Sunday, May 14th
like nobody else
Rev. Utah Smith (1906-1965), “Two Wings,” 1953
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lagniappe
art beat
Helen Levitt (1913-2009, MCOTD Hall of Fame), New York, c. 1940
music clip of the day
jazz/blues/rock/classical/gospel/more
Category: guitar
2017
2017
Thursday, May 11th
timeless
James P. Johnson (piano), Sidney DeParis (trumpet), Vic Dickenson (trombone), Ben Webster (tenor saxophone), Jimmy Shirley (guitar), John Simmons (bass), Sidney Catlett (drums), “After You’ve Gone” (T. Layton, M. Harris), 1944
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lagniappe
reading table
Your actual experience is a complete flux.
—Robert Lowell (1917-1977)
2017
Wednesday, May 10th
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.
2017
Friday, May 5th
Still hard to believe he’s gone.
Prince with Stevie Wonder, live, Los Angeles, 2011
2017
Thursday, April 13th
old school
Tommy Jarrell (fiddle, vocals), “Cripple Creek,” live, Mt. Airy, N.C., 1983
2017
Wednesday, April 12th
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
2017
Friday, April 7th
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
2017
Monday, March 27th
sounds of Lebanon
Yasmine Hamdan, “Galbi,” live, London, 2015
2017
Sunday, March 26th
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
2017
Friday, March 24th
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
music clip of the day 