what’s new
Happy Place,* live, New York (Threes Brewing, Brooklyn), 5/3/17
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lagniappe
art beat: other day, Art Institute of Chicago
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858), Sudden Shower over Shin Ohashi Bridge and Atake (from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo), 1857
*****
*Will Mason, drums, compositions; Kate Gentile, drums; Will Chapin, guitar; Andrew Smiley, guitar.
Still hard to believe he’s gone.
Prince with Stevie Wonder, live, Los Angeles, 2011
old school
Tommy Jarrell (fiddle, vocals), “Cripple Creek,” live, Mt. Airy, N.C., 1983
timeless
Old recordings, where everyone involved is long dead, don’t just appeal to the ears—they’re springboards for the imagination. Here’s one made in Memphis nearly 90 years ago.
Close your eyes.
Open your imagination.
They’re just about ready to record.
What’s the room look like?
What’s the last thing said before they start?
Tommy Johnson (1896-1956), “Cool Drink of Water Blues” (1928)
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lagniappe
art beat
Robert Frank (1924-), Funeral—St. Helena, South Carolina, 1955/56
This, I just found, has more than 21 million views. (Where have I been?)
Florence and the Machine, “Cosmic Love”
Live (studio performance), Seattle, 2010
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lagniappe
reading table
I had been happy, happy enough, but now I often found myself uttering a spontaneous prayer that went, simply: She is here, still here.
—George Saunders, Lincoln in the Bardo
sounds of Lebanon
Yasmine Hamdan, “Galbi,” live, London, 2015
old school
Skip James (1902-1969), “Let Jesus Lead You,” 1964
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lagniappe
art beat
Robert Frank (1924-), Funeral—St. Helena, South Carolina, 1955/56
more
“Johnny B. Goode” (C. Berry), live (TV show), France, 1958
Everyone talks about his guitar playing. And, yes, it’s terrific. But he may be an even better songwriter.
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lagniappe
art beat
Robert Frank (1924-), Candy Store, New York City, 1955/56
passings
Chuck Berry, October 18, 1926-March 18, 2017, guitar player, singer, songwriter
“Roll Over Beethoven” (C. Berry), live (TV show), France, 1958
*****
the beat goes on
2,600 posts—and counting.
sounds of Detroit
John Lee Hooker (1912-2001), “Boom Boom” (J.L. Hooker), live, 1960s
The world may be going to hell, faster than ever, but in the meantime, at YouTube, this has over 11 million views.
music clip of the day 