Music
April 7, 2019 — Scott Johnson
On Friday we received the sad news that University of North Carolina-Wilmington Professor of English Philip Furia had died at the age of 75. Professor Furia died on April 3 following a stroke and fall at his home in Wilmington. The news came to us via Professor Furia’s friend Tony L. Hill, who is aware of the many acknowledgements of my debt to Professor Furia’s work deepening our understanding of
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March 31, 2019 — Scott Johnson
It’s been a few years since we last explored the work of Emmylou Harris. Emmylou celebrates her birthday this coming Tuesday. She is, to say the least, still going strong. In the world of the Cosmic American Music, attention must be paid. I want to take the opportunity to revisit her career with a few examples of her work. For me, anyway, this is the pause that refreshes. I’m a
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March 20, 2019 — Scott Johnson
I’m taking the liberty of reposting this tribute to a great song with an unusual story behind it. From Ella Fitzgerald to Fran Landesman to T.S. Eliot and Geoffrey Chaucer, here we go: There are a few torch songs that lament the coming of Spring. This time of year, if you’re tuned to one of the right stations, you may well find yourself listening to Ella Fitzgerald’s memorable rendition of
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March 19, 2019 — Scott Johnson
Judging by the variety of performances by artists on YouTube, “You Must Believe in Spring” must be a beloved and well-known song. It is popular as an instrumental — you can find it on the first posthumous Bill Evans album in a fantastic trio version — and you can understand why. What a melody. But the sentiment expressed in the English lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman overlaid on that
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February 4, 2019 — Scott Johnson
Everyone is complaining about yesterday’s supposedly boring Super Bowl game — that would be Super Bowl LIII, if you’re counting in Latin. With the rules of the game having been recalibrated continually to favor never ending offense, I appreciated the return of defense. If the halftime show was concededly a lowlight, the singing of the national anthem must be deemed the highlight. Out strolled Gladys Knight to sing the anthem.
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January 20, 2019 — Scott Johnson
Tomorrow is the anniversary of the birth of singer/songwriter Richie Havens. Richie died in 2013 at the age of 72. I want to take a walk down memory lane with a few videos and a fan’s notes this morning. Richie grew up in Brooklyn singing with a choir in church and with doo wop groups on street corners. He crossed the river to figure out how to make a go
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December 23, 2018 — Scott Johnson
This morning I want to revisit the secular pop songs that seize on Christmas in one way or another for their own artistic purposes. Last year I had notes on so many songs to choose from I thought I would continue in the same vein this year. I’m adding three more selections that fit right in to last year’s. Here they are in chronological order along with a few notes
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December 14, 2018 — Scott Johnson
In the interest of humor Ammo Grrrll identifies THE WORST SONG EVER WRITTEN. She writes: It is time for another of my patented Break From Politics columns. Scott has graced us with beautiful and interesting musical offerings and commentary for many years, in an effort to preserve his – and our – sanity. Today, however, we will be talking about a very, very stupid song. And not even a recent
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December 2, 2018 — Scott Johnson
I had not heard of Ann Hampton Callaway before her audacious 1999 release To Ella With Love, but I’m glad I took a chance on that disc. Ella led me eventually to Ann’s 2007 show at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York and then to the rest of her recordings. There is no arguing about taste, but in my view she is the foremost living practitioner of the
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November 18, 2018 — Scott Johnson
I’ve just about exhausted my knowledge of popular music in this series. This morning I would like to turn to the the weekly John Pizzarelli/Jessica Molaskey syndicated radio show that they call Radio Deluxe to deliver the goods. I usually catch it on Saturday afternoons at 5:00 on the KBEM in the Twin Cities. I love the show. Having missed most of yesterday’s show I went looking for it online
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October 28, 2018 — Scott Johnson
With the coming of Halloween on Wednesday, it may be an opportune moment for a diversion. I certainly need one. If you listen to the right radio stations at this time of the year, you will hear a few songs associated with the holiday. On WUMB’s Highway 61 Revisited show yesterday morning, host Albert O devoted the entire four hours to songs fitting the holiday. Probably foremost them is “I
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October 14, 2018 — Scott Johnson
Al Kooper is still going strong at the age of 74. If you love the music that came out of the ’60s, you may know him from his seminal work with the Blues Project, with Bob Dylan, with Electric Flag, with Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills, with Blood, Sweat & Tears, with Jimi Hendrix, with George Harrison, with the Rolling Stones and on and on. And that’s just as a
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October 8, 2018 — John Hinderaker
I have long admired Taylor Swift. Beginning as a teenager, she has been a positive influence on a generation of fans, mostly young girls. My three daughters have all been major fans, and I enjoy her music. Or I did, anyway, until she abandoned her country roots for the more boring world of pop. All together, I would guess my daughters have seen Swift in concert at least ten times.
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October 7, 2018 — Scott Johnson
The anniversary of the birth of John Lennon is this Tuesday, October 9. Murdered at age 40, he would be 78 this week. What a loss. His work has always struck a chord with me. Now that so much of the Beatles’ work is available on YouTube, I thought I would take the occasion to note some of his lesser known songs just for the sheer pleasure of the thing.
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August 31, 2018 — Scott Johnson
My high school classmate and friend Mike Frost joined me to see the group that goes under the name Poco at the Dakota this past Tuesday night. Mike and I were trying to repeat the past. We saw Poco live in Boston in 1971 or so playing in the configuration (Richie Furay, Jim Messina, Timothy Schmit, George Grantham and Young) represented on the group’s Deliverin’ album, with which I had
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August 19, 2018 — Scott Johnson
This past Sunday we went to see the great Stax artist William Bell perform at the Dakota Jazz Club in downtown Minneapolis. Bell is 78 years old. He returned to the scene in triumph with his 2016 recording This Is Where I Live, winner of that year’s Grammy for Best Americana. Not blues, not rhythm and blues, not soul — Americana, as Bell proudly mentioned a couple of times during
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August 16, 2018 — Scott Johnson
Aretha Franklin — the Queen of Soul, as Steely Dan reminded the “sweet young thing” in “Hey Nineteen” — has died. Jon Pareles reviews the record in his excellent New York Times obituary. I cannot take her measure but we can pause to remember and pay our respects. The metaphor of royal lineage was not entirely amiss in Aretha’s case. Her father, the Reverend C.L. Franklin, was the renowned Detroit
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