Just a quick heads up that I'll be talking with Palestinian singer Reem Kelani in the first hour of Spin The Globe tomorrow morning (Friday May 16). The rest of Spin The Globe will feature music from Buddhist lands, and the usual assortment of global grooves.

Listen in at KAOS 89.3 FM or listen online

Palestinian singer, musician and broadcaster Reem Kelani is in the Northwest as part of the , and performs this evening as part of the Global Divas show, as well as Friday morning and Saturday afternoon shows.

Kelani released her debut album “Sprinting Gazelle – Palestinian Songs from the Motherland and the Diaspora” (Fuse Records) in February 2006 to critical acclaim. Representing the culmination of twenty years’ work, which included research in Palestine, in Palestinian refugee camps and the Palestinian Diaspora into old traditional songs, Sprinting Gazelle is a fully independent production.

Things I saw over the weekend... More here

Snapped some shots yesterday. Not unlike these:

More on my Flickr site.

Also, some of my more polished pics are on display at the Christian Science Reading Room near the corner of 4th and Washington. Come have a look and say hello, if you're downtown before the procession.

Here's a poster enpen missed

On Saturday March 8, the World Sacred Music Festival returns to Olympia. The fourth annual festival is a family friendly whirlwind celebration of the sacred music and dance of our planet. It's sacred music for everyone!

Two stages showcase performances of Indian ragas, Duke Ellington's sacred jazz, Hebrew chant, African drum and dance, Native American flute, and more.

The festival also features interactive workshops on didjeridoo, Indian temple dances, shapenote singing, whirling dervish dance, and Zimbabwean marimba.

The World Sacred Music Festival takes place at South Puget Sound Community College's Minnaert Center for the Arts all day on Saturday March 8. Tickets available at the door with a student/low income discount. There's also ethnic food and plentiful free parking. For more details, call 360-357-7224 or visit www.olysacredmusic.org.

World Sacred Music Festival
Saturday March 8 11am-9:30pm
Minnaert Center, SPSCC, Olympia
Tickets: $20 / $15 low income / kids under 12 free
info: www.olysacredmusic.org

Performance Schedule

Spirituality is very important to me -- I'm an active church member and do a ton of interfaith work.

I also am also a strong supporter of the first amendment prohibiting the government from supporting one religion over another. I read with interest the debates over Christmas displays in the state capitol building. But it wasn't until I walked through the building that I really saw how incongruous and out of place these displays are.

The nativity scene is accompanied by a sign that reads: "This Nativity Holiday Display was provided and erected by private citizens of the State of Washington to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, which is celebrated by Christians around the world."

Just to the left is a Jewish menorah, accompanied by an explanatory sign about Hanukkah. What's the benefit to the public of having these displays here? Is this balance?

Hanukkah, as I understand it, is a relatively minor holiday on the Jewish calendar. Will the capitol be hosting more religious displays for the High Holy Days? For Diwali? For Ramadan? For that matter, what would the "private citizens" think about adding to their sign that Jesus is recognized as a prophet within Islam? I'd love to find out!

I'd prefer to see a display at the public library, with rotating information about cultural and religious holidays from many traditions. The library is a natural place for being exposed to new ideas, and has the resources for those who want to learn more.

Anyway, have a look for yourself:

more pics here

Is jazz "sacred music"? A performance tonight at the Minnaert Center for the Performing Arts at SPSCC may answer that question for you.

The Olympia Jazz Senators will play a benefit for the 2008 World Sacred Music Festival starting at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $15 / $12 students & seniors, and are available at the door. Plenty of free, convenient parking!

The show will include Olympia premier performance of the Ellington Nutcracker -- Duke Ellington's re-imagining of Peter Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Ballet -- along with other holiday jazz and an original klezmer composition.

Tonight's show is a benefit for the World Sacred Music Festival, which takes place Saturday March 8, 2008, also at the Minnaert Center. The 2008 festival will feature klezmer, Native American, Jewish, Indian, African, and many other traditions, including yet more sacred jazz from the Jazz Senators. For details, visit the festival website at www.olysacredmusic.org

For more about the Jazz Senators, visit www.jazzsenators.com

You're Invited! to an Interfaith Thanksgiving Celebration
Theme: Earth Gratitude
Sunday, November 18, 2007
3-4:30 p.m.
The United Churches of Olympia
110 - 11th Avenue SE