2011: Time To Die (Part One: January-June)
Sean Murphy2011: In pace requiescat! The new year kicked off with unfortunate news when word of the great Gerry Rafferty's passing hit the wires. My tribute to him in its entirety…
The Top 10 Albums of 2011, According To Me (Part Four)
1. PJ Harvey, Let England Shake “You cannot get the news from poems”, William Carlos wrote. “But men die every day for lack of what is found there.” Percy Bysshe…
The Top 10 Albums of 2011, According To Me (Part Three)
2. Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues Fleet Foxes were a welcome and justly celebrated mainstream breakout act in 2008, delivering that rare feat: a debut album that was totally assured and…
Sam Rivers, R.I.P.
Another irreplaceable giant has left the planet. Sam Rivers, always graceful, elegant and cool as a mofo, certainly carved out his own niche in the jazz idiom. While his work…
The Top 10 Albums of 2011, According To Me (Part Two)
5. New Zion Trio, Fight Against Babylon. The full review is here. Zelig-like, Jamie Saft has been an indefatigable fixture in the downtown NYC music scene. Equal parts MVP…
The Narrow Path: A Tone Poem*
You are alone. You are back in the city and you are alone as you emerge into the open and empty space, stepping out from the stale depths of…
My Kind of Christmas Music (Revisited)
Tchaikovsky Corelli Bach John Fahey The Who Chuck Berry a three-fer from Jethro Tull! Sonny Boy The Godfather Donny Satchmo Ella! (An embarrassment of riches here, here, and here) Johnny…
The Top 10 Albums of 2011, According To Me (Part One)
A couple of quick things. In fairness, both Tom Waits and Paul Simon could easily be on this list. They show few signs of slowing down and it is appropriate…
Five Songs From 2011
Here are five songs from albums that did not make my personal Top 10 for 2011 (stay tuned for that list...): 5. Gary Clark, Jr: "Bright Lights Big City". This…
Vaclav Havel, R.I.P.
This representative quote has been reprinted many times elsewhere, with good reason, so I have no qualms utilizing it here: Hope in this deep and powerful sense is not the…