I wish I could find a shareable video of the performance of Ravi Shankar’s “Arpan” from the Concert for George DVD. All there seems to be online is the audio with a static photograph of the DVD cover. That is enough to convey the power of the music. But it is even more powerful toContinue reading “Listening: Arpan”
Category Archives: Listening
Here’s to the Long Shots
When I was in eighth grade, I was obsessed with Top 40 radio. I followed the record charts like sports fans follow the standings, picking my favorite teams and seeing how they fared in the competition to have the most popular song. I listened to the weekly countdown shows and wrote down the surveys ofContinue reading “Here’s to the Long Shots”
Any way the wind blows
I have been possessed by an earworm for the better part of a week, perhaps more. There I will be, merrily typing along or picking apples from the trees in the front yard for Red to bake into pies or applesauce or any number of culinary delights, and all of a sudden I will humContinue reading “Any way the wind blows”
The archive
I know for certain now how long a half-century is, for I have lived more than that and remember. I know how long 30 seconds are — long enough to tell you what I have to sell, long enough to trash a reputation. I could do the figures and find out how many 30-second intervalsContinue reading “The archive”
Records of records
Then: Gleefully grabbing slabs of sound, not knowing what they contained but intrigued by the titles. Now: Piles of unplayed still slabs, waiting, waiting to be heard again, performances long ago preserved in moments of glee, or reverence, or intensity, or passion. Next: Undo the piles, listen to the moments, legacies of souls who heardContinue reading “Records of records”
Desert Island Albums
I’m trapped on a desert island with only a turntable — and presumably a way to generate electricity — and a certain number of record albums, let’s say 25. In no particular order, as the boat with all my records is sinking, I grab: Uncle Charlie and His Dog Teddy, The Nitty Gritty Dirt BandContinue reading “Desert Island Albums”
Listening: Circle turns 50
The sessions for the album Will the Circle Be Unbroken wrapped up 50 years ago Sunday on Aug. 14, 1972. The finished three-LP set begins with a false start and a tasty rendition of “The Grand Ole Opry Song,” then a couple minutes of conversation as they set up for “Keep On the Sunny Side.”Continue reading “Listening: Circle turns 50”