Archive for June 2019

Cotton Tail A major presence in music for six decades,making his music a source of pride and inspiration for African Americans. On May 4, 1940, he recorded “Cotton Tail,” which would redefine jazz for the next generation. This song would go on to be recorded by many of the jazz greats, including Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Read More »

Walking in Space Quincy Jones has made major contributions to all types of modern music since he was a teenager. This 1969 album shows his firm grasp of all modern jazz styles. His ability to elicit the best performances from the various soloists dates back to the big band era where he learned the trade. Read More »

Summer Madness Summer may be the most written about season of the year. From “Summertime” in Porgy and Bess to Eddie Cochran’s classic “Summertime Blues,” artists have tried to capture the hope, the anticipation, and the frustration of summer. Sometimes those emotions lead to love, sometimes to riots. No song captures all these moods better Read More »

On Green Dolphin Street Jazz pianist Chick Corea first made a name for himself in the Sixties as part of the electric fusion movement when he played with Miles Davis’s band. Later he became influential as a jazz fusionist. But his growth – intellectually, spiritually, and professionally – never ceased, and he remains one of Read More »

Alexander Dumas (1802-1870) wrote great adventure novels about France in the 18th Century. The Three Musketeers, The Man in the Iron Mask and The Count of Monte Cristo were some of my favorites because the action is so intense and the historical setting is so vivid. I also enjoyed the movies that were adapted from them. Read More »

Mark Twain (1835-1910) is America’s most distinguished author in my mind. William Faulkner called Twain “the father of American literature” and I can understand why. His thoughts and observations about American society in his essays is always honest and straightforward. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is still on the mark that today, some 100 plus Read More »

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) novels are perfect escapist fare for young readers. While still in grade school, I was thrilled by The Black Arrow, Kidnapped, Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde. His work was so exciting and imaginative, that he helped make me an avid reader at a very Read More »

Walter Mosley (b. 1952) has written some extraordinary crime novels about life in Los Angeles. His hard-boiled detective, Easy Rawlins (played by Denzel Washington in the 1995 adaptation, Devil in a Blue Dress), is his most popular character. Even Bill Clinton mentioned Mosley as one of his favorite writers. As much as I love his Read More »

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) is a favorite of mine because Sherlock Holmes is such a compelling character. I started reading his works on my first NBA road trip. That’s when I became aware of the power of observation, not just in solving crimes on a foggy Scottish moor, but also in terms of being Read More »