N4 Magic Grover Washington Jr. Grover Washington Jr. was an American jazz-funk and soul-jazz saxophonist. He is known for his smooth and melodic playing style, which earned him the nickname "Mr. Magic." One of his most popular albums is "Mister Magic," released in 1975.
How do you modernize these ancient practices?
Magicians always have their elements around them. There's always Earth, air, water, fire. There's always the four directions, up, down. Can I go out and carve my protection symbol into a piece of granite? No. But I can go get a "Hello My Name Is" sticker like all the other graffiti artists and slap my sigil up on the electrical box outside of my house and it's exactly the same thing. There are a lot of sticker sigils on Capitol Hill because there [are] lots of people actively attempting to control the reality paradigm in the neighborhood to combat all the gentrification happening here. A lot of witches and magicians have been getting together and saying "We're just going to try and make this building invisible for the next several months so nothing happens to it." It's sort of like magical community activism.
But I can go get a Hello My Name Is sticker like all the other graffiti artists and slap my sigil up on the electrical box outside of my house and it s exactly the same thing. By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy to receive electronic communications from Vice Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.
" One of his most popular albums is "Mister Magic," released in 1975. The album "Mister Magic" features the title track that became a big hit for Washington and solidified his popularity in the jazz and R&B genres. The track is a smooth fusion of jazz and funk, with Washington's soulful saxophone taking center stage.
The Islamic State’s War on Magic
Earlier this month, a street performer known as "Sorcerer" was beheaded by militants. Why are these extremists so angry at sleight-of-hand artists?
January 30, 2015, 5:14pmSword-brandishing Islamic State fighters tearing down the border between Iraq and Syria. Still from VICE News documentary 'The Islamic State'
This article originally appeared on VICE Canada.
The Islamic State is no stranger to attacking civilians. Recently, though, they've been targeting not only gay people and journalists but also subversive magicians. Earlier this month, reports emerged of a street performer who was beheaded in a public square in the city of Raqqa, Syria, the capital of the Islamic State.
The illusionist, who went by the moniker "Sorcerer," was known for entertaining locals with innocuous magic tricks like making coins and cell phones disappear. According to UK tabloid the Daily Mirror, he was charged with "creating illusions and falsehood" deemed offensive to Islam and was sentenced to death by beheading. An activist who recently fled Raqqa and was familiar with Sorcerer told the Mirror that the magician was a popular performer who simply entertained locals: "He was just called 'Sorcerer' by people, and children loved him. He was doing nothing anti-Islamic but he paid for it with his life."
AdvertisementThe Islamic State has been cracking down on all forms of magic. The video below was released in July by the organization's media arm and shows a man from Aleppo moments before he is beheaded for sorcery. Another propaganda video shows militants scouring a so-called "sorcerer's nest" for books about magic and declaring that the appropriate penalty is to be struck by a sword.
Clearly, the Islamic State does not take the threat of supernatural forces lightly. To understand why seemingly harmless street magicians are being lumped in with supposed satanic, spell-casting sorcerers, VICE spoke to Adam Silverstein, professor of Abrahamic religions at Tel Aviv's Bar-Ilan University and author of Islamic History: A Very Short Introduction. He is also a magician and member of the Magic Circle, a UK-based organization dedicated to "promoting and advancing the art of magic."
According to Silverstein, the root of this problem is largely semantic. "The Arabic word for 'magic' is sihr—pronounced with a guttural H—and in the Qur'an it means 'magic' in the sense of 'black magic,' but in modern Arabic the same word is used for 'entertaining magic,'" Silverstein explained. "That can lead to unfortunate confusions that can, very occasionally, have serious consequences for magicians in the Muslim world.
" Chapter 2, verse 102 [of the Qur'an] specifically states that it is 'the Satans' who teach magic," he said. "Seeing as how sihr is associated with 'the Satans,' it would not surprise me at all if some in the Muslim world associate sihr—even of the entertainment sort—with threatening forces."
AdvertisementMamdouh Marzouki agrees. He's a well-known magician from Saudi Arabia who goes by the stage name "Mumdo," and he says his craft is frequently misunderstood.
"Black magic is a sin in the Qur'an," Marzouki said. "It is considered evil and the work of the Devil, and therefore it is forbidden. But to this day there is a great confusion between black magic and what I do.
"What I do, with all due respect to magicians, it's not real magic," he added. "It's just trickery and misdirection, but a lot of people in this part of the world believe that what I do is real, and I do my best to tell them that it's not by educating them. Sometimes I go even further and break the Magician's Code and reveal some tricks just to prove that what I do is illusion."
During his studies, Silverstein performed magic for small groups in Jordan, Egypt, the West Bank, and Arab villages in Israel. He said "the reception was generally positive, but audience members would often react with fear rather than enjoyment," a fear that Silverstein chalks up to crowds "interpreting what they see through their own cultural perspective, which was often colored by belief in demons and the like.
"I recall one performance in which a group of slightly older men observed a standard trick and responded by abruptly leaving while muttering under their breath about the powers of the jinn."
Anecdotal evidence aside, belief in supernatural forces is widespread in the Muslim world, according to a Pew Research report that surveyed more than 38,000 Muslims in 39 countries. In the Middle East specifically, well over half of the population is reported to believe in jinn, and sorcery is almost universally considered "not permissible" within Islam.
AdvertisementMumdo performing magic on stage. Photo courtesy of Mumdo
Mumdo's stage act is heavily influenced by glitzy American-style magic shows; he makes female stagehands disappear and helicopters appear out of thin air.
"Siegfried and Roy, David Copperfield, Jeff McBride all are magicians that have influenced me, and I still look up to them," Marzouki said. Yet he says that he still gets criticized and accused of "witchcraft" because many Muslims do not make the distinction between black magic and the extravagant but benign trickery that he performs for a living.
It's not just the Islamic State that seems unable or unwilling to make the distinction between evil sorcery and entertainment. Saudi Arabia, a country without a criminal code where judges interpret holy texts to deliver rulings, also beheads alleged sorcerers in public. The country's religious police force has set up an anti-witchcraft squad that gets dispatched to investigate cases of black magic and sorcery. Even the Harry Potter books are forbidden in the kingdom, according to the Jerusalem Post.
In 2008, popular Lebanese psychic hotline show host Ali Hussain Sibat was arrested following an "undercover sting operation." He was charged with "manipulating spirits, predicting the future, concocting potions, and conjuring spells," the New York Times reported.
Sibat was sentenced to death by beheading for being a sorcerer, though the Saudi Supreme Court eventually reversed the sentence after an international outcry.
AdvertisementNot surprisingly, Mumdo, a Saudi native, has also had problems with the authorities. "My performance permit was once rejected, and I had to cancel a few shows before because of the confusion between what I do—illusion—and real magic," the illusionist said, adding that it is not uncommon for him to turn down performances if he feels that he will "get bullied by the religious police." Nor is this uncommon for other magicians in the Middle East. "Some of my fellow magicians have also canceled and stopped their shows because of religious concerns."
Still, magic may be a complex and controversial issue in the Muslim world, but why the death penalty?
Capital punishment for magic, or sihr, is actually firmly planted in Islamic history and law. Ahmed Fekry Ibrahim is a professor of Islamic law at McGill University's Institute of Islamic Studies. When asked about the Raqqa magician who was beheaded, he told VICE that "ISIS must have been at least partly influenced in its decision to implement this punishment by normative, pre-modern [before the 19th century] juristic discourse.
"The majoritarian position among pre-modern Muslim jurists is that Muslims who exercise magic should be put to death," Ibrahim added. According to him, this reasoning is the basis of the beheading in the propaganda video above, and it is "the dominant position in normative discourse in the four Sunni schools of law."
But he emphasizes that "the frequent persecution of magicians is indeed a recent phenomenon. When you read 16th- through 19th-century Ottoman court records, for instance, you realize there was no inquisition of magicians, no witch hunts, as was the case in Christian Europe, despite the jurists' harsh punishments."
Both Silverstein and Marzouki say that the general attitude toward "entertainment magic" is definitely warming, and both cite hugely popular TV talent show Arabs Got Talent as crucial to the growing acceptance of entertainment magicians.
"The public is much more aware of what I do, and it's a little safer now," said Marzouki.
Still, he says he is hardly surprised by the execution of the street magician in Raqqa: "I expect anything from the Islamic State. These are radicals who kill innocent women and children, so I am not surprised. I feel sorry for the street magician, and my heart goes out to his family. This is tragic and shouldn't have happened. Street performers are entertainers, and this guy was trying to bring smiles and joy to the people in a very difficult time."
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The lamb's heart he gave me. Read on if you want to know what I'm talking about
It showcases his ability to create charismatic melodies and captivating improvisations. Throughout his career, Washington released numerous albums that showcased his unique blend of jazz, funk, and R&B influences. His smooth and romantic style appealed to a wide audience, and he gained a significant following among both jazz enthusiasts and mainstream listeners. In addition to his solo work, Washington collaborated with various musicians and artists, including Bill Withers, Bob James, and Patti LaBelle. He also contributed to the soundtrack of the popular TV series "Taxi," further boosting his visibility in the music industry. Washington's contributions to the world of jazz and soul music were highly influential. He played a significant role in popularizing the smooth jazz genre, which gained immense popularity in the 1980s and beyond. His melodic and accessible music resonated with listeners of all backgrounds and helped bring jazz to a broader audience. Unfortunately, Washington's life was cut short when he suffered a heart attack in 1999, at the age of 56. However, his legacy lives on through his timeless music, which continues to inspire and captivate audiences around the world. In conclusion, Grover Washington Jr. was a masterful saxophonist who left an indelible mark on the world of jazz and soul music. His smooth and melodic style, showcased in albums like "Mister Magic," solidified his status as a beloved and influential musician. Despite his untimely passing, his music continues to bring joy and inspiration to listeners, ensuring that his legacy remains intact..
Reviews for "Grover Washington Jr.'s N4 Album: A Journey through Jazz Fusion"
1. John - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with "N4 magic grover washington jr". The music felt scattered and lacked coherence. The tracks seemed to jump from one genre to another without any clear direction. It was difficult for me to connect with the songs and I found myself skipping through most of the album. Overall, I was not impressed with the quality or the overall production of this album.
2. Sarah - 1 star - I have to say that I didn't enjoy "N4 magic grover washington jr" at all. The music felt boring and uninspired. It lacked originality and didn't offer anything new or exciting. The melodies were forgettable and the instrumentation felt repetitive. I found myself constantly checking how much time was left on each song, hoping for it to be over soon. I would not recommend this album to anyone looking for a fresh and innovative musical experience.
3. Michael - 2 stars - "N4 magic grover washington jr" was a disappointment for me. The album lacked the soul and emotion that I usually associate with Grover Washington Jr.'s music. The songs felt flat and lacked depth. It seemed like he was just going through the motions without any passion or creativity. It was a forgettable and unremarkable album overall.
4. Emily - 3 stars - I had high expectations for "N4 magic grover washington jr" based on Grover Washington Jr.'s previous work, but unfortunately, this album fell short for me. While the technical skill of the musicians was evident, the compositions themselves felt generic and lacking in originality. It felt like an attempt to recreate past glory rather than pushing artistic boundaries. While there were a couple of standout tracks, overall it was a forgettable album in his discography.