This Apostle’s Creed: East Broadway Run Down
Sean MurphyFall '83 and, as if weekly church services weren't insufferable enough, the Sacrament of Confirmation required mandatory tutelage, also once a week, on Sundays, which meant our soccer games (and…
Gordon Lightfoot: Bon Voyage
Perfection is impossible (if fun) to try defining; you know it when you see it or hear it. "Sundown" requires little analysis: it's perfect. Every word, every sound, every second:…
100 + 1: National Poetry Month Meets Mingus
Charles Mingus had many things to say, and he used his mouth, his pen, his fists, and mostly his music to say them. Of the myriad words that describe Mingus, passionate would…
Easter Sunday and Eric Dolphy
Eric Dolphy’s Avowal* Eric Dolphy’s alto is less a solo than an announcement: not unlike a boisterous child acting out in the rear pew, where everyone gradually comprehends, he is…
National Poetry Month Meets Marvin Gaye
I was aware (and in awe) of John Goodman before I reviewed his book (10 years ago!) Mingus Speaks -- an indispensable document of the great Charles Mingus (a lot…
National Poetry Month Meets Howlin’ Wolf
National Poetry Month rolls on. Thanks again to Decolonial Passage for publishing "Howlin' Wolf's Harp" last summer. This one appears in Rhapsodies in Blue (and I read it last week…
David Lindley: Jackson Browne’s Right Hand Man
One of the more unheralded "guy behind the guy" guys, David Lindley did plenty of amazing stuff, but he shined brightest backing up Jackson Browne on some of the '70s…
David Crosby: Born to be That Guy
Not sure if anyone was dedicated to being that guy as long or at the same level as David Crosby: decades being that guy: band killer, friendship ender, high-end harmonizer,…
Christine McVie: RIP, Songbird
She was beautiful, preternaturally cool (has any singer of so many incandescent and indelible hit singles sounded so effortless and laid back?), and her graceful vibe was crucial to this…
The Killer: He Didn’t Want to Miss Out on Great
“If I had it all to do over, I'd do the same thing again. I think I would, because if I didn't, I'd miss out on something great. I've had…