Wednesday, November 12th
two takes
“A Little Lost” (A. Russell)
Sufjan Stevens (1975-), 2014
***
Arthur Russell (1951-1992)
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lagniappe
art beat
Helen Levitt (1913-2009), New York, 1940s
music clip of the day
jazz/blues/rock/classical/gospel/more
2014
2014
Tuesday, November 11th
I need another world
This one’s nearly gone—Antony
Antony and the Johnsons, “Another World,” 2008
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lagniappe
art beat
William Klein (1928-), Atom Bomb Sky, New York, 1955
2014
Monday, November 10th
Why not begin the week with something beautiful?
Frederic Chopin (1810-1849), Ballade No. 1 in G minor (1831); Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (1920-1995), piano, live
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lagniappe
musical thoughts
[N]ow Miles [Davis] was relaxed and pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli was sending him into several shades of ecstasy.
“Listen to those trills!” Miles ordered.
—1961 interview (Marc Crawford, The Miles Davis Reader)
*****
art beat: more from Friday at the Art Institute of Chicago
Henri Matisse (1869-1954), Interior at Nice, c. 1919
2014
Sunday, November 9th
That gospel feeling is in all of this music.
—Solomon Burke
Soul Deep: The Story of Black Popular Music, Episode 2: Sam Cooke, with Mavis Staples, Bobby Womack, Solomon Burke, Ben E. King, et al., BBC, 2005
#1
#2
#3
#4
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lagniappe
art beat: more from Friday at the Art Institute of Chicago
Arshile Gorky (1904-1948), The Plough and the Song, 1946
2014
Saturday, November 8th
Need a jolt?
Bela Bartok (1881-1945), String Quartet No. 5, excerpt (first mvt.)
FLUX quartet, live, 2013
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lagniappe
art beat: yesterday at the Art Institute of Chicago
Susan Charlesworth (1947-2013), Unidentified Man, Ontani Hotel, Los Angeles, 1980 (printed 2012), Stills (through January 4th)
2014
Friday, November 7th
blues festival (day five)
Junior Wells (vocals, harmonica), Buddy Guy (guitar), Phil Guy (guitar), et al., “Ships on the Ocean,” live, Chicago (Theresa’s Lounge, 4801 S. Indiana), c. 1975
2014
Thursday, November 6th
blues festival (day four)
Sonny Boy Williamson II (AKA Alex “Rice” Miller, c. 1912-1965), live, Denmark (Copenhagen), 1964
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lagniappe
art beat
Marc PoKempner (1948-), Xmas Eve, Theresa’s, Chicago (Theresa’s Lounge, 4801 S. Indiana), 1981
2014
Wednesday, November 5th
blues festival (day three)
J. B. Lenoir, “Slow Down” (J. B. Lenoir), live (at home), Chicago, 1965
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lagniappe
reading table
You need to be crazy to be great. I love crazy.
—Cubs’ new manager Joe Maddon (Chicago Tribune, 11/3/14)
2014
Tuesday, November 4th
blues festival (day two)
Albert Collins (1932-1993), Stevie Ray Vaughan (1954-1990), Jimmie Vaughan (1951-), “Frosty” (A. Collins), live, Washington, D.C., 1989
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lagniappe
random (birthday) thoughts
Blessed to have lived sixty-two years—thirteen more than my father—in a world so beautiful.
2014
Monday, November 3rd
blues festival (day one)
T-Bone Walker (1910-1975), “Don’t Throw Your Love on Me So Strong,” live (TV show), Germany, 1962*
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lagniappe
art beat: yesterday at the Art Institute of Chicago
Claude Monet (1840-1926), The Customs House at Varengeville, 1897
*****
random thoughts
Every painting was once a blank canvas.
*****
*With Memphis Slim (piano), Willie Dixon (bass), Jump Jackson (drums).
music clip of the day 