Michael Simms: Blue Notes
I think of Fats Waller whose left hand leaped down the keys, showing the path for every jazz pianist who followed, including the great Art Tatum and the minor Billy Joel.
Audio: Art Tatum | Tiger Rag
“I only play the piano, but tonight God is in the house” — Fats Waller, on Art Tatum
Video: Rising Appalachia | Resilient
These times are poignant
The winds have shifted
It’s all we can do
To stay uplifted
Video: Freed by Fire
“Freed by Fire” follows Molina, a 12-year old Malawian girl who becomes another child in a forced marriage. One female chief is tirelessly working to stop it.
Video: Club des Belugas | Straight to Memphis| Brenda Boykin
In this wildly original montage, Club Des Belugas pays tribute to African American entertainers in mid-century Hollywood.
George Drew: I Know You’re in Detroit
Aretha, I apologize for having never written a poem
for or about you, not in all the Hit Parades of years
I’ve grooved to you…
Lu Aya: Poems to get out the vote
In times of unprecedented destruction, these poems encourage all people to get out the vote as an act of love.
Video: Radical Spoken Word | Eleanor Goldfield
Political poetry intertwined with powerful activist art.
Video: The Day Democracy Died
No, don’t let democracy die
He’s a famous ignoramus
Can’t tell truth from a lie
Mike Schneider: Bob Dylan’s Ballads of Murder, Drowning & Other Songs of Love
If one of the defining tendencies of post-modernism is breaking down borders between high and low culture—such as between Beethoven and Elvis, Dylan is a supreme post-modernist. The cultural compass inscribed by his work is huge, flattering us by the depth of his learning and song awareness. We can follow or not—the songs don’t care.
Video: All You Fascists Bound to Lose | Resistance Revival Chorus
“I’m gonna tell you fascists/You may be surprised,” Woody sings. “The people in this world/Are getting organized.”
Video: The Lost Words Blessing
Enter the wild with care, my love
And speak the things you see
Cristina Robinson, et al: Complex birdsongs help biologists piece together the evolution of lifelong learning
Our human ability to learn language slows down as we get older, but scientists are not sure how or why this happens. An unexpected way to understand this learning process might come from listening to birds sing.
Video: That’s my jazz
Milt Abel II, a world renowned pastry chef, reflects on his relationship with his late father Milton Abel Sr., a legendary Kansas City jazz musician.
