On the list of “jazz stars I have killed,” Sarah Vaughan is #1 (i.e., I had tickets to see her, and she died a few days before the show—a phenomenon that has happened to me, and more unfortuately, to various jazz stars, more than once). She is also #1 on my list of “favorite jazz singers who actually sing the melody” (i.e., not Betty Carter).
top 10
Santana
I suppose I should love Santana, given that he lives in the Bay Area, is vaguely Latin jazz-y, and is all about peace and love.
I don’t.
Samba/Bossa Nova
My friends represent two extremes when it comes to appreciation of samba. At one end, Cedric took lessons for many years and even danced in the San Francisco Carnaval parade. At the other, Leigh hates samba to the point that she will run out of the room screaming if she hears “Girl from Ipanema.” (OK, I made that last part up.) I guess we know who gets invited when my future husband and I go to to Rio.
Sam Cooke
Things I resent, part 1,000,000. Children of the 50s got to listen to Sam Cooke originals in all their gritty, gravelly glory. As a child of the 70s, I was stuck with covers by wispy white folkies. Unfair! (Exception: The Spinners’ disco cover of “Cupid,” which was awesome.)
Salif Keita
My first introduction to Salif Keita was him covering “Begin the Beguine” on the Red Hot & Blue Cole Porter tribute/AIDS fundraising album back in the late 80s. His voice? Amazing. Him singing “Begin the Beguine” in Malinke? Weird.
Rush
I just got back from Canada, and while it’s nice and pleasant at all, the thing that always strikes me about it is that there’s no edge, no funk. I like it “fine,” which is pretty much the same as I feel for all-Canadian, funk-free band Rush.
Run-D.M.C.
Yes, kids, people used to write rap songs about shoes. And you know what? Those songs were awesome. Rap used to be a lot of fun.
Ruben Blades
I haven’t had a chance to add to my “quite the looker in his younger days” list in a while. Ruben Blades has solved that problem.
Roots
I used to hate the Roots, then I heard Game Theory, and now I love them. But … Jay Leno? Seriously?
Rolling Stones
I’m not sure what’s more impressive: The fact that these guys have been around and kicking for more than 50 years basically intact, or the fact that for the last 40 of those years they haven’t released anything worth listening to. (Note: Every time he sneezes, Mick Jagger makes $10 million. I’m sure he cares—a lot—about my opinion.)
Playlist of the Day 