Pet Sounds: The Kind of World Where We Belong
Sean Murphy5/16/66. A day that changed music, forever, for the better. A case could, and probably should, be made that we ought to refer to rock music as "BP" and "AP"…
The Greatness of the Gatsby
Kathryn Schulz has seized the occasion of the newest—and probably not the last—screen adaptation of The Great Gatsby to take the great American novel down several pegs. Indeed, she is…
Ten Songs That Never Fail
With the emotional baggage associated with things like Mother's Day and my birthday, it's nice --and necessary-- to step back and fully appreciate my family and friends. This was my…
Every Time I Scribble A Thought With Artistic Intent
I’m fortunate, in a sense, to be the type of person that gets more sentimental about the times I read a certain book or heard a particular album than I…
A Day To Remember; A Life To Celebrate
August 30, 2002* Everything that is good about me is because of my mother. Fortunately, I was able to convey this simple truth many times in my adult life, but…
What’s It All About, Then? Part One: Jazz, Featuring Eric Dolphy (Revisited)
Question: What's it all about? Answer: I don't know. But I do know a few things. I know some of the things that make me tick. Even though I write…
Robert Johnson: A Celebration in Covers
As was mentioned in the piece revisited yesterday (see HERE), Robert Johnson's body of work was small but unsurpassed in terms of import and influence. Perhaps the best way --aside…
Robert Johnson: The Centennial of an American Genius (Revisited)
5/8/2011: Does any single figure loom as large over an art form as Robert Johnson? Bach and Shakespeare come to mind, but classical music, like literature, took centuries and multiple…
The Only Band That Mattered, Part Three
After spending a reasonable amount of time on this planet, I'm convinced there are two types of people in the world: Those who recognize that Sandinista! is a bloody masterpiece,…
Beauty is a Rare Thing: Celebrating International Jazz Day (Revisited)
All hope is not lost. At least enough people are still making --and listening to-- jazz that we can even attempt to initiate what hopefully becomes an ongoing occasion. In…