What Fun It Is To Listen to the Instrumental Version of a Song

I love listening to the instrumental version of songs I like because listening to the music without any lyrics or with only background vocals or the hook is soothing to my soul and it's what I call a simple pleasure in life. To name a few:


Maroon 5, "Daylight" (Instrumental Version) - 2012


The Incomparable Michael Jackson, "Childhood" (Instrumental Version) - 1995



The Beatles, "Let It Be" (Instrumental Version) - 1970



Solange, "Cranes in the Sky" (Instrumental Version) - 2016



Michael Jackson Ft. Justin Timberlake, "Love Never Felt So Good" (Karoke Version) - 2014

Lt. Colonel Allen Allensworth, Founder of Allensworth, California

Lt. Colonel Allen Allensworth



Lt. Colonel Allen Allensworth (1842-1914) was a Civil War Union Army veteran who was the highest ranking African American officer in American history at the time of his retirement in 1906. For twenty years, he was in the famed all-Black "Buffalo Soldier" regimen of the Twenty-fourth Infantry. Born into slavery in Louisville, Kentucky, he educated himself illegally and during the Civil War fled slavery and joined the Army. He gained a formal education and a teaching certificate and began teaching in 1868. In 1871, he became an ordained Baptist Minister and went on to become the Army's first Black Chaplain.

Upon retirement from military service, Lt. Colonel and Mrs. Allensworth and family resided in Los Angeles. There he envisioned a place where African Americans could live their lives free of racial discrimination, own property and live the American dream. It was his dream to build such a town.

Lt. Colonel Allen Allensworth and a group of other Black pioneers devoted to improving the economic and social status of African Americans began looking for the best possible location to build a town. The site they selected was midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. It was chosen for a number of reasons including that it had inexpensive farm land upon which the soil was fertile. It had a good ground water supply and it was located near a railroad depot station. The land, a rural area in Tulare County, 40 miles north of Bakersfield and 75 miles south of Fresno, was acquired and quickly renamed Allensworth. The settlers were made up of African Americans from around the nation seeking a better life.

Together the Black settlers of Allensworth built up the town. Homes were constructed, streets were built, public buildings were put up and the town grew into a small farming community. It came to have a school, library, post office and church. The businesses included a hotel, bakery, general store, barber shop, machine shop. Social activities were organized to bring the people of the town together. The town also came to have an orchestra, brass band and glee club. It had its own branch of the NAACP. "Of all the all-black towns of the period, none were as well conceived," said Dr. Lonnie Bunch, director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington in the New York Times. In 1908, Allensworth, the only California town to be founded, financed and governed by and for African Americans was born and there was tremendous hope.


Allensworth Community Motto



From 1912-1915, Allensworth was a self-sufficient and thriving small farming community. In 1914, Lt. Colonel Allensworth was killed from being struck by a speeding motorcycle.
His death is cited as a major factor in the decline of Allensworth. Dire water shortages also contributed as it lead many residents to leave. Without enough water to sustain farming, the town's economic base, many people had to go elsewhere to make a living. The population dwindled over the years until the town was almost abandoned. However, supporters convinced the state to turn the town into an historical landmark. Today, most of the town is the site of Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park. The California Department of Parks and Recreation purchased the site in 1976 and it is open to the public. It is a cherished part of Black history in California.

Source used in this article:
link

Spanish Music Videos

A variety of good Spanish music videos are shown on MTV Espanol and though I don't speak Spanish I can tell most of the time what the theme of the songs/videos are by watching.

One of my favorite music videos is "Amortiguador" by Andrea Echeverri, Colombian alternative rock artist. The theme of the song and video appears to center on automobiles, steering wheels, gasoline and auto parts. My curiosity as to the meaning of the song prompted me to look for an English translation of the song title and lyrics. "Shock absorber," pertaining to the automobile, is the English translation of the word "amortiguador." The lyrics in English indicate that the song refers to a relationship: "The mechanical romance between you and I." She sings passionately about a significant other. "You defend me when someone hurts me, my shock absorber."

"Amortiguador" (2005)


The music video "Dejate Caer" by Chilean rock band Los Tres, seems to be along the lines of a spiritual theme to keep hope alive or keep the faith. But after looking at the English translation of the lyrics the theme still is not completely clear. The Spanish lyrics are aesthetically pleasant in sound and the acoustic guitar in lead and rhythm is rich.

"Dejate Caer" (1995)


Shakira's video of the expressive Latin pop ballad "No," shows sadness as tears roll down her face but the video does not clearly show the theme of the song. The English translation of "No" shows that it speaks of ending a love affair gone bad. "No" was a hit all over Latin America, but surprisingly, did not do well in the U.S.

"No" (2005)

Los Amigos Invisibles


On the other hand, another one of my favorite Spanish music videos, "Las Gorditas De Mario" by Los Amigos Invisibles, the Latin pop dance band from Venezuela, needs no English translation. The message is abundantly clear from simply watching the video. In "The Gorditas of Mario," plus-sized women are being made fun of and seen as sexy at the same time, and the lyrics about incessant eating are clowning and teasing. The band's music is described as a blend of funk, disco and salsa with a dash of acid jazz, which is what makes its sound so good. The Spanish lyrics are interestingly singable.

"Las Gorditas De Mario" (2003)


"Las Gorditas De Mario" (laid back version)

The Best Ever Televangelist

Some of us may not be especially religious and thus are not churchgoers. Some people may fall under those who choose not to attend church but want to get the Word in their lives on a regular basis or just from time to time. With such a large number of churches in the community it is questionable as to which is the right one.


Dr. Charles F. Stanley


The answer for me is to tune in to my favorite televangelist Dr. Charles F. Stanley on In Touch Ministries. Dr. Stanley is a practical teacher and preacher and his messages are relevant to everyday life. He is the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Atlanta. On In Touch Ministries, of which he is the founder, his Sunday service is broadcast on television and radio stations all across America.

Dr. Stanley "demonstrates a keen awareness of people's needs by providing practical biblical truths," his website points out, as he speaks on such issues as finances, personal crises, emotions, relationships, and parenting. What is remarkable about Dr. Stanley is that he is most sincere and understanding and his clear and reaching messages come from the heart.

Good News About KBLC-TV

KBLC-TV, a local independent cable station based in west Oakland, was launched in 2004 on cable channel 78. KBLC-TV broadcasts to Oakland, Emeryville, and Piedmont--which does not cover a lot of territory. The good news, however, is that it can be viewed via the internet during its scheduled air time via streaming on kblctv.com.

Leonard Stephens, KBLC-TV CEO, said the TV station started out offering programming devoted to the African American community but has since incorporated other programming to serve the people, according to an Oakland Tribune article.

The KBLV-TV website shows that the "one goal in mind is to make certain that our content will bring greater exposure to the needs of our youth, adults and the elderly with issues relevant to social, spiritual and economic change."

Many of its viewers are former Soul Beat Television viewers. Some of them felt that Oakland's African American community was left without a TV voice when Soul Beat was taken off the air in 2003 after a 25-year run and with the later loss of its owner, Chuck Johnson.

Chuck Johnson

Chuck Johnson was the sole owner of Soul Beat TV and had often spoke of his network as being 100% black-owned and operated since 1978. That he would never sell all or part of Soul Beat to cause it to become other than 100% black-owned. As was the case with Black Entertainment Television (BET), which was founded by black business mogul Robert L. Johnson, then sold to Viacom for $3 billion in 2000.

Robert L. Johnson


Soul Beat Television Network, though not on as large a scale as BET, had a loyal following of about 80,000 local fans, referred to as "The Soul Beat Family." And very loyal they were as a
S.F. Chronicle article points out.

With the launching of KBLC-TV, some people now say the African-American community has a TV voice again. However, CEO Stephens said the station is not intended to be a substitute for Soul Beat, though some of the programs that once aired on Soul Beat are now broadcast on KBLC-TV. One of them is "True Solutions," hosted by Yusef Bey IV, a call-in talk show offering discussion from a Black Muslim perspective.

A wide range of programming is broadcast on cable channel 78, and air time is shared among KBLC-TV, VJTV and OUR-TV. KBLC-TV operates between the hours of midnight to 9 a.m. Monday through Sunday. On "Midnights with Sanjiv," host and gadfly Sanjiv Handa discusses Mayor Dellums, Oakland politics, what's going on in city hall, etc., and takes calls from viewers. Another show is "Farrakhan Speaks," with Minister Louis Farrakhan. "Real Talk with Rashad," hosted by Rashad Chambers on Friday nights is a call-in talk show with discussion on anything from the best places in the bay area to get a good pizza to what can be done about Oakland's high homicide rate. The KBLC Cinema features late night movies.

VJTV occupies the air time during the hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Mainly hip-hop videos are played and some R & B.

OUR-TV airs from 6 p.m. to midnight Monday through Sunday. The letters in OUR stand for Opportunities in Urban Renaissance. The range of broadcasts include religious and educational programming, comedy, a news and community affairs program entitled "Globe News," a dance show for teenagers called "The Beat is Goin' On." OUR-TV also is an outlet for businesses to obtain quality and affordable advertising.

The technical quality on the station isn't perfect. For example, the programming sometimes does not begin at its scheduled time and starts late. The transitions between programs is not always smooth. At times the screen will be blank or show the station logo for 10 to 15 minutes until the program begins late. Or sometimes there may be no programming at all for hours and the screen is black. However, the technical bugs and kinks are gradually being ironed out. The station is attracting more viewers and advertising and is gaining momentum. The most important thing is that KBLC-TV provides a great service to the community.

OMARION

Romeo, Batman, LDB


When my daughter was a pre-teen, she and her friends were crazy about Immature, the pre-teen boy R & B group. She must have been their number one fan. Immature came on the music scene in the early '90s. The trio was made up of Batman (Marques Houston), Romeo (Jerome Jones) and LDB (Kelton Kessee), which stands for Little Drummer Boy.

In 1995, I purchased Immature's album, "We Got It," for my daughter and she thoroughly enjoyed it. Upon picking up on her vibe, I began listening to Immature's music and liked it as well. In 1999, when the boys were a little bit older the name of the group was changed to IMX. In 2003, lead singer Marques Houston made his debut as a solo artist.

When I learned that Omarion is the half-brother of Marques Houston, I took notice of him and the urban pop group, B2K, of which he was a member. B2K (Boys of the Millennium) emerged in the pop market in 2000. Omarion, the lead singer, was accompanied by J-Boog, Raz-B and Lil Fizz.

B2K, J-Boog, Raz-B, Omarion, Lil Fizz



My daughter was also a fan of B2K but not nearly as much as she was a fan of Immature. Though this kind of music is certainly not aimed at my age group, I found myself listening to the music my daughter was listening to. I also began listening to rap music in 1995. Rap had been around at least 15 years before that but I had paid no attention to it.

When I watched B2K perform I noticed that they sing and dance with a lot of heart, meaning that they seem to love what they do and take a lot of pride in their work. However, it appeared to me that Lil Fizz did not put quite as much effort into his performance as did the other members and seemed to lag behind the others in his ability to dance. I'm not stating that was the case all the time but was so in some of the group's performances I observed. In spite of that, B2K has a great stage presence. The group broke up in 2003.

Omarion, 22, from Englewood, CA, is now a solo artist who continues to have a lot of heart in his performance. It shows in the video "Touch," from the album "O" (2005).

"Touch" (2005)