[contextly_auto_sidebar id="fcUsm68cqoCwHl6s0ZHPlhwRCVXW8pyC"] THERE'S been a lot of bad news for culture and society lately, so I want to offer one of my occasional bits of inspiration. Jazz and blues player Lonnie Johnson is one of the greatest-ever American musicians, and one of the most underrated guitarists in history. His playing predates Robert Johnson and many of the Delta blues … [Read more...]
Phil and Dave Alvin Play the Blues
[contextly_auto_sidebar id="UKi5w9mxgcYp60mSYYXB3aLbyiq9oNKk"] YOUR humble blogger just caught the former Blasters playing a short set from their new Big Bill Broonzy (pictured, right) record, at the Federal Bar in North Hollywood. This exceeded my expectations -- Phil (who almost died a few years ago) was in good voice, not just on the blues numbers, but on a Jimmie Rodgers song (complete … [Read more...]
The Joys of Record Collecting
[contextly_auto_sidebar id="Ek7iyrlYHDOILDJGrQgtzksB1G6Fgw70"] IN these digital days of downloads and streaming, it seems like a truly ancient pastime to seek out old chunks of vinyl. Two new books get into the motivation and culture of collectors who amass 78s and 33s. I've not read either, but this New York Times review makes me want to check them out. It also reminds me how lucky I was to … [Read more...]
Lonnie Johnson’s “St. Louis Blues”
[contextly_auto_sidebar id="OQ7hhJaMXdBfZrz7JBJRrdOxXWzxib1D"] WHAT's the most influential song in history? The Atlantic Monthly recently asked Ted Gioia for his answer, and he suggested this W.C. Handy classic, for all the blues songs it engendered, its enduring melody, and partly for its "Spanish tinge." I don't think Ted, a longtime friend of CultureCrash, was thinking of this version; … [Read more...]
Reading in the Digital Age, and Cassandra Wilson
[contextly_auto_sidebar id="dHp9P0RkCZ3f7i5yDaz9hEWZeYiwNVGG"] WHAT happens to us when we read on an electronic device? Does it alter our ability to connect with a nuanced piece of fiction? Two recent stories get into these questions from opposite angles. I wrote about this a few weeks ago, and the conversation still rages. This reported story from the Washington Post makes clear that … [Read more...]
The Genius of James Booker
IT'S long been something of a cliché to talk about what a head-spinning musical and cultural melting pot New Orleans is. But there’s no other way to frame the protean New Orleans pianist James Booker (1939-‘83), who is very near the top of my list of most individual/ accomplished musician who very few people know about. His musical vocabulary was an odd blend of bordello and concert hall: He … [Read more...]
Our Favorite Guitarists
SOME of you -- especially if you are a musician, music writer, or serious listener -- have already taken part in my informal poll of favorite guitarists. This was conceived not exactly as a historically rigorous greatest-of-all-time but the work you'd grab either if your house was burning down, or to take to the proverbial desert island. (I'm aware that these are two slightly different categories, … [Read more...]
Christmas With John Fahey
AN underrated West Coast guitarist, the great and mysterious John Fahey, is best known for gloomy, weird, angular records like "Blind Joe Death" and "The Voice of the Turtle" that begin in Charley Patton territory and in some ways anticipate the anti-folk movement. But for me, Fahey and his "American primitivist" style is most important as part of my Christmas experience, and has been for … [Read more...]
Joe Henry vs. Robert Johnson
THERE'S something genuinely -- and not just fashionably -- retro about joe henry, an artist who keeps us guessing about where he'll go next but stays deeply rooted in the american past.i could have spent all day talking about music with henry -- about the portrait of billy strayhorn over his piano, for instance which he compares to the "what would jesus do" bracelets christian teens wear. but he … [Read more...]