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Rifftides

Doug Ramsey on Jazz and other matters...

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Introducing yesterday’s rendering (word chosen with care) of the national anthem at the Super Bowl, the booth announcer said that it was to be, in part, a tribute to New Orleans. Hasn’t that unfortunate city suffered enough? Granted, “The Star Spangled Banner” is a miserable piece of music and our national anthem should be “God Bless America,” but Francis Scott Keys’ song did not deserve the trashing it received from Aaron Neville, Aretha Franklin and Dr. John. By comparison, the Seahawks got off lightly. Not only was the treatment a bad idea, but it was a bad idea poorly executed. The Rolling Stones might have done it better. Shame on everyone involved.

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Doug Ramsey

Doug is a recipient of the lifetime achievement award of the Jazz Journalists Association. He lives in the Pacific Northwest, where he settled following a career in print and broadcast journalism in cities including New York, New Orleans, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, San Antonio, … [MORE]

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