David Bowie: The Man Who Owned the World
Sean MurphyONLY THE BEATLES. That’s the sole comparison that comes to mind when compelled to name a musical act with similar impact and importance. The Beatles, as we all know, changed…
Improving Upon Perfection, Part Three: Rodgers & Hammerstein & Coltrane
Check it out: Most people, at least post Baby Boom generation, know this from the insufferable, I mean delightful family masterpiece, The Sound of Music. It was, and remains, an…
Improving Upon Perfection, Part Two: Brian Wilson and Danny Gatton
One of the best ballads ever? No question. Brian Wilson, whom one can never say enough about, evinced such astonishing growth in such a short period of time, only The…
Improving Upon Perfection, Part One: Curtis Mayfield and Junior Murvin
First, the sweet, angelic genius of Curtis Mayfield. (Sidenote: if you've lived this long without getting a proper exposure to Curtis, remedy that as soon as possible. Virtually everything the…
Just Like a Big Daydream in the Middle of the Night: The Return of Shuggie Otis (Revisited)
True story: Already an industry veteran although barely legal drinking age, Shuggie Otis was asked to join the Rolling Stones. Famously, he declined the offer. Had he accepted that once-in-a-lifetime…
Les Claypool & Co: The Power of Music (Revisited)
I will go ahead and answer my own question (posed the other month, HERE). Based on the footage I've seen (never caught him in real time, in person, alas) Les…
Peter Gabriel & Me: The Power of Music (Revisited)
The face this guy makes when he listens to "Here Comes the Flood" by Peter Gabriel. Maybe not every time, and certainly not every time he is driving. But it's…
Led Zeppelin on Led Zeppelin (Revisited)
We tend to not think of Led Zeppelin as actual human beings. The reason, of course, is that they are not. At least not in the ways that can be…
Victory and Sorrow: Bright Moments from Three Masters (Revisited)
HOW TO TALK ABOUT JAZZ MUSIC? Well, perhaps it’s better to determine how not to talk about jazz music. Hearing is believing. That’s all there is to it. And if…
O’Connor and Coltrane: Saints of American Art
i. I never, until this year, made the explicit connection between John Coltrane and Flannery O’Connor. Why should I have? One was an introverted white woman, a southern writer who…