<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000">
<font><font size="-1">
<div class="entry-date">April 14, 2014
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/04/14/fred-ho-lives/">http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/04/14/fred-ho-lives/</a><br>
<br>
<div style="float: right;"><br>
<div id="_atssh"
style="visibility: hidden; height: 1px; width: 1px; position: absolute; z-index: 100000;"><iframe
src="http://ct1.addthis.com/static/r07/sh156.html#"
style="border: 0px none ; height: 1px; width: 1px; position: absolute; z-index: 100000; left: 0px; top: 0px;"
title="AddThis utility frame" id="_atssh462"></iframe></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="subheadlinestyle"><big><big><b>Jazz, Cancer and Revolution</b></big></big></div>
<h1 class="article-title">Fred Ho Lives!</h1>
<div class="mainauthorstyle"><big><big>by ERIC MANN</big></big></div>
<div class="main-text">
<p><big><big>Fred Ho, a renowned baritone sax player, Afro-Asian jazz
musician, composer, political organizer, revolutionary died on
Saturday. In 2006, Fred was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and spent
the next 8 years battling the disease in the most public and political
arenas– reflected in his book, “<a
href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1616083786/counterpunchmaga"
onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.amazon.com']);">Diary
of a Radical Cancer Warrior: Fighting Cancer and Capitalism at the
Cellular Level.</a>” His fight with cancer alone was extraordinary, I
have never seen someone live through so much pain, through operation
after operation, chemo, and each time, truly arise from near-death– to
announce he had “stage 4” cancer and then play an amazing sax solo,
give a talk about eco-socialism, of which he was a pioneer, and explain
why he was a luddite.</big></big></p>
<p><big><big>Two years ago, the Labor/Community Strategy Center,
organized “An Afternoon with Fred Ho” in Los Angeles—an event that is
considered historic by its 100+ participants and many who have heard
the program on my radio show, <a
href="http://www.voicesfromfrontlines.com"
onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.voicesfromfrontlines.com']);">Voices
from the Frontlines</a>. Fred played several baritone saxophone solos,
always decked out in super colorful clothes he designed and made
himself—which he made sure we knew was his war against the clothing
industry. It was a conversation between Fred, Robin D.G. Kelley, Diane
Fujino and me. The four of us are very close politically, all share an
Afro-centric socialist view of the world, and the conversation went on
for almost two hours—spanning jazz, Black history, eco-socialism, the
role of the individual in history, ego formation, the essential role of
revolutionary improvisation and the struggle against rigid thinking and
dogmatism— the imperative to create, do and say original things. Robin
who has written the definitive book on <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1439190461/counterpunchmaga"
onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.amazon.com']);">Thelonious
Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original</a> and Fred got into
a long discussion of 12 note scales and how Fred had tried to break
with that form and how he formed a big band to break the form of the
big band. I remember thinking that I barely understood the
complexities of their conversation and had so much to learn about music
theory. But that was the point—to be exposed to new ideas and to inform
my organizing by a constantly expanding constellation of theory. I
most understood the premise that I was taught from the first day I
joined the civil rights movement that has guided my work to this
day–that breaking the rules is critical to winning the battle of ideas
in a struggle with an oppressive system. Diane talked about the the
significance of making and writing history, and the critical role the
Black movement has played in shaping revolutionary Asian American
consciousness—as she has been the author of <i><a
href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0816645930/counterpunchmaga"
onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.amazon.com']);">Heartbeat
of Struggle</a>,</i> the biography of Yuri Kochiyama and <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0816677875/counterpunchmaga"
onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.amazon.com']);"><i>Samurai
Among Panthers</i></a>, the biography of Richard Aoki.</big></big></p>
<p><big><big>In the conversation I challenged Fred’s conception that
“the old Fred Ho died and the new Fred Ho has been reborn free of
egotism” –remarking to Fred that I saw far more continuities in his
life than differences and why would he negate such a rich, complex life
history. (I tend to do this as well, wanting to believe I have “broken”
with a previous view while often there is a leap, not a break, and much
of what is “new” is based on much of what I have done before and the
historical ideas that have shaped my consciousness.)</big></big></p>
<p><big><big>What the four of us had in common, was a profound
opposition to the entire Eurocentric worldview, what Fred called
“manifest destiny Marxism” in which even U.S. socialists talked about
their “utopia” as little more than more equitably distributing the
spoils of empire. We all shared a once dominant but still relevant view
that Black people in the United States are an oppressed nation with the
right of self-determination, and an unapologetic Third Worldism in
which we shared the assessment of Dr. King that the United States is
“the greatest purveyor of violence in the world” We saw the system of
imperialism led by the United States as the primary obstacle to human
rights, self-determination, and the greatest threat to ecological
possibility and the survival of the planet. But most of all it was the
type of engaging conversation, discussion, debate, argument, in such a
probing and affectionate manner so rare on the left–the type of open
ended discussions and inquiries that are so needed for a new
revolutionary movement still fighting to come into being.</big></big></p>
<p><big><big>The <em>New York Times</em> describes Fred’s “<a
href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000R03302/counterpunchmaga"
onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.amazon.com']);">Warrior
Sisters: The New Adventures of African and Asian Womyn Warriors</a>”
(1991), written with the librettist Ann T. Greene combining “the
subjects of Chinese folklore, physical combat, domestic abuse, the
black power movement and revolutionary feminism.” Ann T. Greene managed
Fred’s long journey with cancer, devoted herself to his welfare, and
was his representative to the outside world about his illness and
organizer of a group of us who supported Fred throughout his journey.
It is beyond comprehension what she is feeling now, but for those of us
who worked with her for so many years, we witnessed a true angel of
mercy, as she was with Fred in the last years, months, weeks, days,
hours and minutes.</big></big></p>
<p><big><big>In that I knew Fred first as a political revolutionary and
secondly as a musician, I was often shocked at how influential his
music was and the extent of his world-wide recognition. In June 2013 at
Fred’s invitation, I came to New York to La MaMa to attend one of the
last performances of “Deadly She-Wolf Assassin at Armageddon!” a
choreographed martial-arts opera based on the 1970s manga comics of
Kazuo Koike. I was in awe to see how he had written a piece in which
the narration, music, and martial arts were precisely timed in complete
precision. The young baritone sax player, Ben Barson, played Fred’s
instrument and music with such energy and power—one of Fred’s students
taking center stage while he was alive to see it. That night the cast
and friends went to a great Chinese restaurant where they honored Fred
and each other. The waiters served course after course and we talked
late into the night—all Fred’s events ended with food, drink, and
conversation, building community at the cellular level.</big></big></p>
<p><big><big>Fred challenged me to be more revolutionary and original
and challenged the entire 501 c3 culture, including that of my own
organization the <a
href="http://www.thestrategycenter.org;%20www.fightforthesoulofthecities.com"
onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.thestrategycenter.org;www.fightforthesoulofthecities.com']);">Labor/Community
Strategy</a> center. Our constant struggles helped to clarify and
sharpen my own politics and helped us move to the Fight for the Soul of
the Cities frame for our work and our No Cars in L.A. campaign.</big></big></p>
<p><big><big>But given our great unities we also had significant
political differences and Fred was principled and generous in his
struggles with me. He organized a discussion between us at the National
Black Theater in Harlem June 13, 2013. Quincy Saul a member of
Scientific Soul Sessions did a very fair and accurate representation of
our views.</big></big></p>
<p><big><big><em><strong>Eric Mann:</strong> An anti-imperialist,
eco-socialist future must be grounded in the actual conditions of
daily-life and political struggles of working class oppressed
nationality populations. People learn and become radicalized through
mass, radical, reform struggles, the struggle with the corporations and
the state, and the conscious intervention of organizers as political
educators bringing theory, ideology, strategy, and tactics to inform
that work. We need to build more of these mass campaigns for radical
reforms, and do so as revolutionaries, educating about empire, and
consolidating victories, concessions and consciousness toward a
revolutionary future.</em></big></big></p>
<p><big><big><em><strong>Fred Ho: </strong>We need to reject the
entire framework of mass society. The practicalities of struggle within
this system are toxic, and will literally give us cancer. The
accumulation of reforms does not create revolutionary conditions but
take us further away from them. The reform struggle deepens
colonization to the matrix of modernity. We need to begin an exodus of
revolutionary maroonage, where people pull out of the system altogether
through the prefigurative production of a future decolonized society.</em></big></big></p>
<p><big><big>Still, the evening was marked by mutual affection. We
ended our “debate” as Fred called it, with a true embrace, raised held
hands, and then we all went out to dinner at a great restaurant in
Harlem. (The talks are up on <a
href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGc6YbQTkPY"
onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.youtube.com']);">YouTube</a>
thanks to film-maker Steven De Castro, whose film, “Jazz, Cancer, and
Life: Fred Ho’s Last Year” is in post-production.)</big></big></p>
<p><big><big>While the system’s leaders of often interchangeable, mass
movement’s require many leaders and as many generals and geniuses as we
can muster. For us, the loss of a Malcolm or Martin, Harold Washington,
Hugo Chavez and Chowke Lumumba before their and our time—and yes, a
Fred Ho at 56—are massive blows to the movement. That is why Fred
spent his last years building a new generation of leaders, and his
Scientific Soul Sessions, his many bands, his endless students, and
fortunately, The Fred Ho Reader, Black Panther Suite, so many cds,
DVDs, operas, talks are part of a legacy that must be further studied
and appreciated.</big></big></p>
<p><big><big>In his last months, Fred’s last battle with the cancer
finally became a reality to all of us. Fred, who had defied gravity
and mortality, was finally in transition and moved into hospice care in
his apartment in Brookly. But having seen Fred truly rise from the dead
endless times—this damn painful journey began in 2006! it was still
hard to imagine there would be a finite date for the end of his
journey. Will to live? Nobody exhibited it like Fred Ho. Will to shake
things up, piss people off, get in your face and demand more, often
prescient, sometimes arrogant, but deeply sincere and driven to the
bone—absolutely. And for those of us who were his friends and comrades,
Fred was a tremendously gentle, generous, and kind man.</big></big></p>
<p><big><big>For those who knew him and his work we will do everything
we can to further popularize and disseminate it. For those who do not
yet know who he is and was there will be great joy in discovering him.</big></big></p>
<p><em><big><big><strong>Eric Mann</strong> is the director of the
Labor/Community Strategy Center, host of KPFK Pacifica’s Voices from
the Frontlines, and author of Playbook for Progressives: 16 Qualities
of the Successful Organizer. He can be reached at <a
href="mailto:eric@voicesfromfrontlines.com">eric@voicesfromfrontlines.com</a></big></big>
<br>
</em></p>
</div>
</font></font>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415 863.9977
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.freedomarchives.org">www.freedomarchives.org</a>
</div>
</body>
</html>