Stuff We Liked: Hall of Fame Honors Simone and Tharpe, Another Swing Calendar, Italian Paper on Swing Sexual Assaults, Two Crazy Dance Jams

/
nina simone.jpg

I’ll admit I don’t know that much about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, other than that every year it honors a set of musical artists from a wide variety of musical genres. This year, the Hall of Fame inducted two outstanding female musicians, one of whom is near and dear to the lindy hop community, and another who deserves a lot more attention and recognition. 

2018 inductee Nina Simone defies categorization, although many of us know her as a jazz musician and singer. She was also very much in the folk tradition, a powerful voice in the civil rights movement in the 1960s and beyond. She’s certainly deserving of attention and praise for her incredible musicianship, soulful singing, and strong political stances. Read more about her here.

Nina Simone's unapologetic rage and accusatory voice named names and took no prisoners in the African-American struggle for equality in the early 1960s. Her triumphant voice sang what it meant to be young, gifted and black in a sometimes unjust and troubled world.

2018 inductee Sister Rosetta Tharpe was an equally ground-breaking, innovative musician, one of the pioneers of the electric guitar, and an inspiration to so many rock artists that came after her. It’s long past time for her to be brought into the Hall of Fame. Read more about her here.

Sister Rosetta was the first guitar heroine of rock & roll. Her heartfelt gospel folksiness gave way to her roaring mastery of her trusty Gibson SG, which she wielded on a level that rivaled the best of her male contemporaries.

Other Stuff We Liked This Week:

  • London-based illustrator/graphic designer Simona De Leo has come out with another swing calendar, in case you are still looking for that perfect gift. Yes, we want this one too! [Hattip: damnation333 on reddit]
  • An Italian online newpaper Corriere della sera has written a powerful piece entitled “From Weinstein to Swing: When Women Start to Talk” which makes the connection between the larger revelations of powerful men sexually assaulting women and what has been happening in the lindy hop world. Available in English here.
  • This performance called “Mother of Dragons” from Dragon Swing in Krakow is just nuts. I’ve never seen the crowd like a performance so much that they demand that they do it again! [Hattip: Swingoutstatemachine on reddit]
  • Watch this excerpt from the dance show “Echoes of Harlem,” performed by the legendary Harlem Hot Shots from Stockholm Sweden. I’d love to see this live!

 
Have something special you want to share with other lindy hoppers? Hit this link to share it with us, or email us at rik@yehoodi.com.