Music & Culture
Classical Music Posts
Lil Nas X Says Children Are His Core Audience Right Now, And That’s OK
A little boy decked out in a pink rhinestone cowboy outfit travels around a farm and points out things that bring him joy. “A is for adventure. Every day is a brand new start. B is for boots — whether they’re big or small, short or tall. C is for country,” the story goes. This is the basic premise of the new kids book C Is for Country written by Lil Nas X, the Grammy-winning, chart-dominating rapper behind “Old Town Road.” As a storybook version of Lil Nas X shows readers around the farm, he gets to F, which is for fringe, feathers and fake fur. “I love that for me,” the illustrated rapper says. Continue Reading Lil Nas X Says Children Are His Core Audience Right Now, And That’s OK
101 Songs You Turned To In 2020 To Help Navigate A Tumultuous Year
As 2020 came to a close, we asked artists and authors about the songs that helped them survive a strange and devastating year. We also posed that question to you, and compiled a playlist of 101 songs that you played over and over again this year. Some songs offered an escape. Some infused joy and despair. Continue Reading 101 Songs You Turned To In 2020 To Help Navigate A Tumultuous Year
Music And Mayhem: A Diary Of Classical Albums For A Troubled 2020
While streams dominated this chaotic, sorrowful year, musicians continued to lay down official statements in the form of albums. And as the pandemic exploded, the economy cracked, the protests thundered and politics grew even more partisan, the arresting albums listed below became the soundtrack to my 2020 – the best in troubled times. In the order they were released are 12 albums that inspired hope, offered comfort and confrontation and provided much needed escape from a year like no other. Continue Reading Music And Mayhem: A Diary Of Classical Albums For A Troubled 2020
Pianist Claude Bolling, Creator Of Popular Jazz/Classical Suites, Has Died
Americans knew Bolling best for a recording project with noted French flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal which contained Bolling’s sparkling “Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano.” The album, which was released by CBS in 1975, remained on Billboard’s classical charts for an astonishing 530 consecutive weeks. Continue Reading Pianist Claude Bolling, Creator Of Popular Jazz/Classical Suites, Has Died
In Memoriam: Musicians We Lost In 2020
We lost icons in every genre: founders and innovators and steadfast traditionalists. The world of jazz, so reliant upon elders to anchor its constantly developing notion of history and legacy, bore an especially heavy burden. Continue Reading In Memoriam: Musicians We Lost In 2020
StoryCorps Northwest: Two Science Professors On The Importance Of Mentorship
Rachel Jameton struggled as a new teacher at Lewis Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. Her colleague, Jane Finan, co-taught biology with her. The two talk about mentorship and how disappointing a teacher can be transformative for a student, in this episode of StoryCorps Northwest, recorded virtually. Continue Reading StoryCorps Northwest: Two Science Professors On The Importance Of Mentorship
