Mar 5Why Wayne Shorter MattersWayne Shorter is, for my money, possibly the most underrated genius in any genre of music. To be sure, he certainly received plenty of props within jazz circles and the people who know really know. In his wise, humble way, he always seemed cool with that. He was, from start…Jazz6 min readJazz6 min read
Mar 1I’ll See You on the Dark Side of the Moon: Rock Music’s Apex at 50It doesn’t matter whether Pink Floyd’s masterpiece is the best rock album of all time (just as we can agree that there are other worthy contenders for the imaginary throne, including, of course, Sgt. Pepper and Revolver, and Pet Sounds, and any of Hendrix’s three studio albums, or Quadrophenia, Physical…Music7 min readMusic7 min read
Jan 12Jeff Beck: Guitar GrandmasterAs impossible at it is to believe Jeff Beck has died (aged 78), it’s just as difficult to fathom that he was with us in the first place. If you’re not a fan or are unfamiliar, pay attention to what your favorite guitar players are saying right now. We live…Rock5 min readRock5 min read
Dec 30, 2022Pelé: Ambassador of JoyThere are two ways to describe what a big deal it was to receive this toy as a Christmas gift in 1970-something. First, it was high tech entertainment for the time when games, like the people who played them, were decidedly analog. It was an era when, if sleeping didn’t…Soccer3 min readSoccer3 min read
Dec 22, 2022The Fire Sermon: T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land” at 100Art is long, and Time is fleeting, Longfellow wrote, and we’d already read it — words largely if not entirely lost on the average university freshman. It was 1989, and I was still laboring under the illusion that I’d soon be practicing L.A. Law. Thus, majoring in English was a…Literature5 min readLiterature5 min read
Oct 24, 2022Deliver Me From Nowhere: Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Nebraska’ at 40Perhaps because of what followed — the next album, the acclaim — Springsteen’s decision to make the ultimate lo-fi album seems even more prescient, appropriate, and perfect. If Darkness on the Edge of Town was a, well, darker departure from Born To Run, then Nebraska, after the mostly genial proceedings…Rock3 min readRock3 min read
Sep 27, 2022Steadfast and Inimitable: The Sound & Vision of Pharoah SandersNot a fan of Led Zeppelin, The Clash’s Paul Simonon once opined: “Just looking at their album covers makes me want to throw up.” When it comes to Pharoah Sanders, who passed away this weekend aged 81, all I have to do is consider one of his album covers and…Jazz9 min readJazz9 min read
Sep 5, 2022Barbara Ehrenreich and the Dignity of LaborIt seems specious, even disingenuous, to suggest that a well-known, best-selling author is both underrated and insufficiently read. …Labor Day5 min readLabor Day5 min read
Aug 20, 2022Roger Waters: Shining OnThere are so many musicians I admire, a smaller circle I adore, a smaller one still I revere, and a relative handful I’m grateful for. Artists whose work has changed my life, immeasurably for the better; artists who have demonstrably made the world a happier, more intelligent, passionate, inclusive place…Pink Floyd3 min readPink Floyd3 min read
Jun 24, 2022Here’s “The Thing” at 40In the early summer of 1982, two distinct entities from outer space infiltrated planet earth. One was a prehistoric creature with the ability to kill, then imitate its prey: it could attack its victims while remaining disguised amongst them by, in effect, becoming them. …Film6 min readFilm6 min read
