David Bromberg has played everything with everyone, or at least it seems that way. His profile is deep and wide: Bob Dylan, Levon Helm, George Harrison...
blog
The list: “Deliverance,” “Anatomy of a Murder,” “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissis,” “The Bridge Over the River Kwai,” “Pulp Fiction,” “The Fifth Element,”...
Rhiannon Giddens, who turned 41 last Wednesday, is a singer, violinist and banjo player. Here is a cut and paste from Wikipedia’s list of the genres she...
One of the most important institutions of country music – and, therefore, American music – is the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. It’s a weekly performance...
I scan several “This Day in Music”-type sites — rock, country, jazz, even classical — when stumped for a blog topic. Today, a country...
One of the most influential blues players of the last century was Sam Hopkins, better known as Lightnin’. The first paragraph of his profile at AllMusic...
Featured music this week is “Alayehushim” from Ethiopian musician Dawit Alemayehu (above) and “Getting to Me” from Caroline Rose...
My son sent me the above freestyle rap. It raises all sorts of interesting issues and questions. The rapper is Black Thought, who was born Tariq Luqumaan...
This week’s new music, courtesty of NPR, has a Spanish feel. Above is Héctor Guerra’s – “Vida,” featuring Mariel Mariel and below...
One of the great things about music is how a good song – or, more accurately, a good melody – can move freely between genres. It’s second nature, of...
Two things become apparent when taking a look at the life of Allen Toussaint (besides his talent and class): The amount of great music that New Orleans has...
Reading Music
The stories of the great bands and musicians are fascinating. Musicians as a group are brilliant, but often troubled. The combination of creativity and drama makes for great reading.
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Here are some books to check out.
Duke Ellington brought class, sophistication and style to jazz which, until that point, was proudly unpolished and raucous. His story is profound. The author, Terry Teachout, also wrote "Pops," the acclaimed bio of Louis Armstrong. Click here or on the image.
What else is there to say? Here is the story behind every song written by The Beatles. Click here or on the image.
The Grateful Dead don't get enough credit for the profound nature of its lyrics. Many of the band's songs are driven by a deep and literate Americana ("I'm Uncle Sam/That's who I am/Been hidin' out/In a rock and roll band" and "Majordomo Billy Bojangles/Sit down and have a drink with me/What's this about Alabama/Keeps comin' back to me?").
David Dodd's exhaustive study tells the story, song by song. Click here or on the image.