Every time that it comes down to the wire, for my team I will walk through the fire.For all of my wandering, I'll never be too far. I am a Bronx Bomber, and we're the best by far...
Let's go Yankees, 2005 AL East
Support Live music today tomorrow and always.
Support your favorite Baseball team.
Joe Torre is the greatest !!!
Friday, September 30, 2005
Sunday, September 25, 2005
Alchemy and Esoterism, Islam and Popularity: a joint post written by Charlie Tee and Jen
First of all, I want to express my deepest thanks to Jen for bringing this to my attention, and thank her for caring enough about my feelings and that of other Muslims. It takes a real person of faith and character to be angry about prejudice of any kind, even within their own religion.
Before you try to figure out how this relates to music, it relates in that Jen is trying to create harmony in humanity, sort of like teaching the world to sing .
The other evening I got an e-mail from a very upset and angry Jen. She was angry over that fact that a friend of hers sent her an e-mail which had many harsh and negative things to say about Muslims and the religion of Islam. Earlier that day I just happened to go to Friday prayer at the Mosque here in Charleston, and the speaker that day gave a sermon on not being reactionary to things that are going on inside and outside the Muslim community.
Right now in America the climate toward those of us who practice Islam is not very tolerant, and very unlike America. It's sad because in reality what we're experiencing is a climate of esoterism, or the practice of exclusion. Left alone without any explanations people could begin to believe much of anything that they are fed, by any means that they were fed it.
Let us shed some light on a few things and hope that it can begin to melt away the cold of misunderstanding.
Let me say first that Muslims do believe in God, in much the same way that others who practice monotheism do.There are differences with the Islamic religion and many others but not because we worship idols or false gods, or other men. In the same way that people of other faiths perceive God in His totality, Muslims have taken the time to decipher and try to make sense of the universe in the way that Allah (God) intends us to.
It's wrong for anyone to feel that they have a monopoly on the correct way to have their belief...what we should all have is faith. Faith will help you understand the importance of God solely as it pertains to you, through your own eyes.
I am Muslim but I married to a woman who is Jewish, she is white and I am an African American. Truly, does that mean we're wrong for each other ? We don't think so...
I have met many wonderful people in my lifetime, and many of them come from all religious walks of life. My own mother was Catholic but raised me as a Muslim because I wanted to practice the religion that my Father practiced, so my Mom took the time to learn about Islam on her own, and she found it to be a religion of peace and brotherhood.
While I like many Americans were completely outraged over the events of 9/11/01, it would be unwise of any of us to place all the blame on all in the religion. That would be like saying that every Black person is lazy and shiftless, like saying every woman should be seen and not heard, and should not be allowed out in public. It's just not realistic, nor is it righteous.
I'm proud of the fact that I practice Islam for a number of reasons. 1. Islam gave me a better sense of myself...don't get me wrong, I've got alot to learn, but this faith has given me the means by which I can figure out the world and my place in it. 2. Being Muslim has allowed me to attain the courage of my conviction...I've learned to say what I mean and mean what I say, and 3. without being or feeling ego centered, I've learned to love me the way that I feel Allah does...unconditionally.
What I hope for more than anything is that humanity learns to be exoteric, to be inclusive of all, thereby increasing the chance for peace.
This post is dedicated to Jen, through her example we can achieve true brotherhood...and sisterhood.
It's also dedicated to Imam Jamal Daoudi, spiritual leader of the Islamic Center of West Virginia.Through his tireless example, people of all faiths are gaining faith and trust in Muslims everywhere.
Be sure to catch Jen's side of this story on her blogsite On The Porch Swing.
Support Live Music and brotherhood today tomorrow and always.
Before you try to figure out how this relates to music, it relates in that Jen is trying to create harmony in humanity, sort of like teaching the world to sing .
The other evening I got an e-mail from a very upset and angry Jen. She was angry over that fact that a friend of hers sent her an e-mail which had many harsh and negative things to say about Muslims and the religion of Islam. Earlier that day I just happened to go to Friday prayer at the Mosque here in Charleston, and the speaker that day gave a sermon on not being reactionary to things that are going on inside and outside the Muslim community.
Right now in America the climate toward those of us who practice Islam is not very tolerant, and very unlike America. It's sad because in reality what we're experiencing is a climate of esoterism, or the practice of exclusion. Left alone without any explanations people could begin to believe much of anything that they are fed, by any means that they were fed it.
Let us shed some light on a few things and hope that it can begin to melt away the cold of misunderstanding.
Let me say first that Muslims do believe in God, in much the same way that others who practice monotheism do.There are differences with the Islamic religion and many others but not because we worship idols or false gods, or other men. In the same way that people of other faiths perceive God in His totality, Muslims have taken the time to decipher and try to make sense of the universe in the way that Allah (God) intends us to.
It's wrong for anyone to feel that they have a monopoly on the correct way to have their belief...what we should all have is faith. Faith will help you understand the importance of God solely as it pertains to you, through your own eyes.
I am Muslim but I married to a woman who is Jewish, she is white and I am an African American. Truly, does that mean we're wrong for each other ? We don't think so...
I have met many wonderful people in my lifetime, and many of them come from all religious walks of life. My own mother was Catholic but raised me as a Muslim because I wanted to practice the religion that my Father practiced, so my Mom took the time to learn about Islam on her own, and she found it to be a religion of peace and brotherhood.
While I like many Americans were completely outraged over the events of 9/11/01, it would be unwise of any of us to place all the blame on all in the religion. That would be like saying that every Black person is lazy and shiftless, like saying every woman should be seen and not heard, and should not be allowed out in public. It's just not realistic, nor is it righteous.
I'm proud of the fact that I practice Islam for a number of reasons. 1. Islam gave me a better sense of myself...don't get me wrong, I've got alot to learn, but this faith has given me the means by which I can figure out the world and my place in it. 2. Being Muslim has allowed me to attain the courage of my conviction...I've learned to say what I mean and mean what I say, and 3. without being or feeling ego centered, I've learned to love me the way that I feel Allah does...unconditionally.
What I hope for more than anything is that humanity learns to be exoteric, to be inclusive of all, thereby increasing the chance for peace.
This post is dedicated to Jen, through her example we can achieve true brotherhood...and sisterhood.
It's also dedicated to Imam Jamal Daoudi, spiritual leader of the Islamic Center of West Virginia.Through his tireless example, people of all faiths are gaining faith and trust in Muslims everywhere.
Be sure to catch Jen's side of this story on her blogsite On The Porch Swing.
Support Live Music and brotherhood today tomorrow and always.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Remembering John H. Johnson
For the African American community Ebony and Jet magazines were the mecca for our lives, our cultural and social outlooks. They are the type of publications that have been truly uplifting for not only Black people but also for all people. It has been our mirror, our compass, and our maps.
From it's inception, these magazines have instilled us with pride in ourselves, as well as taught us how to be humble yet strong at once.
I can remember eagerly awaiting the latest issues of both mags, and in the same way that I've been about books in my life, reading with wonder, and delighting in the stories about Black people who looked like me.
One of the greatest gifts that I have ever received was as a direct result of reading these 2 colossal magazines. It was the gift of articulation. My Father charged me to read either magazine and report to him any story in detail that I had read, and as a result I learned how to speak publicly, and how to enunciate properly.
Even today, as I am employed in a public library, I take the time to not only read these magazines but also engage others to do the same. I often have youngsters in need of help with varying projects dealing with African Americans and the lives of people of color worldwide reading and studying from these magazines, and more often than not finding out that the infomation contained therein is the only true source of info to be found.
At the helm of these great publications was a man who in my opinion was a towering figure and a beacon of light for all people of color, John H. Johnson.
Although I never had the pleasure of meeting the man who influenced a race of people, I felt as though I knew him as well as knew my own Father. Through his eyes, and his dreams, I learned to have belief in and hope for myself, in the exact same way that my parents taught me. I can say with definte surety that as man striving toward the prize, I have used many of the fine examples that I read in the pages of Ebony and Jet. I've learned to embrace life and meet it head on. When I have found myself in the midst of struggles, I've turned succintly toward those pages and lifted myself out of my darkness or despair.
I owe a great debt to Mr. Johnson for being the kind of example that produced many of my heroes; among them Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Maya Angelou, Muhammad Ali, El Hajj Malik Shabazz (Malcolm X), Reverends Jesse Jackson, and Al Sharpton, Berry Gordy, Suzzane de Passe to name a few.
Being a Black man has been the greatest gift from Allah that I could ever have received, but being an African American reader of Ebony and Jet is the greatest gift that I could have given myself.
For these reasons I wish to take this time for praising and remembering John H. Johnson and his pioneering spirit and thank him for all that he has done to ensure that the world sees us properly in every spectrum of our grandeur, and every facet of our rainbow.
Good night brother.
John H. Johnson 1918-2005
Support Live Music , and blackness today tomorrow, and always.
From it's inception, these magazines have instilled us with pride in ourselves, as well as taught us how to be humble yet strong at once.
I can remember eagerly awaiting the latest issues of both mags, and in the same way that I've been about books in my life, reading with wonder, and delighting in the stories about Black people who looked like me.
One of the greatest gifts that I have ever received was as a direct result of reading these 2 colossal magazines. It was the gift of articulation. My Father charged me to read either magazine and report to him any story in detail that I had read, and as a result I learned how to speak publicly, and how to enunciate properly.
Even today, as I am employed in a public library, I take the time to not only read these magazines but also engage others to do the same. I often have youngsters in need of help with varying projects dealing with African Americans and the lives of people of color worldwide reading and studying from these magazines, and more often than not finding out that the infomation contained therein is the only true source of info to be found.
At the helm of these great publications was a man who in my opinion was a towering figure and a beacon of light for all people of color, John H. Johnson.
Although I never had the pleasure of meeting the man who influenced a race of people, I felt as though I knew him as well as knew my own Father. Through his eyes, and his dreams, I learned to have belief in and hope for myself, in the exact same way that my parents taught me. I can say with definte surety that as man striving toward the prize, I have used many of the fine examples that I read in the pages of Ebony and Jet. I've learned to embrace life and meet it head on. When I have found myself in the midst of struggles, I've turned succintly toward those pages and lifted myself out of my darkness or despair.
I owe a great debt to Mr. Johnson for being the kind of example that produced many of my heroes; among them Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Maya Angelou, Muhammad Ali, El Hajj Malik Shabazz (Malcolm X), Reverends Jesse Jackson, and Al Sharpton, Berry Gordy, Suzzane de Passe to name a few.
Being a Black man has been the greatest gift from Allah that I could ever have received, but being an African American reader of Ebony and Jet is the greatest gift that I could have given myself.
For these reasons I wish to take this time for praising and remembering John H. Johnson and his pioneering spirit and thank him for all that he has done to ensure that the world sees us properly in every spectrum of our grandeur, and every facet of our rainbow.
Good night brother.
John H. Johnson 1918-2005
Support Live Music , and blackness today tomorrow, and always.
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Paul and Becky Flaherty's Jam Session.(wink, wink)
Now here's a twist...
What do you call a wedding in which 80% of the people in attendance were Charleston A- List musicians ? I call it the best damn jam session disguised as wedding that I've ever seen.
Last night one of my dearest friends Paul Flaherty (Mountain Stage, stage manager) married the love of his life Becky Dietzler in what one could call a royal wedding of sorts. Paul was quite resplendant in his tuxedo ( you have to Paul well enough to know it's rare to see him without his baseball cap), Becky was the absolute epitome of elegance and beauty in her wedding dress ( she's a knockout to begin with...)
From start to finish it was a beautiful ceremony, but we love Paul so much what else could it be...
In attendance were folks that I haven't seen in quite awhile, and folks that I frankly don't get to spend alot of time with anymore.
Steve Dreyer made a very funny but heartfelt toast to the Paul telling us about the meaning of their friendship, and honestly, I could not have agreed more
Lisa Peery (one of my favorite flutists) was there and she lilted us all before the ceremony accompanied by Jim Lange on the acoustic guitar. Larry Groce sang a wonderful wedding song with his beautiful wife Sandra accompanying him on the viola. Of course the Carpenter Ants were in the house to get the party going, as was the dynamic Julie Adams with her group Blues du Jour. The great Bob Thompson lent his keyboard stylings to the mix as well Ryan Kennedy.
Others in attendance were Al Peery, Steve Hill, Stevie and Missy Himes, Ron and Sally Sowell, Doug Payne and Jeannie Chandler, our own percussionist Mike Jones all looking very regal.
In the wake of the recent tragic circumstances across the gulf coast states, it was a very poignant evening that we embarked upon to have a little fun if only for one night.
When the party started it started in earnest with everyone joining in the frey.When you have musicians of this caliber believe me it was all good.
Paul Flaherty is definitely a special guy no doubt, but to call this thing a wedding...yeah right !! We know it was really just a night to get all of he and Becky's friends together and groove for real.
Seriously though, it was really a beautiful night, and a wonderful ceremony, and I wish Paul and Becky all of the best that Allah can bestow on them, so we'll just call this Paul and Becky's jam session (wink, wink).
Support Live Music today tomorrow and always...and marry your love on a mountaintop under the stars.
What do you call a wedding in which 80% of the people in attendance were Charleston A- List musicians ? I call it the best damn jam session disguised as wedding that I've ever seen.
Last night one of my dearest friends Paul Flaherty (Mountain Stage, stage manager) married the love of his life Becky Dietzler in what one could call a royal wedding of sorts. Paul was quite resplendant in his tuxedo ( you have to Paul well enough to know it's rare to see him without his baseball cap), Becky was the absolute epitome of elegance and beauty in her wedding dress ( she's a knockout to begin with...)
From start to finish it was a beautiful ceremony, but we love Paul so much what else could it be...
In attendance were folks that I haven't seen in quite awhile, and folks that I frankly don't get to spend alot of time with anymore.
Steve Dreyer made a very funny but heartfelt toast to the Paul telling us about the meaning of their friendship, and honestly, I could not have agreed more
Lisa Peery (one of my favorite flutists) was there and she lilted us all before the ceremony accompanied by Jim Lange on the acoustic guitar. Larry Groce sang a wonderful wedding song with his beautiful wife Sandra accompanying him on the viola. Of course the Carpenter Ants were in the house to get the party going, as was the dynamic Julie Adams with her group Blues du Jour. The great Bob Thompson lent his keyboard stylings to the mix as well Ryan Kennedy.
Others in attendance were Al Peery, Steve Hill, Stevie and Missy Himes, Ron and Sally Sowell, Doug Payne and Jeannie Chandler, our own percussionist Mike Jones all looking very regal.
In the wake of the recent tragic circumstances across the gulf coast states, it was a very poignant evening that we embarked upon to have a little fun if only for one night.
When the party started it started in earnest with everyone joining in the frey.When you have musicians of this caliber believe me it was all good.
Paul Flaherty is definitely a special guy no doubt, but to call this thing a wedding...yeah right !! We know it was really just a night to get all of he and Becky's friends together and groove for real.
Seriously though, it was really a beautiful night, and a wonderful ceremony, and I wish Paul and Becky all of the best that Allah can bestow on them, so we'll just call this Paul and Becky's jam session (wink, wink).
Support Live Music today tomorrow and always...and marry your love on a mountaintop under the stars.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts...
This post is written with the hopes that anyone and everyone please do whatever you can to help any and all relief efforts for the people displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
It's important that we all remember that charity starts at home. It's equally important to remember that "there for the grace of God go I," or in this case "we."
For all of the blogging community,and the music community, we can go on about our individual musings/complaints/ ramblings/whinings/but we are one way to spur the efforts of many...so please use your writing voices to tell everybody that we need every body.
IT'S TIME TO COME TOGETHER...
It's important that we all remember that charity starts at home. It's equally important to remember that "there for the grace of God go I," or in this case "we."
For all of the blogging community,and the music community, we can go on about our individual musings/complaints/ ramblings/whinings/but we are one way to spur the efforts of many...so please use your writing voices to tell everybody that we need every body.
IT'S TIME TO COME TOGETHER...
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