Spirituals on Vinyl
The darkest chapters of a people’s history sometimes evince the size of their spirit. More so when the chapters are recorded not in prose but in verse and song. The spirituals accrued by slaves in bondage acquire this deep significance and have become an essential cultural artefact in American musical history. Considered one of the...
Chico Hamilton – The Dealer
Tim from Rubber City Review takes a closer look at the iconic album The Dealer by legendary drummer and bandleader Chico Hamilton and featuring a young Larry Coryell in his first recording. The Dealer reaches out from jazz to soul jazz to psychedelic/free jazz and back to blues -- a milestone album for both artists....
Mary Lou Williams – Black Christ Of The Andes
One of the most overlooked pianists and composers of the modern jazz era, Mary Lou Williams recorded Black Christ of the Andes an astonishing forty years after taking her first tentative steps on the jazz scene aged fifteen with Duke Ellington’s Washingtonians. Hers was a career which spanned the history of modern jazz, touching base...
There Stands The Glass, The Great American Drinking Songs
A well-known dilemma: If a tree falls in the woods but there is no-one there to hear it, does it make a sound? A less well-known dilemma: If songs were sung last night but no-one can remember them, did they ever even exist in the first place? After “years of exhaustive, dedicated research”, our friend...
Dr. John Plays Mac Rebennack
Dr. John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year, largely on the merits of his groundbreaking rock and funk numbers from the ’60s and ’70s. But let’s take a side trip to his solo sessions from ’81, which remain some of the best examples of New Orleans-style piano ever committed...
Following the traces of Nick Cave’s Kicking Against the Pricks
Tracing your favorite artists' influences can be like a musical treasure hunt. We dive into Nick Caves 1986 covers album to trace the dark crooners inspirations and find some golden gems along the way.
