A BLACK LIFE THAT DIDN'T MATTER

A tale untold and not known by many. American Aborigine, 15 year old Latasha was shot in the head by a Korean store owner who thought she was stealing. After killing her she found the money in her hand. She served no prison time... Tupac used to speak about this :( "Cuz here on earth, tell me what's a black life worth, a bottle of juice is no excuse. The truth hurts" -2pac R.I.P. Latasha Harlins.

I Rise!

Fire of Soul

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may tread me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise....
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

maya angelou

Goddess within Heather Salmon in 2012 by Les Gadula 2

Soft Care

Embracing what is sacred is often misconstrued by lust, misogyny or fears unrelated to what is sacred. - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 9.14.16

A Designer, Ashley Graham.

Ashley Graham meets Kim Kardashian at VMA awards show in 2016.

Ashley Graham in Vegas at Sahra Spa & Hammam at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

July 3, 2016

Desire and Intelligence must link somewhere ...

Ass for days! Many a man has lost his head over ass!!!

March 22, 2016   ·

Ahmad Jamal, jazz pianist

Ahmad Jamal -Ahmad's Blue's [Playlist] 208 Tracks 15 Hours 37 Min https://open.spotify.com/user/121809214/playlist/7HuUreKdAVADu8m1eRBSRk



One of Miles Davis' favorite musicians, Ahmad Jamal has a unique approach as a pianist, composer, and arranger that is highly influential and distinctive. Possessed of a light, almost classical touch, and a purveyor of negative space and minimal phrasing (his influence on Davis can certainly be seen here), Jamal worked largely in trio settings and used his conceptions of space and subtlety to create dynamic tensions within the group.

At the same time, the artist's work is rooted firmly in the blues and swings intently, without fail. Ahmad's Blues, the trio's 1958 live date in Washington D.C., demonstrates all of these qualities in spades. Supremely attentive playing by bassist Israel Crosby and drummer Vernel Fournier (his brush work on the intricate, gear-shifting "Autumn Leaves" is especially noteworthy) provides groundwork, foil, and shifting frames for Jamal's virtuoso explorations.

The ensemble's work brings new ideas -- the musicians often incorporate understated mambo, fractured swing rhythms, or airy, abstract structures -- to standards ("Stompin' at the Savoy"; "Cheek to Cheek") and to Jamal's own compositions (the delicate "Seleritus"). Ahmad's Blues allows us to eavesdrop on the sophisticated, innovative artist and company at work.  - Keeping The Idiom Alive

Ahmad Jamal listening in 1961

[Image Credit from Ahmad's 1961 LP," Listen to the Ahmad Jamal Quintet"]

Release Date September 6, 1958
Live Session in Washington D.C.
Duration 01:05:00   

I learned a lot from his recordings. I learned the most in his presence at live concerts in Washington DC in his later years. The description above of his use of space and tension were evident in the way of his carriage and the modulation of his speaking voice carried a masculinity that imploded, or felt it was within an ear attuned to the subtlest of thought and experience.

It was remarkable to hear his music and listen to him looking into your eyes as a man laughing at what was funny.

Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories
9.12.16

Ahmad Jamal, an early influence of Miles Davis, was born July 02, 1930 to create and play jazz piano like no other.

Take it all in . . .

Wild rider . . .

"Would you grab my hips and fuck me?" is what she asked for. If you take it what kind of man are you? If you don't what have you passed up?  These are fundamental questions to your manhood and who you are. Unasked, you are left with what of yourself unanswered? - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 8.22.16