It is fitting that one of the most recognizable symbols, images, of jazz, is the headshot of the High Priest himself, hunched over his piano keys smiling, singing Epistrophy or Round Midnight. Thelonious Sphere Monk captivated, but sometimes personal situations and most of all his high regard for originality (more…)

Setting up an easel at concerts and inviting people to watch as you paint (or sculpt, or arrange flowers, or whatever art form you do that is more typically hidden from prospective audiences) is…different. (more…)

In a scene from Martin Scorsese’s film about Bob Dylan, No Direction Home Joan Baez laughs while telling the story of the master songwriter composing lyrics. Baez says that Dylan told her that some day scholars will explain what these words mean, (more…)

In the beginning, there was silence. The Earth was formed and there was nothing but Adam and Eve. The Garden of Eden must have been a tranquil place where the silence was only broken for speech that was absolutely necessary. (more…)

Music is defined as the art of arranging sounds in time so as to produce a continuous, unified, and evocative composition, as through melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre. Noise, however, is (more…)

Design is not merely about changing our objects, but about changing our lives. It is not merely about improving the appearance or utility of our surroundings (more…)

It is a hunk of Louisiana swamp ash cut with a band saw. Its neck is a single piece of maple with no fretboard; grooves for the frets are cut directly into the neck. Four bolts and a plate hold the neck to the body. It is manufactured on an assembly line. The simple, affordable Fender Telecaster is the Model T of guitars. Its lean, no-frills design in the hands (more…)

Amon Adonai Santos de Araujo Tobin may not be a man of gigantic physical proportions, but behind the computer and the turntables, he’s certainly a musical heavyweight. He is also one of the most interesting electronic musicians that came to light during the past decade, with a recent release last year, titled Foley Room.

His work may not be climbing the charts, and maybe his music isn’t the easiest (more…)

Brazil is a country of idiosyncrasies. On the one hand, you have the most beautiful beaches, the exuberant Carnival, the rain forest and an extremely rich, high-class minority. On the other hand, Brazil has the sad reputation of being one of the most violent countries in the world, where the favelas – shantytowns filled with dangerous drug dealers and gang lords – (more…)

If you go to Paris looking for the very soul of American freedom, you will find a parallel world that you can’t ever forget. Old and new, the spirit of jazz resides in Paris as in no other European capital city, and its strength needs to be rediscovered by music lovers. The Jazz is alive and well, and is grooving in Paris.

Jazz music enters the Parisian culture for the first time (more…)