Mountain Music

Before Ralph Stanley was featured on the "O Brother Where Art Thou" soundtrack, and before he was the grand old man of bluegrass, he was part of an innovative and influential band with his brother Carter. In the 1940s the Stanley Brothers began to record the rural music, pioneered by Bill Monroe and others, that would come to be known as bluegrass. From Charles K. Wolfe's liner notes: "Though dozens of young bands were doing their best to emulate the new sound, it would be the Stanley Brothers who would take it to its next stage of development. [It was] a style that at once harkened back to the mountain music of the past, and looked forward with innovative harmonies and haunting new songs." The haunting ballads and gospel songs which make up The Complete Columbia Stanley Brothers continue to define this style of music and their echoes are heard in the work of contemporary artists like Alison Krauss as well as revivalists like Old and In The Way. Old sounds that remain vital - and fun. Stop in the library's Media department for this and an array of other important recordings, both historical and contemporary.

New Orleans Style

Singer, pianist, arranger, producer and New Orleans voodoo king Dr. John has a new recording (Locked Down) that harkens back to some of his spooky/funky earlier work. Produced by the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach (who has in turn been produced by Danger Mouse), the record sizzles with organ, funky guitar licks, layers of percussion and Dr. John's inimitable vocal style. An ideal antidote to bland, generic, mass-produced pop music, this mashup of blues, rock, New Orleans rhythm and electro grooves will not be found in the frozen aisle of your chain grocery store. A spicy stew indeed.

Jazz Appreciation Month

"In April 2001, the National Museum of American History of the Smithsonian Institution launched the first Jazz Appreciation Month to honor both the legacy of America's original art form and its relevance and importance as a part of modern American culture. Throughout the nation, schools, organizations, and local governments celebrate JAM with diverse events and concerts. This year, JAM highlights the role of jazz and jazz advocates in crossing musical and other cultural borders to support freedom, creativity and unity." - jazzpolice.com

Jazz Appreciation Month is a great time to swing by the library and grab some classic jazz recordings. There's big band, bebop, and West Coast jazz. There is jazz from almost every decade of the 20th century - from Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington through John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock and Dave Brubeck. The are singers: Johnny Hartman, Billie Holiday, Sara Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald. There are brilliant pianists from Art Tatum to Bill Evans, guitarists from Wes Montgomery to John McLaughlin, saxophone players from Art Pepper to Sonny Rollins. Stop by the library's Media Center and browse our jazz collection: celebrate our great American art form and get your groove on at the same time!

For more on jazz appreciation check here

The Great Earl Scruggs

Banjo innovator, bluegrass star and beloved performer Earl Scruggs died March 28, 2012 and already news sources are filled with obituaries and tributes that track the career of this great American musician. Hired as a young man to play banjo with Bill Monroe, the greatest bluegrass bandleader of the time, Scruggs went on to great success as half of the duo Flatt & Scruggs and continued to grow and evolve as a musician for decades, ultimately playing with everyone from Johnny Cash, Sting, Elton John, and John Fogerty to Vince Gill and Billy Bob Thornton.

Anyone wanting to to hear some of Scruggs' music from the peak of his career should listen to the 5 disc collection, Flatt & Scruggs 1959 - 1963. This detailed record of an important time in Scruggs' recording career illustrates the technical virtuosity and the general musical appeal of this legendary performer. As long as bluegrass music is played, there will be a banjo player somewhere working out the Scruggs' part in "Foggy Mountain Breakdown." He'll be missed.

Also of interest:

The Three Pickers: Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Ricky Scaggs (CD)

The Crow by Steve Martin (CD) Scruggs guests on this recording

After Midnight

Nat 'King' Cole is one of those musicians whose work seems to connect with generation after generation. Some music is cool for a while, and some is just permanently cool. "After Midnight," one of Cole's most celebrated recordings, is in the latter group, and has that smokey, after-hours feel that's as emotionally resonant today as it ever was. Like Diana Krall, Cole thought he was a jazz musician and was surprised to find himself a pop sensation. The sessions that comprise "After Midnight" feature the sensitive and warm vocal style that was in evidence throughout the singer's career, but the musical setting here is certainly more jazz than pop. Cole's trio, John Collins on guitar, Charlie Harris on bass, Lee Young on drums, is supplemented at times by Jack Costanza, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Willie Smith, Juan Tizol and Stuff Smith, on percission, trumpet, alto saxophone, valve trombone and violin, respectively. Most of the disc though, is Cole's fine piano, supplemented and supported by his sensitive trio. For those who enjoy jazz ballads and swing, particularly, this recording will be a delight: great material, fine vocals and a sophisticated 1950s groove. Some of his finest recordings.

Gangster Of Love

The early recordings of Johnny "Guitar" Watson have been reissued yet again under the title "The Original Gangster of Love: 1953-1959." This material is essential to many blues and early rock fans and should interest anyone curious about the evolving role of the electric guitar in popular music. These are great tracks with hot guitar, horns, piano and great singing. This isn't the rural sound of Southern blues or even the stripped down Chicago style. This is blues as it's evolving into rock and R&B - an urban sound played not by older players with delta roots, but a hot-shot eighteen-year-old (in 1953)in Los Angeles. "Space Guitar" is an instrumental that points in a new direction for the time while "Hot Little Mama" is the kind of hard-edged blues swing that evokes the later recordings of Kim Wilson, Roomful of Blues, and Kid Ramos. The playful boasting of "Gangster of Love" fits somewhere between Ray Charles and Snoop Dog. Essential American music.

Long Player Late Bloomer

Through some odd coincidence or convergence the library adds the new recordings of three Canadian songwriters this week. Convergence is the latest from Kathleen Edwards a songwriter and singer of singular beauty and sensitivity. Also new is Old Ideas, the newest from Leonard Cohen whose career resurgence and successful touring are enjoyed by as many new fans as old, 40 or so years into his creative life. Ron Sexsmith's Long Player Late Bloomer is the third new disc from a Canadian songwriter and perhaps the most deserving of your attention. Sexsmith is a great writer whose previous ten cds have earned praise from Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Chris Martin and Lucinda Williams but have yet to earn him the wide popularity he deserves. The songs are beautiful, intelligent, melodic and memorable and the performance is folk-rock and rootsy. Sexsmith's delivery is modest and unassuming but his talent is profound. Great stuff.