April is Jazz Appreciation Month and, frankly, jazz could use more appreciation. American jazz musicians are revered the world over but even the music made by recognized masters such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus is considered a niche market in the states, a genre the general public generally avoids. What little radio... Continue Reading →
Fifteen-year-old Patel Conservatory student Meghan Lock: “learning drums is my life.” Meghan Lock’s formal musical life began like most, with piano lessons at the bright, young age of five years old. But, when her parents realized she was spending more minutes in time out for not practicing than minutes she was playing, they took a... Continue Reading →
Everybody just have a good time. Next week, the Berry Gordy bio MOTOWN THE MUSICAL returns by popular demand to Morsani Hall. The musical tracks through Gordy’s journey as the star-making superpower of the Detroit “Motown” sound. His stint as the emperor of Hitsville, U.S.A. launched the artists who shaped American pop music: The Temptations,... Continue Reading →
How Music Wrote the Lives of the Men of Hypnotic Brass Ensemble Ask a member of the seven-piece band Hypnotic Brass Ensemble how they got their name, and you may get a surprise answer. It started as an acronym for the band’s mission: Helping Young People Notice . . . hypnotic. Notice what, though? Music.... Continue Reading →
Good Vibrations Polyrhythms, sound healing and the significance of vibration This blog is the third in a series of five on Art as a Survival Tool, blogs that examine the crucial role art plays in the fulfillment of the human experience. Famed scientist Nikola Tesla once revealed “if you want to know the secrets of... Continue Reading →
Friday, April 6, 1990 Two of the great, Mufasa-esque lions of be-bop era jazz conspired together for a performance on the stage at Morsani Hall on Saturday, April 7, 1990, and, surprisingly, it didn’t blow up. However, one can only speculate about what happened to the minds of the audience. Vibes virtuoso Lionel Hampton, with... Continue Reading →