Considering the Success of the "33 1/3" Series and "How to Read Music"
It’s no secret that Bloomsbury’s 33 1/3 series has, since its beginning 12 years ago, become a critical darling. The series is often highly praised for publishing affectionate fans’ notes on well-known and obscure music, or just unusual takes, such as John Darnielle’s novella about
Alan Price, Live in London
The Bull's Head in Barnes, just upriver from central London, is a lovely riverside pub on a quiet residential street. The Thames, improbably thinner here than it is just a few miles downstream, flows past the pub on the south side and a school boathouse on the other.
How Paul and April Brown Create Music to Heal Effects of Cancer
Paul Brown, the Grammy Award-nominated Memphis/Nashville producer and keyboardist, describes his new album with his wife as an artists’ journey together through the cancer landscape, with songs intended to create peace, joy and hope. But at its heart, Elders and Ancestors is really a love story.
Paul and
Donovan Was Shaken by Neil Young and Martin Carthy
It wasn’t Atlantis, but the most magical moment of Donovan’s musical career did occur “way down by the ocean.” On a noisy, congested little island filled with taxi cabs near the Atlantic Ocean on Oct. 17, 1969, Donovan sang his song "Isle of Islay.”
How high the
Lefsetz Got It Wrong
Jason Isbell’s new record, Something More Than Free, has been in my player for weeks. The reviews have been great, and it enjoyed Isbell’s best debut to date, selling a large number of units for a non-mainstream record. Isbell, who can play the singer-songwriter with the
In Honor of Andrae Crouch: A Couple of Great Books about Gospel Music
In early 2015, Andrae Crouch died. There’s room for a good biography of Crouch, and maybe someday we’ll have one (or perhaps one is in the works, unbeknownst to me). He brought gospel music into a new age, and stands at the fount of the genre that eventually