The Blue Room

and inspiration to their favorites song artist. Ray could do much more than just play the piano. “The man had range. He wasn’t in a bag. He had his own bag...[h]e was the first true crossover artist...(he) was rock and roll. He was rhythm and blues. He was country. The man had such range” (Richards p.2). The “blind guy” was the arguably the father of soul music, and with this claim came courage as man, determination as a performer, and ferocity as a businessman never before seen in an…

Whether digging into glam pop songs, avant-jazz routines with punk attitude, or sophisticated garage-rock episodes, impetuous guitarist Nels Cline, a creative powerhouse in small group settings, always sounds unique and fetching. Blue Note’s Currents, Constellations marks the debut of The Nels Cline 4, a quick-witted group featuring Julian Lage on guitar, Scott Colley on bass, and Tom Rainey on drums. Both guitarist and drummer had recorded with Cline before, whereas Colley is the novelty here,…

Upon watching the preschool classroom YouTube videos provided, my attention was immediately drawn to the bright and positive appearance of the classroom. Although the video only shows a small fraction of the classroom, this being the rooms “circle time center”, it essentially embodies the teacher’s positivity, engagement and care for the children’s education, as well as leading as a constructive demonstration of how the rest of the classroom must look. With no blank spaces on the wall, this…

In their book, The Rise of the Crooners, authors Pitts and Hoffman explain the origins of the vocal style. Bing Crosby, one of their first singers to adopt a more causal, sensual vocal technique, came on the scene around 1930. Gene Austin’s hit “My Blue Heaven”, topped the charts in 1927. As Pitts and Hoffman say, this was the first of what would become popular music, “that is, the process of squeezing diversity through the strainer of familiarity”. Tin Pan Alley, a large music publishing…

them down my lanky legs. I aim them at the hamper in the corner of my room, but they fall onto the floor instead. Shrugging, I smoothed my boxers down and adjusted my tee shirt before walking over to my desk to retrieve my iPod. "where are you, you little shit? " I say to myself aloud. Pausing my movements I think to myself. "Where did I last-... Jacob." He is always taking my stuff. I angrily stomp out of my room and down the stairs into the basement.…

On Monday evening, September 21, 2015, I had the pleasure of watching University Jazz Combos. The performance was held at the University of Louisville School Of Music in the Bird Recital Hall. These three combos consisted of the Mark Turner Combo directed by Tyrone Wheeler, Illinois Jacquet Combo directed by Ansyn Banks, and Michael Brecker Combo also directed by Ansyn Banks. I wasn’t for sure what to expect when coming to this concert. Different from the other jazz performance I attended, this…

1940’s. A legendary figure in his own lifetime, he was idolized by those who worked with him, and he inspired a generation of jazz performers and composers. Charlie had a magnetic personality; wherever he would walk into he would change the feel of the room. He started studying music in a local school in Kansas City, Missouri. He was the inventor a more complex and individual music by disregarding the four- and eight-bar standards of jazz, which is also known as bebop. The year 1945 was…

his disastrous performance is the epitome of irony. As Hoodie Allen attempted to rap about “living life without responsibility” and his many tales of lust and loss, I counted the number of people sitting with me on the upper balcony at the House of Blues. There’s 46 of us. 46 more than should actually have to suffer through this performance. Hoodie Allen made a wonderful first impression. I could feel his energy and excitement as he strutted onto the stage. He drew in the thirty or so screaming…

appear to be Hispanic or mexican, while the man who is supervising them appears to be a caucasian American. The group of men are wearing jeans, plain shirts, and rugged hats, however the other man is wearing a formal construction worker jumpsuits and a blue construction helmet. The men take a break and one man takes out a small photo from his wallet of a woman and an…

What was interesting about this piece was the opening and closing vamping sections which allowed for some more room to improvise other than the sections in the middle. The opening vamp featured the electric bass as the driving force improvising on two main elements of walking bass lines and this riff idea that would emerge in the head, and underneath this the electric…