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- All Shook Up: How Rock 'N' Roll Changed America - Glenn C. Altshuler
- The Life and Music of Miss Peggy Lee, Peter Richmond
- The B-Side: The Death of Tin Pan Alley and the Rebirth of the Great American Song - Ben Yadoga
- Singing From the Floor: A History of British Folk Clubs - JP Bean
- Playing Changes: Jazz for the New Century - Nate Chinen
- Lets Do It: The Birth of Pop - Bob Stanley
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Monthly Archives: February 2024
“Have You Seen Her” – The Chi-lites (1971)
Reading through Charlie Gillette’s The Sound of the City: The Classic History of Rock, I came across a reference to this Chi-lites’ hit. Beside being one of the best soul tunes of all time, it’s well known in part because … Continue reading
“Shotgun” – Jr. Walker & The All Stars
There aren’t many things on my bucket list, but getting “that sound” on the tenor sax is way up there. It’s called a growl or some such thing. I’m getting close. Anyway, it’s in this cut. “Shotgun” is a 1965 … Continue reading
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“I Dig Chicks” – Jonah Jones (1959)
There’s a store that sells old vinyl a few blocks from my house in Toronto. I’m not really a collector. And given all the options for accessing music, it makes no sense to me to get my music that way. I … Continue reading
Posted in Jazz
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“Swingin’ Shepherd Blues” – Moe Koffman (1957)
When I first got to Toronto in 1980, some people I met suggested I get down to George’s Spaghetti House to hear Moe Koffman. Koffman booked the venue and also played there on a regular basis. Unfortunately, I never managed … Continue reading
“Sixty Minute Man” – Billy Ward and His Dominoes (1951)
For some people “Sixty Minute Man” will be familiar as having been featured in the 1988 movie Bull Durham. Think Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon and toenail painting, after you thought it was something else. The song follows a theme well-known in blues music in … Continue reading
Posted in R & B
Tagged Billy Ward, Clyde McPhatter, The Dominoes
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“You Talk Too Much” – Joe Jones (1960)
Joe Jones (1926 – 2005) was born in New Orleans. He was an R&B singer, songwriter and arranger, and is often cited as having discovered the Dixie Cups, a pop girl group best known for the 1964 hit “Chapel of Love.” “You … Continue reading
“The Preacher” – Horace Silver (1955)
Not that jazz can’t be happy music, but this one is a particularly upbeat thing. “The Preacher” is by Horace Silver, recored first by Silver’s quintet in February of 1955. That would be Silver on piano, with Hank Mobley (tenor saxophone), Kenny Dorham (trumpet), Doug Watkins (bass), and Art … Continue reading
“I Will” – Laurence Juber (2020)
I was searching for some fingerstyle jazz today and came across Laurence Juber. Though I have played for decades, and read some of the niche magazines for players, I was not aware of Mr. Juber, which seems like a serious … Continue reading
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Tagged Laurence Juber, The Beatles
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“Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White” – Perez Prado (1955)
If you were wondering what the Billboard top single of 1955 was, wouldn’t you think that maybe it would be the Bill Haley and His Comets version of “Rock Around the Clock,” or one of the three versions of “The … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Tagged Perez Prado
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“Something Different” – The Mangione Brothers Sextet (1960)
Though Chuck Mangione would become an international superstar in the 1970s with smooth jazz mega-hits like “Feels So Good,” and “Chase the Clouds Away,” he started out as bebop trumpeter in the Dizzy Gillespie tradition. While Chuck was studying at … Continue reading
Posted in Jazz
Tagged Chuck Mangione, The Jazz Brothers
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