A COLLOQUY ON MUSIC PART IV (FEATURING DOUGIE FRESH AND CHUNKY STYLE)
DF: Okay. Okay. These headlines are getting out of hand! TTB: That's what lots of hip hop songs look like on the charts. Plenty of secondary artists. No real names! DF: Whatever. Why do we have two new people in this discussion? TTB: Well, Dougie Fresh is bringing his encyclopedic knowledge of the popular song to the discussion and Chunky Style (not his real name) is updating us on the latest in rap stylings. DF: Well, let's go! Mr. Fresh...? Take it away. FRESH: I like
A COLLOQUY ON MUSIC WITH D. FELTZ, PHYFE DOUG, AND THICK TEE BONE PART III
DF: Well, it's time to look at the development of the modern song. TTB: This sounds tiresome. DF: No, actually I think you'll enjoy it. ...
A COLLOQUY ON MUSIC WITH D. FELTZ, PHYFE DOUG, AND THICK TEE BONE PART II
TTB: When we last left off, we had just finished watching "My Shot", a number from the groundbreaking musical that has been packing them in on Broadway in unprecedented fashion--Hamilton. What did you think? DF: Creative song I guess. Nothing you can actually sing though. Lots of catchy rhyming or quasi-rhyming. I assume all those guys have wonderful singing voices, but there is nothing in the song that would allow them to demonstrate their vocal talents. They just repeat
A COLLOQUY ON MUSIC WITH D. FELTZ, PHYFE DOUG, AND THICK TEE BONE PART I
DF: I've been under attack lately for my lukewarm response to the theatrical mega-hit Hamilton. I have praised it to the hilt for its creativity, the skill of its cast, and the impact it has had on young theatre-goers. That its tickets on the secondary market run into the thousands of dollars doesn't bother me as much as the doubling of the ticket prices on the primary market, but that's just me. I "get" supply and demand. If a show is hot I understand that you can get an ex
FRANCIS ALBERT
Today marks Frank Sinatra's 100th Birthday. I mentioned The Chairman of the Board earlier this year in a post about Billie Holiday's centennial; she was a vocalist Frank idolized, one who hit it big shortly before Sinatra did. Frank's impact on modern culture is incalculable. I'm not going to try to provide a biography. His life was too rich to capture in a blog entry, no matter how long and detailed. I would like to touch on a few ways Frank has had an impact
LADY DAY
I have long been an aficionado of Jazz/R&B vocalists, particularly those of the female persuasion. From Dinah Washington to Bessie Smith to Nina Simone to Betty Carter to Amy Winehouse to Janelle Monae and Jill Scott. Aretha was a titanic presence in many fields of popular music. I even had the good fortune to see some of the greats live in concert in arenas, or even better in jazz clubs or supper clubs, including Miss Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Etta James, Shirley Horn,
CHRISTMAS JAZZ Part IV
Yup. It's that time of the year again. Thought I'd focus on one song today--the soulful R&B favorite "Merry Christmas Baby", which has become a holiday staple. The song, penned by Lou Baxter and Johnny Moore, hit # 3 on the Billboard charts in 1947 with a recording by Johnny Moore's Three Blazers and the great Charles Brown on vocals. It has been covered by myriad song stylists, including everyone from Booker T to Bruce. Below are a few of the more interesting renditions.
FURY IN HER SOUL
After an absurdly long wait, the late Laura Nyro was finally recognized by her peers, with induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year. Nyro, seen above in my favorite photo of her, was sui generis. There was no one quite like her. She didn't really fit into the pop/rock niche, though she penned classic pop tunes such as "Stoned Soul Picnic" and "Eli's Coming", both hits for other artists, and had a minor hit on rock stations with "Save the Country". She sa
CHRISTMAS JAZZ Part III
Today we have a look at some legendary jazz performances of holiday standards. Let's begin with the Oscar Peterson Trio. Canadian born, Peterson has been a jazz icon for the last sixty years (Peterson died in 2007 at 82) with a unique and signature style as a jazz pianist. He recorded with Armstrong, Basie, Fitzgerald, Ellington, Gillespie, and countless other greats. His Christmas album, An Oscar Peterson Christmas, is replete with memorable covers, but none better than the
CHRISTMAS JAZZ Part II
Thought I'd focus on some variants on a single tune today. The selection is "Christmas Time is Here," by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. That combo had a surprise hit in 1963 with "Cast Your Fate to the Wind," a wistful little melody that thrilled me upon its release because it sounded like nothing else on the radio. It was a cut from the samba-flavored soundtrack to the glorious film Black Orpheus, which had introduced Bossa Nova (see my post on this form) to the US a little earli
