New Marcus L. Miller 5-CD set Release: June 2011
Just in time for Black Music month, we are pleased to announce that Marcus recently completed his latest CD project Afrodisiac. It features music that showcases his inherent African feeling. It also has a couple of grooves to "get you in the mood."
The album will be available as part of a 5 CD compilation. This collection will showcase a myriad of rhythms and songs. The other featured albums include Sankofa, Sound Machine 2010 & Beyond, Hammer Brush & Bucket, and The Concert for a Green World. It is only available through this site. No itunes, cdbaby, etc... To order, please go to http://marcusmillerdrums.com.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
2011: The year of the African people
Is it any coincidence that the year of the monkey is also the year that they decide to recognize people of African descent throughout the world? There are a lot of things going on and I've held my tongue and sat back quietly watching things unfold. The proverbial "shit really is hitting the fan" With all the madness going down in Northern Africa, Southern Europe, the Near East, & Madison, WI, it's hard to believe the apocalyptic war hasn't begun.
I'll be back with more in a minute. I have to turn my P.C. sensor on so I don't get in any trouble...
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Do unto others as you will have them do unto you...
Before I throw a stone, let me say I am not omniscient, perfect, or all that...But, I do have pretty good common sense. What I don't quite understand is how an ordained minister is planning on breaking a "golden rule" and potentially unleashing hell upon himself and local church community. But after listening to this him speak, I realized he does not know the Golden rule!
Simply by being born an American, we are each granted certain inalienable rights that I must add have been systematically stripped from us since 2001. Among those rights are freedom of expression and speech as well as freedom from religious persecution. Or so it seemed until Pastor Jones declared a Qur'an burning on 9/11/10...
This simple act of stupidity could insight jihad! His utterly ridiculous thought processing that he has allowed to escape through his lips and upon the ears of his parishioners, goes against the basic concept of Christian philosophy. As most people with any kind of normal processing has suggested, he should step back! He has admitted to receiving death threats and now carries a gun. What point are you really trying to prove man? It had really better be worth it!
The Dove World Outreach Center is wrong! Jones is a hypocrite and about as sharp as W. on a good day! If you don't believe me, just watch Anderson Cooper 9/7/10 or go to http://www.ac360.com. I'm not an A.C. homer, but I am thankful he exposed this bigoted idiot!
If you feel I am being harsh, SORRY! I am entitled to speak my mind just like he's doing. The biggest fires only take a spark. As a student of history, it looks like this powder keg is ready to blow and this fool Jones could be the match of hate. The worst part of all of this is his justification of his impending actions are rooted and based on his bible's teachings and his broadly loose interpretations of it.
Everyone is entitled to his/her beliefs and convictions, but purposefully endangering the lives of troops and fellow American citizens should be just cause to lock him up before 9/11. Don't wait to say "I told you" the next day or have Jim Rome drop the famous "Uh Oh" voice byte by Don King. (If you don't know to what I am referring, google Carl Lewis sings National Anthem...self explanatory!) He's not right! On all levels! {lease stop the lunacy now! Don't let it continue and spread to other places. At that point America is no better than we were pre 1969! We're all supposed to be free and equal right?! We can't afford to go back to that primal mindset! In the words of my God-Father, the Rev. James Forbes jr., in his book Whose Gospel, this is no time for Foolishness!
Simply by being born an American, we are each granted certain inalienable rights that I must add have been systematically stripped from us since 2001. Among those rights are freedom of expression and speech as well as freedom from religious persecution. Or so it seemed until Pastor Jones declared a Qur'an burning on 9/11/10...
This simple act of stupidity could insight jihad! His utterly ridiculous thought processing that he has allowed to escape through his lips and upon the ears of his parishioners, goes against the basic concept of Christian philosophy. As most people with any kind of normal processing has suggested, he should step back! He has admitted to receiving death threats and now carries a gun. What point are you really trying to prove man? It had really better be worth it!
The Dove World Outreach Center is wrong! Jones is a hypocrite and about as sharp as W. on a good day! If you don't believe me, just watch Anderson Cooper 9/7/10 or go to http://www.ac360.com. I'm not an A.C. homer, but I am thankful he exposed this bigoted idiot!
If you feel I am being harsh, SORRY! I am entitled to speak my mind just like he's doing. The biggest fires only take a spark. As a student of history, it looks like this powder keg is ready to blow and this fool Jones could be the match of hate. The worst part of all of this is his justification of his impending actions are rooted and based on his bible's teachings and his broadly loose interpretations of it.
Everyone is entitled to his/her beliefs and convictions, but purposefully endangering the lives of troops and fellow American citizens should be just cause to lock him up before 9/11. Don't wait to say "I told you" the next day or have Jim Rome drop the famous "Uh Oh" voice byte by Don King. (If you don't know to what I am referring, google Carl Lewis sings National Anthem...self explanatory!) He's not right! On all levels! {lease stop the lunacy now! Don't let it continue and spread to other places. At that point America is no better than we were pre 1969! We're all supposed to be free and equal right?! We can't afford to go back to that primal mindset! In the words of my God-Father, the Rev. James Forbes jr., in his book Whose Gospel, this is no time for Foolishness!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
You know what I mean?
Why is it that the littlest things cause the biggest nightmares and cause for concern? It's just par for the course of life I guess. But what about those things that make you want to blow a gasket or just snap! Here are some examples I've experienced. Perhaps you or someone you can know can relate:
• It's 10:00 a.m. on a typical Tuesday in So Cal. Why does CalTrans deem it necessary to do sweeper runs on the 210 fwy (westbound). Do they really enjoy traffic snarls between Monrovia and Pasadena that much? Don't let them Snooker you, they know what madness they are causing!
• Someone asks you for help and when you give it to them, they get an attitude about the manner in which you assisted or aided them. ( No concrete example b/c it's not needed!)
• Coverage of world's affairs and current events get reduced to a fine print 7 point font bottomline scroll while the latest scandal clad, sensationalized gossip stories get all the coverage! (Thank God for Pacifica radio programming [KPFK,KPFA] and the other fearless few stations streaming throughout the world as beacons of truth , justice, & light.)
•The sense of entitlement felt by those who haven't done anything to deserve any merit!
• People who really just don't get it! How can they still exist in this century?
• Why do we (as a society) continue to broaden the divides between us while narrowing the bridges that connect us to each other and the places that we want to go?
• Fast Food restaurants keep pimpin' Super-sizes portions despite the documentary and the alarming amount of obese people hanging out all over the place. The lack a moral business conscience in this capitalist country is absurd! It only leads to greed and avarice from both sides. Not only are the company stock holders stuffing their pockets with cash, but so are the people stuffing their faces & bodies with this unhealthy junk! Who REALLY needs 64 oz of soda to wash down 1 lb of potatoes and oil and 3/4 of a pound of flesh?
• Why injustices like the one suffered by Oscar Brown still occur makes absolutely no sense to me or most civilized people. If you don't think killing elements of our society isn't institutionalized and brainwashed in the mindset of those responsible for "protecting & serving" then, one should really wake up and smell the TAR! Cause it's burning again! HELLO!!!!!!!!! We are still in America and we're just a few decades removed from some really evil remembrances of past sins and guilt that a lot of people would not like the light cast upon. Imagine if TMZ existed way back in the day how much stuff would be public knowledge...hmmmn
• The Gulf oil debacle really took nearly 90 days to fix? At least it wasn't 180 or 365, I guess...That's an awfully long time to let a broken artery hemorage without applying a tourniquet?
• Here's one last thought? Are we sure our elected officials are competent? Check out the city of Bell, CA
• It's 10:00 a.m. on a typical Tuesday in So Cal. Why does CalTrans deem it necessary to do sweeper runs on the 210 fwy (westbound). Do they really enjoy traffic snarls between Monrovia and Pasadena that much? Don't let them Snooker you, they know what madness they are causing!
• Someone asks you for help and when you give it to them, they get an attitude about the manner in which you assisted or aided them. ( No concrete example b/c it's not needed!)
• Coverage of world's affairs and current events get reduced to a fine print 7 point font bottomline scroll while the latest scandal clad, sensationalized gossip stories get all the coverage! (Thank God for Pacifica radio programming [KPFK,KPFA] and the other fearless few stations streaming throughout the world as beacons of truth , justice, & light.)
•The sense of entitlement felt by those who haven't done anything to deserve any merit!
• People who really just don't get it! How can they still exist in this century?
• Why do we (as a society) continue to broaden the divides between us while narrowing the bridges that connect us to each other and the places that we want to go?
• Fast Food restaurants keep pimpin' Super-sizes portions despite the documentary and the alarming amount of obese people hanging out all over the place. The lack a moral business conscience in this capitalist country is absurd! It only leads to greed and avarice from both sides. Not only are the company stock holders stuffing their pockets with cash, but so are the people stuffing their faces & bodies with this unhealthy junk! Who REALLY needs 64 oz of soda to wash down 1 lb of potatoes and oil and 3/4 of a pound of flesh?
• Why injustices like the one suffered by Oscar Brown still occur makes absolutely no sense to me or most civilized people. If you don't think killing elements of our society isn't institutionalized and brainwashed in the mindset of those responsible for "protecting & serving" then, one should really wake up and smell the TAR! Cause it's burning again! HELLO!!!!!!!!! We are still in America and we're just a few decades removed from some really evil remembrances of past sins and guilt that a lot of people would not like the light cast upon. Imagine if TMZ existed way back in the day how much stuff would be public knowledge...hmmmn
• The Gulf oil debacle really took nearly 90 days to fix? At least it wasn't 180 or 365, I guess...That's an awfully long time to let a broken artery hemorage without applying a tourniquet?
• Here's one last thought? Are we sure our elected officials are competent? Check out the city of Bell, CA
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Give the Drummer Some!
The Man who really introduced me to drumming, just flew away... My "Uncle Willie" passed away last month. Ironically it was the same weekend that we lost Francisco Aguabella (1925-2010) and Lena Horne. Somone once told me, "Death comes in three's."
I think I see what they mean.
Willie Lawrence sent me first snare drum, gave me my first drum books (books by the way that I still have and use today with my students), and he gave me my first opportunity to play on a professional stage and get a taste of what it felt like! He was a great man!
He was a successful and skilled Army musician. He prepared and composed cadences for high school and college marching bands. Most importantly to me, he married my Aunt Mary and became part of our family.
Without a doubt he's had the greatest musical influence on me thus far in my life. I'll miss you man! Your memory and spirit and crazy wit will forever be a part of me and whenever I play, you know it's for you too!
Ashe, Ashe, Ashe
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
21st Century Law reform
Welcome to the Wild Wild West! If you didn't know you were in it, then you'd better wake up and pay attention because it's real.
Californians are notoriously good at breaking the rules. The latest is our blatant disrespect of the no talking/texting rule while driving. Yeah right! If the police who are supposed to enforce the laws are guilty themselves and often times the biggest culprits, then how does one really expect the rest of us to abide by the law. I'm not claiming to be an angel because I am guilty too, but the fact that we just break the laws without much consideration of consequence suggests that maybe we shouldn't even have this law (or any others that society at large has decided makes no sense).
For example, let's examine some other typical laws that are for the most part ignored:
• driving 65mph or (heaven's forbid 55mph) on a highway
• DUI...Need I say more!?
• Any Narcotics law
• Gun laws? (depends on the state)
Let me stop there and say that I am not condoning the breaking of the laws by any means! My point is simply mollify some of the existing laws so they are more user friendly. If the laws truly make sense and the punishment merits great consequence, then people will respect them and obey them. This will create an immediate cause and effect scenario. One resultant effect will be less money spent on policing these "minor" crimes which have a MAJOR effect on the population numbers in the penal system. This leads to another effect; fewer prisoners [potential]. There are many positives to having some 21st century law reform.
We have evolved as people over time and our technology evolves every hour. Since we move at a faster pace and since there are more of us moving around, we must be able to commute more efficiently. Rush hour [both A.M. & P.M.] are hellacious in Los Angeles and any other major city or thoroughfare. Partly do to our antiquated concepts of "safe" speed travel. In certain places, the speed limits are 70 mph and 75 mph...Traffic moves! Fatalities I'm guessing are no more than a 65 mph zone.
My suggestion for better and safer traffic flow is to create a national highway from East-West and one that intersects in the midpoint at perpendicular axis to form the North-South junction. This passageway would be only for trucks and tractor trailers. If trucks needed to get to other points not accessible by the national truck highway, then they could take feeder roads or alternate routes.
The goal is to simply remove a larger number of vehicles from the present metropolitan areas so that people are better able to utilize the HOV lanes and with more open space.. As someone who drives a lot by profession, I hear reports mostly about traffic fatalities between a truck and an automobile. Simple science; take one of the factors out of the equation to solve the problem.
I do not wish to debate the pros and cons at this moment, but instead would rather just get the conversation started. Perhaps Pres. Obama will get wind of it and get on board. It starts with us! Government by the people for the people!
Californians are notoriously good at breaking the rules. The latest is our blatant disrespect of the no talking/texting rule while driving. Yeah right! If the police who are supposed to enforce the laws are guilty themselves and often times the biggest culprits, then how does one really expect the rest of us to abide by the law. I'm not claiming to be an angel because I am guilty too, but the fact that we just break the laws without much consideration of consequence suggests that maybe we shouldn't even have this law (or any others that society at large has decided makes no sense).
For example, let's examine some other typical laws that are for the most part ignored:
• driving 65mph or (heaven's forbid 55mph) on a highway
• DUI...Need I say more!?
• Any Narcotics law
• Gun laws? (depends on the state)
Let me stop there and say that I am not condoning the breaking of the laws by any means! My point is simply mollify some of the existing laws so they are more user friendly. If the laws truly make sense and the punishment merits great consequence, then people will respect them and obey them. This will create an immediate cause and effect scenario. One resultant effect will be less money spent on policing these "minor" crimes which have a MAJOR effect on the population numbers in the penal system. This leads to another effect; fewer prisoners [potential]. There are many positives to having some 21st century law reform.
We have evolved as people over time and our technology evolves every hour. Since we move at a faster pace and since there are more of us moving around, we must be able to commute more efficiently. Rush hour [both A.M. & P.M.] are hellacious in Los Angeles and any other major city or thoroughfare. Partly do to our antiquated concepts of "safe" speed travel. In certain places, the speed limits are 70 mph and 75 mph...Traffic moves! Fatalities I'm guessing are no more than a 65 mph zone.
My suggestion for better and safer traffic flow is to create a national highway from East-West and one that intersects in the midpoint at perpendicular axis to form the North-South junction. This passageway would be only for trucks and tractor trailers. If trucks needed to get to other points not accessible by the national truck highway, then they could take feeder roads or alternate routes.
The goal is to simply remove a larger number of vehicles from the present metropolitan areas so that people are better able to utilize the HOV lanes and with more open space.. As someone who drives a lot by profession, I hear reports mostly about traffic fatalities between a truck and an automobile. Simple science; take one of the factors out of the equation to solve the problem.
I do not wish to debate the pros and cons at this moment, but instead would rather just get the conversation started. Perhaps Pres. Obama will get wind of it and get on board. It starts with us! Government by the people for the people!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
The South Park Effect
In the immortal words from a legendary Jim Rome soundbite, "Uh Oh!" As the protests and jeers mounted in response to last night's "controversial" airing of South Park, the effects of a previously aired episode became apparent.
A few weeks ago, South Park aired! an episode about FaceBook and how overly addictive and consuming it has become to most Americans. It's like a hot drug! To the point FB recently changed their "Fan" Pages to "Like" Pages. I guess in this overly competitive and capitalistic world, they figured before someone dies as a result of FB (i.e. Myspace), they've better reduce temptation.
Perhaps this is no big deal. Maybe I'm just reading too much into it. Afterall, I don't remember it being a trending topic on Twitter. What else could have prompted them to act in such a manner? I only blog about this b/c I thought it was too coincidental. What do you think?
One thing we know for sure, Animated comedy programs are quite popular and have replaced the standup comic as the social critic and social commentary satirist. I guess it makes since given the broad scope and reach of TV and syndication, but I miss funny old men like Redd Foxx & Richard Pryor who would tell it like it is. Today unfortunately, many of the comics are in it to get a movie deal, or host gig. Often times largely unaware of their true social significance and place in our community at large. Instead we get a lot of regurgitated jokes that are more
worn out than a homeless person's shoes.
A great comedian has the ability to make one see themselves through the comedian. This is no easy feat. It is a natural gift that only a handful of people possess. Our shining comedic beacon of light, shown for just 3 network seasons; (before stepping into a self imposed hiatus) Long enough to galvanize the masses. I need not type any letters of his name, because "If you know, then you already know", If not, "You'd better Ask Somebody!"
In the end, FB is a cool tool, but should not be solely relied upon as one's primary Web "shoe shine box" pulpit. A personalized website works much better! I can recommend several excellent designers whose prices will hopefully fit your budget. Please see the attached links.
http://www.fomapublishing.com/foma_home.html http://www.suuru.com/ http://www.consciouscreative.com/
A few weeks ago, South Park aired! an episode about FaceBook and how overly addictive and consuming it has become to most Americans. It's like a hot drug! To the point FB recently changed their "Fan" Pages to "Like" Pages. I guess in this overly competitive and capitalistic world, they figured before someone dies as a result of FB (i.e. Myspace), they've better reduce temptation.
Perhaps this is no big deal. Maybe I'm just reading too much into it. Afterall, I don't remember it being a trending topic on Twitter. What else could have prompted them to act in such a manner? I only blog about this b/c I thought it was too coincidental. What do you think?
One thing we know for sure, Animated comedy programs are quite popular and have replaced the standup comic as the social critic and social commentary satirist. I guess it makes since given the broad scope and reach of TV and syndication, but I miss funny old men like Redd Foxx & Richard Pryor who would tell it like it is. Today unfortunately, many of the comics are in it to get a movie deal, or host gig. Often times largely unaware of their true social significance and place in our community at large. Instead we get a lot of regurgitated jokes that are more
worn out than a homeless person's shoes.
A great comedian has the ability to make one see themselves through the comedian. This is no easy feat. It is a natural gift that only a handful of people possess. Our shining comedic beacon of light, shown for just 3 network seasons; (before stepping into a self imposed hiatus) Long enough to galvanize the masses. I need not type any letters of his name, because "If you know, then you already know", If not, "You'd better Ask Somebody!"
In the end, FB is a cool tool, but should not be solely relied upon as one's primary Web "shoe shine box" pulpit. A personalized website works much better! I can recommend several excellent designers whose prices will hopefully fit your budget. Please see the attached links.
http://www.fomapublishing.com/foma_home.html http://www.suuru.com/ http://www.consciouscreative.com/
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