Deus ex machina*
Sean MurphyWas that as bad for you as it was for me? That's the question I did not ask when Father _____ left our house. On to his next appointment; all in a…
Kicking off the New Year with Rashanim
2011 is so last year. What, you might ask, can we look forward to in 2012? Three of my favorite things, all at once: Rashanim, Tzadik and Fela Kuti. Here…
2011: Time To Die (Part Two: July-December)
2011: In pace requiescat! 7/26/11: Whenever an artist dies too young, particularly when it is a self-inflicted surrender, there is an inevitable (irresistible?) tendency to romanticize or lionize. That Winehouse…
2011: Time To Die (Part One: January-June)
2011: In pace requiescat! The new year kicked off with unfortunate news when word of the great Gerry Rafferty's passing hit the wires. My tribute to him in its entirety…
The Top 10 Albums of 2011, According To Me (Part Four)
1. PJ Harvey, Let England Shake “You cannot get the news from poems”, William Carlos wrote. “But men die every day for lack of what is found there.” Percy Bysshe…
The Top 10 Albums of 2011, According To Me (Part Three)
2. Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues Fleet Foxes were a welcome and justly celebrated mainstream breakout act in 2008, delivering that rare feat: a debut album that was totally assured and…
Sam Rivers, R.I.P.
Another irreplaceable giant has left the planet. Sam Rivers, always graceful, elegant and cool as a mofo, certainly carved out his own niche in the jazz idiom. While his work…
The Top 10 Albums of 2011, According To Me (Part Two)
5. New Zion Trio, Fight Against Babylon. The full review is here. Zelig-like, Jamie Saft has been an indefatigable fixture in the downtown NYC music scene. Equal parts MVP…
The Narrow Path: A Tone Poem*
You are alone. You are back in the city and you are alone as you emerge into the open and empty space, stepping out from the stale depths of…
My Kind of Christmas Music (Revisited)
Tchaikovsky Corelli Bach John Fahey The Who Chuck Berry a three-fer from Jethro Tull! Sonny Boy The Godfather Donny Satchmo Ella! (An embarrassment of riches here, here, and here) Johnny…