Summertime is Reggae Time (Revisited)– Part Two: Culture’s ‘International Herb’
Sean MurphyCulture is immortal for their 1977 tour de force, Two Sevens Clash, one of a handful of albums that can justifiably be uttered in the same sentence as Heart of…
The Doors: America’s Star-Spangled Band (Revisited)
The 4th of July presents an at least two irresistible reasons to talk about The Doors. One: Jim Morrison took his last bath on July 3, 1971 in Paris. R.I.P.…
Go Ghana!
Okay, so it wasn't meant to be for the Team U.S.A. Again. But it was a good run and there is no doubting the positive overall impact this World Cup…
Summertime is Reggae Time (Revisited)– Part One: HalleluJAH: Heart of the Congos
Great art knows no seasons. Nevertheless, some music is made for—or at least can be fully appreciated during—specific times of the year. Reggae music, which many people still believe means…
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown… (One Year Later)
How do you know you've made an indelible impact on culture? Here's how. Listen: this story has been told so many times it is inextricable from the history of…
The Howling or, 100 Years of the Big Bad Wolf
Who's afraid of the big, bad Wolf? Plenty of people, and for good reason. Fortunately for us, we are not sketchy record company executives or anyone else who may have…
What’s It All About, Then? Part Two: Jazz, Featuring Wayne Shorter
There are not many people who have any idea what it's like to be this cool. Even Wayne Shorter does not know, because he is too cool to stop and…
Five Guys or, The Greatest Band of All Time (No, Really)
Miles Davis. Herbie Hancock. Wayne Shorter. Tony Williams. Ron Carter. Those men, individually, are some of the most important and brilliant musicians of the last century. Together? Forget about it.…
Mostly Other People Do The Killing or, The Shape of Jazz To Come
Best band name ever? It has to be way up there. What makes it even better is that this is the name of a jazz band. A jazz band that…
The Immortal Wayne Cochran or, The Copycat Sex Machine
You know what the best part of that picture is? Everything. And now you are probably thinking: wow, is that guy for real? Oh, he's real. And we have footage. (Huge…