The Once and Future King: ‘SMiLE’ and Brian Wilson’s Very American Dream
Sean MurphyStop me if you’ve heard this one before. Icarus soars too close to the sun. Othello, vulnerable and halfway crazy, mistakenly trusts the evil Iago. The product of a celebrated…
Reappraising Jethro Tull’s ‘Minstrel in the Gallery’
Jethro Tull, again? Seriously? Yes, seriously. The reason Tull warrants continued discussion is because unlike just about all other prog rock acts of the mid-‘70s, they were—in their businesslike, seemingly…
Talking Jive, Mingus and John Goodman
Today is the day. For John Goodman, that is. And for you, if you are inclined to check out his new book, Jive-Colored Glasses: A Jazz Memoir. And you should…
‘Pedro’ Is a Glorious Romp Full of Stories That Only Pedro Martinez Can Tell
Any public figure, particularly an artist or athlete, is assured notoriety and immortality if they are known simply by their last name (think Bird or Beethoven), their nickname (think Bono…
Schizophonia: Cantorial Recordings Reimagined
There is a common theme that connects Yoshie Fruchter with his occasional partners in crime Jon Madof and Aram Bajakian: They all play guitars. More, they have all recorded on…
The Moody Blues: Masters of the Mini Epic
The Moody Blues have not aged particularly well. And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. To be sure, more than a handful of their songs are as timeless as any…
Jon Madof’s Brilliant Corners: Zion80 ‘Adramelech’
Jon Madof has been making many people—like this fan—happy for over a decade. The scope of his projects, particularly the trio he masterminds, Rashanim, has been a source of ceaseless…
Sleater-Kinney: The Woods
Cont'd: PopMatters is doing some heavy lifting in the service of setting the historical record straight. Starting today, they are assessing the Top 100 albums of the last decade. I…
Iron And Wine: The Shepherd’s Dog
PopMatters is doing some heavy lifting in the service of setting the historical record straight. Starting today, they are assessing the Top 100 albums of the last decade. I contributed…
No One Has Ever Done Anything as Well as John Coltrane Played the Saxophone
9/23/14: Today would have been the great one's 88th birthday. Respect. *** 5/1/2010: The question isn’t, really, about who might be interested in this documentary; it is about who might…