman.  Another thing is to fall in love with life.  A woman might leave you.  Life would never leave you. Because you can drop the body, but you can come back again, and you’re still…  Life is eternal, forever.  So, you know, to me, Sketches of Spain is that kind of eternal romance.”

The song “Trumpet Guitars” (from mMix) was originally called, “Post Sketches of Spain.”  I’d had a beautiful first evening with a singer/actress.  We played standards read from my first “Real Book” and laughed ourselves silly.  (Yes, I know, not so rock ‘n’ rock.) Then we put on that album, Sketches of Spain, with Miles’ trumpet playing the guitar lines from Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez.”  The rest is in the song.  The woman is no longer in my life, but the album is eternal.

You can hear “Trumpet Guitars” using the MMIX Player in the right column.

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New Additions – and More Downloads

IMG_0699I’ve added a couple things to the site.  Well, first is actually just a sale for the holidays.  I’ve made my CDs. MMIX, Living Room, and Adjusted Expectations available for $10/ea.

I also have set up a place for the Custom Songs work that I do right here on the site, rather than exclusively on Gift-of-Song.com.  The new home for the custom songs has a much easier questionnaire to get your project started.  It’s been a joy to create these songs for people and I hope you’ll be interested in hearing them.  It’s a great way to give an extraordinarily unique and personal gift, while also supporting yours truly.

Check out the Custom Songs link in the right hand column to find out more and listen to the songs.

Also I have a digital collection of all of my releases for sale here – MMIX, Adjusted Expectations, The Peace E.P., Arrogance Procrastination Fear Humility, Living Room, Distil, and Suicide or Celebration? – available for $50.  Also Distil and Suicide or Celebration? are available as individual album downloads on the shop page.

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July News

The “Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show” is about to begin! Starting July 2nd, I’m going on the road from San Diego, CA to Bellingham, WA. I’ll travel with folk singer Anne Feeney on a mission to encourage senators, representatives, and “we, the people” to work for universal healthcare across our nation. We’ve got twenty-five shows in twenty-six days! It will be tireless. But we’ve got a cast of about 40 other musicians and more concerned citizens joining us along the way.

You can support us with your presence and donations.

You can support me by buying a CD, download, or other swag in my shop. (I’m already on the second printing of mMix. It’s been sweet to get such positive feedback on it!)

Singout4SinglePayerLogo

And tonight, June 23, you can hear me live on KPFK (and online) during the 7-8 slot. I close the “Beautiful Struggle” program (around 7:45). The topic for this evening is the work of Public Allies, the organization formerly headed by First Lady Michelle Obama.

Now that it’s past, here’s the Podcast (my song is at 53:10, so scroll ahead):
Jason on the Beautiful Struggle KPFK

Thursday, you can support us on our tour’s kick off, 8pm at the Musician’s Union on Vine. 817 Vine St., Los Angeles, CA 90038, 213-252-1351

If you’re not on the local list this is your first notice that on October 1st, an essay of mine called, “Playing the Verses Straight” will be released in an original anthology called “The Black Body.” It’s edited by Meri Nana-Ama Danquah and includes Obama’s inaugural poet Elizabeth Alexander among others.

I hope to see you on the road show. Please email me or check my site for more info.

Peace & Love,

Jason

Sing Out For Single Payer Road Show Cities:
California
July 2 – Los Angeles
July 3 – San Diego
July 4 – Santa Cruz
July 5 – El Cerrito
Oregon
July 7 – Ashland
July 8 – Bend
July 9 – Florence
July 10 – 12 Oregon Country Fair
July 13 – Corvallis
July 14 – Coos Bay
July 15 – Newport
July 16 – Yachats
July 17 – Eugene
July 18 – Portland
July 19 – Salem
July 20 – Astoria
Washington
July 21 – Vancouver
July 22 – Everett
July 23 – Olympia
July 24 – Port Angeles
July 25 – Seattle
July 26 – Tacoma
July 27 – Bellingham

Jason Solo Birthday Show
California
August 8 – Aliso Viejo

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Loving Day

I offer you this in celebration of the Mixed Roots Festival and the Lovings of Loving v. Virginia, the case that forever abolished anti-miscegenation laws in the US in 1967, 42 years ago today!

It’s something I did in the mid-nineties. It’s kind of silly with it’s Rolling Stones references, but also a lot of fun.

Hope to see you tomorrow, June 13th, at the Festival.

Jason Luckett - We

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WE*

I am the future
I am the past
I am the baby that you never had

Product of love
Raised in confusion
Not so much mine
But your illusion

Apartheid
In my life
Love is the solution
What about the children?
Don’t be chicken

We are what we are.

What’s so right within the white?
What’s so right within the black?
We all have organs
We like to use them
Gene pool mix—some brown will be the fusion

Down by law
Down by culture
One day
There’ll be no other
Miscegenation
Long gestation

We are what we are.

We are African American European Asian sons
Politically incorrect, embracing every one
And loving and sexing
And sex and sex and sex and sex and
Look at me!

We are what we are.

(Repeat first verse)

Jason Luckett, © 1996 Lucky Masala Head

*Lucky Mingus was the name of the band. It lasted about 6 months with a revolving cast of Jim Doyle, Rob Ladd, and JMD on drums, Wil-Dog Abers (now of Ozomatli) and David Sutton on bass, and Jebin Bruni always on keys. This recording is Jim, David, Jebin and me with Danny Brown producing.

I was heavy into my Charles Mingus period and was trying to add a more collective and historical vibe to what I was doing. The best historical thing here is the bass line which is inspired by a 70’s glam band far on the other end of the spectrum from Mingus…also a little nod to the Rolling Stones… Very little Mingus…

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