First pop songs composed (semi)-entirely by a computer

From Fact Magazine comes the first pop songs composed entirely by computer using artificial intelligence (AI) programs. Now of course the machine had to be programmed; otherwise it would just emit random combinations of sounds and noises. And, as Turing predicted, it couldn’t write comprehensible lyrics, either; those came from a human. As the site notes: […]

Suis-moi

No braining today, as I have to direct my brains elsewhere. So let’s have some music. Grania came across this song, “Suis-moi” (“Follow Me”) performed by the YouTube artists Nataly Dawn and Cyrille Aimée, and I found it delightfully addictive. It’s from last year’s animated French film The Little Prince, with music by Hans Zimmer and Richard […]

Two by Te Kanawa

Kiri Te Kanawa is now 72, and her glorious voice isn’t what it was, but the New Zealand singer was one of the best of our time (or so I think, not being a classical music expert). Here are two of my favorite pieces by Dame Kiri. The first is on a CD I have, […]

Captain Many Hands

Stephen Stills, one of the few people I’d have traded lives with, was known by his bandmates as “Captain Many Hands.” That’s because of his versatility on instruments, for he could play—and play well—virtually any instrument in a rock and roll band. Bass guitar, lead guitar, piano, drums, percussion, piano (plain and electric), banjo—you name it. […]

Famous Pakistani Sufi singer assassinated in Karachi

The Sunnis and Shias aren’t just killing each other; they’re killing the Sufis, a mystical branch of the faith which can be seen as a contemplative strain of Sunni Islam—but one that sees itself as above political machinations. It’s not surprising then, that Sufis have been persecuted within the faith, and just today one of […]

“I’ve found a new baby”

If any song shouts “swing,” it’s this classic by the Benny Goodman Sextet, featuring Goodman’s inimitable jazz clarinet and a wonderful solo by Charlie Christian, who, though he died of tuberculosis at only 25, was a big influence on later jazz guitar as well as rock. This version was recorded on January 15, 1941. The members […]

Winner: song contest

We had 61 comments on the song contest from yesterday, with readers asked to guess the name and artists of songs containing the words in bold below. Next to each word I’ve put the song I had in mind, all of which were at least minor rock and roll hits. The links go to the song so you […]

Song contest: win a book

Here’s another song contest. To win, you have to name all of the songs (and artists) that mention the following items (mostly foods, but not all of them). Every song was at least a minor hit, and all are rock and roll (no rap or folk). The winner gets an autographed copy of the new […]

The Queen: Aretha Franklin

The New Yorker is much better on the arts than on the sciences; one example is David Remnick’s article on Aretha Franklin, “Soul Survivor,” which appeared in the April 4 issue. It’s largely about the Queen’s gospel roots, but one of its best features is simply calling attention to some of Aretha’s great performances. Here are two, with Remnick’s […]

Newly published photos of Amy Winehouse

Okay, it’s from PuffHo, but even a blind tabloid can harbor an acorn. Her are some previously unpublished photos of La Winehouse. I like them because they were taken on the cusp of fame, and before her downward slide into bulimia, drugs, and depression. Here she looks happy and healthy. Indented text is from the article. […]