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It Used to Be Easier to Write Songs About Getting Away From It All
Since I’ve been listening to a lot of Gene Krupa and Anita O’Day lately, I’ve enjoyed their version of the 1941 song “Let’s Get Away From It All.” You might know the tune, though, from Frank Sinatra’s...
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A Dozen Albums You Might Have Missed from 2011
This isn’t a “Top Ten” list because it has twelve items. And it’s not a “Best Of” list either. It’s just a dozen music CDs from 2011 that I thought were worth checking out and talking about. Battles...
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The Best Way to Show Off the Endearing Charms of the Euphonium
On Valentine’s Day, I went to a taping of the inspiring radio show From the Top, where young classical musicians perform with and are interviewed by pianist Christopher O’Riley. Amidst all the...
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I (Somewhat) Hate Being Irish
Perhaps the only holiday I dislike as much as Christmas is St. Patrick’s Day. I also loathe being Irish. That’s right. Amongst other things, I have little pride in my ancestors’ alcoholism, bad...
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Discovering a New Drummer: Marcus Gilmore
Lately I’ve been listening to Vijay Iyer’s 2005 album Reimagining. Even though Iyer is a one-of-a-kind pianist, since I’m a drummer, let’s be honest, I’m paying lots of attention to the drummer,...
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Contrasting Early and Late Art Pepper
Many musicians’ careers go like this: early efforts bristling with rawness and urgency, a successful creative peak where a bit of polish is added but doesn’t overwhelm, and then a long downward slope...
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Speak Softly and Carry a Guitar: The Bitch Magnet Reissues
The 1970s and 80s were full of loud rock and metal bands with larger-than-life personalities. Or to put it more bluntly, let’s say image-conscious bands full of egomaniacs, on stage with oversize drum...
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Irene Dunne: Lovely to Listen to
You might know actress Irene Dunne (1898-1990) from her movies. I have yet to see any of her dramatic films; her hilarious comedic turn with Cary Grant as a sparring couple in The Awful Truth was my...
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My Summer of 2012 Music Obsession
Jazz often sounds good on rainy spring evenings. Sometimes autumn drives in the country are well suited for classic American folk music. I dig despair-filled metal and noise during the beautifully...
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Music of the Whiskey Rebellion
Folk, country, and rock music have lots of songs about whiskey. But unlike other events in U.S. History, there are not a lot of music or films specifically about the Whiskey Rebellion of the 1790s....
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