PART II: MUSIC FOR TAI CHI, MOVEMENT & MARTIAL ARTS
THE BEST MUSIC-VIDEOS ON MARTIAL ARTS AND EASTERN PHILOSOPHY (6-10)
Welcome back to Part II of the Top 10 Videos tracing the development of the martial arts and music. In Part 1 we saw the early signs of video popularity, but in this part we focus on where that has developed, and where that is taking us - away from the middle road of chart music and into the realms of fusion, jazz and chill.
THE TOP 10 PLAYLIST: NUMBERS 6-10
6. The Ballad of Marshall McLuhan
The influence of McLuhan (the Global Village, the Medium is the Message etc) on popular culture - has largely been ignored by both artists and musicians over the decades, even though his work has influenced so much of our present day culture . So I was very happy to stumble across this wonderful video by FS 17 . The Vestibules, formerly known as Radio Free Vestibule, is a Canadian surrealist comedy troupe composed of Terence Bowman, Paul Paré, and Bernard Deniger. For more on McLuhan visit this site or read about his extraordinary travels and appearances in One Last thing.
MUSIC FOR DANCE AND THOUGHT
For Alan Watts, dancing was an important activity that served to remind us to find joy in the moment. You don't dance in order to get things done or even get anywhere. You dance because it makes you feel good. Watts appears all over the universe in One Last Thing - in court defending Taoism against a plagiarism claim, in the dojo learning Jeet Kune Do with Bruce Lee and in the Shaolin temple lecturing the priests on training methods. But it will be his ideas on beats and rhythms we will explore here - messages and ideas from two videos that combine pace and pondering, rhythm and reason. Music you can listen to, move to and ponder over as you shuffle and shimmy around the kitchen. Read more on Watts here.
7. The Tao Te Ching by Apollo Brown
You can't go back much further for inspirational words than the Tao Te Ching - but Apollo Brown takes us there with this classic track as he adds great horns and a hypnotic chill beat to the ideas of Lao Tzu. This was my preferred backing track when writing the scene in which Lao Tzu discloses his techniques for living a more productive life during an interview on the Digital Taoist Radio program (One Last Thing). Apollo Brown was published by Mello Music Group on 30 Jun 2011
8. Face the Facts by Alan Watts and Jas Walton
Search Youtube for Alan Watts and you will find a plethora or recordings badly pasted onto a dull and uninspiring beat. Jas Walton's music is different. It forms part of an EP (digital and vinyl) that combines Watts sharp tongue with a jazzy mixed upbeat that echoes the evolution of Jazz: whether it is fused with hip-hop, flamenco or grunge, Jazz flourishes the more it opens itself to the world. Watts, embodies this spirit when he opens up the mystical East with his gentle and memorable interpretations. Find out more about the Alan Watts here and the role of his son Mark, in keeping his original recordings alive. Jas Walton's Ep is also available on Spotify and Soundcloud.
MUSIC TO FIND FREEDOM
The fusion of ideas and practice goes to the heart of all the arts we have mentioned in this article. The search for how to bridge good intention with good practice is at the heart of all our efforts, but it is, at the same time, the most elusive of ends. So to conclude this list of 10 Best Music Tracks, I'm leaving you with something special to watch and something very special to listen to.
9. Here's to the Crazy Ones: Steve Jobs and the mOnk
From where do we get meaning? It is an interesting question when you remove words, people of ideas from one context and place them in another. Meaning is rewritten from this juxtaposition. In this video, the infamous Steve Jobs speech is extracted and placed alongside the history of others in order to create another fusion of sound and image.
10. The Philosopher's Mixtape Vol. 1 Chillstep by Terrestrial Exitium
To complete this list of 10, I have chosen a superb compilation of different philosophers by Terrestrial_Exitium who has added a range of famous voices to some excellent chill beats - a compilation that has become one of my all time fave videos to listen to whilst sharpening my sword.
Featuring the voice of Charlie Chaplin, Alan Watts, Sadhguru, John F. Kennedy, Eckhart Tolle, Sam Harris, Elliot Alderson (Mr. Robot), Terence McKenna, Stefan Molyneux, Adyashanti, Manly P. Hall, Ram Dass
FINAL TEAPOT COMMENT
There was not enough room here to list all the tracks I had compiled - there are yet more albums of Alan Watts chill mixes, Black Eyed Peas, Enter the Dragon remixes, and even tracks featuring Krishnamurti and Carl Jung put to music. All characters that I researched and appeared in my time-travel history of eastern/western thought, One Last Thing. For all those great videos that never made the final list, I'll create another playlist and add it out to everyone on the training site. Not joined yet? It’s free and you get webinars, mini courses and access to tai chi resources and training..
FINAL BONUS TRACK
As a bonus - I shall leave you with a final song - In a Hurry - from an EP by Pearl Viper fusing instruments and vocal backing tracks inspired by Taoist philosophers. No video has yet to be produced for this song, but it remains a smooth rendition that I'm sure you will enjoy. Find out more about this Taoist Album here.