Wednesday, June 28, 2006

The Real Secret History of World Music

To get things rolling, the platters spinning, I'll cue up with a few words about myself. Or at least, I'll point you to some words with something to do with me.

You may read many of my own words concerning The Secret History of World Music, which I claim to have been intimately involved with, on Charlie Gillett's The Sound of the World site. Of course, those words being a posting on a discussion board primarily frequented by loquacious English boys, I am immediately contradicted, patronised, and generally wanked over by those with other opinions. Needless to say, I, too, do my own share of all three in subsequent posts.

To get another taste, albeit a very small taste, of the mood of San Francisco in the early-mid 1980s, which is when I make the immoderate claim that world music might be considered to have started, read this article by J. H. Tompkins, published in the San Francisco Bay Guardian in April 2004. It is mostly about the Black President art show inspired by the work and legacy of the great Fela Anikulapo-Kuti — but there are two very complimentary words, I counted them both, about my role in the early days of the San Francisco world music scene. Two very complimentary words, but I like to think that they express some vaguely objective truth. Regardless, they made my day, perhaps my year, when I read them.

Of course, back in those days and nights, I operated under a different nom du plat et plume. DJ Jonathan E. was how I was known.

In due course, words will be united with music. Time will come, but better not to hurry such things. In music, rhythm is everything.

Want to know what will be here?

Black magic plastic bullets soon come, as Lee Scratch Perry might say. When the time is right—or left, as the case may be.