Saturday, January 25th
timeless
Solomon Burke (1940-2010) with The Blind Boys of Alabama (vocals), Rudy Copeland (organ), Jay Bellerose (drums), et al., “None of Us Are Free” (B. Mann, C. Weil, B. Russell), 2002
music clip of the day
jazz/blues/rock/classical/gospel/more
2025
Wednesday, January 22nd
my back pages
On a cold, snowy night forty-eight years ago, at a church thirty miles north of Chicago, my wife, Suzanne, and I were married. Tenor saxophonist Von Freeman (1923-2012, MCOTD Hall of Fame) and pianist John Young (1922-2008) provided the music, playing before the ceremony (“Over the Rainbow,” “It Never Entered My Mind,” “More”); during (Duke Ellington’s “In a Sentimental Mood” [unaccompanied saxophone], as Suzanne walked down the aisle), and after (“My Favorite Things,” “Song for My Father”). All of what they played that night can be heard here (0:14-).
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Chicago
2025
Sunday, January 19th
sounds of Hendersonville, North Carolina
Robert Blair & The Fantastic Violinaires, live, Hendersonville, North Carolina, 1991
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Oak Park, Illinois
2025
Thursday, January 16th
what’s new
Marshall Allen (1924-, alto saxophone, composition), “New Dawn” (Knoel Scott, lyrics), feat. Neneh Cherry (vocals), published 1/15/25
2025
Sunday, January 12th
timeless
Blind Willie McTell (1898-1959), “I Got to Cross the River Jordan,” 1928
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Oak Park, Illinois
2025
Sunday, January 5th
sounds of Chicago
Gay Sisters, “I’m Goin’ to Walk Out in His Name,” 1951
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Chicago
2025
Thursday, January 2nd
like nobody else
Lonnie Holley with Mourning [A] BLKStar, “The Streaks of One Teardrop,” live, Australia (Melbourne), 2023
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Chicago
2024
Tuesday, December 31st
sounds of Chicago
DKV Trio (Hamid Drake [MCOTD Hall of Fame], drums; Kent Kessler, bass; Ken Vandermark, reeds), live, Chicago, 12/28/24
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lagniappe
random sights
Dingle Peninsula, Ireland, 2017
2024
Sunday, December 29th
sounds of Chicago
Mighty Clouds of Joy (feat. Joe Ligon), “I’ve Been in the Storm Too Long” (J. Cleveland), live, Chicago (Quinn Chapel), 1991
2024
Wednesday, December 25th
sounds of Christmas
Bessie Smith (1894-1937) with Joe Smith (cornet), Charlie Green (trombone), Fletcher Henderson (piano), “At the Christmas Ball,” 1925
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Blind Lemon Jefferson (1893-1929), “Christmas Eve Blues,” 1928
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Victoria Spivey (1906-1976) with Lonnie Johnson (guitar), “Christmas Morning Blues,” 1928
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Leroy Carr (1905-1935), “Christmas in Jail—Ain’t That a Pain,” 1929
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Sonny Boy Williamson I (1914-1948), “Christmas Morning Blues,” 1938
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Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers with Charles Brown (1922-1999, vocals, keyboards), “Merry Christmas, Baby,” 1947
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Lowell Fulson (1921-1999), “Lonesome Christmas (I & II),” 1950
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Sonny Boy Williamson II (AKA Alex or Aleck Miller, 1912-1965), “Sonny Boy’s Christmas Blues,” 1951
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John Lee Hooker (1917-2001), “Blues for Christmas,” 1959
music clip of the day 