The beginning of NPR’s bio of bassist Ray Brown does a good job of quickly defining who he was — and the company he kept: Grammy Award-winning...
Tag - music break
Acknowledging various dates takes on a melancholy feel as a person gets older. This site has been up since the beginning of March, and I’ve probably run...
Allan Sherman was the original Weird Al Yankovic. The difference is that Sherman’s parodies of popular and folk songs in most cases got their humor by...
The quintet playing Pennies From Heaven, according to Songbook, is comprised of Lester Young on tenor saxophone, Bill Harris on trombone, Hank Jones on piano...
Here is a look at some of the music associated with the Olympics, which are starting in London. NPR, via WNYC, provides an overview, while The Telegraph...
According to Livewire Mobile, its free Rumpus Android app enables users to far more efficiently and easily navigate the huge amount of music available. The...
On this day in 1984, Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton died at age 58 in Los Angeles. Thornton wrote and recorded Ball ‘n’ Chain, which...
Places to learn about the band are its Facebook page and blog. The two songs that will be recognized by non-fans are Rock the Casbah and London Calling. Here...
Editor’s Note: I just watched this after having not done so for a while. Three things strike me: 1. This is pure joy; 2. Louis Armstrong, along with...
There is a very nice piece in The Washington Post about The Newport Folk Festival, which starts runs from July 28 to the 29th at Rhode Island’s Fort Adams...
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.