THE BLACKENED BLUES, One Poem at a Time: John Coltrane’s Cancer
Sean MurphyI’m happy to announce that my first poetry collection, The Blackened Blues, is available wherever you buy books (yes, *wherever*, so you don’t have to put more money in Rocket Man’s…
2020: A Creative Recap
What's left to be said about 2020 that has not already been articulated? DespiteI managed to write 33 new poems (and have 12 published or accepted for future publication; including…
Eddie Van Halen: Rock Music’s Book of Revelation
photo courtesy of Salvatore Ferro When it comes to Eddie Van Halen, we are talking about an artist everyone would agree was, through the typical combination of hard work, good…
Ennio Morricone, The Master
Certain things are anathema to the mature writer: hyperbole, cliché, groupthink, money--just kidding, (mostly). Sometimes, and the instances are rare enough to be exceptions to the rule, one can speak…
The (Really) Real McCoy
An absolute giant, musical genius, and the rarest of human beings has departed from a planet that could scarcely contain him. McCoy Tyner is, without question, one of the most…
10 for NYC by 10, on 9/11
New York City would be unimaginable without jazz, and vice versa. Here then is a tribute for --and by-- several musicians who help define and celebrate the cultural mecca of…
SEAN MURPHY AND E. ETHELBERT MILLER: ON THE MARGIN AT WPFW 89.3
It was my considerable pleasure to have an extended chat with E. Ethelbert Miller last week on his weekly WPFW show "On the Margin." A bit more about Ethelbert, here. And…
10 for NYC by 10, on 9/11
New York City would be unimaginable without jazz, and vice versa: here's a tribute for --and by-- several musicians who help define and celebrate the cultural mecca of our known…
Nat Hentoff: Great American Hero (Revisited)
Spiderman, I suppose, came first. Six or seven, comic book in hand, convinced there was no one cooler, no one more righteous, no one else I’d rather be. After a…
10 for NYC by 10, on 9/11
New York City would be unimaginable without jazz, and vice versa. Here then is a tribute for --and by-- several musicians who help define and celebrate the cultural mecca of…