Kerala: Judaism, Communism
Mattanchery in Kochi’s western district is a popular tourist destination notable for its eclectic blend of historical sites and bazaars. One of its most famous neighborhoods is an area…
RIP Derrick Lewis
I just received the horrible news that bassist Derrick Lewis, one of Houston’s finest musicians, was struck and killed while riding his bicycle this weekend. This is a senseless…
“Celeste and Jesse Forever” Soundtrack
A well-crafted compilation soundtrack can energize a film. It can also provide a launchpad for new artists. Stina Nordenstam and The Cardigans both benefited enormously from their appearance on…
Yacht Rock
On what made Yacht Rock tick. Also a transcription of Suddenly and why it's better than you think.
Next Up: India
Well it’s official. I’m going to India. I leave at the end of August and stay for 12 days. The flight home will add another day, so with jet lag…
Tiny Desk Concert: Marketa Irglova
We need more of this in the world — two unaffected artists straight-up making music, no gimmicks, no pizzazz. Marketa Irglova and the talented newcomer Aida Shahghasemi performed a…
electronic minimalism: listen
Beautifully strange music from a composer in Spain named José Manuel Berenguer, a.k.a. ‘jmb’. Free mp3s on his website, though he strongly suggests that you contact him for higher quality…
Bill Hanley: Genius
The man who single-handedly invented the concert sound system. File under: amazing people deserving wider recognition.
Goon Squad
One sentence review
A Glass, Darkly
Had an amazing day in NYC today. We walked endlessly, photographing architecture and odd window displays, consuming epic amounts of cappuccino, admiring a city we once called home. Late…
The Horrors of the Half-Diminished
The pesky root-tritone relationship in the half-diminished chord — min 7 (b5) — adds an annoying constraint to voicings options. Often chordal players will omit it entirely, particularly when…
Greasy Dominant Tricks
Continuing the topic of chords (chords, I love chords!!), it’s time to bask in the power of the dominant nine — whether flatted or raised. The voicings below are…
Luscious Chord Fatness
In the spirit of the previous post, I thought I’d talk about a few more chord tricks. Here the focus is on creating the biggest sound possible, the type…
Ferrante Voicings
The great pianist/composer Russell Ferrante (of the Yellowjackets) has a unique brand of chordal harmony. While much of what he plays is as rich and complex as chocolate cake, it could be argued…
Two More Soundtrack Gems
Continuing the topic of soundtracks, I’d like to add two more films for consideration, both of which are now available on Netflix Instant. “Dhobi Ghat (Mumbai Diaries)” comes from…
Twelve-Tone Commercial
If tone rows were popular...
A phone call from space
This is pretty amazing: On Sunday, my dad received a phone call from astronaut Mike Barratt aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery! He reported, “The view is spectacular up here.” Adding…
Goodnight Milton
Today we bid farewell to another musical giant, the one and only Milton Babbitt who died Sunday at 94. Babbitt’s boundary-pushing musical works posed challenges both for his audience…
Predicting File Size of MP3s (and others)
How one calculates the filesize of an mp3/aac/etc given its bitrate and length.
True Grit: Contraction-Free Zone
Diction was apparently important in the wild west, at least if you believe the Coen brothers whose latest film True Grit envisions a world in which people of every station enunciate like Shakespearian actors.…
The Battle with Time
The study of rhythm has been sadly neglected in the world of music education. Unlike other musical concepts, developing rhythmic proficiency is a topic that lacks a clear pedagogical…
Arvo Pärt’s Fratres
An intensely haunting piece played to perfection. The bell-like piano chords that enter at 1:24 should remind everyone of the impact Pärt has had on the Hollywood film industry.…
Farewell Lhasa
Either I’m really out of touch, or the music media is. But here it is September and I’m just learning that the great Lhasa de Sela died in January…
Versailles and Les Puces
To begin, Versailles was AWFUL. Oh so crowded, absurdly garish, and frankly, a bit weird. Sitting among the Louis XIV opulence were modern Japanese pop art pieces, displayed behind ropes, one in…
New Ambient
I went on an expedition today to seek out new ambient music. It was a tricky hunt. Ambient is a misused, misunderstood genre. If you refer back to Eno’s…
