February 2008 | Art & Soul
Reviews
BOOKS
The Secret History of the War on Cancer
by Devra Davis
(Basic Books)
Living in the 21st century, it’s almost impossible to accept that there are still many parts of life we simply don’t understand. A good example is cancer: Put simply, we know that it’s a series of bad cells that replicate. Beyond that, our grasp of and feelings toward the disease lean almost toward the superstitious. Avoid cigarettes and asbestos: good. Experience high amounts of stress, or possess an unfortunate genetic code: bad. For those of us lucky to live long enough, the Big C feels almost unavoidable.
That’s an untruthful assumption, says Devra Davis in her new book The Secret History of the War on Cancer. Davis asserts that for the past few decades, public health organizations have been fighting the wrong battles: instead of fighting the causes of cancer, our main thrust has gone into research organizations that are trying to cure it. This has resulted in ten million needless deaths. Davis digs deep, uncovering disturbing facts: as the tobacco industry willfully concealed information that linked smoking to lung cancer, some of the leading cancer-fighting organizations withheld preventative information. Relentlessly researched and a convincing call-to-action, this is a book that can save lives.
—Paul Constant
MUSIC
Hamsa Lila
Live in Santa Cruz
(In the Pocket)
Borrowing from two different rituals — the time-defying rapture of the American jamband and the hypnotic Gnawa trance ceremony — Hamsa Lila distills a unique modern sound. While their debut album Gathering One hinted at their musical capabilities, this two-disc set captures the arena they excel in — live performance. Conscious of the sacramental aspect of their instruments, including the Moroccan bass lute, sintir and the beautiful Arabic oud and saz, the six-piece outfit effectively uses the stage to fully explore their rich textures. Mostly all members contribute vocals, but the female duo of Nikila Badua and Deja Solis adds a needed edge against the definitively masculine sintir, an instrument the Gnawa use in their all-night ceremonies communing with mlouk (supernatural entities). Gluing this entire album together however, is the exceptional cadence of drummer Inkx Herman, whose African music background ensures the groove, along with his accomplice on percussion, mj greenmountain.
—Derek Beres
Cheb I Sabbah
Devotion
(Six Degrees)
Cheb I Sabbah’s forty-four year career in turntablism has been a constant lesson in global awareness. Beginning with crate digging UNESCO albums four decades ago, he defined his sound in 1999 when he embarked on a trilogy of albums fusing various Indian music — including Hindustani, Carnatic and bhajans — with light shades and textures of electronica. After exploring Morocco and Algeria briefly, he returns to the Hindu, Sikh and Sufi traditions of India with Devotion. The vocal contributions are exquisite: kirtan singer Anup Jalota, qawwal Riffat Sultana and gurbana singer Harnam Singh create a smooth segue of forms within this diverse range of styles. But it is the underlying musicality created by Sabbah that makes Devotion so memorable. The reworking of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s “Koi Bole Ram Ram” with Sikh vocalist Rana Singh takes this excellent qawwali into completely unexplored terrain. Sabbah’s genius has always been in his ability to respect the integrity of tradition while updating ancient sounds for modern
audiences.
—D.B.
DVD
Song of Songs
Directed by Chris Brickler
(Spiritual Cinema Circle)
spiritualcinemacircle.com
Passionate, mesmerizing, humorous and touching, Song of Songs — the debut of filmmaker Chris Brickler — is a paean to love in all its wonderful, messy and complex glory. It’s a story to delight anyone who’s ever fallen in love only to find him or herself “bewitched, bothered, and bewildered” by the everyday challenges of staying in love.
The delights at the center of the film are the filmmaker’s grandparents, who have been married for sixty-five years. The senior Bricklers got hitched just after America entered World War II, three years before the first atomic bomb was dropped. How do you manage to stay (very happily) married through all the changes that nearly seven decades can bring? Well, just ask the Bricklers, and they’ll tell you: with insight, compassion and a healthy dose of humor.
Most of the people interviewed in the film are folks just like us who are either in various stages of relationships or are alone and looking for their next partner. The film gently underscores the point that love is, to all of us, an enduring mystery, revealing more of itself every day both in our interactions with others and also in our solitary moments of reflection. As Brickler so deftly shows, we are always searching for those answers, knowing full well that each answer inevitably leads to the next question.
Interspersed amidst the various love relationships that are explored are the loving, wise and insightful observations of relationship guru Harville Hendrix, whose understanding of the human search for connection is nothing less than inspiring.
Song of Songs is a perfect Valentine’s Day movie night to share with someone you love.
—Stephen Simon
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