User:WilberRupert/draft article on Uplifting Acoustic
1. Uplifting acoustic is a genre of music that stems from the heart with the sole intention of uplifting the listener into a pure state that exceeds material happiness.
It has a thread that goes beyond singing about love in a romantic way, merely as a proclamation of faith in a conventional religious way or as a means of proselytizing.
This is a music that is happy just for the sake of being happy without any agenda.
This music can be said to go back to the beginning of time and been reintroduced sporadically throughout history.
A hundred years after Rumi, a young boy who would later become the poet, Hafiz, worked in a bakery singing the poetry that bubbled up from his heart and the words and melodies of his ghazals floated out among the smell of freshly baked bread. His uplifting acoustic a cappella melodies were taken out by the people into the street, into the market and all over Shiraz.< The Gift poems by Hafiz by Daniel Ladinsky,p. 8,http://www.hafizonlove.com/bio/index.htm,Quantum Poetry and Living in this World by Mostafa Zaziri p. 10
During the Harlem Renaissance, music played on every street corner in Harlem. Beyond what happened in the Cotton Club, (or the graft and blues that later seized the city), there were strains of clarinets and piano. Voices filled the void with a joy that was a jubilant taste of freedom. The expressive thread that briefly tied together the music of artists and poets embedded the experience into the hearts and minds of all who heard that music. It was a sonic liberation spilling over confinement. Both the music that made it onto recordings, and those songs that didn’t, left an indelible feeling that helped many souls get through the Great Depression. Although the music of the Harlem Renaissance was primarily Jazz it was "The creation of art and literature that would serve to "uplift" the race." Yet, this was music that broke the race barrier. When Harlem Was in Vogue by David L. Lewis(Jun 1, 1997);Harlem on my mind Cultural Capital of Black America 1900-1966 Edited by Allon Schoener p.65; The creation of art and literature would serve to "uplift" the race: Harlem Renaissance, Wikipedia.
The music of the Jewish composers who filled the Great American Songbook with
tunes that defied despair and defeat were songs of belonging and hope penned by those who did not yet have a recognized place in society still sang about Blue Skies and I’ve Got Rhythm, and Accentuating the Positive. A Fine Romance/ David Lehman p. 10
Roland Kirk may have been blind but sang of Bright Moments. Stevie Wonder sang of Sir Duke in the Key of Life. The Beatles knew All you need is Love, Simon & Garfunkel sang uplifting acoustic songs from the 59th Street Bridge, Cat Stevens had Tea for the Tillerman and sang, “If you want to sing, out sing out, and if you want to be free, be free. ‘Cause there’s a million things to be. You know that there are.” Bright Moments: Live album recorded by Roland Kirk in 1973; Songs in the Key of Life: album featuring the song Sir Duke recorded by Stevie Wonder in 2003; "All You Need Is Love" is a song written by John Lennon[3] and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was first performed by the Beatles on Our World, the first live global television link. Watched by 400 million in 26 countries, the programme was broadcast via satellite on 25 June 1967.[4] The BBC had commissioned the Beatles to write a song for the United Kingdom's contribution; 59th Street Bridge: written by Paul Simon in 1967; Tea for the Tillerman: an album recorded by Cat Stevens in 1970; If you want to sing out was a song by Cat Stevens featured in the film Harold and Maude 1971.
There is a space which music reaches that goes beyond tolerance and sees everyone clearly for who they are - not as people who are rich, poor, black, white, gay, straight, male, female, religious, atheist. It is a place where we all go beyond the labels and the struggle of human existence and harmonize with everything around and within us without definition.
This isn’t music that tells you to be happy, instead, it provokes a feeling of happiness that generates kindness. It shares a happiness felt by those who are writing and performing it.
The term Uplifting Acoustic has been used by many before but the musical duo, The Levins have dedicated themselves to making the world a happier place by playing Uplifting Acoustic music full time.
The Levins are a harmony-driven, uplifting acoustic duo that moved from Berkeley, CA to NY to play music full time.They instill a tapestry of styles ranging from Fats Waller, Harold Arlon, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin to The Beatles, Cat Stevens, Simon and Garfunkel to Nasrat Fateh Ali Khan and those singers of faith whose joy overflows the boundaries of their particular discipline and tribe. The Levins’ first CD was entitled “36” and was rooted in the joy inherent in Jewish Mysticism. Their next CD, My Friend Hafiz, was inspired by universal love found in the poetry of Daniel Ladinsky’s renderings of the 14th century Sufi mystic, Hafiz of Shiraz, who lived 100 years after Rumi. Their most recent CD: “Barely Contained” embraces the Uplifting Acoustic genre with an inclusive tone that ripples out beyond boundaries:
“I’m barely contained, you can’t buy how I feel. I give it away like a bright summer day with the colors of Fall. I’m all things at once and I’m nothing at all.” – The Levins
The Levins just rereleased My Friend Hafiz with bonus tracks to do a worldwide radio promotion. They are also co-writing a musical which features these songs. My Friend Hafiz, the musical* , demonstrates how those perceived as our enemies are not their governments and that all can be uplifted by poetry and music to overcome the hardships of exile and oppression. (*- The musical may be called “Forgive this Dream.)
In the meantime, they have also released two singles with videos from ‘The Levins get Sidetracked’ series. This work is a humorous departure that still adheres to the genre. One is an anthem to 70’s breakfast cereals and memories of watching Saturday morning cartoons. The other is an ode to Charles Dickens, summarizing seven of his popular novels in under seven minutes with the repeating phrase,
“The Rich, the Poor, they rise, they fall, there’s hope for us all.”
This lyric from their next CD embraces the meaning of Uplifting Acoustic:
“Nothing to sell/ Nothing to say/Nothing to sign, nothing to pay/Not for what’s to come or anything that was/ Just Because. Just because I’m in love with this day/The people passing by and the clouds at play/ Raindrops glistening silver like a movie reel/ A classic feeling, rising to the ceiling of the sky... No Reason, No Reason, No Reason, No Reason why!” Just Because- The Levins
2. Uplifting acoustic is also a description of instrumental music that is sometimes used to pitch for TV/Movie and corporate licensing that relates to the Uplifting Acoustic music described above and was inspired in part by Yann Tiersen’s soundtrack for the French 2001 movie, Amelie, which won a "César Award for Best Music Written for a Film, and of the World Soundtrack Academy award. The soundtrack album charted in many countries, including the number one position on the French Albums Chart." Wikipedia article on Yann Tiersen. Amelie is about a young woman who decides her calling in life is to bring happiness and love to those around her and becomes a benevolent prankster.
Current examples of this type of Uplifting Acoustic music are typified by: Uplifting Acoustic Bliss by various artists Uplifting Acoustic - audio jingle by JHunger
“Better Days”/Uplifting Acoustic Instrumental by JurdBeats
Springtime, Vol. 2/ Uplifting Acoustic by D. Silverstone
Christopher Lewis, famous for his album Hand Drawn & Happy, has a new album with Beck Goldsmith and Sally Hossack called: Uplifting Acoustic Indie Folk, which typifies both definitions of Uplifting Folk defined here.