Bessie Smith

Bessie Smith lived just a relatively short life on this earth, but she left a deep mark and a spark that still shines decades after her death - alone among her contemporaries, she is the one remembered from her generation as a trail blazing personality and a talent that still has power to move and impress,thanks to many recordings still available,cherished and played today. Surely, she was not the only one - there were literary a hundred of black female singers at that time and naturally,Bessie must have been influenced by some of them, however her example lead the way - not for nothing her deep,powerful voice gave her a title "Empress of The Blues" and she was absolutely untouchable in her position. If nothing else, once listener get accustomed to her style and talent, this might lead to exploration of other voices of now forgotten 1920s "classic blues" idiom when sassy female singers were the biggest music stars, long before men with guitar re-shaped blues into something completely different (today we associate genre with man-with-a-guitar music).

The very first time I heard the name "Bessie Smith" was probably during my teenage years when I listened Janis Joplin - Joplin was rock singer and therefore something "cool" to listen, along the lines of music like "The Doors" or Jimmy Hendrix. Apparently Joplin was a lifelong fan and even paid for Bessie's tombstone,however it took many years before I finally heard some early demo recordings where Joplin sings blues copying Bessie note by note (and I found it sweet and cute,lonely girl from Port Arthur channeling long gone black blues singer who was definitely not in fashion). Another mention was in connection with Billie Holiday who listened Bessie's recordings in bordellos of Baltimore as she swept the stairs (in her autobiography Holiday would claim she would clean around just to hear those recordings) - I could never exactly hear Bessie in Billie's singing,because Bessie had a deep, powerful earthquake of voice and Holiday was a gentle little squeak compared to her. But now I understand that the older woman had a strong, earthly honesty that appealed to young Holiday and this honesty communicates with listener even today, despite of ancient recordings.

Some twenty years ago I finally laid my hands on Bessie Smith compilation. It was on a tape and titled "The Collection" (I have it on CD now) where her music was presented as a career retrospective, going from very first 1923. hit "Downhearted Blues" to her last 1933. recordings - it took some time before I got used to tiny, muddy sound of now-primitive sound of 1920s recordings but once I got into it, I never got tired of them. Like a message from time machine, Bessie's strong, powerful and massive voice sang about love,passion,heartbreaks and loneliness - she might have recorded them in 1920s but there was nothing old-fashioned about her message or honesty, this woman was real as anything around you as you listen to her music. Of course, some of her experiences as a strong black woman of 1920s were not really connected to my life (and she did had a soft spot for cruel lovers who would beat and abuse her) but on some unconscious, human level she communicates strongly about emotions we all know and experience one time or another in out lives. When she sings "see that long,lonesome road, Lord you know its gotta end" it really breaks your heart, because we all know and understand that feeling of questioning the whole point of existence (a point we all come to in lives). Its this message that communicates so strongly with everybody curious enough to explore her ancient recordings, that still echoes and has a power to impress no matter where on earth you live - in Denmark,young Chris Albertson was impressed enough to became fan and write a definite biography of her life.

I LOVE the music of Bessie Smith - that massive voice backed with plink-plonky piano (usually Clarence Williams) and on later recordings, bunch of the best jazz musicians like Louis Armstrong, I never have enough of it. Maybe its a paradox, because most of her song are downbeat (at least lyrics wise) but they make me happy - she is so strong and powerful that even in the blues I hear defiance, singing along and feeling good. Recently I finally invested into CD Box with her complete recordings and this was the best Christmas present to myself, as many of these recordings I never heard before. Since Bessie introduced me to the whole "classic blues" genre of 1920s and I had discovered many other blues singers who followed her, its very interesting to hear her cover versions of other people's songs - I am still on first CD and already she had recorded songs by Ida Cox and "Ma" Rainey,not to mention "Downhearted blues" that was originally done by Alberta Hunter. There are several double CDs in the box so I made decision to enjoy them slowly month by month and I am very happy so far. 

My new CDs

The places that I visit these days are cold and windy - not much fun to travel on the Mediterranean these days - if the rest of Europe is covered with snow, coast towns of Italy, France and Spain are just icy & freezing. Only Barcelona seems to keep sunny,smiling face and is always the most beautiful and exciting port that we visit. It also happens to be the place with excellent CD shop that somehow resist closing down - there are few in downtown area, despite of trend of CD shops to close down and disappear as people buy music on line or simply download somewhere. I am old fashioned,so I like to buy CDs with liner notes,photos and informations who played where and when,its important to me. 

So - here are some of my new purchases.

Little Richard's first two LPs from 1957 and 1958 are now released on one CD and I love them dearly. I probably wouldn't care for them several years ago, but in the meantime I've heard many of his contemporaries and can understand what exactly he was doing and how it continued to influence other artists. He combined several exciting ingredients into his own musical style and its really good. Strange his moment in the sun seemed to have been relatively short and he never again got this white-hot inspiration like in 1950s.

Bobby "Blue" Bland's early recordings are now available as "The Duke Sides 1952-1960" (sub-titled "Little Boy Blue") and its excellent introduction of his classic work, how and why he became legend in the first place. I already have some of his work from 1960s and beyond but this is the first time that I hear this material. He wails backed by excellent guitar playing,horns and big orchestra - in my opinion this is in the same league as B.B.King's classic work, first rate and I really love it despite the fact that most of songs are lyrically downbeat (but curiously they are very upbeat musically). You click your finger to Bobby's heartbreak stories!

Same thing for Bessie Smith Complete Recordings Box set. I loved Bessie for many years now (listened her more than decade - or had it been two?) and enjoyed two compilations of her work - "The Collection" was released long time ago as part of "Columbia Jazz Masterpieces" and  two-CD "Essential Bessie Smith" not long after that. Of course she worked in 1920s so she had never released LP albums, her singles were sporadically re-discovered by every new generation and compiled just like music by Billie Holiday - who in fact, often mentioned Bessie as her main inspiration (I think it was Billie that turned me on to Bessie in first place). Back to CD Box - as I browsed in Barcelona's CD shop nothing particularly interested me until I saw this Box - Heaven sent for classic blues connoisseur like me - well,I did not have money to buy it immediately but waited next week and than walked back for my Christmas present for myself. It wasn't even particularly expensive - in fact it was very affordable, considering this is box after all with COMPLETE RECORDINGS - I enjoy it very much in spite of the fact that she sings the Blues and lyrics are mostly downbeat - this music suits me so much that I feel it in my bones and suspect I used to live in 1920s. 

Latest purchase was Mina (what else to buy in Italy) and second of her multi-lingual trilogy. Recently I wrote about her spanish-language compilation and yesterday I bought english one. Not convinced this is the best way to introduce her to my english speaking friends, because her particular magic somehow gets lost in translation - whatever is passionate and dramatic in italian, sounds somehow empty banal here and though the voice & music are exactly same as in original recordings, I suspect its better to stick to italian originals. 

Essay on Bessie Smith coming soon.

"Yo soy Mina" - Spanish recordings by Mina

Compilation of spanish re-recordings by italian pop goddess - she frequently released singles focused on specific markets,for example "Brother Bear" had already collected all of her 1960s german recordings on a rich single CD. Majority of these recordings were released during Mina's golden years (early 1970s) when her voice was at the peak of its beauty and power. Similar to twin projects in english and french, this one is titled "Yo soy Mina" ("I am Mina") and has some of her best, classic work but this time with spanish lyrics - as expected, its not so much different from italian originals, in fact it follows them note by note except that it is sung in another language.

But oh,the music - penned by such giants like Mogol,Lucio Battisti,Sergio Endrigo and Gianni Ferrio,it is literary a who's who of best in italian music - melancholic stunners as sung by best voice in italian pop. Even in another language, Mina is strong, powerful, expressive and virtually untouchable when it comes to this kind of material. There is a big chunk of her 1974. LP "Mina®" which raises question was spanish release of this album planned but never realized? The most interesting songwriters on this album were Shel Shapiro/Andrea Lo Vecchio who wrote songs that suited the lady like a glove. Two interesting spanish-language rarities are included here, both from late 1960s - one is beautiful "Canzone per te" by Sergio Endrigo, another collaboration with Astor Piazzola "Balada Para Mi Muerte" that in itself is recommendation enough for purchase of this CD. 

"Empress of Rome" by Matthew Dennison

I am old enough to remember 1970s BBC TV adaptation of Robert Graves's historical novel "I,Claudius" which still ranks as one of the best TV serials ever. It indirectly inspired another TV serial ("Rome") and actress Sian Phillips would forever in my mind be associated with empress Livia who in serial was power behind the throne. So no surprise I grabbed the book about real historical Livia when I saw the title.

I am actually reading it right now - to my surprise it is a little dry. Surprising, since everything about real- life story and characters involved is very exciting and open to many various interpretations and points of view. Dennison is doing his best, comparing ancient documents and researching daily life of old romans. However, his mission is to show famous "evil" Livia in different light and in this he fails somehow, since there is a lot of assumptions - if documents keep quiet, Dennison simply makes his own conclusions. Its almost as he pushes hard to prove Livia was in fact virtuous and nice person, but has no proof for it. He is perhaps right in pointing that later historians criticized her for simply being powerful and influential woman in man's world - she was definitely woman with privileged,aristocratic and educated background who knew very well how to play political game. Today's readers might find a lot about her cold and manipulative but we are too far removed from ancient Rome to grasp the picture of how it was to live back than. However, when Dennison tries to present Livia as nice person, I find her TV portrait far more fascinating. I rather have Livia sipping wine during dinner and listening conversation of her guests (to easier manipulate them later) than to spoon the wool or whatever housework roman wives were doing back than. 

Note: Interesting enough, until I started to read this book,it never occurred to me that Cleopatra's visit to Rome happened at the same time when Livia lived there and two of them actually might have meet in same circles.

"The Secret History of Lucifer" by Lynn Picknett

I didn't realize that both books I selected from a second-hand bookshop in London were written by the same author (Lynn Picknett) until I finished "Mary Magdalene" and turn my attention to "Lucifer" - nothing against Picknett, but her books basically cover very much the same territory and she can't help but often going back to books she wrote previously, for example going into details of Da Vinci/Shroud of Turin mystery no matter does it have anything to do with the subject or not.

Its a pity publishers felt it was necessary to add bombastic "Meaning of the true Da Vinci code" below her title because it has nothing to do with the whole Dan Brown issue. Pickett is fun and she does cover lot of "mysteries" but here also lies a biggest fault in her writing - too often she simply meanders, jumping from one subject to another without explaining how and why these chapters are connected at all. At the very beginning she connects Lucifer with ancient pagan Gods like Pan,Satyrs and such (and occasionally she got me thinking there lies a grain of truth in all this) but before going any deeper, off she would go into another century and speeding like pinball ball here, there and anywhere. Yes it is entertaining read but not very deep or should I say, serious. She crammed brazilian spiritualists, witch hunt, John the Baptist, Leonardo Da Vinci and Aleister Crowley in one big mix that somehow feels unfinished, unsorted and unedited. Picknett sounds very likable as a person and no doubt she might be very nice dinner guest, but her writing is unfocused.

My life since...

I was not writing this blog for a long time now for a simple reason that I embarked on a new ship (Brazil-bound) and workload was so unbelievable hard (17 hours daily,every day) that me & my colleagues hardly had time to rest, not to mention go outside for some fresh air or even do some ordinary things like wash our laundry - really,this was probably the hardest I was working so far and I have been doing cruise ships for ten years. Because ship was preparing for season in another continent, we were constantly getting mountains of new deliveries (30+ pallets every week) and these things needed to be pulled in our stores (with sweat dropping from me on the boxes), opened, checked,inventoried and put in some order while after 30 minutes break we were expected to open the shops showered, shaved, clean and smiling until closing time. This is how I lived for a month and half. Surprisingly enough, work was actually not a problem for me because I am doing this for a long time but what bothered me was absolute lack of time to rest + constant drills and training added to our already exhausting schedule. Like we have so much free time that something has to be done not to leave us bored. Security is all fine but when ship crew has FOUR drills weekly (and a "smile training" about customer service) it really means keeping people in constant vicious circle of obligations from the early morning to ungodly hours of 2 a.m. on daily basis. At certain point I really started to feel like I am in prison and this is some kind of punishment.

Anyhow, it's all changed now because lucky me I got transfered to another ship - goodbye Brazil and so long - my daily routine is a little less chaotic now (drills and training still here but not 17 hours daily) and I feel much better. I mean, we still work,push & pull but workload is much easier here and I actually have time to rest and go outside. 

Amazingly enough - I actually managed to read a few books along the way. I need to read,its my life-style and pleasure, even if it's just a half a page before sleep. Some of my colleagues relax by having a drink, others go to gym (on this ship,not on a previous) - me,I have my books & music. Movies are collected and sorted but I don't have time to watch them. So this is what I read, page by page & little by little since I came on the ship(s) mid-September...

"The Second Book of General Ignorance" is entertaining sequel to already famous and successful book full of funny little everyday trivia and questions about the facts we all think we know but in fact we might just got it wrong. It's very easy read and reader can easily enjoy chapter by chapter as they are not connected - I laughed out loud several times and loved it very much, reading this little book before sleep, it was just what I expected though not as original as the the first part. 

"Victorians" by Jeremy Paxman is interesting look at certain era when paintings were reflecting & shaping public opinions. In the days before TV, paintings were re-printed and sold by thousands, some gaining such notoriety, fame and success that people lined in front of museums and galleries to see them. It is very interesting book, discussing how public taste slowly changed and whatever effect Charles Dickens had achieved with his books, some painters helped with their art, pointing at lesser fortunate members of society. Some of these paintings were perhaps milking too much of sentiment but there were quite a few that actually honestly reflected reality. Very interesting read.

"A time to dance, a time to die" is about unusual and rarely known epidemics that hit central Europe in medieval times: people would suddenly start wildly dancing (apparently not from joy or happiness but like being obsessed, with feet bleeding and sweat pouring off them) and danced for days, many died along the way from exhaustion. Author discusses possible roots of this strange phenomenon and why people behaved like that - epidemic was eventually completely forgotten later but in old city archives we can still find documents about this. its interesting mainly as a look at long gone days when religion completely ruled people's every day lives so perhaps this was taken as a God's punishment.

"Mary Magdalene" by Lynn Picknett is interesting but not particularly original work about famous (notorious) Biblical reformed prostitute and her possible historical role - I read some of Picknett's previous work and she is clever author with a strong sense of humor (whenever one thinks book becomes very serious, she peppers the text with some witty sayings) so although there was nothing ground-breaking here (it seems we read the same authors) I enjoyed the book mainly because of her writing style and Picknett appears to be genuinely nice person. Considering the theme, she could have been preachy but in fact Picknett is gently self-sarcastic and not afraid to laugh at her own expense. I would probably enjoy anything by her at this point.

New destination

Everything ready & set for a new embarkation on my next ship. It will be another 6 months of sailing "where no man has gone before". In my case it actually means few places where I have not been so far, like Marseille (second largest city in France!) and perhaps South America later.

Now, ships and places are fine - to others it sounds very exciting because most of the people live lives full of routine and I wake up every morning in a different country. "Lucky you" I hear so often " always new people and new places" like I am some perpetual tourist drinking Pina Colada here and Sangria there."You don't have to pay the rent & bills" is another ubiquitous comment that shows people on land have completely twisted idea what is my life all about.The reality is different - ships would not import workers to have them enjoying the ships but to make sure little wheels are turning 24 hours a day while PASSENGERS are enjoying.From the cleaner who sweeps the stairs full of vomit to the chef in a kitchen, from a guy in casino who deals with drunken passengers to hairdressers, waiters, medical staff, accountants, shore excursion people, photographers and beyond, everybody works their asses off and daily manage working hours that by far exceeds anything known to people on land. I am sure that we probably do double of what people on land work, daily. And that is seven-days-a-week. Month after month. Passengers of course don't realize this and they often ask (good-naturedly) "So, do you get some days off now when we leave?" No, we pack you away and receive new passengers immediately the very same day. 

Very often I start my day around 8 a.m. and work straight trough until midnight. Interestingly enough, after a while body get used to it and we usually fall apart once we get home. I have a friend who sat in her garden and got a stroke. Yes, we are lucky to have jobs and we are paid relatively decent money compared what we would probably make at home but casualty are our swollen feat, lack of rest, nervousness and exhaustion. I can't count the times I was so beyond-the-tired that I was ready to quit - specially knowing "I will sleep and rest the day after tomorrow" - somehow actually I have managed to do this for almost a decade. So, no Pina Colada but work,work,work and than some more work. And than security drills. Which are necessary but they are hard to endure if one is exhausted and half-dead from lack of sleep. Have I mention that we don't have windows in our cabins? We live in the dark,with air conditioners and under artificial electric lights and if there is any possibility to actually go ashore, we all suffer under sunglasses. I am not writing this to complain - its my choice after all - just to make it clear, to whoever might be reading this, that cruise ship life is not for everybody, is not one never-ending fun adventure full of touristic excursions and sun but a hard, sweaty work without a day off for half a year. 

Am I looking forward to it? I am a tiny bit excited to visit some previously unknown places, to be honest. Never been to South America so far, if we don't count Panama where I didn't see much besides the pier and few crocodiles outside. Will I actually have chance to see these places? Who knows? To be realistic, there is a very big chance I will be so swarmed with workload that a view from the ship might be all I will get. Deep in my heart I only hope that I will have enough time to sleep and rest because body can only take so much. But I'm going prepared mentally that it will be not Pina Colada all the way and who knows, I might actually manage just fine.

Grupa More debut LP (1974)

Truly classic 1970s pop album that definitely reserved its recent re-release on CD.

"More" (The Sea) was excellent group from Split, where many later-famous musicians got their start. On this particular album vocal duties were given to young Meri Cetinić (who was great) but she was certainly not the only one who shone as a member - if you check out their discography, you might find Oliver Dragojević, Doris Dragović and even Jasmin Stavros in a gang. 

Its a gentle,acoustic pop and dreamy, contemplative single was a monster hit - perhaps annoying a bit as refrain was mercilessly repeated just in case listener forgets what is the title of the song - music is what one would expect from a bunch of young,romantic people, soft, lovelorn and romantic.  Young Meri Cetinić in her pre-schlager fame was truly a soulful singer and she pours her heart out in some gentle ballads while the guys play really good behind her. Two very good Santana-like instrumentals are surprisingly nice touch and point at high level of musicianship - nothing to be ashamed of here, these are not just some commercial jingle hacks but really strong players who love music. Considering where Croatian music moved during the next few decades it makes one think what happened to real music like this? Very last song is "Horizont" and is perhaps the best thing on the album - combination of instrumental and wordless chorus that hums the melody after haunting flute intro is truly anthemic and unforgettable - than, splash of the waves (just like the very first sounds we heard on the album) and this beautiful little album is finished. What a jewel. 

It's an album that could only have been done by young people still passionate about the music they love - later, as they all turned into "professionals", all of these artists got into some compromises and results were predictably lukewarm. That is why this debut LP is so important, to save the memory of the beginning when inspiration was high and real music still in their veins. Even now, decades later, for many of the artists involved this is the best thing they ever did. 

Tina live in Europe (1988)

Turner had enjoyed huge and deserved success in the 1980s , well documented on this double CD (originally double vinyl LP) that has material from two tours combined into one release. One can actually see both of them as they were released on VHS tapes at the time, it was "Private dancer tour" (1985) and "Break every rule tour" (1986) - as everything else,it was masterminded by australian manager Roger Davies who used the opportunity to sell "new" live album while new studio release was still just being planned. Millions of fans around the world did not mind (me included) because it was a souvenir of exciting concert performances where Turner finally exploded into full-blown stadium attraction.

Not that it was the first live album for Turner who was recorded live as early as mid-1960s during those legendary "chitlin' circuit" years and beyond - interesting as those early performances were from a historical point of view, they would not attract young audience who probably could not care less for old r&b nuggets she sang way back than. Davies achieved something truly spectacular in its scope, he somehow managed to re-invent the old veteran and present her as completely new artist with a fresh material that charted and sold in truckloads. There is a certain irony that Turner is perceived as a woman who did it "on her own" away from domineering husband, where in fact it is clear her career was always led by someone else - she delivered the goods, men would arrange the business. Neither Ike no Davies could kick those legs in high hells across the stage night after night, on the other hand Turner needed someone to point the right direction. The post-divorce years in wilderness without recording contract are proof on that.

Music wise it plays on Turner's 1980s material - she was lucky enough to get completely new repertoire and did not fall into "oldies" trap. One can clearly hear her happiness attacking than-curent pop hits and leaving 1960s completely behind. Its completely other question are these bombastic top charts actually better than old stuff - "Typical Male" and "Mad Max" movie theme might shook the charts and were what audience expected & wanted but its Ike-years where her legend was cemented,if you ask me. That is perhaps why her 1980s stuff pales next to excitement and passion of second part of this "live" album where Turner finally attacks some old 1960s soul covers - pop ditties are all fine but when she tears trough covers of "Land Of 1,000 Dances" and "In The Midnight Hour" the music & audience truly erupts in a frenzy - it is also a reminder what a spectacular r&b screamer she always was in the heart, true old-school grit in the league of the classic soul greats.

All this 1980s synthesizers-cellophane and celebrity duets were perhaps inevitable compromise that did not hurt her commercial appeal - after all Roger Davies did admirable job on establishing her as a star attraction of first order. But listen for yourself all those pop ditties and than turn to something like old Sam Cooke song "A Change Is Gonna Come" (backed with Robert Cray on guitar) and tell me where Turner's heart lies. She knows how to play a game - Bowie and such extra guests are just frills and decorations, if you are not aware of this than you miss the whole point of who Turner is.

"Legend: The Genesis of civilization" by David Rohl

Exciting,interesting and informative book that I am enjoying very slowly because I don't want it to end - and can only take in small doses, since amount of informations is so huge that  I need some time to think about it. Call it "Biblical archeology" if you want. While scientists and academics usually dismiss Old Testament as a myth, David Rohl goes for kill and travels the world wondering "what if?" - he is not just some pseudo-amateur,mind you, guy has degree in Egyptology,Ancient History and has few other feathers on his cap, including being Director of the Institute for the Study of Interdisciplinary Sciences, official support of University of London and University College - his books are best sellers and he is the man behind TV documentary "Pharaohs and Kings: A Biblical Quest" - what is unusual about Rohl is that he is really passionate about his research and allows possibility that perhaps behind the myth there IS a historical truth. 

"Legend" puts the question: what if Old Testament actually keeps a memory of beginning of our civilization? He points that "Genesis" is in its original Hebrew form actually called different ("In the beginning") and that is typical for much older Mesopotamian practice of naming the text by the first words of the narrative - in other words, we might have actually look at far older documents that were eventually with time transferred to tribes of Moses. All through the book Rohl plays with the idea that true cradle of humanity lies in todays Middle East from where civilization have sprung to not-so-distant places around. The first bomb he throws at as is location of Garden of Eden: described in Bible as placed between four rivers (we know two,Tigris and Euphrat) he identifies the other two that in the meantime had changed names and places it in what is Iran today - it used to be rich valley and is deserted place today, destroyed by industrialization. 

Just think about it - whatever places Old Testament describes must have been simply a "world" of people who lived in that area way back than. When Adam and his descendants were exiled from Eden, fierce angels with swords kept the entrance of Eden protected - Rohl explains that tribes who lived in the surrounding mountains had local shamans dressed up in feathers (angels/feathers/wings?) and they would fight against any intruders who might travel to their territory. He describes great migration that eventually resulted in big cities of Sumer, archeological evidence that people moved from Zagros mountains to Mesopotamia and as they came "down from the mountain" (Eden) they built huge cities like Ur,Eridu and Uruk - catastrophic flood described in Bible moved the centre of civilization from one place to another and as people stopped worshipping old Gods, Jahwe came to be known (but in earlier times he was called Enki). The story of God cursing the builders of Babel tower might simply hide something that really happen on a different level - what was a single religion in the times before the flood, became multi-God separation that brought tribes to wars later.

Rohl explains how Noah's sons created three different lines of tribes (Japeth,Ham and Shem) that would eventually cover such diverse territories as Greece,Egypt and Assyria. He than goes in a detail about the place I never heard before - island of Bahrai in Persian Gulf where sea water mingles with river (and one can drink fresh water in the middle of the sea!) and where there are literary thousands of unexplained ancient graves spread around the desert. No one clearly knows who built them, why there are there (its a small island and never had such a huge population) and most of them were never even used. But pottery finds have engraved images of Mesopotamian God! And there are clear indications that this might have been sacred place for Sumerians who lived thousands of miles away, naming it "Dilbun" by some far older tradition that remembers legendary place in the mountains where ancestors first came from. 

Right now I am kind of half-way of the book and the story has moved to ancient Egypt where Rohl connects roots of their civilization with much older Mesopotamia - there are clear indications that some old intruders had come from far away with a ships (there are countless mysterious paintings of ships pulled trough the desert!) and brought their tradition, letters and Gods with them. Egyptians called them "people from the land of God" but in fact they might be legendary Phoenicians who introduced new technologies to the Nile valley including achitecture (high towers) and letters, not to mention Gods like Horus who was known in Mesopotamia as flood hero Atrahasis. 

Its a book I am enjoying very slowly because I don't want to finish it. I approached it with curiosity because usually I don't take seriously everything that is printed but Rohl has such intelligent and passionate way with his subject and he is obviously so well informed that I am completely under his spell Excellent book!

Teddy Bear

If you visited this blog, you probably wondered what is the thing with a little traveling Teddy Bear.

This Teddy Bear was given to me many years ago by accidental tourist, when I lived in Amsterdam and worked at hotel reception. It's probably a kind of souvenir toy one can buy at the airport, mine has a Maple leaf on its paw, real canadian Teddy. Now, I don't remember ever having a toys - apparently I had some as a small toddler but I do remember having books and making up my own toys: cities built from books, little people (kings,queens,soldiers) drawn on pieces of paper. This is not because I lived in desperate poverty but because I preferred to use my own imagination and create my toys out of nothing than to have something already made. However, this little funny Teddy found a place on my bookshelf and lived there quite nicely until I started to pack my suitcase and decided to work on cruise ships - in a spur of the moment, I decided Teddy goes with me, he will see the world finally. For many years he is my traveling companion. I have tiny room always shared with somebody and he lives on my bookshelf. Sometime I take him out with me to have a picture of him looking at the world. Apparently I am not the only one because a lot of people on the ship have their own little pets like this one. He always travel in my backpack because I don't want to risk having him lost with a suitcase somewhere. The only time ever I was afraid for him was when I ended up in hospital with Appendicitis operation and my luggage was brought in a hospital - I was in a bed with tubes attached to my arms and could not move, was wondering did they pack my Teddy in a suitcase. At certain point I couldn't stand uncertainty anymore and although it was dangerous for me to lift anything heavy so soon after the operation, I crawled out of bed and fiddled with a really heavy suitcase just to check is he there somewhere - he was!

Right now he is here, sharing my space no matter where I roam. He is a world-class traveler, had seen places like Australia, Alaska, South Africa, Caribbean Islands, Canary Islands, most of the cities along Mediterranean and Baltic coasts. Yes, we have visited Canada together. He does not have name except "Teddy Bear" and I don't sleep with him, his place is always on a bookshelf. Just as I need my own space,he needs his - kind of my little alter ego. Recently I noticed he had a small piece of cloth attached with name of the company that made him - "Maplefoot babies" - even found a picture of his little relatives on the web. For a moment thought about cutting it off, than I decided no, if he lived with it for so many years, let him have it. He is small enough to fit into palm of my hand so its not difficult to have him around and I really get a kick of taking a picture of him around the world. Probably somewhere unconsciously I think he is little me. 

Naturally my colleagues know about him - sometimes they give me other bears like presents, I am thankful and glad but they never travel with me because I can't travel around with a Teddy Bear family. He is the first and the only Teddy Bear. I am looking forward to a time when my nomadic life would finally settle in some regular dry-land routine and Teddy will finally find a real home. I am usually not attached to anything material - all my stuff is always spread around in different countries and sometimes I even buy several editions of the same book because I forgot that I already bought it, however Teddy Bear is my irreplaceable little companion, he does not harm anyone and just lives quietly, I love my Teddy Bear.

Once I get my own place, he will have the whole shelf for himself.

Birthday

On the first day of September I officially became 43 years old.

Nothing much to celebrate here - as a kid, this day was usually ignored because it happened during initial start of the school - I do remember some kiddies birthday parties but once I hit the puberty it wasn't celebrated at all. For most of my adult life it was something to mention in passing to my friends & colleagues who couldn't believe I take it so nonchalantly. I clearly remember some party I visited in Amsterdam just because I turned 30 and how I celebrated quietly with a lunch in Lisbon few years ago when I became 40. Big deal. 

This year was the same - if anything,what years have brought me is some inner confidence and realization of what makes ME happy as opposite to following the crowd. If crowd goes left, I will probably turn right. If the whole Amsterdam drinks and celebrates Gay Pride on the streets, I avoid the crowd and go out of town to enjoy museums in Hague. I learned to enjoy my solitary hobbies, relax in my own company without being bored and always have something interesting to do - even just lying down and reading without "having" to do anything. Sometimes accepting life for what it is - not some huge,strange mystery but random happenings where one can either enjoy or get stressed. Accepting that not everybody is the same and that for many people what I find normal and logical is not so. Even better - that I don't have to explain to the others why and how - let them be. I do my thing, you do yours. 

Years have been kind more or less in a sense that I had not turned into hunchback but naturally wear and tear is showing,which is not the most important thing. Waist-line is not like decades ago but eyes are still sparkling and brain still works. Appendicitis operation showed me that we can never 100% decide what will happen because body is a machine that needs occasional nurturing and care, that is why I don't bother with going out in the sun (it does not suits me) and gladly enjoy every coffee, cigarette and lunch when inspiration takes over. Nothing better than sitting in some foreign town and ordering Irish Coffee because I can. Just being nice to myself. 

I am loner by nature. Lived on my own for so many years that I accepted it as natural state of life - when I was younger I did like everybody else and tortured myself with romantic possibilities, not so much from conviction that this is something good for me,but because we are all brainwashed with magazines and movies that people need to constantly be in love. Now at this point I don't believe in it. Some people are simply born to live alone and there is nothing tragic about it. There are friends that make me laugh and enrich my life, occasional affairs that prove I am still capable of getting weak in the knees but honestly I am clear-eyed about the whole thing and need my own space. Looking around me at so many relationships where someone always pulls the leash I came to conclusion that it does not work for me - the moment when someone starts to scream for attention, I step back forever. Many times its difficult to step back without hurting the person but I never give false signals and don't play with anybody's feelings because I believe it all comes back to you - however, they are some people who drain my energy and I try not to get caught in that. It's simply not necessary. We are company because we enjoy each other,having fun, laughing or inspiring each other - if not, I am perfectly happy just writing or reading my book.

Many times I was in love but still enjoyed visiting museum on my own without a need to hold hands 24 hours a day.

Where do I see myself in the future? The health is the most important obviously - I will work as long as body permits because material possessions and career were never my priority. As for hopes and dreams, we will see,nothing can be arranged and decided definitely. I don't see myself ever raising a family because old habits die hard and I don't want obligations,sacrifices and everything that family includes - looking back at my own childhood I see how traumatizing it can reflect on a kid and I don't want to find myself in a situation that I am tired or not in the mood. If 90% of humanity raises families, there is still 10% of us who can live without wishing for it. As years go I feel more confident about what is good for me and what is not. I might drop dead tomorrow from heart attack. Or I might live some 20 years more quietly reading my books, writing my diary and simply being nice to people around me. To be honest, life really started at 30 for me so there is no reason why it shouldn't continue upwards. These last several years were spent in a brutal work on a cruise ships where I did a lot of traveling but at the same time tested the limits of human endurance because its definitely not fun working 16 hours daily, week after week and still being at work at 4 a.m. thinking "I will sleep day after tomorrow". Sometimes I think that it would be better for me to sell Hot Dog and live relaxed than to earn money like this. Than I go out for a walk somewhere in Tenerife and think life is good.

Life is good, if you know how to notice it.

Ornella Vanoni

The third in line of now-legendary italian singers of 1960s is Ornella Vanoni.

Vanoni is the oldest of them - and she started in theatre, performing Brecht and recording unusual repertoire of songs about crime,mafia and such (they call her "underworld singer" back than) which is still my favorite period of her career. These very early recordings are highly theatrical, almost cinematic little dramas where she was backed by none other than future cinema maestro Ennio Morricone, singing strange songs about prisons, police siren echoing around the streets, seedy side of life with prostitutes and pimps, brutality and reality that other singers usually skip. Her young voice was strong, full and throaty, booming from a stage like a waterfall.

Some time in 1960s Vanoni changed her music approach - her voice changed into a gentle croon, material focused on love ballads like "Senza fine" and off she went onto pop festivals, competing with Mina and Milva but there was always something intellectual about her. Even if the singles were sometimes poppy and bouncy, albums were serious affairs - she called one "Ai Miei Amici Cantautori" (My friends songwriters) and covered Jacques Brel, Gino Paoli, Charles Aznavour and Gilbert Bécaud. I particularly love the way she sings covers, because Vanoni has such incredibly beautiful, liquid voice that often brings this material into a new sphere - her cover of "Bridge over troubled water" or "Killing me softly" are perfect example of the way she spreads her own magic dust onto well-known repertoire, often sounding much more interesting than english speaking artists. 

Than there is Brazil. Vanoni always had affinity for music from Brazil and in fact one of her biggest 1960s hits was "Tristezza" that pointed at the well she would explore often. There was a huge hit "L'Appuntamento" that also had Brazilian origin (decades later used in a movie "Ocean's twelve") and finally a whole album "La voglia, la pazzia, l'incoscienza e l'allegria" where she collaborated with top composers from Brazil. Her tender croon is also well known in late-night jazz ballads and Vanoni had lot of autumnal, reflective songs in her repertoire.

Today there are still a lot of original Ornella Vanoni albums re-issued on CDs and they are easy to find in music shops. She has a very distinctive & recognizable voice that is best described as a soft whispery croon as she rarely goes for kill and usually stays calm and collected in her tenderness. One of the singers on my ships told me she could listen to Ornella Vanoni all day long and I understand her perfectly because its very soothing voice with a nice,intelligent poetic lyrics and pretty melodic music. Like with so many other artists, I am not completely swept away with her work from 1980s onwards because I dislike plastic synthesizer- arrangements and re-recordings of old songs in new production. For me, the best Ornella is 1960s and 1970s one when real people played instead of machines. Check any of her beautiful albums from 1970s and that is the best possible introduction to this artist.

Milva

Writing about Mina inspired me to look back on another italian singer I loved for many years and who belongs to same category of "sacred 1960s" music legends. There are three of them: Mina,Milva and Ornella Vanoni - italians love to discuss and argue which one is better but for me its all orange and apples, each of them is special in her own way.

Milva - affectionally called "Goro panther" - belongs to same generation as Mina but her music path was completely different. Though both ladies performed on San Remo festivals and occasionally even sung same song (as it was tradition at the time that same song was performed in two versions) Milva was a true bel canto belter with a huge voice and her weapon were thunderous ballads where she would unleash that volcanic sound - she rarely sounded subdued and most of the time when you hear Milva its full-blast, fasten-your-seatbels kind of roar. Claudio Villa who is italian God of romantic music would be her only male counterpart and in fact they actually recorded for the same recording company "Cetra records". Her music idol was Edith Piaf and not surprisingly Milva covered Piaf a lot, even recorded the whole tribute album with her songs titled "Canzoni di Edith Piaf".

My favorite Milva period were 1960s - there is so much beautiful music recorded during that period that it looks like never-ending adventure just to browse that huge discography, albums, singles, festival performances, movie soundtracks, you name it, Milva was there. If at the same time Mina was doing twist and singing "Tintarella di Luna", Milva was singing highly dramatical bombastic repertoire like "Flamenco Rock", "Il mare nel cassetto" and "Tango italiano" that sound excellent even today, don't know how anybody can resist such powerful, theatrical interpretations - Ennio Morricone apparently admired her so much that he composed galloping "Quattro vestiti" for her and later even dedicated the complete album to her ("Dedicato A Milva Da Ennio Morricone"). 

Usual comparisons with Mina are truly unnecessary - if you ask me,Milva had much better, stronger voice colored with particular, recognizable sound of old red wine, wonderful and sensuous deep alto that knocks me off my feet every time I hear it. Strangely enough it seems that this particular kind of singing actually fell out of fashion at certain point because italians started to look up to US rock music and suddenly they all sounded hoarse, what Milva does is a particulary old-fashioned art of bel canto singing that not many people can follow unless they are trained.Not surprisingly in 1970s she branched into theater and Brecht repertoire, than moved to Germany where she achieved great success, got herself new audience and works in Italy only sporadically. There are interesting album collaborations with composers like Mikis Theodorakis, Enzo Jannacci, Vangelis, Franco Battiato, Thanos Mikroutsikos, Shinji Tanimura and Giovanni Nuti that shows how serious pop composers hold her in a high esteem - however the most successful collaboration is probably the one with accordion wizard Astor Piazzolla because her passionate style of singing is really best suited to Tango. 

I am enjoying her 1960s work so much that I am basically still stuck there - eventually I might move forward and hear some recent albums but so far I am perfectly happy with that spectacular music legacy. Strangely enough, in italian music shops her work is not easy to find, for some reason there is always just occasional compilation or two (usually always 1960s) but in fact lady has around 70 albums in her discography - Mina and Ornella are far better presented because their albums are carefully re-released while Milva (who is the most powerful singer of the trio) seems to have fell out of fashion. Not for me though, I think she has one of the best voices I have ever heard.

Mina

For some time I wanted to write a little essay about Mina - who is celebrating 70th birthday this year, so I might as well do it now.

Mina is italian pop goddess - there is no other word to describe this enigmatic and enormously talented & influential singer who had left huge mark on italian culture for five decades now. At first, she was a young rocker who brought new rebellious music into tradition known for sedate bel canto voices - if rockers were known as "screamers" Mina was the Queen of screamers - than in late 1960s she was the biggest star of TV variety shows, eclectic and versatile enough to spread her wings into more serious music. During 1970s Mina recorded some of the most beautiful LPs of her career and italian music in general , changed her image into icy,distant and elegant lady and suddenly decided to stop performing live concerts - from 1978 she creates music from her own studio in Switzerland, refuses live performances and releases albums annually that almost always top italian music charts. There is a whole industry of songwriters and album cover designers waiting at her door because Mina is also known as a talent scout and can recognize new potentials - she had recorded so many albums that they usually fill the wall of CD shops in Italy and it can be intimidating not knowing where to start.

Her 1960s period is the young,upbeat and cheerful one - "Tintarella di Luna" was her first rock hit and she had recorded a lot of bouncy, peppy music during this time. Together with Adriano Celentano, she was the symbol of glorious time in italian culture when italian music, movies,fashion and art were recognized internationally - italian actors were winning "Oscars", italian fashion became a big deal, italian music was IN. There were some long forgotten scandals (she got pregnant by a married man, got banned from TV, audience insisted she should come back) and some old black & white TV clips from that time showing Mina as full-fledged star singing everything from bossa nova to Puccini to current pop covers. If 1960s were frantic, they were good for her.

In early 1970s Mina hooked up with some of the best songwriters in Italian music ever - cheerful little ditties were long gone and from now on Mina focused on serious,melancholic ballads reinventing herself totally as a different artist: voice became much deeper, music and lyrics more demanding (poetic), her image glamourous and     refined. Clearly she grew up and luckily the audience grew up with her, rewarding her with huge million-selling hits like "Parole,parole", "Grande,grande,grande", "Amor mio" and my own favorite "Insieme"- this is just a top of an iceberg, because she really build a brilliant discography during this time.

From 1980s onwards Mina worked exclusively from her own recording studio. That means avalanche of studio albums, released every year and eagerly awaited. The best modern production and always new songwriters - it also means a certain music meandering because now Mina did what she wanted, a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Sometimes (quite often actually) these double LP albums could probably have been edited to make one good LP instead but the lady had such a loyal fan base that she could really do as she pleased, so she recorded whatever came to her mind, including tributes to The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, sacred music, jazz, traditional neapolitan folk and a multitude of covers that shows musical curiosity - she would cover Michael Jackson,Madonna or Patsy Cline on the same album, always avoiding to fall into category of nostalgia - where other 1960s artists have long stopped to be relevant, Mina continued in big style. Her son Massimiliano Pani became her producer during this time and for better or worse he is responsible for the way music sounds, some says maybe she would be better with somebody else - to me he appears as passionate about music as his mother and brave enough to experiment with unexpected.

If you ask me, for the last 20 years Mina has not really recorded anything spectacular - "Bula Bula" (2005.) was excellent  return to form but almost everything else was really kind of disappointing. I got already used to discover great Mina album and than several mildly interesting to follow - a curse of huge discography - the lady works hard all her life and its wonderful that she still wants to do it but sometimes I wonder why does she bother. Than I realize that she had long lost the interest in pop music as such and what she does is select music that sounds somehow deeper, poetic, more serious - the more you listen, the more beautiful it sounds. Her last album "Piccolino" is a perfect example - it sounds depressing at first and than slowly it starts to show all the nuances with each repeated listening. She is elderly lady now and of course the voice has changed with time, we can't expect the same sound as in 1970s - most of the time she sounds world-weary, heart broken and dead serious - but every now and than the old magic is back again and I marvel how good she sounds when she gets inspired. Give her a good song and she can still do wonders.

I salute you,Mina. Happy 70th birthday. There are not many people in your profession who continued to work with a passion, full heart and constant need for something new,like you do. I will continue to buy your albums because it's a never ending adventure and pleasure, sometimes it takes me longer to appreciate what you do, but it works,how it works. You are one of my all-time favorite music artists.