Dan Auerbach, In Search of the Authentic Sound
Sean MurphyDuring my recent discussion with Dan Auerbach, there was heavy construction underway in the unit above mine: the refrain of hammering, drill work, and boot steps were like a Greek…
Upfull Living Or, A Tale of Two Album Covers
Part One: Pharoah Sanders Maybe you have to be a Jazz aficionado to get excited by an album cover, but come on: How can you not love this? How can…
Mingus Ah Um: An Open Letter to the 20th Century
1959 was, by any measure, a watershed year for jazz music. Some all-time great recordings were released during this year, including Kind Of Blue (Miles Davis), Giant Steps (John Coltrane),…
July 7: When The Two Sevens Clash
July 7, 1977: When the two sevens clash. You can, and should, appreciate Culture's masterpiece all days of the year, but on July 7 you better recognize. I wrote about Culture…
Remembering Max Roach
YouTube is Santa Claus, I'm a kid, and every day is Christmas. All I can say regarding the treasure trove of footage I just stumbled upon is: Oh.My.God. Max.Motherfucking.Roach.
The Doors: America’s Star-Spangled Band
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. Lizard King.…
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown…
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…
Sketches of Spain: Perfection Turns 50
From Popmatters. Miles Davis is responsible for so much incredible music that at times it’s overwhelming to grapple with his legacy. To be certain, no one who knows anything can…
Mr. Bungle’s California: Ten Years Later
PopMatters keeps the party going, plowing through the calendar year of 1999, reminiscing about important albums that dropped that year. For my part, I'm tackling the yang to Fantomas' yin:…
Fantômas: 10 Years Later
A writer should always set challenges: it keeps things interesting and guards against formulaic and predictable assessments. Still, as Harry Callahan sagely observed, "A man's gotta know his limitations." I…