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Caterina Caselli: The Faces of Life
2024 was a rewarding year for Caselli. In the spring, she was named a Knight of Labor, and in the fall, she received the Tenco Award for her contributions to the cultural sector. She made her Sanremo debut in 1966, not yet twenty years old, with Nessuno mi può giudicare, a distinctly “generational” song in the years leading up to 1968. She went on to enjoy one success after another, remaining in the limelight as one of the leading names in Italian music. Then, still very much in the spotlight, she stepped away from her successful path to move to the other side of the fence, joining those whose job it was to discover such songs. If they had the right instinct, they would find, produce, and promote them. This choice surprised many at the time, but over the years it has proven a deeply rewarding one, giving us a […]
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Barry Altschul: sounds from another space/time
A member of some of the most innovative groups of the seventies, a faithful partner of Dave Holland in an unforgettable rhythm section, Barry Altschul left us some important records
Sam Cooke: “Mr. Soul” between Church and Nightclub
The life, career and tragic end of one of the greatest voices of the 20th century – and not just an African-American one.
The Indestructible Eddie Condon
They called him The Indestructible, and that’s how we’ll remember him: with that trademark sneering smile, croaky voice, his ever-present guitar slung over his shoulder, a bottle of gin never far from reach, and Gershwin’s “Liza” floating in the background.
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John Cale: The Academy Inside and Out
A new recording life for two excellent albums from the 1970s
Remembering Martial Solal
The great pianist recently died at the ripe old age of 97, but he wasn't retired for long: when he said "enough" to live performances, he was 92, and he continued to write music until the end. We remember him with an extensive examination of his formative years
Lou Reed’s Pop Childhood
A journey through the seedy underbelly of the recording industry in the company of an unexpected artist
Sergio Mendes: Pretty World
The recent death of the Brazilian pianist truly marks the end of an enchanted world: a true la-la land built in the perfect image and likeness of its ingenious creator
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Steve Lacy: Phase One
Ninety years after the birth and twenty years after the death of the great soprano, we look at the first, perhaps the least known, phase of his career, between the ages of twenty and thirty
Tony Coe and the Pink Panther: A Canterbury Tale
Plas Johnson was the first saxophonist to take on the iconic theme—but from then on, it was the British musician’s turn to leave his mark on the later films in the series. Yet Coe did much more