JaZzArt en València

And the question always is, «What is justice?», and it is hard to define. Is justice done if you (in the countries where you are allowed to have personal firearms) shoot someone that has trespassed on your private property? Is justice done if you cheat your way into a perfect position at work, knowing that you really did not deserved it and that you have denied the real candidate the opportunity? Is justice done if you, being the biggest and the most powerful, manipulate and bully the weaker and smaller ones?

Do you know the answer to these questions? I don’t claim to know them but I wish someone did because they are not rhetorical questions. These questions refer to real situations that happen all the time. And I want to know if the subject, or the object, considers that justice was done or if an unjust and undignified act had been committed.

Is justice found in the Justice System of your country? We all find arbitrary decisions there, such as favouritism, nepotism, cronyism, racism, bigotry, prejudice, hatred, fear and God knows what else. These negative ingredients can and do form part in the decision making process of judges, juries, police, and prosecutors. How come the poor, the minorities and the alienated ones (gays, lesbians, transsexuals, migrants, freaks, the homeless), always lose when they have to confront the rich and the powerful in the supposed justice system? Where is the respect that must be paid to every human being?

And if there is no widespread, universal respect, can there be justice? And without justice, can there be peace? Again, these are not rhetorical questions. Disrespect, strife, war, unrest and injustice all happen all the time everywhere. Supposed First World countries think they are above all of that. However, there is much of the Third World lurking within First World countries. We are seeing that right now in a country that has always boasted of being the number one, the trend-setter and the powerhouse of the world.

Is justice done when a man, a child, or an entire family is deemed “illegal” because they have chosen to make their way to a different country than their own? Perhaps they are fleeing war, tyranny, abject poverty. It is not the position of the host country to question, but to open their arms and accept refugees as God commands. It is written in Leviticus 19:33-34: “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”

When that country’s political system traces its roots to the theft of land from its natural, original and rightful owners, simply because they had superior power, does that power make their acquisition just? If you do not respect the little ones, are you still conducting yourself within the parameters of justice? How can a human being on this earth be considered an “illegal alien?”, especially by a country who stole the land from its aboriginal inhabitants and later placed them on reservations? Is this justice? Is “sending them back” justice?

Absolutely not! It is an aberration and an abuse of power. Perhaps power that the perpetrators do not legitimately have. And perhaps power, that if they do have, they should not use as it is indecent and immoral. So, is the use of absolute power the best way to procure justice?

I leave it here as there are too many questions to answer and answers are needed, especially by those who study, learn, think and act. Not by those motivated by hatred who do not think, do not study and only employ the power they have gained by accumulating richness. The latter only think of themselves and there is no justice in selfishness and Narcissism.

What has been said by wise men, Saints and Prophets about Justice

St. Thomas Aquinas said that justice was the virtue that consists of a constant and firm will to give God and neighbour what they rightfully deserve.

Jesus said justice was intimately tied to faith and that one should keep asking and seeking it until one receives it. He gave the example of the wicked judge who was being pestered by a widow asking him for justice for her. The judge, who did not care about men, nor feared God finally did justice for her simply to get her off his hair. Persistence pays.

Nietzsche thought that equality was the most important aspect of justice: he says that “Justice is repayment and exchange on the assumption of an approximately equal power position,” and that “revenge originally belongs to the domain of justice”.

The Romans valued justice highly, and thus thought that justice looks for no prize and no price; it is sought for itself, and is at once the cause and the meaning of all the virtues.

And I will close this chat with a quote from the Prophet Isaiah (1:17): “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”

BLESSINGS

El abuso y el hostigamiento no se pueden permitir. Yo también me pongo de lado del más débil.

Un dibujo está compuesto principalmente… y generalmente… de líneas negras sobre un fondo blanco, o de otro color. Al menos los míos lo están…

La línea negra también es bastante útil en la pintura. Hay un cierto poder que aporta a las pinturas, siempre que quepa en el estilo y la composición. Por supuesto, si estás pintando algo hiperrealista, entonces la línea negra solo puede aparecer si realmente es parte de tu modelo. Pero si eres un pintor expresionista, como yo, la línea negra puede ser una fuente de inspiración que acelere las improvisaciones, que siempre suelen ser necesarias y que deben estar presente en la composición.

Os muestro algunas de mis composiciones donde figura una linea negra fuerte y clara…

Una pintura requiere un proceso que generalmente comienza con bocetos y estudios. La razón es que el artista quiere contar una historia, expresar un punto filosófico y, al mismo tiempo, deleitar la vista. Y nunca se debe olvidar el aspecto decorativo de todas las pinturas. Después de todo, esa fue la razón original de la existencia de esta forma de arte.

Elementos como el color, el diseño, el tamaño, el estilo y la composición constituyen la mecánica. La técnica es la fuerza motriz que colocará estos elementos, junto con la idea del artista, sobre el lienzo o cualquier soporte utilizado. El talento… que se desarrolla… es el pegamento que sella la pintura y la convierte en una obra de arte (o no).

Pero la línea negra, ya sea que esté allí, mirándote mientras tú la miras, está presente y contabilizada siempre. Si no lo crees, piénsalo la próxima vez que mires… especialmente en vivo… una pintura y la verás.

GRACIAS

“A PENETRATING RAY OF DARKNESS” by Francisco Bravo Cabrera (29th of January 2025, while listening to Mozart’s Requiem in D, K626) Humming through the…

“A PENETRATING RAY OF DARKNESS” by Francisco Bravo Cabrera

Please follow the link to the poem.

CHEERS

I remember this song from my early childhood in Miami, Florida. We used to sing it in the second grade… And Steve Alaimo, although not a Miami native, did go to the University of Miami and then became a resident of the city. He used to sing at Miami Beach’s Eden Roc Hotel. Alaimo also co-produced and hosted Dick Clark’s Where the Action is. He released nine singles, none reaching the top 40. As a record producer he produced Sam & Dave and Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. Steve Alaimo died in 2024 at 84 years old.

«Happy» was released in 1964. Although it was a chart failure, it seemed to be well liked in Miami, at least among the children. It is not Alaimo’s most popular song, which is «Every Day I have to Cry«, but I too grew fond of this song. Hope you like it. And if you did, or not, please tell me what you think.

What song do you remember from the days of your early youth?

CHEERS

LA MUJER Y EL MISTERIO

Artista conceptual cubana comprometida con el arte, con el desarrollo del mismo, con la libertad, con el feminismo y con la vida… Nació en La Habana en 1948. Emigró a Estados Unidos para salvarse de vivir bajo la dictadura de Fidel Castro. A través del programa «Pedro Pan» (para salvar a los menores de edad del comunismo) Ana llegó al estado de Iowa en EEUU en 1960. En 1966 se pudo reunir otra vez con su madre y el 1979 con su padre que había sido encarcelado en Cuba comunista por haber sido parte de la Brigada 2506 que hizo un intento por liberar a Cuba de la tiranía de los hermanos Castro. Mendieta estudió arte en la University of Iowa, y sus obras se centraban en los hechos violentos que sufrían las mujeres. Se interesó, además, por la espiritualidad, la religion y por rituales primitivos. Después del post-grado se mudó a Nueva York. Su obra se centraba en el feminismo, en la violencia contra las mujeres y en el hecho de tener que vivir separada de su tierra por culpa de los comunistas. Ana Mendieta usaba la tierra misma para crear. Os urjo que busquéis mas sobre esta impresionante artista que murió joven, trágicamente y misteriosamente el 8 de septiembre de 1985 en Nueva York. Mendieta calló de una ventana en el piso 34 de un edificio en Greenwich Village (Manhattan), situado en el numero 300 de Mercer Street. Allí vivía con su esposo, el también artista Carl Andre, que fue quien pudo haberla lanzado por la ventana pues poco antes de caer los vecinos la oyeron gritar ¡No! Pero Carl Andre quedó absuelto ya que no hubieron testigos, aunque a Andre se le vieron varias rasguñas en la cara.

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THE WOMAN AND THE MYSTERY

This Cuban conceptual artist was committed to art, to its development, to freedom and with feminism, throughout her short life… She was born in La Habana in 1948. She emigrated to the US to save herself from living under the dictatorship of Fidel Castro. She came to the US, in 1960, via a special programme for minors called «Pedro Pan»* and was sent to live in Iowa. In 1966 she was reunited with her mother and in 1979 with her father who had been held prisoner in Cuba for being part of the Brigada 2506 who spearheaded an invasion to rid Cuba of the brothers Castro. Mendieta studied art at the University of Iowa. Her work centred on violence done to women. She also became interested in spirituality, religion and in primitive rituals. After graduate school she relocated to New York. The body of her work dealt with feminism, violence against women and in the suffering of those who are forced to live away from their native soil because of communism. Ana Mendieta therefore used soil itself to create art. I urge you to look for more about this impressive woman artist who died young and tragically (and mysteriously) on the 8th of September, 1985 in New York. Mendieta fell out of the window of her 34th floor flat in Greenwich Village (Manhattan) whose address was 300 Mercer Street. She lived there with her artist husband Carl Andre, who might have been the one to throw her out the window as seconds before she fell neighbours heard her shout «No!» But Carl Andre was acquitted as there were no witnesses, although his face was quite scratched up at the time.

OMNIA CAELUM STUDIOS VALENCIA PRESENTA/PRESENTS

Gracias…

Cheers…

Well, are you going to find some original Banksy’s at these museums? No you are not. You are going to see reproductions of the stencilled artwork that Banksy had placed somewhere on some wall. And the museums are all under their building’s roof. But aren’t Banksy’s stencilled little doodles on walls out under the sun, or moon? Yes they are…

So Banksy, the anti-establishment activist, in his secret form, instead of fighting the system, the establishment, he is contributing to the growth and development of the same. And he is making beaucoup bucks from it. And I do not blame him. I advocate for artists making money, as much money as they can. After all we do our art to sell it, at least most of us do. But, come on, hypocrisy is something very disdainful and for an anti-establishment guerrilla activist these moves are totally hypocritical.

So, if one morning you arise to find that Banksy left one of his stencilling’s on your front wall, don’t think you’ve a Banksy. No, you first must run it through his agency called Pest Control. If they authenticate it, they will then issue you a Certificate of Authenticity, which I imagine you must have to pay for, as everyone wants their cut, their piece of the anti-establishment pie. Now, with the COA in hand you can re-sell your authentic Banksy and continue greasing the wheels of the capitalist economy, i.e. the establishment, the one Banksy is fighting.

And don’t forget his online store where you will find dozens of anti-establishment articles that you can buy to enrich those fighting against the establishment. And sincerely, I do not think Banksy is a person, and much less an artist. He, or They, or whatever, is a marketing company with brilliant ideas, not for art, but for merchandising.

So if you are a struggling artist, take a look at Banksy’s business model, you too can become an anti-establishment rich capitalist.

And, by the by, entrance to his museums, on the average, is approximately 30£.

CHEERS

Apparently they called him “Bojangles” because he was a man of a rather explosive personality and argued quite loudly… His name was Luther Robinson and he was born in Richmond, Virginia on the 25th of May of 1878. His grandmother, who raised him, had been a slave… By the age of 5 he was already singing and dancing in minstrel shows. At twelve years old he ran away to Washington D.C. and joined Al Jolson and performed as a singing and dancing duo. He served his country by joining the Army and fighting in the Spanish-American War… At the age of 71 years he had a series of heart attacks. He died in 1949. Although he was thought of as The “World’s Greatest Tap-Dancer” and had earned over $2 million (USD), he died dirt poor. Ed Sullivan, who was his long time friend, paid for his funeral to the which more than half a million people attended.

So, was it on him that the song «Mr. Bojangles» is modelled after?

The song was written and originally performed by American country music artist Jerry Jeff Walker (1968). Afterwards it has been recorded by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (1970) and by Sammy Davis Jr. (1972).

But what about Robinson, the original Mr. Bojangles? Was the song about him? Apparently not, but…

Walker said the song was truly based upon a street performer he met in a New Orleans jail, (1965), a white guy who called himself «Mr. Bojangles» so as to not give his real name to the police. This Mr. Bojangles began talking about performing with his dog and that the dog had been killed by a car. This saddened the men and to lighten the mood Mr. Bojangles got up and danced. He did say that he had taken the name from the original Bill «Bojangles» Robinson.

So, there you have it, the story of a very nice and classic song from the days of good music. What do you think?

In 1971 Nina Simone recorded the song. It may not be the most popular cover, being that the most known is the version by the American country-rock band The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, but I like this version. However, I will include both so you can choose. And, if you really like this song, look it up as there are many interesting covers, including the one by Sammy Davis Jr., Bob Dylan, and Harry Belafonte…

CHEERS

Within the pumpkin there’s a carriage, there’s a horse and there’s a driver,

there’s a road that forms before her golden wheels,

and a part of you believes it still…

C.2025, Francisco Bravo Cabrera/25 FEB 2025/Valencia, España

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Nota Bene

Reality is not what we see, or what we hear, or what we have been told. On the contrary, reality is a concept that denies the fact that within our imagination there are worlds that are just a few centimetres away from our natural existence but since we have been taught to deny them we do not reach them. However, too much fantasy can lead to a life of mere illusions that are just limiting as the reality we have been taught to respect, obey and see…

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The style of the Euro-Ku (and Ameri-Ku) I invented and developed in 2022 while trying to write a meaningful Haiku. But it was impossible. Haikus are traditional Japanese poetic verses created specifically for the Japanese language and for Japanese poets. Since I am a European without the knowledge of the Japanese language or of the culture, history and way of life of Japan, it was impossible to be faithful to such an honorable poetic tradition.

So I did the next best thing, which was create a European version, thus the Euro-Ku. And for those on the American continent, the Ameri-Ku will fit just as good. The Euro-Ku is written in keeping with the idea of the three verses, but since our language demands much more in terms of words and expressions, the verses are not limited by syllabic counts. The verses can be as short or as long as they need to be to convey the message of the poem. And they must flow easily and logically into each other. There should be no phrases floating away into outer space.

Then, to finish the wholeness of the poem, the author must include an illustration of his own creation. It can be a drawing, painting, collage, photo or combinations of these elements, but it must be unedited and specific to the poem. With this you have a Euro-Ku or an Ameri-Ku.

I have seen some phenomenal poets already trying their hand at these styles and I think their work has been outstanding. I invite you to try it as well. The Euro-Ku in this post has very short phrases (verses) but I have written several whose verses are quite longer…

CHEERS