Umm Kulthum was born Fāṭima ʾIbrāhīm es-Sayyid el-Beltāǧī on 31 December 1898, or 4 May 1904. Birth registaration was not enforced in Egypt at that time. She died 3rd February 1975. She was a singer, songwriter, and film actress working between the 1920s and the 1970s. She was given the honorific title Kawkab al-Shar meaning Star of the East. Umm Kulthum wasContinue reading “Umm Kulthum: Enta Omri”
Author Archives: Josie Moon
Buffy Sainte-Marie: It’s My Way
It’s My Way! is the first album by folk singer Buffy Sainte- Marie, released in April 1964 by Vanguard Records. It is a seminal folk album, marking the beginning of an extraordinary career for an extraordinary artist. The album is both scathing and topical, examining the plight of indigenous Americans and critiquing war in the album’sContinue reading “Buffy Sainte-Marie: It’s My Way”
Shadow Kingdom: Bob Dylan, July 2021
Shadow Kingdom: Bob Dylan Live Stream Event – July 2021 From the opener When I Paint My Masterpiece to closer Baby Blue Bob Dylan gives us a mesmerising fifty-minute glimpse into his Shadow Kingdom, over which he presides, elusive as ever, wearing the masks of jester, crooner, mage and poet simultaneously; only occasionally allowing us to see his true, astonishing faceContinue reading “Shadow Kingdom: Bob Dylan, July 2021”
Shadow Kingdom: Bob Dylan, July 2021
What was it we wanted; a concert movie? A live set?
Buffy Sainte-Marie: It’s My Way
Buffy Sainte-Marie has a string of awards and credits to her name that indicate her power, relevance and artistry. She has remained a life-long advocate and activist for the rights of indigenous peoples.
Umm Kulthum: Enta Omri
I listen and find myself emotionally engaged in her music, committed to it, following her voice note by note. She sings in a language I don’t speak but her music transcends that
Diamanda Galas: The Litanies of Satan
I am pleased to have heard it and to have spent some time with it but It has disturbed me greatly. Perhaps that is a good thing.
Mercedes Sosa: Mercedes Sosa en Argentina
Mercedes Sosa en Argentina is a double album by Argentine singer Mercedes Sosa. It was recorded live at the Teatro Opera de Buenos Aires in February 1982 and released on the Philips label. The concert and recording marked Sosa’s return to Argentina after three years in exile. Described as the driving force behind the nueva canciónContinue reading “Mercedes Sosa: Mercedes Sosa en Argentina”
Aretha Franklin: Young, Gifted and Black
I am particularly moved to learn that she held women’s rights and civil rights as central to her life and values. Not only this but she quietly and privately supported the struggle for the rights of indigenous Americans. She refused to perform at Trump’s inauguration as an act of protest from artists and musicians.
World Poetry Day, March 21st 2021
I’ve posted this poem before, a couple of times, because it becomes more relevant and sinister by the day. It is part of my 2018 collection, Poems from the Swamp which explores the psychogeography of an imagined version of the East Marsh where I live, it’s material reality and the unconscious and mythic layers that exist beyond the thinnest of veils. Each poem is written from the point of view of characters I have created.
Josie Moon 