It was a popular Harlem night club that featured black performers but was restricted to an all-white clientele, which might seem to be a paradox but was a product of the casual racism of the time. The decor, the costumes - even the name Cotton Club - reflected an attitude that's disquieting to us now, … Continue reading Remembering The Music Of The Cotton Club
Category: Retirement
Differing Definitions Deflate Dynamic Date Movie
Sometimes I have to chuckle when I see a new film described as a "date movie", because it seems as if everyone knows the meaning of the term and the importance of careful movie selection in support of budding relationships, but that wasn't always so -- or at least, it wasn't for me when I … Continue reading Differing Definitions Deflate Dynamic Date Movie
Tinkering With Tubes Leads To Adventures In Paradise
As I was growing up it seemed as if music was always around me in one way or another, so it's not remarkable that I formed an appreciation for it. Even when I was young, I would endlessly spin the old records we had stacked up around the house and I also listened to all … Continue reading Tinkering With Tubes Leads To Adventures In Paradise
REVIEW: Hendrik Meurkens – New York Samba Jazz Quintet
Here are two words I never thought I'd be using together in a CD review -- jazz and harmonica. But that's exactly what's on display in this new Hendrik Meurkens release from Zoho titled simply New York Samba Jazz Quintet, and due out the first week of January. This is the latest for Meurkens, who … Continue reading REVIEW: Hendrik Meurkens – New York Samba Jazz Quintet
Summer Camp – Exciting, Enriching And Embarrassing
My oldest grandson has just joined the Cub Scouts, and hearing about that inevitably woke up some dormant memories in me, not only because I was involved in Cub Scouts with his Dad but also of my own experiences as a boy. I was a part of scouting for a lot of years, and I've … Continue reading Summer Camp – Exciting, Enriching And Embarrassing
REVIEW: Sarah McLachlan:Mirrorball – The Complete Concert
Canadian singer/songwriter Sarah McLachlan, who has reached major stardom in Canada and followed up on that by also becoming very popular in the US, has a style of music that's a little hard to classify. It's been described as "adult contemporary", "folk-pop", "alternative", and a number of others. Whatever your favorite description of her music, … Continue reading REVIEW: Sarah McLachlan:Mirrorball – The Complete Concert
My Fair Lady Masquerades As Muzak
When I was in my late teens I had a part-time job as an assistant to a broadcasting consultant, a guy who made a pretty good living helping people through all the FCC licensing requirements for starting a new radio station. It was kind of interesting as teenage jobs go, but not as much as … Continue reading My Fair Lady Masquerades As Muzak
My Guilty Secret – Ferrante & Teicher
In the 1950s I had two separate and very different musical preferences. First of all, even though I wasn't quite as hooked on early rock and roll as some members of my generation, I was beginning to find some of it pretty interesting -- and especially captivating when playing on a jukebox surrounded by cute … Continue reading My Guilty Secret – Ferrante & Teicher
Ozzie And Harriet – Ricky And Me
An objective listener would probably not have been too impressed when Ricky Nelson began to sing on the Ozzie And Harriet TV show in the 1950s, but I certainly was. He had always seemed to me to be just a regular kid, a lot like me, even if his family and mine were actually pretty … Continue reading Ozzie And Harriet – Ricky And Me
REVIEW: Cannonball Adderley – Riverside Profiles
Riverside Records was an important part of the jazz scene during their relatively short life (1952 to 1964) and their catalog is now part of the Concord Music Group, which recently released a set of five commemorative albums. Those albums, which are collectively named Riverside Profiles, each feature a legendary artist: Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, … Continue reading REVIEW: Cannonball Adderley – Riverside Profiles
Geezer Music Club 