The story of the New World is the story of slavery. Before Colombus, there were not many Europeans in the New World. And what I mean by New World was North, Central, and South America. Some say the Vikings explored parts of Greenland, and there are theories that the Romans were in the New World long before Columbus, but it was Cristobal Colombo, an Italian sailing for Spain that founded Hispanola and began the conquest of the New World.
The Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, French, and British were the most Imperialistic forces. It ended up in the long run that Canada and the USA speaks English, and Mexico, Central America and most of South America speaks Spanish. In Brazil they speak Portuguese, which is similar to Spanish.
The real reason the New World was colonized was because of the spice trade. A diet of meat, potatoes, onion, garlic, and black pepper did not excite Europeans for very long. It is tiresome to live in a temperate environment, have a long dreary winter, work on a farm from sunrise to sunset, and live your whole life without leaving a 50 mile radius of your hometown. This was life in Europe for most of recorded history.
Colombus knew he was not in India when he discovered Hispanola, which is now Dominican Republic and Haiti. He called the aboriginal people 'Indios' which is Spanish for 'In God' because they were so pure, natural, pristine, and in harmony with nature. They were simple natural people who hunted and fished all day and made love all night long. They turned out to be easy prey for the European man.
In North America, people are more virulently racist towards blacks and Indians than in Latin America. In Canada and the USA, white people look down on blacks, latinos, and native Americans. This may be reflective of Britain. But in Central and South America and the Caribbean, interracial marriage is more common, and Latinos are by nature mixed race people. Latinos are not a pure race, an old world race, and they have only existed in the past 500 years. Latino means white mixed in with native American or black mixed in with native American. There are white Hispanics, generally called mestizos, and black Hispanics, generally called Creoles. They are not white and not black.
I tie this in with my music and writing such. Rhythm and Blues is not a European music. They use European instruments like the guitar, piano, and bass, but this music is more based on African chords, melodies, and vocal lines. My music is similar to the rhythm and blues of the 1960s. In the 50s, blues met gospel and country and rock and roll was born. Rock n Roll began in the 1950s, by the 1960s, it was mainstream. The Beatles whole shtick was white Anglosaxon boys with long hair singing black women's Motown songs. Back then it was risque, wild, and new. Today we don't pay it much mind. The early Beatles seem so tame by today's standards.
Obviously as the 1960s moved on, the Beatles innovated on their sound and learned new things. They were influenced by Bob Dylan and later went back to their rhythm and blues roots with greater confidence and songwriting ability. The Beatles were the most famous rock band ever, but not necessarily the best. Just the most popular.
I am a mixed race person who plays black people's music. Calling me a Hispanic Jew is kind of stretching it but sounds true. My name is Lior Avni. I don't like the British Invasion music anymore, nor do I like the grunge rock I grew up with in the 1990s, although it was very intricate and sophisticated. And the delta blues is evil music. I like the rhythm and blues of the 1950s and 1960s, and the early pioneers like Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and Little Richard. This is the roots of rock n roll. Today, my music seems old fashioned. I play an acoustic guitar, most of my songs are between 3 and 5 chords total, and I play in a rhythmic, bass heavy way.
So one way to fight back against racism and classism so prevalent in American society today is through music. In Latin America, they are more open and free and intermingle. But in America, it is white overclass and black underclass. Not much has changed since the 1960s. It is not as liberal as you think. You're still judged by how you appear. If you are white, brown, or black, you are different. And it's hard to tell Whites from Jews.
My music is better than my art. I am letting art go for now. I want to concentrate on music. I love the rhythm and blues, and I wish I had the voice of a black man like John Lee Hooker. But I don't. I can still play the blues in my own way, with more intellect and rhythm and straightforwardness. I have my own blues sound.
The New World should have been left alone and there should be no Canada, Mexico, USA, or Brazil. But we can't undo history. We can do the opposite. We can shape a better future by encouraging intermarriage, being less superficial, granting medicine and education and basic income for all, and learning from different cultures and experiences. The way an Irishman and a black man and a Spanish man and a Native American man plays a guitar is totally different. It is an instrument originally from Italy but made famous by the Spaniards. Spain still produces high quality instruments.
So the message of this post is, White and Latino is not the same thing, and in being mixed race, you become more beautiful, more lusty, more simple, and more straightforward. I prefer Latin women and black people's music. So I am not a racist. I am open to what is. Even Europe and Asia has a lot to offer as far as culture is concerned.
But as far as pop music is concerned, I dig the rhythm and blues.
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