Orrin Keepnews: Hero for America’s Music
Sean MurphyRevisiting a piece from exactly 10 years ago, celebrating an unjustly obscure, sadly under-appreciated hero for American Culture. March 20, 2015 Orrin Keepnews frequently talked about jazz the way war…
Songs From the Big Chair at 40
Forty years ago today: Songs from the Big Chair, one of the best albums (start to finish as great as any album of that decade got) of the '80s dropped.…
Let The Music Be Your Master: Physical Graffiti at 50
i. Let’s Get Physical You want to understand and appreciate how transcendentally great Led Zeppelin is? If I were to say: I’d like to pay tribute to their masterpiece, you could reasonably…
The Last Waltz, At Last: RIP, Garth Hudson
Every group (athletes, artists, executives) requires at least one MVP who is willing (and, often, needs) to cede the spotlight, be content to stay out of the fray, avoid the…
Sam Moore, RIP
Most of the obits will talk about "Soul Man" (as they should), but Sam & Dave dropped so many gems, many ripe for (re)discovery. As a young pup, my introduction…
2025: Focus on Sanity
Obviously I think the world would be a more enlightened, happy, and peaceful place if more folks listened to jazz, and I'm content to convert as many lost souls as…
Peter Sinfield, Prog Rock Visionary
There are few rock bands I've written about more than King Crimson (check it out here, here, here, and here -- and there's more if you need it: just Google…
On Broken Heels (x 2)
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 04: Muscian Sonny Rollins arrives at the 34th Kennedy Center Honors held at the Kennedy Center Hall of States on December 4, 2011 in Washington, DC.…
Born in the U.S.A. at 40: The Boss Before, During, After
i. Before Deliver Me From Nowhere Perhaps because of what followed—the next album, the acclaim—Springsteen’s decision to make the ultimate lo-fi album seems even more prescient, appropriate, and perfect. If Darkness…
In the Garden of Eden: Doug Ingle, RIP
RIP to Doug Ingle, singer and organist on Iron Butterfly's epic (or insufferable -- and for my money these are not mutually exclusive) "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," a song that for many young…