Appreciating all that makes America special

Most Recent Articles

Hoagy Carmichael, Songwriter

Posted by on Mar 13, 2012 in Featured, Music | Comments Off on Hoagy Carmichael, Songwriter

Yes, I do have a soft spot for songwriters. They’re the heart of American popular music, but the least appreciated (and compensated)....

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Americana: The Hollywood Bowl

Posted by on Sep 21, 2011 in Americana, Featured | 1 comment

As an East Coaster, I admit I had the “Hollywood Bowl” all wrong. I thought the name referred to the band shell, which...

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Music: Rhapsody in Blue

Posted by on Jan 7, 2011 in Music | 1 comment

  If we take jazz to mean a free-form improvisation on a theme, then Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin (Great American Things,...

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Song: "Embraceable You"

Posted by on Aug 4, 2010 in Songs | 1 comment

This may be the ultimate example of a Gershwin song. With music by George (Great American Things, Feb. 24, 2010) and lyrics by Ira,...

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Actor: Fred Astaire

Posted by on Nov 13, 2009 in Actor | Comments Off on Actor: Fred Astaire

You’ll get a kick out of the studio’s evaluation of Fred Astaire’s initial screen test. It’s purported to have...

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