It all started with the pots and pans,” Lenny Kravtiz remembers. “I viewed it as an instrument, and I was very serious about it. I was going to the sink and pulling out the pots and I would arrange them like a drum set. I would have the smaller pots to the left go to the bigger pots on… [read more]
DETROIT dominates the headlines with its dwindling economy, former mayor’s jail term, and its creation of a brand of documentary filmmaking called “ruin porn” that focuses on its once majestic buildings decomposing back into the ground. Detroit parallels The Beverly Hillbillies: rough on the outside—but sitting on a fortune if you care to look for… [read more]
by Béla Fleck The world’s most innovative banjo player talks about the history and scope of his instrument, and why he still practices eight hours a day. Photograph by Faith Ninivaggi THE MORE I FIND OUT ABOUT the banjo’s roots and how widespread it is throughout the world, the less I feel like a goofball… [read more]
STORY & PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAUL NATKIN From early cave drawings to the digital cameras of today, civilization has been recorded. When anything happened, someone documented it, and these records have preserved history and culture for future generations. In the 20th century, photography became a prime means of documentation. As culture became more interesting to the… [read more]
by Suzanne Cadgene Literally millions of people make music—some as expertly as the rich and famous professionals—but the vast majority never become professional musicians. Success* in the music industry results from some combination of talent, drive, hard work and dumb luck. What separates the folks who happily play in their friends’ living rooms from the… [read more]
In the film Chasing Sound!, about legendary musician and inventor Les Paul, the performer, celebrating his 92nd birthday at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City, calls a woman out of the crowd to join him on stage and sing a rousing version of “Route 66.” The moment came as no surprise to his… [read more]
PHOTO CREDITS: I See Hawks In L.A. Courtesy of I See Hawks In L.A. Kimberli Ransom Courtesy of Kimberli Ransom Fran Snyder Ryan Simmons The Waymores Ken Erfurth Bill & Kate Isles Courtesy of Russ and Julie Paris Terri Hendrix & Lloyd Maines Ken Erfurth by Annie Dinerman Imagine your favorite musician singing and playing… [read more]
by Suzanne Cadgène MOTIVATION Long days, long nights, high risk, largely unrecognized sacrifice, and the occasional bankruptcy. What madman makes this kind of career choice? Festival promoters, and there are hundreds of them. Some last for one or two seasons, a few last for years. We wondered how they got into the field, and how… [read more]
“I book the festival for me,” says Tom Mazzolini, founder and producer of the San Francisco Blues Festival, the longest running blues festival in the United States. It’s common for blues industry people to move from somewhere else to Chicago to follow their passion. Mazzolini did just the reverse. In 1963 he moved from… [read more]
