Brooklyn Reading #9: Good Neighbors/Newark Airport, 1980
Sean MurphyMay 29, 2014. It was billed as a throwback to the old Beatnik days, minus the bongos and clove cigarettes. As such, New York City was a mandatory locale; Brooklyn…
Victory and Sorrow: Bright Moments from Three Masters (Revisited)
HOW TO TALK ABOUT JAZZ MUSIC? Well, perhaps it’s better to determine how not to talk about jazz music. Hearing is believing. That’s all there is to it. And if…
The Intersection of Art & Innovation, cont’d: Another Conversation with Aram Bajakian
2/21/14: Today we wrapped round two of what I hope will be an ongoing conversation. Aram and I discussed what he's learned by producing, and promoting, his first truly independent…
The Intersection of Art and Innovation, cont’d: Evolving Models of Music — A Conversation with Jon Madof
2/10/14: On Friday I had the opportunity to do another Google Hangout, part of an ongoing series called "The Intersection of Art and Innovation". (Some previous discussions can be found…
Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before*
Let me tell you a story. It involves a white male born in a steadily prospering town to a slowly prospering family. His father, the first in his Irish family…
Emotional feedback on a timeless wavelength: Rush’s ‘Permanent Waves’ (Revisited)
How unbelievably appropriate that Permanent Waves was released on January 1, 1980? In virtually every regard, this album ended the '70s (literally) and foreshadowed the fertile grounds (reggae, pop elements,…
My Annual New Year’s Eve Message
As always, it’s a hell of a lot easier to keep these things in perspective by considering the (increasing) number of our brothers and sisters who are struggling just to…
2014: Time To Die, Part Two
2014: In pace requiescat! Theme video for this annual series (especially instructive for those not familiar with the title or the photo, above): 7/14/14: 1959 was a watershed year for…
2014: Time To Die, Part One
2014: In pace requiescat! Theme video for this annual series (especially instructive for those not familiar with the title or the photo, above): 1/14/14: Another one gone way too soon.…
Yusef Lateef: R.I.P., Gentle Giant (One Year Later)
We have lost one of the great, indeed one of the greatest, ones. Yusef Lateef, aged 93 years young, was finally stopped by cancer on December 23. I say "finally"…