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I offer you this in celebration of the Mixed Roots Festival and the Lovings of Loving v. Virginia, the case that forever abolished anti-miscegenation laws in the US in 1967.

It’s something I did in the mid-nineties.  It’s kind of silly with it’s Rolling Stones references, but also a lot of fun.

Hope to see you tomorrow, June 13th, at the Festival.

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WE*

I am the future
I am the past
I am the baby that you never had

Product of love
Raised in confusion
Not so much mine
But your illusion

Apartheid
In my life
Love is the solution
What about the children?
Don’t be chicken

We are what we are.

What’s so right within the white?
What’s so right within the black?
We all have organs
We like to use them
Gene pool mix—some brown will be the fusion

Down by law
Down by culture
One day
There’ll be no other
Miscegenation
Long gestation

We are what we are.

We are African American European Asian sons
Politically incorrect, embracing every one
And loving and sexing
And sex and sex and sex and sex and
Look at me!

We are what we are.

(Repeat first verse)

Jason Luckett, © 1996 Lucky Masala Head

*Lucky Mingus was the name of the band. It lasted about 6 months with a revolving cast of Jim Doyle, Rob Ladd, and JMD on drums, Wil-Dog Abers (now of Ozomatli) and David Sutton on bass, and Jebin Bruni always on keys. This recording is Jim, David, Jebin and me with Danny Brown producing.

I was heavy into my Charles Mingus period and was trying to add a more collective and historical vibe to what I was doing. The best historical thing here is the bass line which is inspired by a 70’s glam band far on the other end of the spectrum from Mingus…also a little nod to the Rolling Stones… Very little Mingus…

I’ll have an essay in a new anthology to be released on October 1, called the Black Body. You can preorder it now on Amazon. I’m not yet famous enough to be listed among the contributors, but my essay will be right there in the first three along with Innaugual Poet, Elizabeth Alexander! Very exciting!

My mother’s family came on the Mayflower. My father’s on slave ships, then mated with those who were here before Columbus. And TBP checks my trunk and asks if I’m a US citizen.

I’d always heard of this movie, but had never seen it.  I couldn’t find it on Netflix, but found the whole film on YouTube.

I always loved his work.  It reminded me of my Los Angeles childhood, the beautiful freedom of house parties where I’d run around playing hide and seek, with Chuck-a-luck, Chris, Leslie and Jossie.  The adults danced, philosophized, and celebrated this community, largely a black one, though Mom and us kids were a lovely part of the simmering stew.

And how could you not hear Marvin Gaye when you see his work.

Ernie Barnes obit in the LA Times.

I saw this this morning on ABC:

I thought it was great, though I had one knee jerk reaction:  “Why does she have to be crazy?”

Update:  For some reason the original ad isn’t available on an iPhone, but here’s another version, interestingly without the “crazy” comment.

I’ve been in “albumland” and trekking around India!  But  a friend of mine posted a link on her Facebook page and I have to share it.  It’s a story in Newsweek about a black family that adopted a white child and the post racial implications.

Hopefully, I’ll get back to more regular entries soon.

On MLK Day my sister has a gathering of folks to watch films and share stories and art around the issues of the day.  I was trying to think of what I wanted to share that day and I thought of Richie Havens at Woodstock.  So I looked up the lyric.  It primarily adapts Motherless Child, but he adds this line, “I’ve got a telephone in my bosom and I can call him from my heart.”  (Maybe he got it from this record here.)

I got to thinking if I had a similar capacity, who I’d like to call and let know about what was happening the next day in Washington.

So here it is.  A few anyway.  Who would you call?

Happy New America
I hope you will agree
We can build upon this dream….

With a telephone in your bosom you can call straight from your heart
With a telephone in your bosom you can call straight from your heart
She was only seventeen
Cleaning the house her mother used to clean

Stripped of the name of bondage
Now it was just a job
He called her “Pretty Something”
Said, “We could get along.”
She was only seventeen
Cleaning the house her mother used to clean

Grandfather called him ‘Mister’
He was just a boy
Disowned and rejected
For justice, he raised his voice
They buried him in Pine Street
With the brown brothers who claimed him

Hank stood behind the library
They handed him his books
It made it to the papers
“The Little Boy Who Read…”
Doctor loathed to recall
His moment in history

Lee married across the boundary
In 1961
Kennedy was inaugurated
Dylan sang Oxford Town
“It could’ve been me,” he said.
He left us in his sleep

Mine eyes have seen the glory
I won’t live in fear
Mine eyes have seen the glory
I won’t live in fear
A victory is upon us
Freedom is near

With a telephone in your bosom you can call straight from your heart
With a telephone in your bosom you can call straight from your heart
Tell them freedom is closer than ever
Freedom is here!

Did anyone see this at Sundance?  I’m really curious to hear about it.  It’s a documentary on the first integrated prom at a high school in Charleston, Mississippi that occured in 2008.  Yes, that’s right, no typo, 2008!  And only because Morgan Freeman offered to pay for it if they integrated the dance.

Tell me about it and let me know when I can see it, if you’re involved.

(Yes, I know, I’m just reading the Sunday Times on Tuesday morning, but I’ve been busy finishing my album mixes and writing a couple things that I’m really excited about!)

UPDATE:  I got a note from a friend down in MS, and he told me that it’s actually two different high schools.  Check it out the LA Times article anyway.  It’s a really interesting discussion.

Our Oval Office

I always felt American.  I’m the descendent of Pilgrims and slaves.  I know the White House was always supposed to be the People’s House.  Now I really feel it.  Everything is possible.