A Brief History of American Roots Music
From W.C. Handy to The Black Keys: A quick look at how American roots music evolved in the 20th Century. Footnotes available upon request.
Sweet Summits: Jazz
I thought this theme worked pretty well in our blues post. But I couldn’t resist expanding the definition so I could cover some of my favorite jazz summits. Think of these collaborations as [...]
10 by Art Pepper
I’ve got a real weakness for West Coast jazz – that cool, seductive sound that didn’t exactly get a big thumbs up from Miles Davis in his autobiography Miles: “What bothered me more than anything [...]
10 by Sonny Rollins
Check it – RCR is now optimized for iPad and iPhone use. We’re also the only site I’m aware of that’s optimized for rotary phones. Just dial Garfield 1-2323 and I’ll have [...]
Great Moments in Modern Music
How’s that for a blowhard title? The operative word being “moments”… which speaks to one of several fundamentally different ways that we experience music. Some folks like it in the [...]
Those Chimeless Holiday Classics
‘Tis the season for holiday music playlists. As “the guy who collects music,” I’ve received a number of Christmas-mix CDs over the years from friends, co-workers and family members. And, sad to [...]