Artistic
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This page was last updated on: September 23, 2011
L I O N E L C R A W F O R D. C O M
Beings
From Ultra violet to infra red, between them a prism of light, that subtle place where we exit as Visual Beings
Visual
G a l l e r y
The Maestro series idea came about after I went to Bushnell Park, Hartford, Connecticut to check out the group Burnt Sugar. They performed as part of the Hartford Jazz Society's Monday Night Jazz Series. I had heard about Greg Tate (Maestro) and the group before, but I had never gotten a chance to see them. Guitarist Vernon Reid had tweeted that he would be performing with Burnt Sugar that night so I wanted to go to the park to check him out and finally hear Burnt Sugar. Then my friend, Richard FYI me by email, about Burnt Sugar being in the park and I knew it was the place I needed to be. The only problem was the rain that was yet to come and would it be an indoor or outdoor concert. Would I have to wrap my camera in plastic or not, or heaven for bid, leave it at home. I took a quick look at the Burnt Sugar website, http://www.burntsugarindex.com and my mind was made up. Bushnell Park, rain or shine. The Poem and the photos are the end result.. The photos here are manipulated but some regular photos of the band appear under the Music Photos section.. The Poem Burnt Sugar , normally in the poem section, is repeated here along with the source of the inspiration.
BURNT SUGAR
a stage, stage hands, back line, brass, strings and things
a bass, interchangeable guitars, solid time with changing signatures,
signature instruments and Funky drummers, a solo artist, band, Arkestra,
a tribe, tribal tones vibrating, heating up, sweet like SUGAR!
unassuming but captivating, make you want to stop thinking, start feeling,
feeling like you’re in electronic Africa while dancing down in Brooklyn,
feeling electric tribal voicings pushing air to the ear, tantalizing patterns,
emerging themes, as maestro casually waves a wand on the one,
heating it up, until it's burnt like SUGAR.
music stands with electric scores, loops, glowing fruit, simmering,
turning brown around the edges, browning and all jazzed up
in the crowd feeling it, from Funk to Blues, can't loose,
once upon a time, sugarcane, brown sugar refined lost essence
a waving wand, turns up the heat, it's burning
the band on stage, in a pan, simmering rhythms, escapisms,
a musical spark, from a park to a New York subway,
everybody on a ride but not the same destination,
hand claps bring you back, something's burning, SUGAR.
Lionel Crawford
A Tribute to Burnt Sugar
