#Montezuma Recording | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

niqhtlord01 · 1 year

Photo

Humans are weird: The place humans dare not tread

Extract from Garth Len’al, chief representative of the Zevalen Union to the Terran Federation Subject: Human Definition of “Death Worlds”

“A “Death World” is considered to be one of our people we think of extreme temperatures or unstable environments. In practice it seems like a standard definition, yet not for every species in the galaxy.

Extreme temperatures mean nothing to humans. It doesn’t matter if it is -100 or 300, they find ways to thrive in these otherwise deadly conditions as easily as one would move through water. Some even go further by using their natural evolutionary traits to adapt and condition themselves. I have seen visual files of humans stripping naked and bathing themselves in snow or laying in the scorching sun like a child in a candy store.

The instability of worlds has likewise not been a hindrance to humanity as had the extreme temperatures. In these situations they see it as a challenge and seek to perform mechanical wonders to tame their new home. On Dorbi II they built massive mobile cities that move between green zones each month to avoid the planets various earthquake seasons. For Timpel Prime they used massive drilling constructs to channel lava flows to create habitable regions for plant life to grow. Most impressive was Havenstead where they were able to artificially induce the coral to grow into massive mountain sized landmasses that reached all the way up from the seas floor to build new settlements on.

So if the standard definitions for a so called “Death World” do not apply, what then do humans considered to be death worlds? Would such a definition even exist in their vocabulary? It would surprise many that humans do have that definition, but it has a much darker and morbid meaning attached that far exceeds our own imagination.

Only one world has ever fit the definition of a “Death World” for humans. It was a world discovered during their golden age of exploration and was found to be full of such nightmares and horrors that all records of its location have been removed from every human archive and data base. It is now spoken of as a legend passed between one human to another, both as myth and warning to never seek it out.

That world has no other name then that of “Garden of Montezuma”.

From all surviving accounts the planet was described as a paradise world. Lush green and bountiful jungles covered the entire planet which supported a diverse wildlife not seen in millennia. Water so pure you could see the bottom of their oceans and skies so breathtaking the stars were said to never have been brighter.

The first colonization attempt was centered on the southern hemisphere with roughly two hundred human settlers to lay the foundation for a colony. The news networks on the human homeworld advocated heavily for the planet and it was expected that within a month of the initial establishment it would quickly grow in size. So when the final day came the colonists were dropped off with all the supplies they would need and a scheduled drop of new materials put in place for one month later.

A month went by and the supply ship returned only to find every trace of the colony was gone.

The area cleared away had been once more swallowed up by the jungles. Vines thick as tree trunks covered the few prefabricated buildings and landing pads that remained making the entire place seem like the ruins of an ancient civilization rather than a month long undertaking. Yet even more perplexing was the complete lack of any of the two hundred colonists.

It was as if the jungle had returned and claimed what had been taken from it.

This brought on a wave of fear for the humans as the sudden mysterious loss went unexplained. Dozens of investigators were sent to the planet while a human fleet did a swing by to scan for human life signs on the planet. Both came up empty and within three months the terran public had moved on to new dilemmas.

Five years went by before a second colonization attempt was made; although this time a detachment of military would also accompany the settlers to the colony. This time a location along the western landmass near the coastline was chosen; far from the original settlement location.

While the settlers got to work on building the settlement itself, the military contingent began work on a series of fortifications that ringed the entire perimeter. By the day’s end the colonists were surrounded in a fortress of fabricated stone, barbed wire, automated turrets, and enough armed personnel to occupy a small city. To add further to this impressive display the original transport ship that had carried the settlers and military forces to the planet remained in orbit and conducted hourly scans of the surrounding area to warn of any potential threats.

Three hours after sunset the transport ship began picking up frantic distress signals coming from the planet. He demanded to know why his scanning officers had not warned him, and to his surprise they were just as blindsided as he was. The scans had revealed no new movement on or within the perimeter for the last several hours when suddenly the communications network was hammered by dozens of distress calls coming from the surface.

They made a direct call to the military commander, Commander Nathan Tole, and demanded an update. When the video feed finally established the captain was saw the commander at the back of his office with two other soldiers hiding behind an overturned desk. The three of them were firing wildly at the doorway, punching holes through the sealed door and making whatever was on the other side squeal in pain.

The roar of sustained gunfire drowned out every attempt of the captain to speak to Nathan, and even if they weren’t the crew doubted he would have answered them anyway. The commander’s eyes were mad with fear as he fired over and over at the shadowy creatures beyond the door.

As the bullet holes became ever wider the door finally gave way and collapsed into the room. Whatever had been trying to get in before now shambled into the room and came within full view of the video feed and made every heart watching the feed skip a beat.

The figures were the colonists they had delivered but they were twisted and deformed in horrific manners. Their flesh had been turned a sickly green while their bones and muscle warped in unnatural positions to make them appear more beast than human. Their uniforms hung from their deformed bodies in rags and shreds, in places their bodies had grown and stretched so violently the growths had burst through them.

Each one was different in their appearance. Some looked almost normal save for their green skin, while others were beyond recognition standing six feet tall and covered in wood like spines.

All of the figures shambled into the room and made straight for the soldiers who continued to fire what dwindling ammunition they had left. Bullets punctured them and green ichor spurted out; yet they kept shambling forward.

The captain watched as one of the soldiers panicked and leapt out the nearby window while another put the muzzle of their rifle under their chin and fired a bullet straight into their head. Only Commander Tole remained as he continued firing round after round until finally the fateful click chimed and the commander was out of ammo.

Flipping the gun over, the commander held it like a club and prepared himself for his final stand. Before the feed went out, he turned to the video screen and said “Do not come here, this place is death”. At the transmissions end the captain began to issue orders for transports to return to the settlement and save the survivors, but his crew informed him that by now it would be too late.

Within another hour the distress signals faded one by one. The captain had his crew tap into the video feeds of the colony and watched the same nightmare play out over and over. Dwindling pockets of resistance were overrun by swarms of monsters. Several individuals tried to navigate to the landing pads and escape only to be caught and infected themselves.

By the dawn of the next day there was not a single living sole in the entire settlement; and just as mysteriously as the creatures had arrived did they then vanish into the surrounding jungle without a single notice.

From that day forward the planet was listed as officially off limits. To further enforce the restriction a virus was introduced into the galactic positioning net which deleted all records of the star system and its location. Were it not for the recordings the captain made to carry back to terran space there would be no evidence what so ever of this fiendish planet. Yet even now, some sixty years later you still hear stories of humans searching for the lost gardens of Montezuma. The fools know the risk and the tales of horror and yet still go on the quest for it.

Then again, to find the only world that humans ever said was a death world would be a story worthy of tale in of itself.

#HUMANS ARE WEIRD #humans are insane #humans are space orcs #humans are space oddities #science fiction #scifi #story #writing #original writing #horror #niqhtlord01 #ai generated art #deviantart dreamup

288 notes · View notes

mulberryasher · 9 days

Text

[Fanservant] Cuauhtémoc

I hope you guys like my first servant oc and also if you do comment below. Also, like and share this post with other media (Reddit, Twitter, instagram, Pixiv and etc.) for my support and can continue to post more like this post. You can also spread and be creative with this servant oc. Thank you. :)

Cuauhtémoc

Japanese Name: (クアウテモック)

Class: Saber

AKA: Cuauhtemotzín, Guatémuz, Last Aztec Emperor, Ruler of Tlatelolco, cuauhtlatoani, Hero of Unyielding Jade, Guatémuz the Valor, Cuauhtémoc the water sun

PROFILE

Default:

Cuauhtémoc, who fought the Spanish to the best of her ability, is considered a hero who defended her homeland from these conquerors, a symbol of valor. As she continued to protect her homeland, time came slowly like a fading sun; she wanted to save her people and homeland, but the Spanish executed her at the end of her life.

In historical records, Cuauhtémoc is a male, but she disguises herself as a male.

Bond 1:

Height/Weight: 154cm, 42kg

Origin: Historical Fact,

Region: Aztec civilization, Mexico

Alignment: Lawful-Good

Gender: Female

After pretending to be a man, she doesn't know how to react to affection.

Bond 2:

An Aztec Emperor who wants to bring peace and see her people's smiling faces when she becomes the emperor after the latest Aztec emperor in Tenochtitlan. It is known more as Mexico-Tenochtitlan during her time. She is a lovely and calm person who sincerely wants to change Mexico-Tenochtitlan for her people before Hernán Cortés, the conquistador who would later destroy the Aztec empire. She has an elegant, beautiful lady aura, and even when she talks to others, she is cheerful and exciting even though she has knowledge of the modern from the throne of heroes.

Bond 3:

After the death of the latest Emperor, Cuauhtémoc decided to protect her people and land. She opposed Montezuma's plan to allow them into Tenochtitlan and fought fiercely against them when she replaced Montezuma. Her unfailing distrust and hatred of the Spanish helped her rise to the position of Tlatoani upon the death of Cuitlahuac. There were no records of her fighting the war, but her extraordinary leadership and selfless defense of her homeland were. In her childhood, she witnessed the bloody battles of Aztec warfare since the Aztecs waged war to reap tribute and take captives for religious sacrifices. They were also given to Aztec society so victorious Aztec warriors could receive high honors. She wants to bring peace without violence and create a homeland of smiles.

Since Cuauhtemoc was not recorded in history until her reign as emperor, her date of birth is unknown. As the oldest legitimate daughter of Emperor Ahuitzotl, she probably attended the last New Fire ceremony to mark the start of a new 52-year cycle. In 1515, she was named ruler of Tlatelolco, with the title cuauhtlatoani, meaning "eagle ruler," after concealing herself as a male to enter the boy school and military service. She works hard to reach her position of rulership since Cuauhtemoc pretends to be a male of high birth and a warrior who has captured enemies for sacrifice because she prefers death to be their hands. She even earns a name known as Guatemuz from the Spanish conquistadors.

Bond 4:

Mana Burst (Water): EX She was blessed by the goddess of water and given the divine water that rivaled the fifth Sun of his power—the discharge of magical energy in liquid form. Having her Noble Phantasm concealed, her magic energy nature is established as water by the divine aura that emanates from it. Divine water increases its rank.

The embodiment of Mexico-Tenochtitlan: EX She is an emperor who wants to protect her homeland and wants to change Mexico-Tenochtitlan to bring peace. Her leadership path and unyielding will are refusing to surrender and wishing to save Mexico-Tenochtitlan.

Blessing of the Fifth Sun: B Even though tortured and captured, she refused to surrender, and some sources said, "Our Sun has gone from our vision and will remain in Mictian, the place where the spirits repose." She believes that Huitzilopochtli will guide Mexico-Tenochtitlan and the people who will survive, and one day, someone will bring her homeland peace to the people's future.

Bond 5:

『Inner World Chālchihuitl Blade』

Rank: A++

NP Type: Anti-Fortress

Sword of Jade

A weapon not forged by man nor divine was forged within the Inner Sea of the Planet. A Noble Phantasm that can rival Holy Sword Excalibur. A sword that is forged by the world from stores of many unknown weaponry that have yet to be discovered from the current time.

『The Fifth Sun Storm 』

Rank: A+

Type: Anti-Unit / Anti-Army Noble Phantasm

Range: 0-10

Maximum Targets: 1-20 people

This Noble Phantasm unleashes five slashes at once. This ability's fearsome power combines the five Suns of the Aztec gods into one Sun to become a rainstorm of blood that can rival Huitzilopochtli, who was honored above all in Tenochtitlan as the patron god of the Aztecs. While it is an Anti-Unit technique, it is so powerful that the surrounding area gets caught in the blast. (Naturally, its strength lessens when used as an Anti-Army technique.)

“Soy la uno como el sol, blessed by the given divine of the inner sea jade…May this sun become water, may the water become the blood of my people's death, SANGRE DEL QUINTO SOL CHALCHIUHTLICUE!”

Identity:

Known to the Spanish conquistadors as Guatemuz, he was the last Mexica tlahtoani of Mexico-Tenochtitlan. He assumed power in 1520, one year before Hernán Cortés and his troops captured Tenochtitlan. Cuauhtémoc, son of Ahuízotl and cousin of Moctezuma Xocoyotzin and Tecuichpo, when she reached nubility. He took power in Tenochtitlan after the conquistadors had already left, but famine, smallpox, and a lack of potable water had devastated the city. Cuauhtémoc arrived at this moment after having been tlakatekohtli (chief of arms) of the resistance to the conquistadors since the death of Moctezuma before the call by the Spanish "Sad Night," he has been identified as a military leader of the Mexicas.

Driven by his foresight and belief in the Mexicas' resilience, Cuauhtémoc orchestrated the reorganization of the Mexica army, the reconstruction of the city, and its fortification in preparation for the inevitable conflict with the Spaniards. He tactfully dispatched ambassadors to neighboring towns, seeking alliances and reducing their contributions, displaying his astute leadership.

After eighty days of warfare against the Spanish, Cuauhtémoc called for reinforcements from the countryside to help defend Tenochtitlán. The surviving Tenochcas sought refuge in Tlatelolco, where even women participated in the battle. Only Tlatelolcas remained loyal, and even women took part in the battle. As he and his family fled Tenochtitlán by crossing Lake Texcoco, Cuauhtémoc was captured on August 13, 1521.

Tragically, when confronted by the conqueror, Cuauhtémoc, pointing to the dagger on his belt, requested to be slain with it. Unable to defend his city and vassals, he chose to meet his end at the hands of the invader. This act, viewed as a sacrifice to the gods, was a poignant testament to the depth of his loyalty and the anguish of his defeat. According to duplicate Spanish accounts, Cortés declined the offer and treated his adversary with magnanimity. The brave warrior defended the capital, he claimed. Even an enemy in a Spaniard's eyes is worthy of respect. The end of his life can't help but feel a deep sympathy and sorrow for Cuauhtémoc's tragic fate.

Cuauhtémoc's death was not of interest to Cortés at that time. As a subsidiary of Emperor Carlos V and Cortés, he preferred to use his dignity before the Mexicas as Tlatoani. As part of the city's cleaning and restoration work, which occurred in the months following the conquest, Cuauh émoc took advantage of his initiative and power to secure the Mexica's cooperation. However, due to what the Spanish perceived as 'greedy Spanish stewardship and distrust of the Spaniards,' the last Mexica tlatoani was tortured and killed by Cortés.

Relationship:

Artotria Pendragon: “Altria…Wait, King of Knights. It is an honor to meet an ideal king. Ufufu, this is exciting. I hope she and I can have lunch together and get along as friends.

EMIYA (Archer), MORARSEU (Caster)(OC): "The red archer and the black caster both end up with the same fate but for different reasons. I could be their big sister and help them out! Also, I CAN HELP COOKING DINNER!"

Huitzilopochtli (Saber) (OC): "HUITZILOPOCHTI! I am your biggest fan, and I pray you can guide my people after the Spanish conquistadores. Sorry, this is out of character. It is just a big honor to meet our Sun of Mexico-Tenochtitlan. I am a bit surprised that you are different from what I hear.?? So you were summoned with a human male vessel. Still, it is a great honor to meet you. I mess up again!"

Tezcatlipoca: "...The black Sun, I don't like him. He is very selfish, and I hope he doesn't start a war because just because if he got into a fight with his other siblings. It will be another destructive battle."

Kukulkan: "The evil serpent, be careful, Master! Wait, what? She is not evil but a good serpent? Is she the sixth Sun, then? Sun of a lostbelt? Then, sorry for my attitude. If she is a lostbelt version, she differs from the Pan-human history. Maybe that's why my Noble Phantasm is acting up because of the merge with another God…. It's nothing, Master."

Quetzalcoatl: "ehh, Quetalcoatl? The Feathered Serpent. I thought you were a male god, but it seems you were summoned with the female vessel."

Tenochtitlan: "An embodiment of the city of Tenochtitlan before known as Mexico-Tenochtitlan. Our people indeed love our homelands. Am glad I meet you, Meztliapan. Then, let's be friends; I hope we can get along very well, and I can also help you introduce other servants!"

Gilgamesh (Archer): "Gilgamesh? Is he known as the King of Heroes? Why does he look at my Macuahuitl? He seems very mad and confused."

Yamato Takeru: "Takeru-san is a good person. We have some common interests, like blessing by divine water and sharing our favorite foods. I LOVE RICE BALL AND RAMAN! Takeru-san shares lovely, delicious food with me."

Castoria: "It's Altria-kun. She is a fun and energetic person. She is teaching me what magecraft is. She is fun to spend time with, and when it comes to food, I share my favorite food."

Uesugi Kenshin: "Kenshin is playful when we sparring. We play along well, but she seems to have lost something of herself. Even though I have the god-like power of my blade that rivals Huitzilopochtli's power, I want to help her in any way I can, not just to sympathize with her. But as a friend."

Something you Like: "My homeland, family and the people of Mexico-Tenochtitlan. I love food! My favorite is tamales of salsa verde con queso and Enchiladas Rojas with lettuce and cheese. It's yummy when I think about it. Sorry for my attitude, Master."

Something you Hate: "What do I hate? I hate Spanish, especially Hernán Cortés. My people and the latest Emperor were just too nice. The Spaniards' greed ruined my people and homeland."

About the Holy Grail: "The Holy Grail that can grant wishes, it is good but is not something I don't want. I accept my past and my actions. I want to see someone who one day brings peace to the people of my homeland."

12 notes · View notes

vobomon · 4 months

Text

Montezuma got his redesign thanks to MORMORII from toyhouse!

This was the first Hazbin Hotel OC that I designed-- I just never got around to uploading the original design. He is a sinner based off Oswald Mandus from Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs.

After death, Oswald went to Hell and was transformed into a steampunk themed sinner with a heart lit aflame. He found that he has the power to control over fire and metal... and that thanks to the orb-- he still had the power to see the future-- specifically any deaths that would occur. This became important because each year, angels would show up to kill and murder sinners. And Oswald was able to foresee which demons would die.

Taking on the name of the Aztec emperor that ruled over the empire in its final days... Oswald became Montezuma. He moved to live in Cannibal Town and started his meat factory all over again. It quickly flourished thanks to the cannibals.

Every year, when the extermination is nearing close, sinners from the Doomsday district will visit Montezuma and ask him to see their future. Depending on the result, the district will respond to his predictions with the usual reaction.

Montezuma ends up creating a new family in Hell because Lily is (likely) in Heaven and his children are (likely) stuck as ghosts on Earth. So he will never be able to reunite with his old family.

Oh right -- forgot to mention that he has no mouth but is still able to speak using his mind by projecting his words into other minds. His voice sounds like a phonograph recording.

#hazbin hotel #helluva boss #amnesia: a machine for pigs #oswald mandus #hazbin hotel oc

6 notes · View notes

lightdancer1 · 4 months

Text

Juan Garrido is of note as being one of the survivors of Hernan Cortez's Conquest of Mexico:

Juan Garrido is one of the very literal cases of 'history was never as white as it's portrayed in European sources.' He was part of the Spanish conquest of Cuba and Puerto Rico. He was also one of those who was a part of the Hernan Cortez expedition from the newly established city of Vera Cruz marching to the Halls of Montezuma, who survived La Noche Triste, and was one of the victors in the Siege of Tenochtitlan.

Equally of note given the nature of everything that led to Las Casas' role in the establishment of the slave trade, like the other conquerors of Tenochtitlan he set up an Encomienda, and has the record of being the first farmer in mainland North America to grow wheat. By all accounts Garrido was one of the more successful Conquistadors, moreso than either Cortez himself or Pizarro would prove to be.

One must also note that in the context of the 1500s neither Juan Garrido nor Hernan Cortez themselves could have expected that the march on the Aztec capital would provide the basis for as much as it did, while both viewed the horrors of the conquest as deserving a reward while being no more sympathetic than any other conquerors to the conquered.

#lightdancer comments on history #black history month #military history #spanish empire #history of imperialism #conquest of mexico #hernan cortez expedition #juan garrido #not the last time that Black people would have major roles in Mexican history #the reward was the later 19th and 20th Century Mexican state erasing them from existence until very recently by bureaucracy

2 notes · View notes

dollarbin · 8 months

Text

Dollar Bin #12:

Mickey Newbury's Live at Montezuma Hall / Looks like Rain

I don't recommend you storm your local Dollar Bin in desperate search of this double album from Mickey Newbury.

Rather, I insist that you do so. Now.

You're still sitting there, so I'll explain what you'll get for your dollar: a seemingly unedited concert from 73 on Disc 1, and a full reissue of Newbury's 69 studio record, Looks Like Rain, as a bonus disc.

Today, on its own, copies of Looks Like Rain cost $30 to $100 or more. And that's if you are lucky enough to find a copy. As near as I can tell, just about all of Newbury's catalog is stone cold out of print in every purchase format from download to 8 track. Newbury's grandkids must have Ph.D's in economics and some kind of master plan; or they're just pissed.

But fret not. No one need pound the pavement or their discogs keyboard. No one need take out a home loan for a copy of the original record. Looks Like Rain is waiting for you in the Dollar Bin, attached to the Montezuma concert. I saw four available copies last week alone.

And so, let me now declare that this double album Is The Soundest Investment Of 2023. You heard it here first day traders: don't buy low; don't sell high. Buy Mickey Newbury.

Let's start with Looks Like Rain.

1969 was a pretty big year in music, yes? Astral Weeks and Electric Ladyland came out in late 68, so let's start the countdown of epic greatness there. The Velvet Underground, Five Leaves Left, Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, Dusty in Memphis, Abby Road, The Band, Songs from a Room, Let it Bleed, At San Quentin, In a Silent Way, Clouds: 1969 is not a good year in music, it's The Best Year in Music. Fairport Convention managed to release not just one, but three timeless records all in that one year.

You won't find Looks Like Rain listed alongside those albums on any best-of lists. But that's only because people are dumb. After all, look at the current presidential polling.

Newbury's 69 record offers glorious space between every note, much like Van Morrison's phrasing in Astral Weeks' or Young's soloing in Down By the River. Take a listen to She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye. The percussion and choir are barely there; a song that could be 45 seconds long, start to finish, gloriously stretches itself out to shimmer and glow, then gives way to the pulsing rain.

youtube

Newbury's lyrics throughout this record are often timeless, much like Leonard Cohen's own writing from that year. Sure, no one, short of T.S. Eliot with his patient etherized on a table, can stand alongside Cohen when he compares a bird on a wire to a drunk in a midnight choir, and no one else in that, or maybe any, year could rewrite Genesis's story of Issac as an updated Masters of War complete with a peacock waiving its fan, but Newbury offers us miniaturized perfections that set the stage for Kris Kristofferson's imminent arrival the following year. Just listen to him describe a lost love:

It's not her heart Lord, it's her mind.

She didn't mean to be unkind.

Why, she even woke me up to say goodbye.

I could go on and on. The album, with its sitars, sound effects and transitional whistling, is as experimental for country music as Abby Road or In a Silent Way were for pop and jazz respectively. Newbury's vocals ache and individualize - no one else will ever sing like this - in ways Lucinda Williams, Tom Waits and Tom Petty would spend their entire careers emulating. Nothing here is dull; everything is wholly original. I'd happily eat Newbury's poison red berries any day; and I'd chase them down with Van's cherry wine.

Just listen to T. Total Tommy. The rain gives way to a Fotheringay-like guitar piece that merges with Kenny Buttrey's insistent cymbal work (which he'd forever cement in all our minds through Heart of Gold two years later) and a beautifully bent bass line. Newbury overlays this lovely tension with his own midnight choir, finger snaps and lead vocals that are somehow wise, sad and joyful all at once. Some men kill with bullets, Newbury tells us. Others, use a pen. I'd happily listen to 16 more verses of this song but Newbury shuffles off early as we rush to flip the record.

youtube

And remember: this is just 1/2 of what you get from this Dollar Bin diamond.

Live from Montezuma Hall finds Newbury playing the part of Jerry Jeff Walker's wise uncle. At the same time Walker was guzzling Sangria in Luckenbach, Newbury was greeting his audience with humble, often incomprehensible, hilarity. But sides of the record start with Newbury rambling, first about a pot smoker halfway up in the audience, then second about a neighbor of his parents' hound dogs. I have no idea what he's saying some of the time but I love every moment, and I can understand why Kristofferson, Jennings and Nelson all bowed down to this guy even though the record buying public largely ignored him.

Both of his side opening rambles give way to foot stompers, then we dive straight into some of the best white guy soul music I know of. But there's a problem lurking on Side 2...

I imagine that one of the biggest reasons Newbury's music hasn't taken off this century is the nature of his most famous song, An American Trilogy, which Elvis co-opted throughout the 70s. I'm a dad to three cool kids and they always perk up when Newbury is playing in the house. But every time American Trilogy starts up on the turntable I rush to turn it off. It's 2023. Black Lives Matter, and no one reasonable, including me, is real excited to hear Confederate marching music, even if Newbury is doing the singing.

It's a shame. If Newbury, who died over 20 years ago, had lived to see the present moment, he'd have had the chance to speak about the song and put things in better perspective. Gordon Lightfoot did a wonderful job with this kind of thing at the end of his life by frankly apologizing for the mysogenistic nature of many of his early songs.

Not everyone gets this kind of thing right though. Stephen Stills is still alive and well, and he has yet to apologize for his entire body of work. He should do so.

Now, I know nothing about Newbury's politics or attitude towards people of color. But, happily, a full listen to Live At Montezuma offers a strong potential defense against the idea that he was a racist through and through. His intro to Cortelia Clark, and the song itself, offers, to my privileged white ears anyway, the strong hope that Newbury could be deeply thoughtful and caring towards people less privileged than himself.

Okay, we talked all that through. Let's go out on a high note, shall we? Take a listen to another of Newbury's timeless classics, this one from Frisco Mabel Joy, then go spend all your hard earned cash on every Newbury record your local Dollar Bin offers. I promise great returns on your investment.

youtube

Hope you all are well. Thanks for reading.

#Youtube #mickey newbury #stephen stills still sucks #1969 #jerry jeff walker

6 notes · View notes

casbooks · 1 year

Text

Books of 2023

Book 4 of 2023:

Title: Flashing Saber/Brennan’s War Authors: Matthew Brennan ISBN: 9781503102941 Tags: ACH-47 Guns-A-Go-Go Chinook, Forward Observer, FRA Groupement Mobile 100 (Indochina War), FSB Baldy (Vietnam War), FSB Bird (Vietnam War), FSB Cobra (Vietnam War), FSB English (Vietnam War), FSB Montezuma (Vietnam War), H-13 Sioux, KOR ROK Republic of Korea Army, LZ Hammond (Vietnam War), LZ Hereford (Vietnam War), LZ Montezuma (Vietnam War), LZ Porrazzo (Vietnam War), LZ Ross (Vietnam War), LZ Willy (Vietnam War), Military Police, OH-6, OV-1 Mohawk, UK Royal Malaysian Tracker School, US USA 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, US USA 12th Cavalry Regiment, US USA 173rd Airborne Brigade, US USA 196th Light Infantry Brigade, US USA 1st Cavalry Division, US USA 1st ID, US USA 21st Field Artillery Bn, US USA 227th Assault Helicopter Bn, US USA 35th Infantry Regiment, US USA 35th Infantry Regiment - 1/35, US USA 4th ID, US USA 9th Cavalry - 1st Squadron (Headhunters), US USA 9th Cavalry Regiment, US USA Combat Trackers - K9, US USA LRRP Team (Vietnam War), US USA United States Army, USA Capt. James Taylor (MOH) (Vietnam War), USAF Phu Cat Airbase (Vietnam War), VNM 1968 Tet Offensive (1968) (Vietnam War), VNM 506 Valley, VNM A Shau Valley, VNM An Khe, VNM An Lao, VNM An Loc, VNM Battle of Hue City (1968) (Tet Offensive) (Vietnam War), VNM Battle of Khe Sanh (1968) (Tet Offensive) (Vietnam War), VNM Binh An, VNM Binh Dinh Province, VNM Bong Son, VNM Bong Son River, VNM Bu Dop Special Forces Camp (Vietnam War), VNM Camp Evans (Vietnam War), VNM Camp Radcliff (Vietnam War), VNM Chu Lai, VNM CIA Phung Hoang / Phoenix Program (1965-1972) (Vietnam War), VNM Crow's Foot War Zone, VNM Da Nang, VNM Deo Mang, VNM Deo Mang pass, VNM DRV NVA 18th Regiment, VNM DRV NVA 18th Regiment - 27th Co, VNM DRV NVA 22nd Regiment, VNM DRV NVA 2nd Division, VNM DRV NVA 33rd Regiment, VNM DRV NVA 3rd Division, VNM DRV NVA 812th Regiment, VNM DRV NVA Sang Vao (Yellow Star) Division, VNM DRV VC 2nd Regiment, VNM Duc Pho, VNM Hiep Duc, VNM Ho Bo Woods, VNM Hon Kon (Hong Kong Mountain), VNM Hue, VNM Khe Sanh, VNM Kim Son, VNM Kontum, VNM Lang Vei Special Forces Camp (Vietnam War), VNM Loc Ninh, VNM LZ Ross, VNM Mang Yang Pass, VNM Million Dollar Hill, VNM Monument Hill, VNM Nui Ba Ra (Mountain of the Old Man), VNM Operation Cravy Horse (1966) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Masher (1966) (Vietnam War), VNM Perfume River, VNM Phouc Vinh, VNM Pleiku, VNM Quan Loi, VNM Quang Tri, VNM Que Son Valley, VNM Route 1, VNM Route 14, VNM Route 19, VNM Rung Sat Special Zone, VNM RVN ARVN Army of the Republic of Vietnam, VNM RVN ARVN Vietnamese Rangers - Biet Dong Quan, VNM RVN RVNP Can Sat National Police, VNM Saigon, VNM Song Re, VNM Soui Ca Mountains, VNM Tam Ky, VNM Tan Son Nhut Air Base, VNM The Graveyard, VNM Tiger Mountains, VNM USMC DHCB Dong Ha Combat Base (Vietnam War), VNM USMC KSCB Khe Sanh Combat Base (Vietnam War), VNM VC Valley, VNM Vietnam War (1955-1975), VNM Vinh Thanh Valley (Happy Valley), VNM War Zone C, VNM War Zone D, VNM French Indochina War (1946-1954) Rating: 5 Stars Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.US Army.Infantry

Description:

"The division's expendables." That's what one division commander called the 1/9th Cavalry Blue platoons during the Vietnam War. The Blues, as they were called, were perpetually understrength and considered to be acceptable losses in hopeless situations--but their amazingly successful record proved otherwise.

Flashing Saber is memoir about mortal combat with the First Air Cavalry Division's reconnaissance squadron. Included is the account of an air-ground raid that killed more high-ranking enemy officers than any similar engagement of the war: a full colonel, four majors and four senior captains.

An expansion and careful reworking of his previous work, Brennan's War, published in 1985, and in the vein of classic memoirs by Johnnie Clark and Frederick Downs, the book is a harrowing firsthand account of life and death in war.****

Review: I’ve read Brennan’s previous book, Brennan’s War shortly after it was published in 1985. A lot of what was in it stuck with me as a classic retelling of some ones honest look at their own experience, their failures/stupidity, and both good and bad choices.

This version adds a lot more nuance and more understanding to what he experienced, and the added snippets add a lot to round out some of the people and tales without watering down the experiences or raw emotion.

His experiences are unique due to his circumstances, and most importantly, he has an excellent way of telling the story. It’s not just a cut and dry “i went here, I did this...” ... but he understands narrative, he understands human emotion, and he is able to convey things in a way many other authors of this genre actually fail to do.

#books #ebooks #booklr #bookblr #vietnam war #history #non-fiction #nonfiction #1st Air Cav #US Army

3 notes · View notes

ultramarkmacsounds · 4 months

Audio

(THE SOUNDS COLLECTIVE) Greetings guys, Here is another chance to checkout last night’s show on 107.3 Stafford FM, The Sounds Collective Show I welcomed an amazing guest to the decks, A brilliant producer and a quality Dj Mr Wilson Costa.Wilson is a Composition and sound designer, DJ, musician, accomplished Saxophone player and label owner. As a Dj, Wilson's skills are very well known, he famous for moving dancefloors all around the world. His music being featured on many radio stations all over the world including, BBC Radio 1. An amazing Dj able to Switch from early doors to late night parties with ease. As label manager and A&R for Silent Koalas he is constantly busy, However he has found time in his busy schedule to come and do us an exclusive mix for us here at The Sounds Collective. In the final hour of this week’s show he did us an awesome mix, featuring his perfect choice of deep and smooth beats. As for me I did the first hour which was a solid hour of some truly brilliant tunes. I heavily featured a few of my favourite Organic and Deep House Labels such as, Bekool Records, M-Sol DEEP, Be Adult Music DeepStitched, Lucidflow, Occult Power Records, Aqua Salada Records, Lucky Sun Recordings. Including my track of the week from “Legacy202” … All in all, it was a brilliant show to do, and I really enjoyed the vibes this week... Two Hours of pure quality and certainly not one to miss. Jump onto Soundcloud and enjoy a trip onto the deeper side of house with two hours of pure, smooth vibes. Follow the link below and ya in... Mark Mac Wilson Costa.#Deephouse #OrganicHouse #116bpm #110bpm #TheSoundsCollective #StaffordFM #SilentKoalas01 Lucky Sun feat. Jaidene Veda - Falling Fool (Kanedo Remix) - Lucky Sun Recordings 02 Darles Flow, Koala, M-Sol DEEP - I Feel You - M-Sol DEEP 03 VieL - No Matter What - Bekool Records 04 Serious Dancers, Evren Furtuna - What Carmen Needs (Original Mix) Be Adult Music 05 Teeka, Alessio Serra, M-Sol DEEP – Obsession - M-Sol DEEP 06 Mauro B & Kanedo - Emotions (Original Mix) - Agua Salada Records 07 Apocrypha (AR) - Nightbird - Bekool Records 08 DeepSlave M - Wrapped (Original Mix) - Occult Power Records 09 Legacy202 - Pandora (Original Mix) - DeepStitched 10 Legacy202 - Space Express (Original Mix) - DeepStitched 11 error.func - Open Your Mind - LucidFlow.Wilson Costa Mix 01 Above & Beyond - Surge (PROFF & Igor Garanin Extended Mix) Anjunadeep 02 George X - Ourania (Original Mix) 03 Ilias Katelanos, Pleta, Alex Ch - Nidra (Original Mix) Melody of the Soul 04 ?? 05 Gorje Hewek, Amonita, Makebo - Never Been (Original Mix) Shanti Radio 06 Arina Muir - Spin the Dawn (Extended Mix) Songuara 07 Krasa Rosa, Ranta & Miroshin - Kolybelnaya (Extended Mix) Melody of the Soul 08 Death on the Balcony - Almeida Social Club (Original Mix) Be Adult Music 09 Montezuma & Nandra - Darko (Original Mix) Alaula Music 10 ?? 11 Nox Van & Marsh - Come Together (Original Mix) Anjunadeep 12 Olivers Patter & Humans Out Loud - Sunrise Beach

#SoundCloud #music #THE SOUNDS COLLECTIVE #Deephouse #OrganicHouse #110bpm #TheSoundsCollective

0 notes

swedebeast · 1 year

Text

Swedebeast gaming pet-peeve #219: Spoken lines do not match what is written.

So, Civilization 5 made a big deal of having voice actors record line in period accurate languages of the empires and characters they represent. They have Montezuma of the Aztecs speak Nahuatl, which is a big thing.

And so, written lines go with it.

Now, this is not a gripe at how bad the Swedish is, or the delivery of the actor’s lines. Rather,m the mis-match of speech and writing. One moment this fellow will reply to a trade deal with “My dear friend, I believe that this agreement will benefit both our peoples” when the written text blurb says “That will do”.

Or, the text blurb above is accompanied with the spoken line of “I must decline”.

I understand a concern with a lack of variation. But you know what would have solved that? Record more lines. I can bet money that this guy wasn’t expensive - he sounds like a children’s morning show announcer.

#civ 5 #civilization #games

0 notes

chloehowardgrad603 · 1 year

Text

Week 1 - Joseph Churchward Research

- Samoan-born graphic designer

-an internationally renowned typeface designer whose work graced record covers, billboards, newspapers and popular literature such as posters and brochures around the world

-He hand-created around 700 typefaces, drawing upon influences from his Pacific heritage and family.

-His work was well known to the international design community from the 1960s but was not prominent in New Zealand until Te Papa Tongarewa acquired his archive and held an exhibition of his work in 2009.

https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/6c10/churchward-joseph

His typefaces:

Churchward Design (30)

Churchward Marianna (10)

Churchward Design Sparkly & Modern (2)

Churchward 69 (1)

Churchward Brush (1)

Churchward Design Lines (1)

Churchward Montezuma (1)

BN Beverly

Churchward Alien

Churchward Asia

Churchward Blackbeauty 72

Churchward Chinatype

Churchward Conserif

Churchward Crossbred

Churchward Freedom

Churchward Georgina

Churchward Heading

Churchward Isabella

Churchward Legible

Churchward Lorina

Churchward Maori

Churchward Maricia

Churchward Newstype

Churchward Roundsquare

Churchward Samoa

Churchward Supascript

Churchward Swinger Bold

Churchward Ta Tiki

Churchward Tua

Churchward Typestyle

Churchwardiana

Josephs Brush

https://fontsinuse.com/type_designers/649/joseph-churchward

0 notes

waltergmeyer-blog · 1 year

Text

The trip was amazing. We covered a lot of territory and saw so much. Just under 4400 miles of driving. Almost ran out of gas. Twice. So much beautiful scenery, incredible wildlife, and lots of wide open spaces—Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona all have lots of space. Luckily, Zach loves to drive. I don’t. So he did about 80% of the driving while I played navigator, DJ, and historian.

In addition to the national parks (Zion, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone) which we knew would be fantastic--and were—we found lesser-known national parks and monuments (Petrified Forest and Montezuma’s Well) to be very pretty and interesting along with some other unexpected and wonderful moments—Mesa Falls in Idaho, the quirky Idaho Potato Museum, and the touristy fun of a corner in Winslow, Arizona. There was a flatbed Ford, my Lord!

When I first listed the places I wanted to stop, I had as a goal hitting five of the seven states I need to have visited all 50. I needed Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, the Dakotas, Alaska and Louisiana. But when I realized the scale of those north-central states, I realized it would add a week to the trip to hit the Dakotas. Next time.

I hit more drive-throughs (or, as the sign at the McDonald’s in St. George, Utah said it was, a “Rive Thru”) and ate more fast food on this trip than I have in the last five years combined. We were still avoiding eating indoors so when we couldn’t pack our own meals (we ate more than a few PB&Js on the fly) we’d hit a drive-through and eat in the car in the parking lot. My car needed a thorough cleaning inside and out after all the food and mud and dirt—especially from that dirt road in the national forest outside of Sedona.

We really lucked out on the food. When we did eat out, we chanced upon some really good places. Often bad restaurants can survive a long time in tourist areas since they are not depending on repeat business, but in Jackson Hole, Sedona, West Yellowstone, and every other place we ate we had surprisingly good meals at not unreasonable prices.

It’s going to be hard to record all the adventures and figure out whether to do them chronologically or geographically or by subject. I think the easiest might be a combination. So, I will start at the very beginning, which is a very good place to start. About 664,000 years ago, a super-volcano erupted and…wait, maybe that is going back too far. But I will return to that story in a bit.

On day one, we headed north on I-15 which was to be our home for many hours. We zipped through Las Vegas without stopping—good advice for almost anyone—and on to St. George, Utah, which was the closest accommodations to Zion National Park that we could find. It was a crappy little motel with strange guests, many of whom sat outside their rooms drinking cheap beer and spitting chaw into clear water bottles that they left outside their rooms, not to be picked up the next day. But the noise didn’t go on too late or keep us awake.

I had driven through Zion many years ago on my drive to California, cutting through the park, taking photos, and a short hike. The rocks haven’t changed much. Now I had time explore.

I had laid out most of the Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Denver parts of the trip, Zach researched and chose the itinerary for most of the Zion visit. But we both failed to do our full homework and ran into some issues. We arrived in Zion on National Public Lands Day—admittance to all parks was free so the place was packed. Our visit to Denver was on Mother Cabrini Day—even any Coloradans we talked to had no idea about this one; and arriving at the Air Force Academy while their famous, beautiful chapel—the reason for our visit--was enclosed in a giant box for renovations. More on the Air Force Academy visit later.

But even with all the people, Zion was beautiful. More on those adventures soon, also.

#zion national park #national park #travel #adventure #utah #photography

0 notes

switchpiner · 2 years

Text

Mesas de televisor

Mesas de televisor movie#

Mesas de televisor tv#

“We want to have people communicate with us and call us with their ideas and stuff and it is what we are here for, to serve.”Ĭontact Coy at or 97 with any questions, comments or suggestions. “This community is awesome, and I just want to say that we do it for the community,” Coy said.

Mesas de televisor movie#

Participants will need a version of Sony Movie Studio 13 Platinum and a personal laptop.Īccording to a news release, a separate class may be offered in the future on the “Introduction to Digital Photography and Art,” and class sizes will be limited for the sake of individualized instruction.

Mesas de televisor tv#

Mueble Rack Tv - Siena 65 - Televisor Mu. In addition, Coy will offer a midweek class for the public titled, “Introduction to Video Editing” for a fee through the Cortez Cultural Center website. New Inventory Pre-Owned Certified Pre-Owned Featured Vehicles. Disfruta de tus películas y programas favoritas en cualquier habitación de tu hogar, con una mesa para TV podrás acomodar éste electrónico dónde más te acomode. Mesa TV also hopes to start a weekly, 30-minute newscast focused on positive, local news. Mesa TV partners with Montezuma-Cortez High School to video record games, concerts, dramas or other programs to be broadcast at a later time. Successful completion of the program could lead to a future staff position, according to the news release. Looking to the future, Mesa TV hopes to start an internship program, providing the opportunity to learn the profession of broadcast media and TV and video production with hands-on experience. Añadir a la lista de comparación Añadir a la lista de deseos. Si no es la ubicación donde te encuentras, aquí puedes cambiarla. Mesa para televisor Tokoa AC-7026 139.000,00 i.i. Mesas y Paneles para TV - Homecenter Esta ubicación nos ayudará a brindarte una mejor experiencia de compra. “We also have a real desire to see our local high school students become involved, possibly in such areas as the production of their own weekly newscast to be aired on Mesa TV.”Ĭoy said that Mesa TV is seeking a sponsor for local basketball game streaming. Añadir a la lista de comparación Añadir a la lista de deseos. “We are encouraging the community to contact us with local news and upcoming events,” said Coy in a news release. Mesa TV broadcasts live on YouTube and over-the-air antenna TV on channel 30.6. “The co-founder and I went to the same church, and it was just one of those things like, ‘Hey, you wanna start a TV station?’ So we are doing it for the community and we are doing it for the Lord.” “It is funny how you fall into things at certain points in your life,” said Jekekiah Coy, co-founder and CEO of Mesa TV. Mesa TV’s broadcasts reach the Four Corners counties of Montezuma and Dolores, as well as parts of western La Plata County and eastern San Juan County in southeast Utah, and parts of northwestern New Mexico, according to a news release. Cortez’s only local television studio will celebrate its third year on the air on March 1.

#Mesas de televisor

0 notes

epacer · 2 years

Text

Story You May Have Missed

Gunnar Biggs, Class of 1971

Gunnar Biggs: Stalwart on the Upright

When asked what inspired him to take up the bass, Gunnar Biggs sums it up in two words: Paul McCartney.

In 1964, Biggs was a fledgling French horn player, following in his father’s footsteps. The late Millard Biggs was a virtuoso of the brass instrument and taught at San Diego State University.

Seeing the Beatles in their debut U.S. TV appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show revolutionized the boy’s perspective.

“When I was 13, I saw the Beatles and I wanted to be a bass guitar player,” he said. “So it started February 9, 1964. …

“The day after that I told my dad I wanted an electric bass. He said he’d get me an electric bass if I learned how to play the double bass at the same time.

“If I have one thing to thank my dad for, among many things, it would be that that was really wise advice because that’s what diversified my portfolio. He was a cool guy. He was very humble and he affected so many students of music in a positive way.”

Gunnar Biggs’ résumé as a virtuoso of the double bass—also called upright bass or contrabass—is vast. For five decades, Biggs has been an ubiquitous presence on the San Diego music scene, whether he plays jazz, classical, blues, or bluegrass on stages, clubs, coffeehouses, or classrooms.

Drummer Kenneth Koch has been a frequent collaborator over the years, especially in jazz settings.

“Whenever I would be on a gig with him, the first couple of measures always put a smile on my face. It just made it easy to play,” said Koch, a veteran of many San Diego-area bands.

As Koch explains, Biggs has a unique rhythmic sensibility.

“My favorite thing about Gunnar: Somebody counts out a tune and we seem to share it in the same place, just where he puts the beat, especially when he’s playing straight-ahead time, quarter notes on bass.

“It’s hard just to play quarter notes and make it feel like it wants to swing. That’s one thing that Gunnar can do really well.”

Biggs has a striking ability to quickly transition from plucking the strings to caressing them with a bow. The “arco” technique is especially effective on ballads, and a necessity for most classical pieces.

“While it is a cliché that listeners’ ears tend to tune out on bass solos, that would be a mistake when listening to Biggs—whose forays shine as much if not more than the soloists he is supporting.

“He seamlessly entwines two- and three-note chords and ventures into the instrument’s upper register while retaining perfect pitch. That is not easy,” Koch said.

The acoustic bass lacks the frets that provide visual guides to the right notes on the electric bass and guitar. Upright bass players must learn to hit the right pitch by ear.

“The placement of your hand and your finger on the strings is all you’ve got to go with to get perfect intonation. So, he’s spent a lot of time on that,” Koch said.

FROM ZANESVILLE TO MONTEZUMA MES

Gunnar arrived in San Diego at the age of four when his family relocated from Zanesville, Ohio, after his dad landed a position at San Diego State.

After discovering the electric bass and starting to study the acoustic upright, Biggs experienced an epiphany.

“Everybody needs a bass player,” he said. “This one instrument here can open doors for me all over the place. I noticed that right away as a kid. I started playing the big bass when I was 13 and got into the San Diego Youth Symphony way before I was ready.”

His first teacher was Bob Magnusson, one among many extraordinary bass players the San Diego region has produced—a much sought-after sideman and recording artist in his own right. It was Magnusson, Biggs said, who introduced him to essential role models such as Ray Brown and James Jamerson.

“Bob was telling me I should get some Oscar Peterson Trio records and listen to this guy, Ray Brown. The next thing he’d say, ‘You’ve got to learn what funk is, Gunnar.

“‘Start from the beginning. Get some good Impressions, get some good Motown and Stax. Listen to James Jamerson and those guys. Because I wanted to play electric, too. So, he was really helpful there.”

The teenager started playing in local rock combos as well as the bands at Horace Mann Jr. High School, and then at Crawford High School in the State College area of San Diego.

“We had to be in the marching band to be in the jazz band because there really wasn’t a jazz band class,” Biggs said.

Gunnar is one of the most versatile musicians I’ve had the ongoing privilege to work with—he’s so innately musical, he can go from the SD symphony to a klezmer gig without blinking (but as always, he will be smiling…and telling hilarious jokes). In a town that has a wealth of brilliant, world-class bassists, I always consider myself lucky if we’re on a gig together. I would carry his amp if he asked cme to. (Please don’t ask me to carry your amp).

—Elizabeth Schwartz

CRAWFORD KIDS

High school buddies, Nathan East and Gunnar

At Crawford High School, Biggs found himself among classmates who would become illustrious in the musical annals of San Diego, Southern California, and the world.

Bassist Nathan East would become internationally renowned for his role in the jazz-fusion group Four Play and in Eric Clapton’s band, among many others; keyboard maestro Carl Evans Jr. was the linchpin of the jazz-fusion-funk band Fattburger, which unintentionally helped initiate the “smooth jazz” movement.

Reed player Hollis Gentry Jr. was a fixture on the San Diego jazz scene for several decades and performed gigs and recordings as part of Fattburger. Gentry had many stints over the years with luminaries such as trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and guitarist Larry Carlton.

East, Evans, Gentry, and drummer Skipper Ragsdale formed the funk-jazz group Power, which was so impressive they were hired by Barry White to perform with his Love Unlimited Orchestra.

Of his relationship with the late Gentry during that era, Biggs said, “We were besties, man.”

He described the time he spent around the Power band members and other African-American musicians at the El Cajon Boulevard and 54th Street campus as expanding his consciousness.

“I aspired to be black because of all the cool kids at Crawford,” he said. “It was a really fluid, comfortable situation,” he said.

Biggs recalls that he and Gentry went to band camp together in Utah. One day they decided to look for something to eat.

“We were walking around Salt Lake City and we came in [to a restaurant] and it was so hostile, they made us wait. We decided maybe we should just split and get a hamburger somewhere else. But it was a cold thing … and I didn’t understand it.”

On the bright side, Biggs said, he and Gentry won outstanding musician awards and also met Lou Marini, who was renowned for playing saxophone in the Blues Brothers band. Marini would be of help later in Biggs’ musical development.

At Crawford, Biggs played in award-winning stage bands under the leadership of Dennis Foster that have become legendary. In addition to the musicians in Power, the school in the late ’60s and ’70s produced such future stars as pianist Mel Goot, drummer Doug Robinson, saxophonist Paul Bunuan, trombonist Dan Regan, and singer Sandi Patty.

To qualify for the jazz band, Biggs had to participate in marching band, which required him to play percussion and tuba, abetted by his experience on French horn.

“It was the springboard,” Biggs said of Crawford. “People still talk about the Crawford bands. My senior year, I think we won every single Southern and mid-California jazz festival for our division. … People knew us.”

Crawford graduate Dave Drexler, who became producer of the San Diego jazz station KSDS-88.3’s award-winning “Jazz Live” concerts, recalls Biggs from his high school years.

“In fact, Gunnar and my brother were in the band together,” Drexler said. “Gunnar was always a whiz kid.”

Since Gunnar’s father was a stalwart among San Diego State’s faculty, it wasn’t long before the son found himself in older company.

Gunnar has played several shows with me over the last several years and along with my appreciation of his great playing, reading, listening, and musicianship he continues to surprise me with anecdotes from his past. For example, I wanted to perform an arrangement based off the Nelson Riddle arrangement of “Route 66” from the TV show. I asked Gunnar if he was familiar with that version. He replied that he had once played that arrangement with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra.

Having played many years with Mose Allison, there was a time when somebody told Gunnar that there’ was an English fellow who wanted to speak to him. Gunnar said “yes” and the fellow turned out to be Peter Townshend (from the Who), who is actually a big fan of Mose Allison. Gunnar said he was impressed with how much Peter knew about Mose.

—Robin Henkel

MOVIN’ ON UP

“I actually started when I was a junior in high school, playing bass with the San Diego State Jazz Ensemble because their bass player graduated,” Gunnar said. “So here I was in high school and I was the bass player at San Diego State. That got me in with the older guys.”

A couple of the SDSU musicians were playing in the rehearsal band of orchestra leader and trumpeter Don Ellis, known for his challenging compositions and arrangements, often framed in unusual time signatures.

“They said, ‘You ought to come up with us. Don has this book for three bass players. It was a weird book, man. And they said, there’s only two (bass players).

“So when I was 16 or 17, they started dragging me up to the rehearsal space in L.A. and I played with that for a while. Because of the classical training, I could read really well. So people would throw a chart in front of me and I’d sight-read it down.”

The older musicians urged him to consider attending North Texas State University for its jazz program. Now known as the University of North Texas, North Texas State in the ’70s was one of the few colleges that had a jazz-oriented curriculum, and it arguably was the best of them.

Biggs followed the advice, auditioned for North Texas State, and was accepted.

“They had the award-winning college big band in the nation for years,” he said, referring to the group labeled the One O’Clock Lab Band in reference to its daily rehearsal time slot.

Participating in the celebrated program opened up more doors.

“In my first week at North Texas State, I was walking to my dorm and I heard this killer combo rehearsing in this little building right off campus,” Biggs said. “So I opened the door and looked in, and I heard, ‘Gunnar?’ I looked up and it was Lou Marini.

“He said, ‘Come on in, man.’ We shook hands. He introduced me to the band, which were all the gods from the One O’clock. And the next thing, he says, ‘Are you working Saturday?’ ‘No, I just got here, man,’ I said. ‘I don’t have a car. I’ve just got my bass.’

“He says, ‘That’s okay. We’ll pick you up.’ So I started working with those guys in Dallas.’”

Gunnar and I have worked together over the years here and there. He’s a treasure and we had the love of bass player Preston Coleman in common. He took lessons from him and I had the pleasure of being mentored by him in my band, Tobacco Road, for years. Gunnar has a charming wife, Bonnie.

—Sue Palmer

CLASSICAL MOVEMENT

During his second semester, Biggs said, he was in his room practicing a classical piece when there was a knock on the door. He opened it to find a young woman there who said, “Play that again.”

“I played it and she said, ‘Follow me. Bring your bass.’ She took me to the office of the [classical] orchestra director. And she said, ‘Play that thing for him.’

“I was working on a concerto and I played it and he went, ‘Where did you come from?’ because I was a jazzer, not a stringer (in the classical program). …

“And he said, ‘Well, how would you like to be principal bass in Orchestra A?’ And I went, ‘Sure.’ I just fell in love with the classical thing.”

At the urging of UCSD professor and contrabass teacher Bert Turetzky, Biggs decided to switch his major from dance band to classical performance. Despite its reputation, North Texas did not have a jazz studies major then.

“He said, ‘What are you going to do with a degree in dance band? Are you going to play bar mitzvahs for the rest of your life?’”

Biggs said he became disillusioned with the prospect of making North Texas’ One O’Clock Lab Band. He and other students in the pipeline were bumped in the pecking order after Woody Herman temporarily disbanded his band and many of his musicians enrolled in North Texas, immediately jumping into the One O’Clock Lab Band.

Returning to Southern California, Biggs auditioned for the San Diego Symphony and was hired as one of the orchestra’s three bass players. He was in rich company. The others were Peter Rofe, now in the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Mark Dresser, who carved out a career as an innovative improviser and is now on the UCSD faculty.

RICH EXPERIENCE

Biggs with Mose Allison

After a couple of seasons with the symphony, Biggs was hired to play electric bass for the Buddy Rich Big Band. It was during a phase when the orchestra was playing more rock-oriented charts, following the success of his album Mercy, Mercy. The title came from the band’s arrangement of the Joe Zawinul tune “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,” a hit while he was with the Cannonball Adderly Quintet.

“So, I flipped back into the jazz thing,” Biggs said. “That opened a lot of doors and closed a lot of emotional doors, working with Buddy. It was ridiculous, wonderful and terrible, the best of times and the worst of times.”

While a drummer of extraordinary prowess, especially in the big band idiom, Rich was notorious for his mercurial, irascible temperament.

“He fired me three times and some people say, ‘Is that all?’” Biggs recalled. “But the third time, I finally said, ‘No, I’m done.’ We were in Chicago.’”

Biggs spent some time in Chicago, then gigged around Minneapolis before returning to San Diego.

Gunnar is not only an exceptional musician, he is a true “khaver,” a compadre you can always count on.

—Yale Strom

BACK IN TOWN

“I moved back here in 1976 and couldn’t believe what a great scene we had going here,” he said.

From the mid-’70s through the early ’80s a number of venues around town featured jazz, including the Crossroads downtown, Chuck’s Steakhouse, the Blue Parrot, Elario’s in La Jolla, and the two Triton restaurants in Cardiff and the State College area.

Ingrid Croce, the widow of pop star Jim Croce, opened Croce’s club and restaurant downtown in 1985. Many other spots, like the Aspen Mine Company in State College and the Halcyon near the Sports Arena, intermittently hired jazz combos.

Back in San Diego, Biggs reunited with Gentry and other old friends. He bonded with pianist Butch Lacy, a virtuoso equally at home playing a sizzling bebop number, a rocking blues or a wistful ballad. He had backed up many jazz luminaries, toured with superstar vocalist Sarah Vaughan, and often teamed in San Diego with Ella Ruth Piggee, who enthused crowds with her gospel-tinged soul-jazz vocals.

Lacy and Biggs formed a duo and got a regular date at the Islandia, where the bassist would meet his future wife, Bonnie.

“That was a ridiculous gig because people would come in from out of town that already knew Butch,” Biggs said. “[The management] paid us very well and didn’t ever tell us what to play.”

Biggs’ friendship with the pianist persisted even as Lacy moved to Denmark. Following Lacy’s death in 2018, Biggs was among those on the bandstand to pay tribute in a memorial concert at Dizzy’s jazz performance space in San Diego.

Remembering Lacy, Biggs said he was impressed by “the magnitude of his presence. He was a big man and he had a big spirit. Everybody was welcome. He came from a place of love and support. He didn’t try to demolish you if you weren’t playing up to what was expected. He would help you play better instead of trying to bury you.”

Koch, who came to San Diego from Los Angeles to play with guitarist Peter Sprague, recalls the Islandia gig and Biggs’ role.

“He was playing there with a duo, with Butch Lacy—just Butch and Gunnar,” Koch said. “I was so impressed with how well these guys sounded, I asked if I could bring my drums in and just play for free. And Butch was like, ‘Yeah, for sure, man.’

“So I would go down there and play for free. Eventually, when they got another gig at Elario’s, they hired me to come and play drums and actually paid me. That worked out pretty well. Butch and Gunnar had a special thing going on back then.

“I was glad they let me (sit in), because I learned a lot doing that. Butch’s time feel was so deep, and Gunnar had a great feel always.”

STRETCHING OUT

Biggs became the regular bass player for the legendary jam session hosted every Sunday by Jimmy and Jeannie Cheatham, nationally renowned jazz veterans who reveled in Kansas City swing. The session was an institution for years from the mid-’70s to mid-’80s, starting at the airport Sheraton on Harbor Island and then moving to the Bahia Resort on Mission Bay. Jeannie Cheatham, who was entrenched at the piano, served as the emcee and gave nicknames to the regulars, labeling Biggs “Grooveman,” he said in an interview with Jim Trageser.

During that period, Biggs would frequently play with alto saxophonist Charles McPherson, another famous jazz transplant who had made a name for himself as a recording artist and band leader back East.

“I did that for two years,” Biggs said of the Cheathams’ jam. “You didn’t know who was going to come through the door. They would have 10 horn players lined up to play and Charles would be one of them.

“The young guys would play 25 choruses until they thought they could get it right. Charles would walk up and just play two, three choruses of the most gorgeous stuff in the world and walk off. The horn players—some of them you’d see packing up right away when Charles was there.”

For a bass player, the Cheatham’s jam was a marathon because of the nonstop blowing.

“It perpetuated a tradition of the jam session being like the main training facility,” Biggs said. “That’s where people cut their teeth. … [Jimmy] would accept everybody on every tune. …

“We’d play a blues to start, either ‘All Blues’ or ‘Straight No Chaser’ or something. It took 45 minutes to get all the horn players out there, right? And then, Jimmy would turn around and say, ‘Take One!’ And I’m like bleeding to death. …

“So I found out what it was like to really get the endurance, the physical aspect—the endurance of playing my bass and playing different tunes with different people.”

Backing up McPherson, Biggs said, was an educational experience in itself, considering the maestro’s vast experience and dazzling virtuosity.

“Charles probably taught me more about playing jazz than any teacher,” Biggs said. “He took the bass out of the picture and just dealt with the music as a whole. He would always come up and have these salient things to say to you.”

TEACHING AND GIGGING

After the Buddy Rich experience, Biggs was reluctant to commit himself to extended road trips and eagerly accepted a position as an educator on the San Diego State faculty with his father. He retired from SDSU in 2005 but still kept teaching in North County.

“Since I taught at San Diego State for 25 years, I couldn’t actually go out on the road and keep my job,” he said. “All through that time I had a lot of offers. I had an offer from Carmen McRae.

“The road was ridiculous with some of these people. They’d be out 300 nights a year. I’d had my fill of the bus life. … There are other places that are better to sleep than a bus.”

Yet, Biggs’ reputation enabled him to get plenty of short-term gigs in the region with such top-notch touring artists as virtuoso straight-ahead pianist Tommy Flanagan and jazz-blues great Mose Allison. Biggs was Allison’s first-call on bass touring this region before his death in 2016.

The association with Allison led to other opportunities, such as backing up the guitar duo of Charlie Byrd and Laurindo Almeida.

Meanwhile, Biggs continued to gig locally with San Diego mainstays Sprague, vocalist Lisa Hightower, trombonist Dave Scott, pianist John Opferkuch, and many others.

While Biggs retired from institutional academia, he still went on to teach bass privately as well as performing in a number of diverse settings.

He formed a bluegrass-cum-jazz duo called Mandobasso with mandolinist Bill Bradbury. They released an album by the same name and perform regularly, pandemic permitting.

In 2009, Biggs released his own CD, Footprint, which features the aforementioned Bradbury, Hightower, Opferkuch and Sprague, plus reed player David Borgo and drummer Duncan Moore.

BACK ON STAGE

These days, Biggs is a regular with guitarist Robin Henkel, violinist Yale Strom and his band, Hot Pstromi, and Opferkuch among others. He remains sought after by classical organizations, including the Poway Symphony Orchestra.

Over the last couple of years, the Coronavirus pandemic has severely constrained performance opportunities for all musicians. Though he did participate in some streaming concerts in coordination with Sprague, the reduced schedule gave Biggs time to reflect on his career path and realize how much he appreciates the live experience.

That led him, with the support of his wife, Bonnie, to keep in-person music alive with a series of low-key monthly concerts conducted from their porch in Carlsbad, events they’ve dubbed “porchellas.”

He also said he has greatly enjoyed playing live recently in club settings with Henkel, particularly his group featuring three horns, and other ensembles.

“That’s one thing I’ve missed the most is playing for people, live,” Biggs said. “You’ve got your band, you go out and play, people respond to it, and there’s that feeling that keeps you going to the next gig. I think I needed more of that.

“That’s another reason about, not necessarily being a bandleader, but taking a little control of my destiny, my direction. It got me back to the feeling I had when I first started. … So I wanted to go back to where people were out front and getting it. It felt really good, really good.”

This article is excerpted from an upcoming history of jazz in San Diego with co-author Jim Trageser.

*Reposted article from the San Diego Troubadour by Michael Williams of June, 2022

0 notes

sweethotcocoa · 2 years

Text

History of Chocolate/ Cocoa

Cocoa and other chocolate products are enjoyed by billions of people around the globe, but surprisingly few people know the history of the confection. In fact, cocoa has appeared in different cultures worldwide for hundreds of years. Cocoa was first developed as a crop in many ancient South American cultures, with the Aztecs and Mayans being the most well-known of these indigenous populations. Researchers have found evidence of cocoa-based food dating back several thousand years.

The modern word “chocolate” stems from two words in Nahuatl, the language spoken by many native groups: chocolatl, which translated literally means “hot water,” and cacahuatl, which referred to a bitter beverage made with cocoa that was shared during religious ceremonies. The history of the cacao bean was so significant to the local cultures that it was used as a currency in trade, given to warriors as a post-battle reward, and served at royal feasts.

For these civilizations, cocoa was a symbol of abundance. It was used in religious rituals dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec god responsible for bringing the cocoa tree to man, to Chak ek Chuah, the Mayan patron saint of cocoa, and as an offering at the funerals of noblemen.

When the Spanish Conquistadors arrived in the New World and began the process of invading, colonizing, and ultimately destroying the native cultures, they also discovered the value of the local cacao crop. However, they brought their own innovation to the appropriated drink, with the addition of sugar and spices to sweeten the bitter cocoa. After that point, chocolate became wildly popular amongst the Spanish, who kept the production method a secret from other Europeans for almost 100 years after their discovery.

The Spanish could not hold onto their secret forever, and chocolate quickly spread across the rest of western Europe. Chocolate then still exclusively in the form of a drink appeared in France, and then England, in royal courts and special “chocolate houses” that served the social elite. Hot chocolate was hailed by the upper classes as both delicious and healthy, and cocoa ultimately gained the reputation of being an aphrodisiac.

Chocolate has a long and fascinating past, as delicious as its taste. From 1500 BC to 400 BC the Olmec Indians are believed to be the first to grow cocoa beans as a domestic crop. From 250 to 900 CE the consumption of cocoa beans was restricted to the Mayan society's elite, in the form of an unsweetened cocoa drink made from the ground beans. In 600 AD Mayans migrate into northern regions of South America establishing earliest known cocoa plantations in the Yucatan.

In the 14th Century the drink became popular among the Aztec upper classes who usurped the cocoa beverage from the Mayans and were the first to tax the beans. The Aztecs called it "xocalatl" meaning warm or bitter liquid. By 1502 Columbus encountered a great Mayan trading canoe in Guanaja carrying cocoa beans as cargo. Then in 1519 Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez recorded the cocoa usage in the court of Emperor Montezuma. 1544 Dominican friars took a delegation of Kekchi Mayan nobles to visit Prince Philip of Spain. The Mayans brought gift jars of beaten cocoa, mixed and ready to drink. Spain and Portugal did not export the beloved drink to the rest of Europe for nearly a century.

Hot chocolate was hailed by the upper classes as both delicious and healthy, and cocoa ultimately gained the reputation of being an aphrodisiac. But the exclusivity of chocolate was ultimately diminished by the onset of the Industrial Revolution, when steam-powered machines made the production of cocoa powder significantly quicker and more affordable. Solid chocolate hit the market and found wild success by 1850, due to the discovery by Joseph Fry that adding cacao butter to the cocoa powder formed a solid mass.

16th century Europe, Spanish began to add cane sugar and flavorings such as vanilla to their sweet cocoa beverages. In 1570 cocoa gained popularity as a medicine and aphrodisiac. In 1585 the first official shipments of cocoa beans began arriving in Seville from Vera Cruz, Mexico. The first chocolate house was opened in London by a Frenchman in 1657. The shop was called The Coffee Mill and Tobacco Roll. Costing 10 to 15 shillings per pound, chocolate was considered a beverage for the elite class. By 1674 eating solid chocolate was introduced in the form of chocolate rolls and cakes served in chocolate emporiums.⠀

Cocoa beans had dropped in price from $3 per pound in 1730 to a price within the financial reach of others. By 1732 French inventor, Monsieur Dubuisson invented a table mill for grinding cocoa beans.⠀ Then in 1753 Swedish naturalist, Carolus Linnaeus was dissatisfied with the word "cocoa," so it was renamed to "Theobroma," Greek for "food of the gods." In 1765 chocolate was introduced to the United States when Irish chocolate maker John Hanan imported cocoa beans from the West Indies into Dorchester, Massachusetts, to refine them with the help of American Dr. James Baker. The pair soon after built America's first chocolate mill and by 1780, the mill was making the famous BAKER'S ® chocolate baking bars. In 1795 Dr. Joseph Fry of Bristol, England, employed a steam engine for grinding cocoa beans, an invention that led to the manufacture of chocolate on a large factory scale.⠀

1800 Antoine Brutus Menier built the first industrial manufacturing facility for chocolate. Sixty years later, the art of creating chocolate confections with flavored filling, referred to as pralines was born. A Belgian inventor, Jean Neuhaus II also went public with a chocolate product. From there, the chocolate and cocoa industry exploded in popularity and quickly spread around the world. By 1819: The pioneer of Swiss chocolate-making, François Louis Callier, opened the first Swiss chocolate factory.⠀

In 1828 the invention of the cocoa press, by Conrad Van Houten, helped cut prices and improve the quality of chocolate by squeezing out some of the cocoa butter and giving the beverage a smoother consistency. Conrad Van Houten patented his invention in Amsterdam and his alkalizing process became known as "Dutching". Several years earlier, Van Houten was the first to add alkaline salts to powdered cocoa to make it mix better with water.⠀

A form of solid eating chocolate was developed in 1830 by Joseph Fry & Sons, a British chocolate maker. Then by 1847 Joseph Fry & Sons discovered a way to mix some of the cocoa butter back into the "Dutched" chocolate, by added sugar and creating a paste that could be molded. The result was the first modern chocolate bar.

By 1849 Joseph Fry & Sons and Cadbury Brothers displayed chocolates for eating at an exhibition in Bingley Hall, in Birmingham, England. The Prince Albert's Exposition in 1851 London was the first time that Americans were introduced to bonbons, chocolate creams, hand candies (called "boiled sweets"), and caramels. By 1861 Richard Cadbury created the first known heart-shaped candy box for Valentine's Day.⠀

1868 John Cadbury mass-marketed the first boxes of chocolate candies. Daniel Peter of Vevey, Switzerland, in 1876 experimented for eight years before finally inventing a means of making milk chocolate for eating.

1879 Daniel Peter and Henri Nestlé joined together to form the Nestlé Company. Also in the same year Rodolphe Lindt of Berne, Switzerland, produced smoother and creamier chocolate that melted on the tongue. He invented the "conching" machine. To conch, meant to heat and roll chocolate in order to refine it. After chocolate had been conched for seventy-two hours and had more cocoa butter added to it, it was possible to create chocolate "fondant" and other creamy forms of chocolate.⠀

1897 the first known published recipe for chocolate brownies appeared in the Sears and Roebuck Catalogue. Canadian, Arthur Ganong marketed the first nickel chocolate bar in 1910. William Cadbury urged several English and American companies to join him in refusing to buy cacao beans from plantations with poor labor conditions. Then in 1913 Swiss confectioner Jules Sechaud of Montreux introduced a machine process for manufacturing filled chocolates. Then Belgian chocolatier, Joseph Draps in 1926 starts the Godiva Company to compete with Hershey's and Nestle's American market.

Throughout its long evolution, one factor has remained cocoa has attracted devotees worldwide. Today, over 4.5 million tons of cocoa beans are consumed annually around the globe, in everything from drinks to candy bars

It’s safe to say that the ancient Mesoamericans who pioneered the crop could never have imagined the popularity cocoa would someday experience. Cocoa sustainability was and is very important to the sustainability movement to help secure the future of chocolate and ensure that it’s available for generations to come, it’s essential that sustainable farming practices and ethical means of production are implemented in the cocoa supply chain. The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) has teamed up with over 100 large companies around the world to make the cocoa supply chain more sustainable.

We would like to give special thanks to World Cocoa Foundation and Thought Co. for the information they provided, so we may help inform further generations of hot cocoa lovers on the History of Cocoa⠀

We are making cocoa history right now at April Mae’s Sweet Hot Cocoa & More, We are small family owned business that has developed a healthy kosher friendly hot cocoa mix. Our cacao powders are based upon our secret family recipe and are hand crafted in small batches for freshness and quality on a per order basis. All of our cacao powders comes from ecologically and socially responsible harvesting. We also add no anti-caking agents such as corn starch or other fillers like chocolate chips, marshmallows, mixes or candies. Every batch we make is pure, healthy, sustainable cocoa! Along the way we have used our cocoa mixes to develop 50 + cocoas, cocoa fruit smoothie mixes, cocoa moon milks, we also have soups, apple ciders, and a range of gift sets. We are very passionate about what we've created and now we are sharing it with you. The difference and taste is Amazing!

#hotcocoa #beverage #hot cocoa #hot chocolate #shopsmall #hotcocoamix #sweethotococa #cocoamix #hot cocoa mix #cocoa mix #sweet hot cocoa

0 notes