Hot Enough For Ya?
Sean MurphyIt was hot. The kind of heat that hurt. The kind of heat that caused children to stay inside and adults to appreciate being stuck in an air-conditioned office. The…
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.…
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…
August 26, 2002: Remembering My Mother in Music
Blogs are, or can be, like diaries. Except that diaries, by nature, are private. Which begs the question: do people who blog censor or soften the observations, complaints or critiques that…
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…
Jimi Hendrix Was Not Human: Part One
Okay. I wrote words about (and worse, posted pictures of) Camille Paglia and Bret Michaels on this blog within the past month. Since my aim was to bury both and praise neither, I feel I…
Herbie Hancock is Cooler Than Us And He Always Has Been
Everyone knows that Herbie Hancock is one of the coolest men on the planet, and has been for almost half a century. Anyone who doesn't know this doesn't know much; all…
(Not) Sucking in the ’70s: Jazz, Volume One
Yes, sometimes you can judge an album by its cover. Especially if it Jazz. Most especially if it was from the '70s (that Sun Ra cover is from the…
Songs of the Day: Ornette Coleman
When Obama takes office in January of 2009, it will be a half-century since Free Jazz forefather Ornette Coleman dropped the provocatively titled "The Shape of Jazz to Come". 1959…