JaZzArt en València

LOVE IS BOURGEOIS

Love is bourgeois…
And happiness acts like a crazy bird
that flies solo thorough the clouds
sometimes making them to rain.

Nostalgia?
Nothing more than a mediocre pretension.
It pierces you with a knife,
stomps on your withered heart,
causing bad days and infections…

The rich eat the lazy…
The masses eat the lame…
But my teeth are sharp and I am thirsty,
and I’ve grown tired of this game.
I’ve cleaned up the wine stains,
cauterised the wound,
why should I then fall so disgraced?

Dinner time and we’re not hungry,
We’re sitting at the bar till it’s quite late,
glancing at friends that pass us by,
speaking little as we try,
to listen?
Not at all…
We’re ready and waiting for the fall…

Love is bourgeois…
Anger religious…
Forgiveness is a way of life,
with rounded edges like a dull, old knife,
which imitates the pain of holy sacrifice,
challenging our inhibitions.
and threatening us with lies.

(C.2021, Francisco Bravo Cabrera, 05 JAN 2021, Valencia, Spain)

A mi me preocupan y me son muy sospechosos los que proclaman que tienen la verdad y luego se la meten por las narices al pueblo…

Siempre tiene que haber algo nuevo. El arte nunca se puede detener y además el pintor se tiene que redimir con cada cuadro que haga. Por eso digo que el arte es la búsqueda Este cuadro es uno de los que terminé al final del verano (2024) y está hecho en mi estilo el surreal-expresionismo. Lo que busco es captar, de alguna manera, la intensidad, la energía, el movimiento y los colores que se le presentan a los que van a ver un trio de jazz en un sótano cualquiera de nuestra ciudad. Los colores, cuando juegan con y entre las luces de un escenario (por muy pequeño que sea), se mueven ante nuestra vista. Tambien hay que recordar que no estamos siempre viendo la misma cosa. Los músicos se mueven y un gran movimiento conlleva mil micro-movimientos que no notamos pero que son los que crean la nueva posición que adquieren… Así es el jazz, así son mis cuadros.

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Got to have something new. Art never stops, and the painter must redeem himself with every painting he creates. That’s why I say that art is the search. This painting is one of those I finished at the end of summer (2024) and is done in my style of surreal-expressionism. What I seek is to capture, in some way, the intensity, energy, movement, and colours that present themselves to the eyes of those who go see/listen to a jazz trio perhaps in in any basement club in the city. Colours, when they are reflected in and with the stage lights (no matter how small the stage may be), move before our eyes. It is also important to remember that we are not always seeing the same thing. The musicians move, and a large movement implies a thousand micro-movements that we don’t notice but they are what creates the new position the players have acquired… Such is jazz, such are my paintings.

GRACIAS – CHEERS

She was born in Germany (1877), a painter and photographer, she formed part of the Blue Rider group (Der Blaue Reiter) created by Kandinsky in 1911… She would have wanted to study at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste München (Munich Academy), but at the time it was not open to women artists so she studied at an art school for women… From 1903 she lived with Kandinsky (although he remained married until 1911). She lived in the Das Münter-Haus in Murnau with Kandinsky and there had many meetings with all the avant-guarde artists of the time and where she played an important role in the creation of the Blue Rider group.

Artistically she developed her own abstract style with brilliant, unmixed colours and powerful lines and geometric forms all separated by a thick, black line. She was a founding member of the Neue Künstlervereinigung München (New Union of Artists of Munich) which was started by Kandinsky and included the most important members of Der Blaue Reiter.

Now let us take a look at her work…

As you can clearly see Gabriele was not an abstract painter at all, at least not if judged by these paintings you see here. No matter how much abstract is in some of these canvases, they are all figurative.

CHEERS

I sincerely, and from the bottom of my heart thank Michelle and Hotel Masticadores for this very interesting nomination. And I applaud all the other nominees.

BLACK AND WHITE RAINBOWS by Francisco Bravo Cabrera

NOSCE TE IPSUM by Francisco Bravo Cabrera

Now this was one of the greatest kick-arse bands from the 70’s that I was truly into. As a budding guitarist (in those years) I was completely in awe of Carlos Santana’s guitar work. I mean he was amazing! So I came to collect almost all their albums, and although I loved Abraxas, when I heard Caravanserai I totally flipped. Santana mixes jazz styles and improvs into the songs in a way that guided me to become a fan of jazz way back there when I did not even know who John Coltrane was…

Santana was formed in San Francisco in 1966, by, of course, Carlos Santana… They played in Woodstock (1969) and this launched, not only their first album Santana but the band itself into the rock world of the coming 1970’s.

Santana was included (1998) in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, to include Carlos Santana, José «Chepito» Areas, David Brown, Gregg Rolie, Mike Carabello y Michael Shrieve. Worth it to note that they have won 9 Grammy awards and three Latin Grammys. Carlos Santana won, as a soloist, a Grammy in 1988. And talk about sales, Santana has sold over 90 million records world-wide, making them one of the highest selling bands of all times. The original band got together to record Santana IV that came out in 2016.

Wow! Phenomenal! But enough history and narrative, now let’s listen…

CHEERS

For us in Europe, the last Thursday in November holds little significance; it is merely the day that represents the middle of the week. However, in the U.S., it is Thanksgiving Day, a special day dedicated to expressing gratitude to God (or whomever you wish) for the blessings you’ve experienced and the good things that have come your way. Giving thanks for life is something we should do every day, but for those who don’t or who may forget, at least North Americans have a day where they eat turkey, drink wine, enjoy NFL football games, and remember the importance and beauty of being grateful.

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Para nosotros en Europa el ultimo jueves de noviembre no tiene mayor importancia. es solo el dia que representa la mitad de la semana. Pero en EEUU es el día de acción de gracias, el famoso THANKSGIVING DAY. Es un dia señalado para agradecerle a Dios (o a quien desees) lo bueno que has vivido y lo bien que te han ido las cosas. Dar gracias por la vida es algo que debemos hacer todos los días pero para aquellos que no lo hacen, o se les olvida, al menos los norteamericanos tienen un dia donde comen pavo, beben vino, disfrutan de partidos de futbol (NFL) y recuerdan lo importante, y bonito que es ser agradecido.

CHEERS – GRACIAS