John Edwin Mason: Documentary, Motorsports, Photo History

#FunkyFriday: Kait Dunton & TrioKAIT

When I made this portrait of Kait Dunton 10 years ago, she was a promising young pianist and composer who had just graduated from the University of Virginia. Four years earlier, she had arrived in Charlottesville as a gifted classical pianist, but she thought that her future would be in... Read more →

Funky Friday: Brandee Younger, "Respected Destroyer"

When somebody says "jazz harp," I don't blink. After all, I'm a Frecnh horn player, and there aren't many instruments that are less likely candidates for membership in jazz circles than the horn. Not many, at all -- but the harp is surely one of them. Turns out that, in... Read more →

Funky Friday: Barbara Bruckmueller, "Missing Your Kissing"

Straight outta Vienna, Barbara Bruckmueller and her big band. Barbara's one of my favorite composers and bandleaders. Some people (that is, some Americans) think that European jazz is always cold and calculated. I don't believe it for a minute, and this song proves the point. Barbara's got soul. And a... Read more →

Funky Friday: Dolly Parton, "Jolene." (Really.)

I first heard this a few months ago, and it still blows me away every time. Slow down Dolly Parton's original recording of "Jolene" -- slow it way, way down -- and it's transformed into something deep, dark, and funky. Love it. Dolly Parton, "Jolene." Wow. Amazing groove, isn't it.... Read more →

Funky Friday: A Band Called Death

I was surprised how sad yesterday's news made me -- Detroit filed for bankruptcy. Like everyone else, I feel awful for city's residents. But it's more than that. It has to do, in part, with the fact that my Uncle Leonard lived there for many years. Even more, it's a... Read more →

Funky Friday: Gordon Parks, "Symphony for Shafted Souls"

Here's a post I never expected to write -- Funky Friday and Gordon Parks. Until a couple of days ago, I would have told you that it was more likely that Barry Manilow would show up on a Friday than Gordon Parks. As much as I admire him as a... Read more →

Funky Friday: DJ Li'l Miss Dolemite, Part 2

This is the second time I've had the honor and privilege of featuring the fun and fabulous Li'l Miss Dolemite on Funky Friday. I love the mixes that she puts together -- great grooves with sprinkling of the absurd. "Up in Flames (What-a-Gas)" is especially trippy. Enjoy. Li'l Miss. * Read more →