IN HIS WORDS: MARKUS RUFFING
In this last installment of the effects that Covid-19 are having on people worldwide, we would like to introduce the thoughts of our Hammond B3 organist/keyboarder, Markus Ruffing, from Frankfurt, Germany. Exhausted from his full-time work as a doctor of anaesthesiology, Markus feels deeply the weight of the virus every day as he works to save lives, not to mention coming home to the family he loves. As far as the music he wants to play, he would like his life to get back to normal soon……
Here are his words………
#weightofthevirus #covid19 #globalissue #drMarkusRuffing #GumboSquareBand
FROM THE DARKNESS TO THE LIGHT
Quiet desperation.
As it stands now, things seem very dire, as far as living life as we know it was.
Looking ahead in hope will bring our lives back to us.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQrYY4QbDmo
#fromthedarknesstothelight #lookingaheadinhope #gumbosquareband #globalissue
Between yesterday and tomorrow lies a place that we all know as today. Tomorrow comes faithfully bringing change. Yesterday, Covid-19 changed the world. Now, life is shifting to fit a new mold. Tom Ross’ work makes the day after tomorrow look as if it could be real…….
The Gulf of Creativity by Tom Ross.
(Author, AI Consultant)
COVID19: Update from Brazil
As one of our most outspoken band members, rapper and songwriter Erivan Produtos do Morro has kept the world up to date on the effect of the virus in his home in Brazil. More than anything, Erivan knows the importance of supporting humanity at this time….that we need each other, no matter our station in life. We will get through this.
Here is Erivan with the latest from Fortaleza……….
#erivanprodutosdomorro,#covid19,#protectyourself,#safetyforusforhumanity
COVID-19: A DAY IN A CONTAINED LIFE WITH GEOFF BRITTON
(Drummer and member of Gumbo Square Band, formerly of Manfred Mann, Paul McCartney and Wings-English, Spain)
(DRUMMER AND MEMBER OF GUMBO SQUARE BAND, FORMERLY OF MANFRED MANN, PAUL MCCARTNEY AND WINGS-ENGLISH, SPAIN)
OUR PRESENT TIMES ARE VERY HEAVY.
HERE ON THE MOUNTAIN, WE ONLY GET HALF A MEGABITE OF INTERNET. NORMALLY OUR SYSTEM IS SLOW, BUT WITH LOCK DOWN AND SO MANY FOLKS AT HOME, IT REALLY IS HIT AND MISS IF IT WILL WORK, OK.
TODAY IS OUR 54TH DAY OF ISOLATION. AND NOW WE CAN GO OUT TO WALK BETWEEN 10 AM TO 12 AM, BUT ONLY 1 HOUR DURING THAT TIME, OF COURSE. THE SPANISH HAVE GONE CRAZY AND ARE OUT LONGER AND CLOSE TOGETHER. SO, I HOPE THEY DO NOT CAUSE A 2ND WAVE OF THE PANDEMIC.
I DON’T SEE ANY GIGS HERE BEFORE OCTOBER, IF WE ARE LUCKY. NOBODY KNOWS HOW THIS WILL PLAY OUT…FINGERS CROSSED.
RIGHT. SO FAR, APART FROM ONE DAY, MY ROUTINE HAS BEEN UP AROUND 10AM I STRETCH FOR AN HOUR, THEN PRACTICE DRUMMING ONE AND A HALF HOURS. I THEN EAT, PRACTICE AGAIN FOR 1 HOUR MORE, RELAX A BIT, THEN DO READING. TRAIN EVERY OTHER DAY WITH WEIGHTS, LAZE AROUND A BIT, EAT AGAIN, WATCH A MOVIE AND THEN BED AROUND 1AM. UNTIL TWO DAYS AGO, WE HAVE HAD BAD WEATHER…LOTS OF RAIN AND AT TIMES, NO ELECTRIC.
SO, THE TIME HAS PASSED OK; FOR THE FOLK IN A SMALL APARTMENT, IT MUST BE TOUGH. NOW, THE SUN IS OUT AND THAT LIFTS THE MORALE.
SO, YOU GUYS STAY SAFE AND WE ALL LOOK FORWARD TO BETTER TIMES.
BEST WISHES AND KINDEST REGARDS
GEOFF X
WWW.GUMBOSQUAREBAND.COM/LATEST-GLOBAL-NEWS
#COVID19 #GLOBALISSUE #STAYSAFE #BETTERTIMESAHEAD
FRANK ITT
BASSIST, DRUM PROGRAMMER, SOUND ENGINEER (GERMANY)
HAMBURG, GERMANY-RARELY THE PATHS OF PEOPLE WILL CROSS AND THE VALUE OF THOSE FIRST SECONDS OF TIME SET A NEW HISTORY IN MOTION. SUCH WAS THE ENCOUNTER DURING A TOUR WHERE CO-SONGWRITER AND COLLABORATOR FOR THE GUMBO SQUARE BAND, AMY ZAHEDI, INTRODUCED THE BAND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR/KEYBOARDIST, SERGE GRAD (FRANCE) TO THE WELL-KNOWN GERMAN FATHER OF THE BASS SCENE, FRANK ITT (HAMBURG). IT’S ONLY YEARS LATER THAT THEY SET OUT TO WORK TOGETHER WITH OTHER PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS AROUND THE WORLD TO CREATE THE SIGNATURE SOUND OF THE GUMBO SQUARE BAND. FRANK LAID HIS TRADEMARK BASS GROOVES ON TUNES SUCH AS, “NOBODY BUT YOU” AND “IT’S TIME TO LET YOU GO”, “NADA TENGO MATERIAL” AND “LE CHEMIN DE DAMAS”…AMONG MANY OTHERS. HIS ADDITIONAL SKILLS OF DRUM PROGRAMMING (“LONELY HEARTS”, “VENUS AND MARS”, ETC.), AS WELL AS SOUND ENGINEERING (“ONE GOOD REASON”, “CONTESTAME”….) HAVE HELPED TO RAISE HIGH THE INDUSTRY STANDARD FOUND ON EVERY ALBUM OF THE BAND.
FRANK BEGAN PLAYING BASS AT 18 YEARS OLD AND HASN’T STOPPED YET! AFTER YEARS OF WORKING WITH VARIOUS BANDS, AS WELL AS BACKING INTERNATIONAL ACTS SUCH AS TERENCE TRENT D’ARBY AND JENNIFER RUSH, HE MOVED FORWARD, SOLIDIFYING HIS CAREER, AS THE CHAIR OF THE BASS DEPARTMENT AT POPAKADEMIE MANNHEIM, WHERE HE STILL TEACHES “UP AND COMING” BASS STUDENTS. HE STILL TOURS WITH VARIOUS ARTISTS, BUT DEDICATES A LOT OF HIS TIME TO THE GUMBO SQUARE BAND. CURRENTLY, HE IS NOW INTO THE STUDIO WITH THE BAND ON THEIR NEW SINGLE TO BE RELEASED, FLY AWAY, BASED ON THE FEELINGS OF THOSE TRAPPED IN ABUSIVE SITUATIONS SUCH AS SEX TRAFFICKING/SLAVERY……
HTTPS://SOUNDCLOUD.COM/GUMBOSQUAREBAND/SHUT-UP-AND-DANCE
SHUT UP AND DANCE WRITTEN BY AMY ZAHEDI AND SERGE GRAD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. USED BY PERMISSION.
LEAD VOCALS: MARIA SPEIGHT AND TROYTANIUM. BACKING VOCALS: MARIA SPEIGHT. DRUMS: RUBEN OYALVIDES LESCAY. PERCUSSIONS: RUBEN OYALVIDES LESCAY. BASS: FRANK ITT KEYBOARDS: SERGE GRAD. ELECTRIC GUITAR: GERD VOGEL. TRUMPET: CAMILO OCHOA. STRING ARRANGEMENTS BY: SERGE GRAD. EDITING BY: SERGE GRAD/MARIA SPEIGHT/PASCAL MANDIN. VOCALS ENGINEERED BY ERIC PHILLIPS AND TOMMY JOHNSON. MIXING AND MASTERING BY: PASCAL MANDIN.
Racism: History in this day and age? I can assure you it’s not.
MARYBETH LANGHANS IS A FRIEND OF THE GUMBO SQUARE BAND, AND CREATIVE ARTIST, SINGER AND COOK. WHEN WE ASKED HER IF SHE WOULD CONSIDER WRITING A PIECE FOR US ON HER EXPERIENCES WITH RACISM, IT TOOK A WHILE FOR HER TO ACCEPT. HER OWN HISTORY IS FULL OF REJECTION, TEARS AND HEARTACHE. BUT, IT’S ALSO FILLED WITH LOVE, BEAUTY AND JOY THROUGH HER FAITH. AFTER THINKING ABOUT IT, SHE REALISED THAT SHE WOULD BE AN EXPERIENCED VOICE TO SPEAK TO OUR READERS ABOUT HER OWN MEMORIES OF BEING A RECIPIENT OF THE DARK SIDE OF HUMAN NATURE. SEEING IT FROM THE HAND OF SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN THERE, SHE MIGHT MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY HOPEFULLY OPENING THE EYES OF THOSE WHO ARE BLIND TO IT……
TO READ WHAT MARYBETH HAS TO SAY…………
RACISM, YOU WOULD THINK, WOULD BE HISTORY IN THIS DAY AND AGE. I CAN ASSURE YOU IT’S NOT.
I GREW UP IN A WHITE FAMILY. MY FATHER WAS BLACK, BUT MY MOTHER DIDN’T PRIVY ME TO THAT INFORMATION UNTIL I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL. I NEVER REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT IT, BUT OTHERS DID. THE KIDS AT SCHOOL WERE MEAN ABOUT THE COLOR OF MY SKIN. I GREW UP IN THE PROJECTS SO THE BLACK KIDS WERE EVEN MEANER. BUT THE GROUP THAT REVEALED THEMSELVES AS EVEN MORE CRUEL, BUT DIDN’T SEE IT, WAS MY FAMILY. MY AUNT, MY MOTHER’S SISTER, WOULD SAY THINGS LIKE “YOUR MOTHER SHOULD HAVE PUT YOU UP FOR ADOPTION.” HER HUSBAND DIDN’T ALLOW HER TO COME TO MY WEDDING BECAUSE MY HUSBAND-TO-BE WAS BLACK. AT ONE POINT, I WORKED IN THE SAME BUILDING AS MY UNCLE AND HE TOLD MY AUNT TO TELL ME NOT TO TELL ANYONE THAT I WAS RELATED TO HIM. THOSE KIND OF COMMENTS HURT ME MORE THAN ANYTHING, BECAUSE THIS WAS MY FAMILY, AND THEY WERE ASHAMED OF ME BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF MY SKIN.
WHEN I BECAME AN ADULT, I WAS NAÏVE ENOUGH TO THINK THAT RACISM HAD DIMINISHED. THAT THE HUMAN RACE WAS BETTER THAN THAT. THAT THE COLOR OF YOUR SKIN WAS JUST THAT, A COLOR. BUT I WAS TERRIBLY WRONG, AND FOUND THAT TO NOT BE TRUE WHEN I HAD MY CHILDREN.
NOT ONLY WAS I LOOKED AT AND TREATED DIFFERENTLY BY BOTH WHITE AND BLACK PEOPLE, MY CHILDREN WERE LOOKED AT DIFFERENTLY AS WELL. EACH ONE OF MY CHILDREN ARE A DIFFERENT SKIN TONE, BUT BEAUTIFUL NONE THE LESS. I HAVE BEEN QUESTIONED NUMEROUS TIMES ABOUT MICHAELLA BEING MY DAUGHTER BECAUSE SHE IS DARK, LIKE HER FATHER. SHELBI AND HAYLI ARE BOTH DARKER THAN ME, AND AGAIN, PEOPLE QUESTION THEM BEING MY CHILDREN.
BEING OF MIXED RACE IS A BLESSING AND A CURSE.
THE BLESSING IS THAT BECAUSE OF MY AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE, I HAVE WONDERFUL SKIN. HOWEVER, THE CURSE WOULD BE THAT I’M NOT BLACK ENOUGH FOR MOST BLACK PEOPLE, WOMEN ESPECIALLY, AND NOT WHITE ENOUGH FOR WHITE PEOPLE. IT’S A NO-WIN SITUATION. NONE OF MY COUSINS TALK OR VISIT ME. THEY HAVE NEVER REALLY CARED MUCH FOR ME BECAUSE I AM A BLACK CHILD, INVADING THEIR WHITE FAMILY. IT ALWAYS HURT MY HEART TO NOT BE ACCEPTED. NOT BY THE KIDS AT SCHOOL, OR BY MY MOTHER’S FAMILY. I DID NOT KNOW MY FATHER’S FAMILY.
I HAVE LEARNED WHAT FAMILY ACTUALLY MEANS.
THE COLOR OF ANYONE’S SKIN HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR HEART. EVERYONE’S HEART IS THE SAME COLOR. I HAVE VERY CLOSE FRIENDS THAT I REFER TO AS FAMILY BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE BIGGEST, MOST LOVING HEARTS. THEY PRAY FOR ME AND WITH ME, THEY STAND BY ME IN DIFFICULT TIMES, AND THEY LOVE ME JUST BECAUSE I’M ME.
