Apr 23, 2018
As an English major at Clark University (Class of '77) I spent many a fond moment with one of my favorite professors, Dr. Virginia Vaughan discussing the Immortal Bard, William Shakespeare. Although Shakespeare's birthdate is unknown, it is traditionally celebrated on April 23, St. George's Day. He was born 452 years...
Apr 9, 2018
The genesis of musical composition comes from so many sources and muses, books have been written on the topic. For Toronto native Andrew Rathbun, a talented saxophonist, composer and educator, that source has routinely been poetry. In 1998, his recording Jade set to music the verse of Cathy Song, while his 2000...
Apr 8, 2018
I can’t say that I often turned to the music of Cecil Taylor when I wanted something to listen to. To me, Taylor, one of the three great avant-garde pioneers (along with Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane) did not make music that was in any way welcoming or accessible. But what he did do, often playing his piano as...
Apr 1, 2018
The song of the day is Irving Berlin's "Easter Parade", performed by Sarah Vaughan and Billy Eckstine and released on their 1957 album Sarah Vaughan and Billy Eckstine Sing the Best of Irving Berlin. Although Vaughan had made many recordings with Eckstine, this was their only album together.
Writing a song about...