The song Mr Dante Fontanna, comes from the 1966 film Fumo Di Londra a vehicle for Alberto Sordi and was composed by Piero Piccioni who was in turn pianist, organist, conductor, composer, and architect, he was also the prolific author of more than 300 film soundtracks. He played for the first time on radio in 1938 with his “013” Big Band, to return on air only after the liberation of Italy in 1944. “013” was the first Italian jazz band to be broadcast in Italy after the fall of Fascism. A facism which is unbelievably on the rise pretty much across the word, a phenomena not loosely connected with the climate emergency that is slowly enveloping us as millions flee wars and starvation at least partially caused by the climate disruption we are all ready seeing…
I have often mentioned a proposed study into right Wing thought a disability, a deficiency in basic humanity and I guess in that case fascism would be it’s cancerous analogue….
The music of Piero Piccioni to me represents that almost utopian period of optimism that sprang from the socialist post war settlement, the defeat of fascicm and the progressive redistribution of wealth creating a socially mobile and aspirational society that is in complete contrast to the , paraphrasing the UN Special rapporteur on extreme poverty in the uk he was describing an immiseration of millions of our people, and how the UK’s poorest people face lives that are “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short”.
The description contains what has been called one of the best-known passages in English philosophy, which describes the natural state humankind would be in, were it not for political community:[22] In such condition, there is no place for industry; because the fruit thereof is uncertain: and consequently no culture of the earth; no navigation, nor use of the commodities that may be imported by sea; no commodious building; no instruments of moving, and removing, such things as require much force; no knowledge of the face of the earth; no account of time; no arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.[23]
Yet Reading Corbyn’s words yesterday had my head spinning, as our dreams of a socialist revolution coming to save the many from the few met Jeremy Corbyn’s absurd statement on his plans for an imaginary soft brexit.
This being both as absurd as Theresa May’s “brexit means brexit”, and at the same time even more morally reprehensible, as his stance as leader of the greatest grass roots progressive movement in recent times, proves to be yet another tone deaf and deluded Blaire like dictator, feebly enabling and ‘respecting’ the most reprehensible political car crash and malign right wing coup in our political history.
Just imagine……
An internationalist ’Corbynism’, defeating the hateful, abusive, and isolationist Brexit, could have been the shining light banishing the rising reactionary and xenophobic tide across Europe and the world, as we linked arms with our fellow Europeans to fight the truly vital issues of capitalist climate and ecological catastrophe, and together sheltering the many resultant refugees from a dying planet we have played such a large part in setting on fire.
Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist who is known in the genre of free jazz.[1]
Since the 1960s, he has released more than 100 albums. , in addition to flute, alto flute, and piano.
Braxton studied philosophy at Roosevelt University. He taught at Mills College in the 1980s, and was Professor of Music at Wesleyan University from the 1990s until his retirement at the end of 2013.
He taught music composition and music history, with a concentration on the avant-garde, In 1994, he was given a genius grant by the MacArthur Foundation. In 2013, he was named a 2014 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master.[2]
and back to Dante Fontana….” is an antique dealer of Perugia, and is infatuated with British culture. But he is always thwarted by his wife and relatives, who see him as a silly dreamer who gets lost in stories rather than doing serious work.”
Get your bowler hat at Lock.
Look around you.
See who is around you.
Get that hat at Lock.
Buy your style of shoe at Lobb.
It’s the done thing.
Stroll and walk around in shoes from Mr Lobb.
Your umbrella straight from Brigg.
Never never trust the weather ever.
Get your brolly from Brigg.
Then you’ll find at Fortnum & Mason a beautiful red carnation.
A moment of sweet fascination will linger with you.
From Dunhill a pipe for the manly type.
Get your ties each day the Piccadilly way.
Gentlemen everything is just okay …”
