JaZzArt en València

The one and only original «funk» band in rock history and the one that opened the «funky door» to all the others. Created by the smashing genius Sly Stone! And they top off the VALENCIARTIST’S top 20 Great American Bands!

Sly and the Family Stone was formed in San Francisco by Sylvester Stewart (Sly Stone), a composer, multi-instrumentalist, singer and producer in 1967… Not only were Sly and the Family Stone a fundamental band for funk, but because they were able to open up into other genres like rock, psychedelic, soul and rhythm and blues they became one of the most important groups in the history of popular music. And they were the first multirracial band whose members were men and women as well.

The band’s golden years were 7, from 1967 to 1975. During this time they released seven albums. The second era of the band was from1975 to 1983, with four albums and featuring Sly Stone exclusively. They other members were replaced as needed… In 2010 they ranked 43 in Rolling Stone’s magazine list of the 100 greatest artist. Three of their albums are also listed in Rolling Stone’s magazine best 500 albums of all time. In 1993 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

in 1968 «Everyday People» was released and became their first number one hit… This was a great start for the release of their first album Stand! which sold three million copies (one was mine). The band reached instant fame, with an irresistible image, a group with men women, white and black singing of peace, love, tolerance and all the good things of the existing «hippie» culture and aesthetics. And their music, a blend of funk, soul, rock with influences of R & B, jazz, blues, and pop, and brought to you through a psychedelic prism that rocked the age… Sly and the Family Stone was one of Woodstock’s (1969) greatest acts…

A most worthy Great American Band to close VALENCIARTIST’S Top 20. What do you think?

CHEERS

As with the Greatest American Bands, this one ends with my particular favourite. But the other 19 were not placed in that order reference preference. I think they, and many more that I could not include, are great bands. Just saying that I have always been a great fan of rock music and my first introduction to rock was with British bands, especially The Beatles and The Rolling Stones (who I did not place in the count but did make a special post on them here). Then came the American groups as well as some Spanish groups and soloists that I really think adapted well to rock and pop during the late 60’s and 70’s.

In any event, Led Zeppelin, wow! I remember the first time I heard them I was at school and one of the teachers brought their first album (Led Zeppelin). I heard it during lunch break and became an instant fan. From there to following the group, collecting every one of their albums and learning to play like Jimmy Page, my favourite guitarist, was normal for me.

All I can say is that from the early 70’s, Jimmy Page (guitar); Robert Plant (vocals); John Paul Jones (bass/keyboards) and John ‘Bonzo’ Bonham (drums), filled every hall they ever played in. Lamentably, in 1980, with the death of John Bonham (from misadventure), the band broke up forever…

I hope you enjoy this song, it is one of my faves (among many) from Led Zeppelin…

CHEERS

I really got into these phenomenal girl groups much later, but I knew right away that I was hooked on their sound, the harmonies and the melodies. Actually many of the great bands of the 1960s were influenced, and I mean like The Beatles and the Stones…

The 60’s definitely were the golden age for girl groups… Some of the most popular ones were: The Supremes (no doubt supreme), The Ronettes (my favourite), The Shirelles, The Shangri-Las, Martha and The Vandellas (Absolutely phenomenal), and The Crystals, among others not so famous… These groups like The Marvelettes, The Chiffons, The Angels), created a lasting legacy with songs about love, heartbreak, and teenage life, becoming cultural touchstones. Too bad this musical tendency does not exist anymore. The talent is missing as today mediocrity is hailed as greatness…

So not only did the girl groups influence pop but also R&B…

Hope you like them…

CHEERS

MUSIC & DANCE

Within a beating heart that keeps the 3/4 time of the waltz, the 4/4 time of the ballad and the 6/8 time of the rumba,

surrounding the air that vibrates, resonates, and lightens each note,

the violin and the guitar spar with the drummer, while the drummer converses with the bass about the very essence of the universe, for such is music, and such is the dance…

(C.2025/Francisco Bravo Cabrera/10/12/2025/Valencia, España)

* For my readers who might not yet know what an «Euro-ku» is… Well it is my way, as a Westerner, to honour the Japanese traditional poem, the Haiku. Being that I do not speak or write in Japanese I have re-created the beautiful Haiku into something that Westerners can easily create. First, we do not need to keep the Japanese syllabic content, as we are not writing in Japanese and our languages are quite dissimilar. Second, we must keep a continued thought and not let our phrases drift off into outer space never to be fully understood or recovered. and third, and this is the novelty part, we must accompany our Euro-ku with an original illustration, be it a painting, drawing or photograph by the author. That is all you need to create something new from an old tradition, and still maintain respect and honour

CHEERS.

Lo que quieren es la pasta…

Yo no busco que nadie entienda mi arte; el arte no necesita ser entendida. No hay que buscarle la quinta pata al gato, ni esperar algo lógico, racional o realista. Lo único que necesita el arte es un componente emocional y que logre una reacción visceral y emocional en el observador. Tiene que existir esa comunicación…

+++

I do not seek for anyone to understand my art; art does not need to be understood. There is no need to split hairs , nor to expect something logical, rational, or realistic. The only thing art needs is an emotional component that achieves a visceral and emotional reaction in the observer. That communication must exist…

GRACIAS – CHEERS

A veces vemos una obra supuestamente de arte y decimos «qué mierda» y quizá lo sea, pero es que hay obras de arte que realmente son de mierda. Si no lo sabias te invito a que veas el vídeo…

+++

How many times have we looked at a supposed artwork and thought it was complete shit? Many… But did you know that some art is really shit? Well, take a look at the video…

CHEERS

7) Marina Abramović. The «grandmother» of performance «art». Frankly speaking I didn’t always feel the same way about this grandmother, but once her complete life of «art» played out I saw that she was no artist that I could call valuable or useful to art history. The way she uses people is akin to abuse and the way she manipulates the observers (or admirers) is a total farce. Her supposed «chance» meeting with Ulay, her one time partner, was contrived. And contriving art is okay by me, but don’t pass it off as real. Therefore she makes my list. Perhaps I am not as disgusted with her as I am with many of the others that populate this top ten, but…

8) Tracy Emin. Let’s start by saying that her claim to fame came when her «Bed» became a work of art. Frankly it is a disgusting piece and it may just show how untidy and unclean she could be or could have been. I don’t know, I’ve never met her. At least if she did sleep on such a bed. The bed is surrounded with vodka bottles, used condoms and all manner of rubbish. Whatever it is, if art it is, it is bad, useless art. She cannot draw or paint, as you can plainly see in the photograph below. Yet, she is held as one of the great artists of the UK.

9) Fernando Botero. The painter of volume, as he calls himself. But those silly little fat figures that he paints are not representative of volume. If you want volume look at the figures of Rubens or the portraits by Jenny Saville. Botero’s do not even represent cartoons. Everything he paints is the same. All the figures have the same blank or withdrawn expression. There is no magic, no power, no charm in his work, therefore he is most definitely in my list.

10) Keith Haring. This artist and social activist made it to the top of the art world by making doodles. Yes, similar to the ones we all made in our high school notebooks when we were bored in class. There is no aesthetics in his work, and absolutely no rhyme or reason. They could have easily been made by a seven year old. And for a seven year old they might have seemed like art, but really, it is not good art at all for someone that considers himself an artist. He started out making these doodle on or close to galleries. Why didn’t he make them on truck stops on an interstate highway?

Well here it is my top 10 most useless artists. I can re-arrange them as they are all really number one. And please understand that my words (passionate as they might be) are not meant to cast any aspersions on the artists themselves. I dislike their work. I do not know them, never met any of them and do not know anything about their lives or personalities. This is for sure not an attack ad hominem. It is an attack on their supposed «art».

CHEERS