Honing In On Hendrix (Again)
Sean MurphyDecember 2010: If you had told me one year ago that I'd have not only one, but two opportunities to write feature-length pieces on Jimi Hendrix I would have been…
Print The Legend: The Man In Black at 80 (One Year Later)
Two questions: 1. Is that the most bad-ass picture ever taken of a pop icon? 2. Is there a more bad-ass pop icon who's ever walked the planet? (Those questions…
The Glimmer Twins…For The Win
No matter how clownish Mike Jagger becomes (and as far as I'm concerned, let him keep that carnival going as long as he can and more power to him), he…
Mardi Gras In My Mind (Revisited)
Mardi gras makes me think of New Orleans and all the good things I associate with The Crescent City. Among many other things, New Orleans makes me think of snapping…
Following These Footprints
Check this out. A few years back I opined that the second great Miles Davis quintet was the greatest group of musicians ever assembled in one collective. I stand by that,…
Happy Birthday, Henry Threadgill
69 years ago Henry Threadgill was born. Words like "original" and "uncompromising" are used too easily, even when talking about jazz music. Still, if ever there has been an iconoclast…
Halo of Ashes (Revisited)
It’s Ash Wednesday, which affords me the opportunity to talk about the Screaming Trees. (What, did you think I was going to talk about the hopelessly outdated tradition of Catholics…
Why Is Prog Rock So Inadequate, Simplistic, Reductive, Portentous and…Perfect?*
It’s always crucial, when talking trends—musical or otherwise—to contextualize the times and remember that wardrobe malfunctions, chemical excess and unspeakable atrocities like porn-star mustaches never exist within a vacuum. To…
Bob Marley: 68 Years and Going Strong
Bob Marley was born February 6, 1945, which means he would be turning 68 today. A few years back I chose what I consider five reggae albums that are lesser known,…
What’s It All About, Then? Part Two: Jazz, Featuring Wayne Shorter (Revisited)
Wayne Shorter is about to turn 80. He continues to record, play and inspire. Of the many musicians I admire and seek in some way to emulate (as artists, as…