Rza

[diego]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu_xILiH6P0

@ the 4 minute point he talks about yall trip to china and mentions something about being tripped out that general wu may have been a black man...rza black and fell in love with the wu symbol, gets famous and then sees that...i'd be tripped out if i was him and it's true

Any historical info on what he is talking about?...i just found this interview and thought you could help as usual...pz

[mickey]

Hi diego,

That was nice.

Black/African peoples in China and throughout Asia is not news. Some books that address this are:

The African Presence on Early Asia

Black Jade: African Presence in the Ancient East

The Nan-cho Kingdom, Tang China's Southwestern Frontier

Ancient and Modern Britons (Europe is still Asia)

The Ancient Na-Khi Kingdom of Southwest China

Historical fiction:

Water Margin
(some members of the this group were described as being black; for example, Timely Rain, the leader of this group, and Li Kuei, the Black Tornado)


mickey

[diego]

Cool man, thanks for the info

[doug maverick]

Hi diego,

That was nice.

Black/African peoples in China and throughout Asia is not news. Some books that address this are:

The African Presence on Early Asia

Black Jade: African Presence in the Ancient East

The Nan-cho Kingdom, Tang China's Southwestern Frontier

Ancient and Modern Britons (Europe is still Asia)

The Ancient Na-Khi Kingdom of Southwest China

Historical fiction:

Water Margin
(some members of the this group were described as being black; for example, Timely Rain, the leader of this group, and Li Kuei, the Black Tornado)


mickey

also xuan hao, the ugly son in law was also described as black.

[GeneChing]

official website. anyone see this?

[mickey]

Hi Gene,

I haven't heard about this flick. But I would love to have the opportunity to "help" that sista throw her head back like that, again, again, and again.

mickey

[mickey]

Oh, yes. I forgot to add..


and again, and again, and again (yeah, let me hear ya, baybee), and again, and again.......




mickey

[GeneChing]

... a BLACK god.


Wudang gets it's name from Zhen Wu (perfected warrior). Zhen Wu evolved from an earlier god named Xuan Wu (dark warrior). Xuan Wu dates back to the Han. If you really want the story, check out my old article Zhen Wu: The Dark and Perfected Warrior in our 2002 September/October issue.

[Shaolinlueb]

aww yeah represent homeboys!!!

[GeneChing]

...what color is god?

[bodhitree]

...what color is god?

omnipotently clear or purple

[mickey]

Greetings,

I have to make a correction diego. The books I listed do not specifically answer your inquiry. They speak to the Black/African presence in Asia in such a way that the thought of General Wu being depicted as black would not be a stretch of the imagination.

There was a time when such a question as yours would generate a lot of heat. Times are changing.


mickey

[GeneChing]

Hoping for that SF show...

Trailer Exclusive: RZA Will Live-Score 'The 36th Chamber of Shaolin'
BY KRISTEN YOONSOO KIM
staff writer & resident horror creep. @kristenyoonsoo.
SEP 15, 2016

ATTENTION, here's something not to be missed: RZA will be live-scoring the 1978 martial arts film The 36th Chamber of Shaolin—namesake to Wu-Tang Clan and their iconic 1993 album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)—in Austin and L.A. RZA grew up obsessing over films from Shaw Brothers, the Hong Kong production studio that birthed many famous martial arts movies; most notably, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, from director Chia-Liang Liu, was particularly influential on the musician, who created his own clan in Staten Island using the movie to weave their own mythology with Enter the Wu-Tang.

Finally, RZA will have a creative input in the film most seminal to bringing up his iconic rap group. The rapper/producer/director is re-scoring the entire movie from start to finish, re-purposing Wu-Tang music, which includes 40 instrumental tracks, beats, and vocals.

Regarding why the movie was so impactful to him, RZA said, "Beyond the kung-fu, it was the reality of the situation that hit me. Growing up as a black kid in America, I didn’t know that that kind of story had existed anywhere else." He worked on the new score for a year and a half and is finally ready to bring the mother****in' ruckus at the following screenings (don't miss it):

Thursday, Sept. 29 @ 10:45 a.m.
Austin, TX
Fantastic Fest at Alamo Drafthouse S. Lamar – festival attendees

Thursday, Sept. 29 @ 7:00 p.m.
Austin, TX
Stateside Theatre at the Paramount – open to the public (Tickets)

Wednesday, Oct. 12
Los Angeles, CA
Egyptian Theatre – open to the public (Tickets on sale soon)

[GeneChing]

It all depends on how this does in L.A. & Austin. Hope you peeps from there come out and support so the rest of us can experience this.

Thursday, September 29, 2016
Gabz 36th Chamber of Shaolin Poster Release From Mondo



Award-winning musician and film director RZA (founder of the Wu-Tang Clan) is unleashing his hip hop genius on the mother of all martial arts masterpieces, Lau Kar-leung’s THE 36th CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN, in a live re-score for the ages.

Now touring in the US, RZA: LIVE FROM THE 36th CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN features RZA re-scoring the film from opening sequence to closing credit. Every frame of the original film has been revisited and will be re scored by RZA utilizing a Wu-Tang catalog over two decades deep. This new score features a vast array of over forty instrumental tracks, beats and vocals individually crafted and placed to amplify the narrative and electrifying action of Kar-leung’s enduring classic. A true, redefining assault on the senses, this is an experience not to be missed.

Mondo are excited to be a part of the event with a new poster by Gabz, available in multiple versions: Online, Austin and Los Angeles (Beyond Fest). Check out each poster variant here.

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (Online Version) by Gabz. 24"x36" screen print. Hand numbered. Edition of 250.

Additionally, Mondo will have two awesome t-shirts designed by Jay Shaw. The online version of the poster and both t-shirts will be available online at a random time Thursday (9/29) via mondotees.com.

[GeneChing]

RZA’s Live Score Of ‘The 36th Chamber of Shaolin’ Reveals An Artist In His Element
BY: CHRISTIAN LONG 10.03.16


GETTY IMAGE

Since their inception, Kung Fu movies have played an integral part in the sound and culture of The Wu-Tang Clan. While the film genre has had an impact on hip hop since the 1970s, The Wu-Tang Clan were the first to make it central to their group’s philosophy. The Wu-Tang’s de facto leader, RZA, cites The 36th Chamber of Shaolin as a particularly strong influence on him growing up. “Beyond the Kung-Fu, it was the reality of the situation that hit me,” he said. “Growing up as a black kid in America, I didn’t know that kind of story had existed anywhere else.”

One night, roughly 18 months ago, the idea came about to have RZA re-score all the music for the movie that had so much of a formative impact on him, while leaving the original dialogue and sound effects intact. After a year-and-a-half of meticulous planning, the Alamo Drafthouse helped make it a reality with RZA: Live From The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin, which made its debut at the Stateside Theater in Austin, Texas, last Thursday night. For two uninterrupted hours, RZA used his 20-plus years of sound archives like an arsenal, while meticulously composing an all-new soundtrack for the film, from the first frame all the way to the last.

RZA walked onto the stage to a round of applause from a packed house of about 300 people, and took some time to explain how important the Kung Fu genre was to him, and how it was central to the inspiration for the Wu-Tang Clan. Then, just before the lights were dimmed, he declared that tonight he would give “[his] sound back to the Kung Fu movies.”

Right from the opening credits, RZA’s take on the film was apparent, as star Chia Hui-Liu’s iconic, choreographed fight sequence, which had been accompanied by a much more conventional orchestration was now adorned with a fairly sparse, infectious bass-heavy backbeat and slight, wandering piano riff that set the tone for what was to come.

While the movie began to unfold, RZA’s score was perfectly measured, weaving its way in and out of scenes, pausing on occasion just long enough to let the dialogue help punctuate the importance — or humor — of the moment, before dropping back in-step with the movie. At times the score would be so prominent it swallowed up the ambient sound of the movie, piling on layer after layer that, when stopped, would leave an almost deafening silence.

RZA himself is no stranger to music in film — he’s composed soundtracks on movies like Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Ghost Dog, along with directing and scoring his own Kung Fu odyssey, Man With The Iron Fists, and its sequel. But there’s something about seeing and hearing) the man piece together a soundtrack live on stage that helped give real insight into where his own sound came from. The movie’s natural rhythm seemed to effortlessly complement the music, while RZA would alternate between new compositions and familiar hooks from Wu-Tang classics like “Bring Da Ruckus,” “C.R.E.A.M.,” and “M.E.T.H.O.D. Man” throughout.

Most of RZA’s sonic landscape came from his personal archives, but he wasn’t afraid to throw an occasional curveball into the mix, including clips of old ’70s-era soul songs and, most surprisingly, a sizable excerpt from an old Ronettes tune, though he never left anything without an accompanying breakbeat. He’d also also throw in a handful of modern sounds, like the ****ing of a gun barrel or the blaring of a police siren, echoing his sentiments bout his connection to the story, further casting his long shadow over a film that had been so formative for him.

A few surprises aside, RZA’s score was overall pretty conventional, revisiting familiar melodies, giving characters and settings their own distinctive themes, and relying on moments within the film for cues, like quick edits or the gesture of a particular character. While most played off without a hitch, there where a few transitions that would awkwardly overlap, though as an artist who seems to embrace the untidy, it was hard to tell if this was a minor misstep, or something that he’d done intentionally.

By the time the movie reached its climactic final sequence, he was letting in fragments of the original score creep through the margins, which he would then work into the music he was making on stage. It reminded viewers of the stark contrast between the original soundtrack and the one that was being assembled onstage, even giving a sense of completion to the now-38-year-old Kung Fu classic.

After the credits began to role and the crowd stoop up in a round of enthusiastic applause, RZA said a few words about the experience.

“I’ve seen that movie about 300 times, and it never loses its magic,” he began. “Like I said, it was a privilege for me to have the Wu-Tang soundtrack as the backdrop of this film, a film which inspired us. You know, many days we cut school to smoke weed and was watching this mother****er. I hope you learned something from it. I hope you guys picked up not just the martial arts aspect of pressing things and hard training, [but] to me it was like a man with a determination, you know what I mean? He had to come back and take care of some business. This film was made in 1978, and I think it still holds its weight. Thank you gods for helping me spread the 36 chambers. I want to thank the Shaw brothers, and I look forward to coming back and get to play again. Thank you, Austin. Thank you. WU-TANG!”

RZA will be performing RZA: Live From The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin live again on October 10th at the Beyond Fest in Los Angeles.

Still hoping for more shows.