I’ve been slow – nothing new there – to catch up on sharing this material with you, mostly because every time I think it’s time to catch up, I become aware of more coming. But now in the new year it seems to be slowing down a little, and it really is time to bring you all up to date. Boy, it adds up to a lot of stuff:
2 Interviews
First, there’s interviews. (Yes, I’ve gotten a little tired of listening to myself – apparently, my interviewers haven’t, which is a relief).
Earlier this month I went out to the People’s Republic of Bolinas (Northern California joke) for a talk at Commonweal, which does important work in healing, but also presents talks about other topics. My interviewer was Steve Heilig, who did such a flattering job on me in the Pacific Sun. Great audience (among others, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott), a gorgeous day – Bolinas is on the shore and it’s a beautiful drive on a day like that one. We had fun.
The New School at Commonweal (video) – Dennis McNally, PhD: The Long, Strange Trip of American Music, Race, and Freedom
4 Reviews
Some amazing reviews, which range from A- (Downbeat) to A+ (most of the rest, especially Blues Scene).
All About Jazz – On Highway 61
American Blues Scene – Dennis McNally Takes Us to the River, “On Highway 61″
DownBeat Magazine – Long Road Ahead (image)
12 Songs
A friend of mine who’s an editor at Alternet asked me to pick 12 songs (I think I ended up with 14) by African Americans that shaped the 20th century…. So I came up with this:
Top 10 List
And finally, a top ten list. And since it made me smile for about a week, you can probably guess where I landed. But the source – Chris is a public radio veteran and exceedingly knowledgeable – and what she wrote about the book are even more important than the rating. Made my day.
KMUW – Chris Heim’s Picks: Best Music Books of 2014 – #1: On Hwy 61…