May 1, 2008
by Aaron Shneyer
There is so much to say. Frustrations, amazements, hopes, confusions.
A lot has happened since I posted the last two videos, almost too much to even think of putting into a blog entry. Thankfully, all in all, things are great. The band continues to come up with some beautiful original music and keeps getting closer and closer to actually playing and thinking like a band. Still it seems there is never enough time to do everything. Music, politics, fixing the world…it’s a long process.
I hope you enjoy this video of Dana’s song, “Dance on a River.” The clip is from the first time the band played the song together, so you can see we’re working out quite a lot as we go along. Hopefully you’ll pick up on the atmosphere in the room. For me its some mixture of excitement, nervousness, tension, joy, hope and complete calm. I wonder what it’ll be like for you. A big thanks to Lola Kalman for the great film work; capturing the energy of the whole room with one camera isn’t easy.
Thanks once again for tuning in. We’ve got a lot of great material on the way, as always.And thanks to everyone who’s written. Your comments, feedback, suggestions, questions and shout outs are always appreciated.
With Love,
Aaron
Click here to email Aaron with your questions or comments
The views and information presented are the Fulbright grantee’s own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State.
April 17, 2008
by Larnies Bowen
“Well the way how them have Colón, it’s the Cinderella of the whole country. That’s how they have Colón…The Cinderella of the whole country. The reason why that happened is because there was too much black in that area. Yes, that’s how they have Colón. The Cinderella of the whole country. So they never cared to do nothing for Colón. The government, they don’t care.”
–DJ Carlos Winthrop
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April 8, 2008
by James Collins
Before I came to South Africa, I sent a very naïve email to the CEO of the Field Band Foundation enquiring about the nature of their “facilities” in the townships. The reply I got back simply said, “Hi Jimmy…We have no facilities in the townships. Field Bands = fields I’m afraid.” Though this fact became clear to me when I began working with the bands in September, I suppose it never really hit home until a few days ago…
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April 4, 2008
by Phally Chroy
The Grace of the Apsara dance is everywhere, most especially in the hearts and minds of the Cambodia people. This is dedicated to them– to all the Apsara dancers around the world, near or far.
This entry is going to be a poem that I wrote, because this is my blog? Right? Enjoy.
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April 4, 2008
by Phally Chroy
Sovanna Phum, in Phomn Penh on march 23, 2008
At times, I find my Fulbright experience in Cambodia so bleak. All the problems that Cambodians face: corruption, oppression, fear, and poverty, strike me at a personal level, perhaps because I too, encounter them daily. But, it is the same everywhere, right? Sometimes, I am not so sure, although the problems in Cambodia do not seem so different from the problems in America, aside from being Cambodian in nature, shape, and form. It was my choice to do research here, but sometimes I think, was it really worth it? To come to a country that I call “mother” in heart, although never truly being accepted by her children?
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April 1, 2008
by Larnies Bowen
Wondering what I’m listening to down here in PTY? Well today’s post is a collection of some of the most popular dancehall/Reggae-Soca songs that you’ll hear on the radio and in the discotecas. This entry’s entitled “Plena Playlist” because Panamanians often refer to Spanish Reggae as “plena.” The term literally means “hit song,” but perhaps due to Spanish Reggae’s overwhelming popularity, the genre has come to be popularly referred to Plena as well. Plena has a number of sub-genres such as Romantic Reggae, Roots & Culture (think Bob Marley), Dancehall (think Beenie Man), and Reggae-Soca.
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March 27, 2008
by James Collins
I met Sello and Boy when I first visited the Cullinan field band a little over a month ago. I was excited to see the band because I had heard they had some talented drummers. As much as I love working with beginners, my favorite lessons are always with the more advanced players. They tend to pick things up very quickly and really appreciate what I have to offer.
Cullinan is a small rural town outside of Pretoria. It has much less crime than the urban townships and is actually quite peaceful and clean, though, like most of South Africa, is not without its problems. For example, drug abuse is major issue in the schools.
It took me almost an hour and a half to get to Cullinan from Johannesburg on my first visit. When I arrived in town, a guy named Peter greeted me and led me to the school where the band rehearses. As we were pulling up to the field, he casually mentioned that the band’s truck driver had recently quit and that they didn’t have any instruments for rehearsal. I almost jumped out of my seat, thinking to myself, “I drove all the way up here to teach these kids and no one cared to mention that they don’t even have instruments!” But, I kept my cool and asked if there were some way to get the instrument truck to the school. Peter told me they were trying to find a new driver, but until then they would have to rehearse without instruments…
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March 7, 2008
by Aaron Shneyer
YES! We have videos online! These clips are from our 3rd and 4th meetings. The first shows the band playing and improvising over a classical Arabic song called Lama Bada Yata Sanna. Wissam Murad taught the song to the group to give them a taste of the Arabic scales and rhythms and to get them improvising. Clearly he succeeded on both accounts. The song is in 10/8, which for all you non-musicians means that it’s not an easy rhythm, especially for any student of Western music. The students in the band picked it up with no problem. I especially love how you can hear the jazz backgrounds of a few of our players coming through their solos and fitting in perfectly, bringing the song to new places. I’m sure this song has never sounded like this before!
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March 7, 2008
by Aaron Shneyer
Hi Friends,
This has been a very hard week. From Jerusalem I can’t hear the rockets or the gunshots but what is happening in Gaza and in the nearby Israeli towns is felt in every corner and seen on every face. For me, the most frustrating part is that many people here are only concerned with the loss of life on their own side. Why does our national identity come so far before our human identity? Over 115 people have lost their lives this week. I sincerely hope we as humans can find compassion for each other and stop this bloodshed.
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February 11, 2008
by Phally Chroy
After a long day of shooting b-roll for my documentary, I thought of doing something fun with the interns. Cut to the chase, I decided that we were going to eat bugs. You see, I like food, and it would just be ignorant of me not to try insects while I’m here in Cambodia. I mean, if my parents ate them when they use to live in Cambodia, I surely have some insect-eating DNA in my genetic code. So here it is. And just for reference, I have eaten cricket before, but these were Cambodian-style crickets so I didn’t know exactly what to expect.
So what’s on the menu? Black spiders and Cambodian crickets. And these spiders were not pretty at all. I tell you, they were long, black, and hairy. My mind was racing… how was I supposed to eat them? Well, I did and we shot it on video. In fact, since this is a very giving month, a special treat! I also ate a cricket, which is in this video too. Thanks to all the interns, Muth and Kawick for their help with the other camera, and eating the buggers as well.
Accompanying this video is a classic Cambodian song about going to the “New Market.” It is a popular oldie, which the singers sing that they are going to the market to look for girls but in this video, (obviously) we are going to the market to look for insects.
Phally
Click here to email Phally with your questions or comments
The views and information presented are the Fulbright grantee’s own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State.
