The Howling or, 100 Years of the Big Bad Wolf
Sean MurphyWho'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…
What’s It All About, Then? Part One: Jazz, Featuring Eric Dolphy
Question: What's it all about? Answer: I don't know. But I do know a few things. I know some of the things that make me tick. Even though I write…
No One Has Ever Done Anything as Well as John Coltrane Played the Saxophone
The question isn’t, really, about who might be interested in this documentary; it is about who might not be. For fans who already know everything, or those indifferent to jazz…
Sonny Rollins, Still Living The Well-Lived Life
Nice feature on American treasure (and no I don't use that word lightly) Sonny Rollins in today's Boston Globe. The man is going to celebrate his 80th birthday this year…
Erykah Badu Pushing Buttons
Oh no she didn't... Oh yes she did. This one is going to generate some serious discussion, methinks. (Click that link, above, or go directly to Badu's official site: http://www.erykahbadu.com/;…
Get Your Ghana On
You had me at Kyenkyen bi adi m'awu (which means "come back my love"). And the reason I know that is because I read the liner notes to the succinctly…