Dedications: My four late friends Rory, Stan, Bryan, Jeff - shine on you crazy diamonds, they would have blogged too. Then theres Garry from Brisbane, Franco in Milan, Mike now in S.F. / my '60s-'80s gang: Ned & Joseph in Ireland; in England: Frank, Des, Guy, Clive, Joe & Joe, Ian, Ivan, Nick, David, Les, Stewart, the 3 Michaels / Catriona, Sally, Monica, Jean, Ella, Anne, Candie / and now: Daryl in N.Y., Jerry, John, Colin, Martin and Donal.

Sunday 29 May 2011

Gil Scott-Heron R.I.P



Tributes are being published to jazzman/rapper Gil-Scott Heron (1949-2011). Another veteran of the music scene departs far too young. I did not discover him until over a decade ago, during my clubbing years, when his track (in its many versions) "The Bottle" was among my most played. That lyric and the music just got to me.... I had been meaning to play some of his cds, but again time overtakes events. His material spanned soul, jazz, blues and the spoken word - he was a real poet. His 1970s work heavily influenced the US hip-hop and rap scenes.

Gil seemed to shun the trappings of fame and success and - like say Nina Simone - could be difficult, while his work had a strong political element, one of his most famous pieces was "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised".. R.I.P. indeed.

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