Avsnitt
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Pianist Vince Guaraldi wrote the timeless, enduring music for the classic animated holiday special A Charlie Brown Christmas. He wasn't the producer's first, or even second choice. Find out how he became the right man in the right place at the right time to become a cultural icon.
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Cellist Tomeka Reid received a MacArthur Foundation fellowship - colloquially known as a "Genius Grant" - in 2022. We hear about her development as an artist and enjoy some of her diverse and challenging music.
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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Don Wilkerson was immortalized in brief saxophone solos on a couple of Ray Charles hits. But did you know he also recorded albums for Riverside and Blue Note as a jazz bandleader? Let's check out this swingin', bluesy cat.
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If you've never heard of tenor saxophonist Tina Brooks, you're not alone. He died young, and only one of his five albums for Blue Note records were released in his lifetime. Let's learn more about this dynamic and mysterious composer and instrumentalist.
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Tired of "Jingle Bells" and "Silver Bells" and (barf) "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer"? Here are five enjoyable but not overplayed Christmas songs to add to your playlist. Plus a very funky bonus track.
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Italian Producer, DJ, and musician Cristiano Crisci has been blending electronic music with instrumental and vocal performances from around the world since at least 2014. In this episode, I attempt to find out more about this mysterious and inventive artist.
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Roy Ayers began his career playing vibes on straight-ahead jazz records, then expanded into funk, soul, r&b and more. His music took on a new life when hip-hop producers found his vinyl in crates and sampled his unique sound literally hundreds of times. Hear Roy's originals contrasted with the hip-hop joints they inspired.
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Remember Digable Planets? Their classic 1993 album Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space) earned them a Grammy, but their journey didn't end there. We'll catch up on the group's solo and group efforts since then. With a special shoutout to Philly at the end.
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How did a soul supergroup featuring the likes of Solomon Burke, Ben E. King and Joe Tex produce a single that failed to crack the top ten? Spoiler alert: it might have been racism. Listen for the story, and some sweet soul music.
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I finish up my first musical trilogy with a look at how Cuban rhythms became the foundation for the global phenomenon known as salsa.
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In Part 1, I we explored how African and Spanish musical forms grew together on the small island nation of Cuba. In Part 2, we examine how Cuban music influenced the African American jazz tradition in the United States.
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We begin an exploration of Afro-Cuban music with one of the earliest, most danceable forms: son. It's the foundation for hugely popular pre-Cold War Latin Jazz in the U.S., and the international explosion of Salsa.
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Phyllis Dillon had a very brief but very influential career as a preeminent Rocksteady singer in Jamaica. This is music for lovin' and relaxing. Enjoy.
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After leaving Fela Kuti's band in 1979, Tony Allen began to explore ways to mix his unique drumming style with other types of music from around the world. Hear his collaborations with Hugh Masekela, Damon Albarn, and more.
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Tony Allen - one of the originators of Afrobeat as the drummer for Fela Kuti's band - passed away April 30, 2020. This first episode of a two-part series looks at his influential early career, bolstered by excerpts from his 2013 autobiography, and plenty of music!
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Roughly 5,000 Weissenborn guitars were produced in the 1920s. Their haunting sound was introduced in the U.S. by Ben Harper, but a handful of contemporary musicians continue to explore its haunting, resonant sound. Learn more about this beautiful instrument, and hear it played very, very well.
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Ever heard the reggae cover of Black Sabbath's "Paranoid"? How about "Seven Nation Army" by the White Stripes? We have those delightful covers and more on this episode of Radio Superfly.
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Tropicalia was Brazil's countercultural movement in the late 1960s. Legendary musicians like Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso equally enraged traditionalists on the political left and right with their freewheeling concerts and recordings.
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The quarantine film festival continues. I watched "Searching for Sugar Man," and fell in love with its hybrid unknown/superstar subject.
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Howard Armstrong was an American original, and the film "Louie Blueie" does a fantastic job of just pointing a camera at him and letting him go off. I promise you will laugh and love the music in equal measure.
- Visa fler