Where the Hell is Shafi Hadi?: A Poem (Revisited)
Sean Murphy(*Saxophone player Shafi Hadi, born Curtis Porter, is best-known for his association with jazz legend Charles Mingus, and played on the seminal recording Mingus Ah Um, from 1959. He dropped…
The Prog Rock Holy Trinity, Cont’d, Part Three: Genesis (Revisited)
There are several things that make it challenging to discuss old school Genesis. First, virtually everyone knows and probably prefers the Phil Collins incarnation (or worse, people detest that outfit,…
Harold Ramis: Empathy for the Rebel (Revisited)
Consider this: a world without Animal House. Or Caddyshack, Stripes, Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day. I can’t fathom how much less happy my childhood would have been without any one of…
Bernin’ For You
I’m… Don’t say it. I’m F… Don’t say it! I’m Feel… Don’t say it!! I’M FEELING THE BERN! Are you serious? I’m as serious as the heart attack The…
Fire In My Bones: Get Your Gospel On
When's the last time you got your Gospel on? Of the many things I'll miss, again, this year at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, as much as the…
Ask The Ages: Revisiting Sonny Sharrock’s Masterful Swan Song
The name alone is epic: Sonny Sharrock. I won't resist the urge, because I can't, to pick a low-hanging pun and opine that Sonny put the rock back in jazz.…
Marlon Brando, Pocahontas and Me (Revisited)
And the Oscar goes to... Who cares? Okay, okay: I'll resist the urge to be a sourpuss and let it suffice that I express my indifference to the pompous and…
Do You Believe in Miracles? (Revisited)
On Feb. 22, 1980, in a stunning upset, the United States Olympic hockey team defeated the Soviets at Lake Placid, N.Y., 4-to-3. (The U.S. team went on to win the…
Why Is Prog Rock So Inadequate, Simplistic, Reductive, Portentous and…Perfect? (Revisited)
It’s always crucial, when talking trends—musical or otherwise—to contextualize the times and remember that wardrobe malfunctions, chemical excess and unspeakable atrocities like porn-star mustaches never exist within a vacuum. To…
A Portrait of the Boss As a Young Man
There is one key question that arises whenever a new box set of previously-available material is released: is it necessary? With Bruce Springsteen’s eight-disc The Album Collection Vol. 1: 1973-1984,…