Been in Toronto, Ontario, for three days now. And never would have thought it would be 70 degrees F, sunny and blue blue skies. It’s gorgeous. So is this wonderful city, for the most part. Toronto is an international city, large and cosmopolitan. Despite a pretty hurting jazz scene. Music, in general is rather weak […]
Man, this subbing at WFPK has been wonderful! Reconnecting with a lot of non-Jazz artists and music is a real treat. And one group I really just flipped over, because I honestly had forgotten about them, basically, is The Undertones. Feargul Sharkey was a one of a kind vocalists. And the group was a marvel […]
I’ve been hosting a Noon to 3 p.m. shift on the radio station I produce and host a jazz show for, WFPK, 91.9 FM, in Louisville. It’s been a blast. Very revealing for me to run down new, and older, material I love. Artists like Pops Staples, Senegal’s Orchestra Baobab, Clifton Chenier, The Gospel Chandeleirs, […]
There is a danger in proclaiming a recording as Record of the Year (RoY) before, let’s say for the sake of argument, mid-December. Releases flood the marketplace in the last months, sometimes THE last month, jockeying for position for inclusion on important year end critic’s lists. But there does exist the possibility that one release […]
It’s been almost a week since I learned about Augie‘s death. Not a moment goes by where I am not in some small way carrying a part of her. I trust the rest of my days will be like this. Hopefully, I will learn to smile more when I think about her. Already, my mind […]
My beloved dog, Augie, died on Friday, August 13, 2010. She was 17 years old. An earlier post, celebrating her 17 years, told her “bio,” rescued as a shelter dog from Arlington, VA, and her gracing my life from the time she was several months old. She was with me all of her life, in […]
Nowadays, high-definition video, 3-D films, and instant downloading are the face of the cinematic experience, for better or worse. So when I heard someone was making a silent film, it felt somewhat revolutionary. And that’s exactly what first-time director Dan Pritzker is doing with “Louis,” his movie about Louis Armstrong that is going on tour this […]
Blue crab larvae from Louisiana’s coastal waters are starting to turn up contaminated with oil. According to an Associated Press story earlier this week, marine biologists have been collecting larvae during the duration of the BP oil spill, and are finding large amounts containing distinctive orange oil droplets. Blue crabs are quite prolific and are […]
From Gardens Where We Feel Secure is the title of the first Virginia Astley album issued on her own Happy Valley label and distributed by Rough Trade Records. (The original, and my preferred, album cover is shown. Astley switched out the cover art on subsequent releases.) Virginia Astley is an English singer-songwriter most active during […]
Holy shit!! A new Grinderman CD is on its way!! Oh man, the last one was just insanely good, but read what Los Angeles Times blogger Todd Martins has to say about the forthcoming (which I have not heard.) gasp!! It comes near the end of the upcoming Grinderman album. Song No. 7, to be specific, […]