Aretha brought gospel into popular music—and with it the whole history of Black America. On that lies her claim to greatness.
Month: August 2018
Lost in music
A fictional detective who tracks down lost records and gets into—and out of—trouble as a result. What’s not to like?
Scoring New York
In their different ways, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Bernstein’s West Side Story are the sound of 20th century New York.
Basking in envy
The great civil engineer Thomas Telford wasn’t admired by all of his contemporaries.
For the love of jazz
The playwright Alan Plater drew on jazz to inspire and improve his own writing. Some notes on his book Doggin’ Around.
Geraint on climbing
Geraint Thomas’ tips on climbing, from his 2015 book, suddenly have a yellow-hued cachet.