Brooklyn, Blintzes, Baseball and Ballads With Johnny Mercer (Field Notes From a Music Biz Life)

In chapters 6 and 7 of his memoirs, MICHAEL SIGMAN recalls his father CARL SIGMAN's songwriting apprenticeship with JOHNNY MERCER and how the rocky course of his adolescent years seemed to parallel his dad's hit songs.
by David McGee
 

 
 
 

An Empress On the Forgotten Paths of Russian Song

Venturing down forgotten paths of Russian song on her new album, ST PETERSBURG, Empress of Song CECILIA BARTOLI offers a virtuoso performance of the long-hidden body of music composed for the Romanov court.
by David McGee
 

 

 

An Imaginative Exploration of The Sound-World of The Early Celtic Church

Music composer ROBERT HUGILL's review leads this appraisal of a fascinating, haunting new album exploring the sound of the early Celtic church.
by David McGee
 

 
 

The Old Guard Hated the Rock But Loved the Bankroll (Field Notes From a Music Biz Life, Part 4)

In Part 4 of his autobiography, MICHAEL SIGMAN explains why the old guard post-war pop songwriters 'hated the rock but loved the bankroll'
by David McGee
 

 

 

Cascada de Flores: Reimagining Latin American Radio’s Golden Era

On RADIO FLOR, CASCADA DE FLORES brings the beauty of a distant era of Mexican radio into the present, very much alive and in full bloom.
by David McGee
 

 
 

Existential Bluegrass

Bluegrass existentialists THE ROYS are back with THE VIEW, comprised of songs pondering the burden of memory as time marches on, along with philosophical appraisals of quotidian troubles and joys.
by David McGee
 

 

 

A Gathering of Voices, in Celebration and Covenant

Continuing a journey embarked upon three albums ago, MOIRA SMILEY & VOCO and The Choir of YOU bring voices, instruments and a gumbo of American and Eastern European folk music together on LAUGHTER OUT OF TEARS.
by David McGee
 

 
 

How To Have Fun With a Serious Song (Field Notes from a Music Biz Life, Part 3)

In this installment of his autobiography, MICHAEL SIGMAN recounts some amusing incidents following in the wake of his father CARL SIGMAN's now-classic hit song 'EBB TIDE.' JERRY COLONNA makes an appearance.
by David McGee
 

 

 

On the Gospel Highway’s Alternate Route

Between 1967 and 1977 Memphis-based DESIGNER RECORDS was focused on giving gospel artists a place to record their work for posterity, for $469.50.
by David McGee