Etc.: Labor and Obituaries

Thanks to ALEC and its bought-and-paid-for politicians, the state of Michigan is about to go further into the economic shitter.

Blame the stupid voters to putting these people in charge of government.

That state is little more than a dictatorship now.
_____

Obituary: Celebrated Indian musician Ravi Shankar, 92, has died. He had suffered from a variety of health problems in recent days.

Shankar was one of the key figures in popularizing world music. His influence on musicians was profound, including rock musicians like the Beatles, George Harrison in particular.

As early as the 1950s, Shankar began collaborating with and teaching some of the greats of Western music, including violinist Menuhin and jazz saxophonist Coltrane. He played well-received shows in concert halls in Europe and the United States, but faced a constant struggle to bridge the musical gap between the West and the East.

Describing an early Shankar tour in 1957, Time magazine said. "U.S. audiences were receptive but occasionally puzzled."

His close relationship with Harrison, the Beatles lead guitarist, shot Shankar to global stardom in the 1960s.

Harrison had grown fascinated with the sitar, a long-necked string instrument that uses a bulbous gourd for its resonating chamber and resembles a giant lute. He played the instrument, with a Western tuning, on the song "Norwegian Wood," but soon sought out Shankar, already a musical icon in India, to teach him to play it properly.

The pair spent weeks together, starting the lessons at Harrison's house in England and then moving to a houseboat in Kashmir and later to California.

Music clip:



link

No comments:

Featured Post

The Good Die Young: James Dobson (1936-2025)

 One of the leading figures of the religious right of the past fifty years, Dr. James Dobson, 89, reportedly died today.  No cause of death ...