Friday, September 4 2009
Ride This Time Machine Down a Road Less Traveled
Jump into that ’59 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz with the maxed-out tailfins, contemplate what an original Barbie doll could fetch on eBay, and enjoy this roll call of Reasons Why Everything Changed in 1959.
Thursday, February 12 2009
Laughing Through the Tears: The Enduring Journey of Etta James
As much as Etta James used her songwriting and vocal skills as primary sources for empowerment and critique, her performances and image were equally significant in reflecting a public persona bursting with wit, wildness, and sassy radicalism.
Wednesday, May 28 2008
Follow Your Heart: Moving with the Giants of Jazz, Swing, and Rhythm and Blues by Joe Evans
It's fun discovering that Jackie Wilson used to be a prizefighter or imagining band members waking up a drugged-out Charlie Parker right before his solo.
Friday, October 5 2007
Billie Holiday: Lady Day
Some of the finest small-group swing ever, accompanying the finest body of vocal performances in jazz history.
Thursday, November 16 2006
Billie Holiday: God Bless the Child: The Very Best of Billie Holiday
Another insufficiently bargain-priced, too short selection from Billie Holiday's happiest years.
Monday, April 21 2003
Strange Fruit
A meditation on the song of the same name that chillingly relates the story of a lynching.
