By Dave Austin, “Music Professor” In an interview, trombonist J.J. Johnson observed, “Jazz is restless. It won’t stay put and it never will.” Jazz, in its various incarnations, now spans over 100 years – from ragtime to the present day, making it nigh impossible to define. Music scholars spend hours trying to succinctly define jazz…
by Dave Austin, “Music Professor” When I decided to write this article about folk music, I was thinking only of the folk music that came on the scene back in the late 1940s, 50s’ and 60s. You know, “Michael, Row the Boat Ashore,” “Puff the Magic Dragon,” and so on. It had not occurred to…
by Dave Austin – “Music Professor” Punk rock, which came on the scene back in 1974 in the U.S, Britain and Australia, is deeply rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now called protopunk music. Without getting overly academic, the punksters, determined to be aggressively modern, turned away from what they perceived…
by Mike Walter – “Multi-Op Corner” You watched the Grammy’s last Sunday night, right? I mean, we make our living playing the music that our clients love, so what better way to stay “in the know,” then watching “Music’s Biggest Night,” right? Well,I certainly did, and as I always do, I Tivoed it so I…
by Ray Martinez – Unbridled Inspiration When you stop collecting music. you stop caring about music. at least that’s how I see it. The second you can be happy with just an mp3…you’ve lost the magic. You’ve lost the appreciation for the artwork that helps tell the album’s story. You’ve lost so much of the…
by Dave Austin – “Music Professor” Ask someone what first comes to mind at the mention of Philadelphia and you may hear about the Declaration of Independence, the Liberty Bell or the Phillies. But, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is also home to a well-documented musical heritage dating back to colonial times. Innovations in classical, opera, jazz, R&B…
