Ella Ruth Piggee has been gone from San Diego far longer than she was here, but the mark she left on this town’s music community remains as pronounced as ever. In her too-short time in San Diego, she became one of the biggest acts on the local music scene—holding down gigs at most of the […]
I love my baby by the lovin’ spoonful. —“The Coffee Blues” by Mississippi John Hurt It’s subjectively peculiar, not to mention a tad bit reassuring, how certain recordings manage to retain an aura of timelessness. Sonic paintings mysteriously devoid of a date stamp, even when the sentiments and emotions on display are over a half-century […]
Jimmy Cheatham’s memoirs of life in the Army during World War II as told to Jim Trageser. Part Three/Final. Jimmy Cheatham was head of the UC San Diego jazz program from 1978-2005. He played in Chico Hamilton’s band in the 1960s, also serving as arranger. He also briefly played in Duke Ellington’s band in the […]
Jimmy Cheatham’s memoirs of life in the Army during World War II as told to Jim Trageser, Part Two. In the meantime, we were doing our training and took a break and the company commander came over and talked to me, you know, like what I wanted to do with my life and all that […]
Jimmy Cheatham’s memoirs of life in the Army during World War II as told to Jim Trageser. Part One. Jimmy Cheatham was head of the UC San Diego jazz program from 1978-2005. He played in Chico Hamilton’s band in the 1960s, also serving as arranger. He briefly played in Duke Ellington’s band in the early […]
I’m very sad by the passing of John Prine, a wordsmith who managed the hardest of all lyricist obligations: to be plain-spoken, colloquial, and unafraid. His best songs have an authentic, unaffected quality, that of someone talking about some odd thing that happened to them, recent or in the past, setting a scene, establishing an […]
First things first: if there were such a thing as “justice” in our current cultural clime, Robyn Hitchcock would be a household name to you. Of course, the main hurdle within that disparity is the idea that whoever is popular and/or infamous among our celebrity spawn is somehow synonymous with originality or excellence, however which […]
Whether you call it the “good” book, Torah, Five Books of Moses, or just the Old Testament, the text, poetry, and stories of the Bible have given comfort to millions of people for over two millennia. One group of people that found solace and strength from the Old Testament’s text were the African-American slaves. Slavery […]
Southern Pacific Sessions has announced upcoming concerts in early 2020 in North Park, including a unique opportunity in January for attendees to square dance with a veteran caller and live music—no experience required. In February, they will feature an appearance by the St Louis Steady Grinders, an old-style piano and vocal band specializing in barrelhouse […]
