Musical Dialogues

American Jesus / I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier Dissent

Maddeningly appropriate. For those angered by a sudden war being launched without even a fig leaf of pretense, here are a couple of anti-war songs from previous wars.

open.substack.com/pub/jaysonke...

A wonderful pairing led by classical guitarist Rupert Boyd. He chose a Hendrix song that was turned into a classical performance. A wonderful crossover conversation that led to a pairing with a baroque song that became a pop song. Enjoy!

open.substack.com/pub/jaysonke...

Happy Lunar New Year! I had not realized these two movies from the 1990s both had the cellist Yo Yo Ma in their soundtracks. Both movies included a juxtaposition of western and Asian musical elements.

open.substack.com/pub/jaysonke...

Today is National Inventor’s Day. A perfect opportunity to highlight the musical contributions of innovators Les Paul, and the synthesizer queen Wendy Carlos.

open.substack.com/pub/jaysonke...

What are the greatest Super Bowl Halftime performances ever? Here are two that might compete for the most epic! open.substack.com/pub/jaysonke...

Exactly this. They kept treating The Muppets like they were broke and needed to be fixed.

The Muppets were never broke.

Statler and Waldorf from THE MUPPETS

My favorite reply guys

I Need to Be In Love / Being Alive Seeking Connection

A surprisingly personal conversation today. Talking about music gets real very quickly.

open.substack.com/pub/jaysonke...

Happy Groundhog Day!!

maps.app.goo.gl/TXpFSMMApcjV...

I’m feeling like a little punk music is in order. Live the connection between these songs.

open.substack.com/pub/jaysonke...

Etta James was born on Jan. 25. Couldn’t wait to include her iconic At last on my project. Check it out.

open.substack.com/pub/jaysonke...

I stand with Minneapolis

Today is Neil Diamond’s birthday. Check out a couple of his songs spanning his tremendous career on today’s Musical Dialogues.

open.substack.com/pub/jaysonke...

Glassworks / Once in a Lifetime January 19: Repetition

My latest post. Minimalism in both classical and pop music. Take a listen: open.substack.com/pub/jaysonke...

Today is MLK’s birthday (we will celebrate it on Monday). Thinking of his legacy, I paired two songs. The first a gospel song important to the Civil Rights movement. The second a Broadway song about ending racism. Check it out:

open.substack.com/pub/jaysonke...

Mixing together musical genres successfully is rare. One of the most successful examples is Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Another example is the Aerosmith / Run DMC. Read about these two pieces in today’s Musical Dialogues: open.substack.com/pub/jaysonke...

Great musical anecdote. French composer Pierre Boulez sees Paul Simon and his wife at a party in the 1980s. The Frenchman repeaters calls the rock star Al. The result is one of today’s songs for my Musical
dialogues pairing.

Check it Out: open.substack.com/pub/jaysonke...

Check out today’s Musical Dialogue. The influence of country singer Jimmie Rodgers on blues man Howlin’ Wolf. An interesting link.

open.substack.com/pub/jaysonke...

Happy Birthday to Joan Baez, singer-songwriter born in Staten Island, New York 🇺🇸 85 years ago today.

What are your favourite songs by Joan Baez?
#JoanBaez

Today is Joan Baez’s birthday. Perhaps her best known album is Diamonds & Rust. Learn more:

open.substack.com/pub/jaysonke...

Bluegrass guitarist Rick Snell pointed me towards this old fiddle tune “Eighth of January.” I remembered it as the song “Battle of New Orleans” check it out:

open.substack.com/pub/jaysonke...

Charley Pride became the first Black solo singer to perform on the stage at the Grand Ole Opry on Jan. 7, 1967. Decades earlier, Black harmonica virtuoso DeFord Bailey was there when the Opry began. Learn more: open.substack.com/pub/jaysonke...

Breaking Up Christmas / Carnival Time Epiphany

Jan. 6 - Epiphany. Marks the 12th day of Christmas, the end of several regional traditions including “Old Christmas” in parts of Appalachia. It also marks the beginning of Carnival in New Orleans. One day. Two songs. A beginning and an ending.

open.substack.com/pub/jaysonke...

Train songs is a category unto itself across genres. These songs are a reminder of how important trains were to daily life. One for the great is Freight Train, by Elizabeth Cotten. She was born on Jan. 5, 1893.

open.substack.com/pub/jaysonke...

My Favorite Things January 4:

Today’s Musical Dialogue: My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music. A favorite childhood memory for many, John Coltrane completely reimagined it.

open.substack.com/pub/jaysonke...

Today’s Musical Dialogue features a pairing from two
black women of different generations and genres. Aretha Franklin’s Respect with Queen Latifah’s U.N.I.T.Y.

open.substack.com/pub/jaysonke...

Today’s post thanks to collaborator Rogelio Plasencia. open.substack.com/pub/jaysonke...

A Brand New Day / Will The Circle Be Unbroken Jan. 1: Community

Launching today. A yearlong exploration of American music. Each day will suggest 2 songs. I’ll provide a commentary about what I think they have in common. Here is the first post. Today, songs about community and featuring super groups of performers

open.substack.com/pub/jaysonke...

The Person Behind the Party A conversation with DJ y2aura

Not too late to think about New Years Eve plans. Thanks to DJ y2aura for sitting down and telling me all about the role of a DJ to make sure such a night is a great success. open.substack.com/pub/jaysonke...

A Little Night Music for December An Instrumental Jazz Holiday Playlist

Here is my Christmas Jazz playlist. I’ll
Be using it a lot the next few days and hope you might enjoy it too.

open.substack.com/pub/jaysonke...