Greetings, One & All~<\/p>\n
I have much to be thankful for this month, as always; allow me to share a few highlights from my rich and varied November menu with you in this issue of your A 440 Newsletter. . . .<\/p>\n
In the Classroom<\/p>\n
As you can see in the snapshot below, our Myths & Masks Artist-in-Residency at Sonoran Sky is going splendidly, with students, teachers, the administration and the community fully creatively engaged with the artist to bring smiles and success to all.<\/p>\n
The AiR will continue through November 20th, including my annual pilgrimage to SSky Camp in Prescott AZ on November 12th & 13th with the fifth grade students, teachers and parent chaperones, where we’ll continue our artistic explorations in the splendors of nature and bring all that positive energy back to school with us.<\/p>\n
On Stage<\/p>\n
On Thursday November 20th I’ll beat it back from Scottsdale to Tucson to appear on pan-global percussion with singer\/songwriter Lori Laska Sumberg, who will celebrate the release of her new CD Farther to Run with a concert at Monterey Court from 6-9 PM:<\/p>\n
Lori and her band will perform selections from her new album as well as her previous release Tales of the Road, on both of which yours truly provided the percussive pulse in the studio. Lori’s poetic folk-rock flavored with world music influences sounds to my ear like Joni Mitchell-meets-Melissa Etheridge on the road from Tucson to Timbuktu–but you’ll have to come out and hear for yourself!<\/p>\n
On Saturday November 22nd I’ll change hats (and switch kits) to perform on congas & bongos with Steve Laury & The Fattburger Fugitives at The Hog Pit Smokehouse* from 5:30-8:30 PM:<\/p>\n
Steve’s sophisticated Latin-flavored jazz sounds to my ear like Pat Metheny-meets-Carlos Santana on the road from Tucson to Tijuana–and indeed no less a personage than Pat Metheny himself has called Steve “a guitarist’s guitarist”–high praise and richly-deserved!<\/p>\n
(*BTW, don’t be fooled by the name: while The Hog Pit is certainly a carnivore’s delight, I actually found tasty vegetarian options on the menu, and there’s a small but serviceable wine list, too!)<\/p>\n
In the Garden<\/p>\n
I’ll close out the month on Friday November 28th & Saturday November 29th with the first two nights of my sixteen-night run at the 2014 Las Noches de Las Luminarias festival at Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix AZ. I’ll be performing a winter solstice-flavored version of my Planet of Percussion solo show each evening from 5:30-9:30 PM throughout the month of December.<\/p>\n
Awards<\/p>\n
Nominations for the 2014 Native American Music Awards have been announced and Awakening the Fire: R. Carlos Nakai & Will Clipman has garnered three: R. Carlos Nakai, Artist of the Year; Awakening the Fire, Best New Age Recording of the Year; and Robert Doyle, Producer of the Year.<\/p>\n
You can support these and other nominations you find worthy of your vote at:<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.surveymonkey.com\/s\/NAMA15Winners<\/p>\n
And if you haven’t yet treated yourself (or someone on whom you’d like to bestow the perfect holiday gift that keeps on giving) to the GRAMMY\u00ae and NAMA-Nominated CD Awakening the Fire, it can be obtained with the click of a mouse at:<\/p>\n
http:\/\/www.willclipman.com\/purchase_a_cd_or_dvd.php<\/p>\n
No Justice, Just Us<\/p>\n
I’ve been aware of the plight of Native American political prisoner Leonard Peltier since 1976, but I only recently began reading his infuriating and inspiring book My Life is My Sun Dance at the invitation of my good friend and fellow musician Solvei, who has been deeply involved for a number of years in Leonard’s on-going struggle for freedom. In the photo below, Solvei and I are wearing the T-shirt she designed to raise public awareness of Leonard’s case and funds for his legal defense, the latest initiative being a campaign to secure a Presidential pardon.<\/p>\n
If you’d like to read Leonard’s heartbreaking but uplifting story in his own words, I highly recommend My Life is My Sun Dance:<\/p>\n