10 for NYC by 10, on 9/11
Sean MurphyNew York City would be unimaginable without jazz, and vice versa. Here then is a tribute for --and by-- several musicians who help define and celebrate the cultural mecca of…
Sonny Rollins, Still Living The Well-Lived Life (Revisited)
If you've lived on this planet thus far without getting Sonny into your life, I can't encourage you more strongly to rectify that, immediately. *** Nice feature on American treasure…
The Real Life Fable of Charles Mingus and Orval Faubus (Revisited)
On Sept. 4, 1957, Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus called out the National Guard to prevent nine black students from entering Central High School in Little Rock. Charles Mingus had many…
Streaming Services: Savior or Disruption?
Last week I had the opportunity to speak with good friend and industry veteran Jason Herskowitz (more about him HERE). In my capacity as an industry analyst at the Consumer…
The Once and Future King: ‘SMiLE’ and Brian Wilson’s Very American Dream
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Icarus soars too close to the sun. Othello, vulnerable and halfway crazy, mistakenly trusts the evil Iago. The product of a celebrated…
50 Years Later: His Dream is Our Dream
In 1963, 200,000 people participated in a peaceful civil rights rally in Washington, D.C., where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech in front of…
God Is Dead (Again): Remembering Stevie Ray Vaughan
Twenty-three years ago today. First day of classes, junior year. Standing in the bathroom with too much shaving cream and not enough whiskers, getting geared up for another semester of partying…
The Past is Calling: The Who’s ‘Quadrophenia’ (Revisited)
Most popular Who album? No. Most important Who album? No. Most influential Who album? No. Best Who album? Definitely. More: Best album of the ‘70s? Probably. More? Best rock album,…
Hey Gibson, Let’s Talk Guitar Albums (Revisited)
(August, 2010) Okay. Gibson (the fine folks who bring us some of our best guitars) has recently announced their selections of what they deem the Top 50 Guitar Albums ever.…
Elvis Is (Still) Dead: Long Live The King (Revisited)
Poor Elvis. The one-time king is now more often the (big) butt of jokes (see?). But his musical and cultural imprint remains huge and will forever be impossible to escape…