MP3 Jon Hartmann - George Bush Sings

Political Funk and Roll

5 MP3 Songs
URBAN/R&B: Funk, ROCK: Progressive Rock



Details:
Being an artist may involve some responsibility, both to the art and to the audience. The writer, dancer or composer may have an obligation to devote some portion of their artistic output to the cause of artistic freedom, and the abstract pursuit of truth and beauty. For decades, Jon Hartmann has divided his time between making music and being an observer and advocate on the issue of the politics of oil. Over the decades, he has had over a hundred letters on transit and oil published in the Los Angeles Times and been elected to his Neighborhood Council. And over that same span of time, he has worked with some of the major names of Rock, Blues and Jazz. The cover artwork of his CDs reflect his interest in the memory and history of the Pacific Electric Railway, one of the major trolley systems destroyed by the highway lobby. It is Jonâs belief that overall, this lobby has had a grossly negative influence on American life. The oil, auto, tire and concrete industries have âconvincedâ legislators to spend 95 of transit funding on the private auto and bus, with the remaining scraps going to passenger rail.

"George Bush Sings" is an audio response of an environmentalist learning that an oil executive has taken the White House. These songs reflect the wide diversity of influence that came from Jonâs varied playing collaborations, such as a tour of Europe with Ike and Tina Turner, or playing keyboards with Dee Dee Bridgewater, the Staple Singers, Sal Marquez, Phil Chen, Cathy Segal-Garcia, Jaye P. Morgan, Morey Amsterdam, Barry Zweig, Arthur Lyman, Bobby Womack, Eartha Kitt and many others.
This project represents a departure in methodology for Jon, in which he uses vocal samples to construct an audio alternate reality. Prior to this, all his material was Jazz-flavored and written either the old-school way with pencil, or as improvisations that were recorded and developed. "George Bush Sings" represents the first time where keyboardist Hartmann employs guitar as the dominant voice in his rhythm section. Each song employs the vocal samples as a framework, with guitar being the chordal and rhythmic anchor. Instead of Jazz, the theme of this project is a little more World/Funk meets Pop/Rock.