Musical Interlude: When the Punditry Overwhelms You…
I get that we here in DC play an inordinate amount of chin music, but when it gets to be too much, here’s the remedy, from the great Mose Allison: “Your Mind is On Vacation and Your Mouth is Workin’ Overtime.” “If talkin’ were criminal You’d lead a life of crime.”
Musical Interlude: I Don’t Care!
Everyone in my house is incessantly singing this insouciant song, so be forewarned: it is VERY catchy. I’m linking here to the uncensored version which has a few mild curse words. EG, in splitting with her boyfriend, she says (I think) that she put his sh__ in a bag and threw it down the stairs. [...]
Musical Interlude: King Albert Inducted into Hall of Fame and Other Goodies
I heard that Albert King was just inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which I visited just a few weeks ago. So in honor of this great bluesman, here’s his biggest hit, Born Under a Bad Sign. If it wasn’t for bad luck, the man wouldn’t have no luck at all… BTW, [...]
Friday Music: Winners’ Choice
From some of the winners of the deficit obsession essays, a great and widely varied selection of musical interludes with which to start your weekend: –Woody Guthrie’s Hard Traveling is about a close an anthem to our times as any. –As for my musical submission, I would like to submit myself: MDP the rapper/producer/guitarists/journalist. I [...]
Friday Musical Interlude: Bag’s Groove
This is one of the first jazz tunes I ever heard. I was a little kid and my mother had this “album” with a very cool looking person on the cover, which turned out to be Miles Davis. This was the first cut and I’ve been deep into jazz ever since. So slide into the [...]
Rare Saturday Musical Interlude: Thrift Shop Rap
My kids turned me onto this extremely catchy rap song, but the thing I also like about it is how it (sort of–yes, I see the DeLorean in there…) takes a much more downscale view of the hyper-consumption message of so much contemporary culture. It’s all about getting bargains in the thrift shop, recycling grandpa’s [...]
Friday Musical Interlude: Outsourced
As readers know, I love a good piano concerto, engagingly played…or, if not that, a really funny one like this from my colleague KR: For this week’s interlude I’ve picked one of Monty Python’s most side-splitting classics (in both senses of the word): Sviatoslav Richter playing that old war-horse, Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Putting [...]
Close Encounter of the Best Kind
So I’m hanging out in the WAMU radio studio the other day waiting to go on the Diane Rehm show, I go to hang up my coat, and who do I run into? No less than the supremely awesome Carole King. I was totally star struck. I gave her a big hug and thanked her [...]
Friday Musical Interlude: Outsourced
I asked my CBPP colleague PVdW, who I know has great taste in music (because he agrees with me), to choose this week’s interlude. He made an inspired pick that will banish from your mind all the nonsense about which I’ve been writing. And I say that even while spell check wanted me to change [...]
Friday Musical Interlude: Hangin’ With Hank
I’ve probably got about 500 CD’s. And I probably listen to about 30 of them. I used to feel bad about that but I’ve concluded that life is short and getting shorter, so I might as well listen to the stuff that I love the most. Anyway, for an album CD to make it into my top [...]
Friday Musical Interlude: Outsourced to me colleague, mon!
Here I was, about to head into the weekend without a musical interlude when my colleague MB came up with this awesome Caribbean jam: “On the heels of Mardi Gras in the US and Carnival in various countries, I thought it might be fun to honor those celebrations with a little calypso from Trinidad <<< [...]
Monday Interlude
It was my very good fortune to spend yesterday afternoon listening to our local symphony perform Mozart’s 4th violin concerto (the Alexander Symphony with the very able soloist Claudia Chudacoff). The second movement just carried me as far away from sequestration and the like as I could go and still be back with you here [...]
Friday Music from Commenters
…to which I’ll be adding throughout the day: –Benny Goodman – Moonglow http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00i1DoS4suU My Grandfather recently passed and this was one of his favorite songs. –It’s Friday, and yes I’m ready to rock!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvmkrazCm_s I dedicate this one to Austerians everywhere… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyzU0IvxKq8 (why didn’t I think of that?? JB) –Great song from one of the best [...]
Friday Musical Interlude: Readers’ Choice!
In the comments section, post a link to an online song or symphony or rap or whatever (as long as it’s music) and a one-sentence comment describing why you like it enough to have it posted on these hallowed grounds. I’ll try to post them all later, depending on supply and demand. Remember, OTE is [...]
Unions in America: 2012 Data
Even as the labor market expanded in 2012, union membership fell again, both in the private and public sectors, according to data released this morning by the BLS. –Among all workers, 11.3%, or 14.4 million were union members in 2012, compared to 11.8% (14.8 million) in 2011. –The share of union members in the public [...]
A Rare Thursday Musical Interlude
I heard this Mozart piano quartet–one of my absolute favs–in the car the other day and I’m once again obsessed with it, an obsession I hope you share with me. Here’s the first movement played by a quartet who I thought does a wonderful job with it. A few things to watch out for: –the [...]
Friday Musical Interlude, Outsourced
My main man CW offered the following Buddy Guy/John Mayer feature, Feels Like Rain. Which, after listening to the first few bars of Buddy’s killer solo, I must say I wholeheartedly endorse.–JB When two blues greats get together and feed off of each other, it’s nothing short of spectacular. In this case, the artists and styles [...]
Friday Musical Interlude: My Fair Lady
We went to see the Arena Stage’s production of My Fair Lady, a show which boasts some of the most perfect music/lyrics ever staged. Here’s a couple of my favorite numbers but feel free to add others–and there are many more wonderful tunes here–in the comments. “Kick up a rumpus, But don’t lose the compass, [...]
Friday Musical Interlude: Want U Back!
As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve got young kids who for some reason would rather listen to pop radio than NPR when we’re in the car. The upside is that I get to hear some great material that you don’t get on Morning Edition. Here’s Want U Back by Cher Lloyd–play it loud…I know we’re a [...]
Musical Interlude: Holiday Version!
In our house, the holiday season officially begins with the playing of these absolutely classic versions of a couple of carols sung by the incomparably soulful Lou Rawls. First, we have that funky little drummer boy–be sure to listen on good speakers or with headphones, so you can hear the bass man kickin’ it. Second, [...]
Musical Interlude from the Garden Where the Praties Grow
Here’s my favorite version of the great Irish story of love in the garden where the praties (potatoes) grow, sung by the quintessential Irish tenor, John McCormack. Sure to put a smile on the faces of all me lads and lasses. “Nor did she wear a chignon I’d have you all to know And I [...]
Musical Interlude: Blues for J…(not me)
While sitting in Starbucks last night borrowing some electricity and some wireless, they hit me with this deeply grooving jam–Blues for J–by the master of the Hammond B-3, Jimmy Smith, with Kenny Burrell (g) and Grady Tate (d). Check it out and if it doesn’t get your toes tappin,’ see your doctor immediately.
Musical Interlude: Sublime Mozart and Some Great Pop
This being Sunday, you probably want to listen to a mass. I’ve previously posted excerpts from the Bach B-Minor Mass which many quite reasonably consider the king of the genre. But I love Mozart’s Coronation Mass just as much…I try to listen to it every few months just to realign my cellular structure. Here are [...]
Musical Interlude: The Seasons
Stumbled on this wonderful old Steve Miller song, Seasons, guaranteed to thoroughly mellow you out. I had this album back in 1969 when I was 14 and I still remember all the songs like it was yesterday. My musical memory is much better than my other memory.
Jared Bernstein’s areas of expertise include federal and state economic and fiscal policies, income inequality and mobility, trends in employment and earnings, international comparisons, and the analysis of financial and housing markets.
