Hearing New Music Through Vinyl Instagram
I was headed to Los Angeles’ Moroccan Lounge to see grunge-pop band Great Grandpa on March 13th, when a state of emergency was declared for COVID-19. The show was immediately canceled, as were all the others I had tickets to in 2020. Next to go was my favorite in-person music hobby: digging through vinyl bins … Continue reading Hearing New Music Through Vinyl Instagram
On the Vagaries of Aesthetic Appreciation
In 1978, at age thirteen, I became a Bob Dylan fan thanks to his side of the multi-artist Concert for Bangladesh three-record set. My knowledge of Dylan’s life and work was extremely limited, but I was eager to learn and hear more, and my interest was piqued by his appearance that year in The Last Waltz, Martin Scorsese’s … Continue reading On the Vagaries of Aesthetic Appreciation
Zenobia Powell Perry’s ‘Homage’ to William Dawson
Homage (1990) for piano by Zenobia Powell Perry opens with one hand, one line, cantabile. The spiritual “I’ve Been ‘Buked and I’ve Been Scorned” emerges unharmonized, smooth and flowing. Unlike a singer whose breath sustains the tone, the piano notes move from decay to decay to create an illusory, long melodic line. After presenting the tune … Continue reading Zenobia Powell Perry’s ‘Homage’ to William Dawson
