Dance crazes come and go, but they are never forgotten. Today there’s Psy’s “Gangnam Style,” wreaking havoc across dance floors all over the world. In the 1990s, there was “The Macarena.” In the 1980s, country line dancing and “The Lambada” had their day in the sun, and the ‘70s gave us “The Electric Slide.” But […]
Song Of The Day – “Jumping Jack Flash” by Ananda Shankar
East certainly met West on Ananda Shankar’s eponymously titled first album from 1970. Shankar’s father was the Indian choreographer, Uday Shankar, while his more-famous uncle was the master sitar player, Ravi Shankar. Although, Ananda also became famous for playing sitar, he did not study under his uncle, but rather studied traditional Indian music with Lalmani […]
Song Of The Day – “Mamani” by Letta
Voices like Laura Nyro’s only come around once in a lifetime…or so I thought… So, while listening to a compilation of David Axelrod’s 1960s productions, my ears perked up when I heard the sound of Letta Mbulu’s voice. At once, I knew I needed to hear more and learn more about whom this afro-pop princess […]
Song Of The Day – “Hit Or Miss” by Odetta
Odetta! Voice of the Civil Rights Movement? Roots mama? Gospel great? Soul queen? Hip hop hottie? The answer, of course, is yes! Actually, most people don’t remember who Odetta was. But if you are of a certain age (which is certainly older than I am) and was a fan of folk music, Odetta was your […]
Song Of The Day – “Moon/Light” by Herbie Hancock and Foday Musa Suso
In West African culture, a griot is a musician and storyteller who holds all of the keys to the history of his people. It is the griot’s place in society to share that history through music, entertainment and poetry. The kora is a 21-string instrument that is the chief instrument accompanying a griot. Foday Musa […]
Today in Rock History – July 20
1965, Bob Dylan releases “Like a Rolling Stone.” The single becomes his first major hit, reaching number two on the US charts. The song remained on the charts for twelve weeks. It was recorded on June 15th and 16th at Columbia Studio A, on Seventh Avenue in New York. Then session musician Al Kooper improvised […]
Song Of The Day – “St. James Infirmary” by Anat Cohen
Whatever happened to the prominence of the clarinet in Jazz? Sure, the clarinet is still the front-and-center instrument in Klezmer music, but over the years the clarinet’s prominence in Jazz has shrunken to the point of non-existence, only to be replaced by the soprano or alto saxophone. There was a time when the clarinet was […]
Song Of The Day – “African Reggae” by Nina Hagen Band
Hagen grew up in German and came from an artistic family. Her stepfather was Wolf Biermann, a radical folk singer and songwriter who influenced her individuality as a performer. Whe formed her first band, Automobil, in the 1970s and they quickly became one of the country’s premier rock bands. After leaving Germany, she settled in […]
Song Of the Day by Eric Berman – “Peace Like A River” by Paul Simon
Can you imagine signing up for a college course in songwriting, and showing up on the first day of class to find that your professor is none other than Paul Simon. Such was the reality for some lucky NYU students in 1971 including Maggie and Terre Roche of The Roches and Melissa Manchester. Teaching was […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Bruca Manigua” by Ibrahim Ferrer
He became the bolero king of Cuba…forty years into his recording career. From his humble beginnings, orphaned at age twelve and forced to busk on the streets singing to survive, to becoming the Grammy-winning “Nat King Cole of Cuba,” Ferrer’s story is indeed a tale of rags to riches, but he wasn’t alone and shared […]
