Yusef Lateef: R.I.P., Gentle Giant
Sean MurphyWe have lost one of the great, indeed one of the greatest, ones. Yusef Lateef, aged 93 years young, was finally stopped by cancer on December 23. I say…
My Kind of Christmas Music (Revisited)
Tchaikovsky Corelli Bach A few from 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,…
Your Holiday Shopping List or, My Island of Misfit Toys
If you're wise (and/or foolish) enough to take my advice seriously, here are some of my favorite things from 2013. If you are looking for gift ideas, for yourself or…
Howard Tate, R.I.P. (Two Years Later)
Not a lot of fanfare surrounded the death of Howard Tate (a couple of obits here and here). In a sad, sadly typical way, this is appropriate, since there was…
Five for Mandela
Some directly, some indirectly inspired by the great man. (Bonus!)
7 From McCoy Tyner For His 75th
McCoy Tyner turns 75 years young today. In a saner and more soulful world, Tyner would be a household name. As it is, he remains an American treasure, a remarkable…
Life in the Key of Song: Strawberry Fields Forever
Living is easy with eyes closed/Misunderstanding all you see, It's getting hard to be someone but it all works out/It doesn't matter much to me. Those aren't just defining lines…
The Day The Music Died, Redux (Revisited)
(12/9/2010) It was thirty years ago today... Where were you? I was in my mother's bedroom, kissing her goodbye before I caught the school bus, and I heard the horrible…
Five by Frank Zappa @ 20 Years
December 4, 1993: impossible as it is (at least for me) to believe, Frank Zappa passed away (yet another casualty of the Big C.) twenty years ago, today. Zappa, to…
Let Us Give Thanks for the Guitar Solo (Revisited)
Let us give thanks for the guitar solo. This excercise is equal parts pointless and onanistic, which, of course, is the entire point. (Quick: what was your favorite orgasm? Thought…