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
Bonnie Raitt is closely identified with the great John Prine song “Angel from Montgomery.” There are quite a few versions of it on YouTube...
Stephon Alexander thinks that two of his favorite things — improvisational jazz and quantum physics — are deeply linked. Saying quantum science is...
This Hank Williams video is odd for a couple of reasons, both of which are interesting. The first few seconds show Williams crossing a street under the...
This post initially appeared at The Daily Music Break. It’s been edited and expanded a bit. It’s ironic that Harry Nilsson, a songwriter of great renown...
Above is “I Ain’t Drunk (I’m Just Drinkin’ “), a tongue in cheek take on the inebriation by Albert Collins. Here is the first...
A version of this playlist appeared when the great John Renbourn died about four years ago. The site has had some technical difficulties and the playlist was...
Here’s a nice song about uselessness and the end of everything. This is what David Byrne had to say about “Road to No Where” as quoted at...
When I used to go to bars frequently–this is a long time ago–once in a while a band would rise above the very respectable, predictable and often...
On April 22, two jazz greats — both bass players — celebrated birthdays. The day marked the ninety-seventh and eighty-fourth anniversaries of the...
This is what Rolling Stone’s David Menconi said of The Nighthawks’ “Hollywood Town Hall” in a 2014 feature suggesting which rock albums...
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.
🎼🎺🎻🎹🎷🎶🎵
🎼🎺🎻🎹🎷🎶🎵
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.