Music   

Were you among the thousands of Americans who watched the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964? This was a milestone for many young Americans, with a resulting spark of curiosity about British popular culture and music. This workshop will explore songs from the early Kinks to contemporary lyrics from PJ Harvey, which inspire nostalgia for places in England you may or may not yet have visited. From SohHo down to Brighton, we’ll talk about them all. Or at least many of them! We’ll listen, look, and share thoughts about songwriters who celebrate their English homes through music.

New in-person workshop. Format includes lecture, discussion, and visuals.

This repeat course traces the history of “blues” through female singers who started in the 1920s taking some of the blues tradition away from men. You will meet “Ma” Rainey, Alberta Hunter, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Shirley Horn, Janis Joplin, plus E.G. Kight, Courtney Fortune, and other current singers. “Torch singers” will include Lena Horne, Julie London, and Sarah Vaughn. You will also meet obscure singers who time has mostly forgotten. Each session will feature lecture, discussion, videos, CDs, and live piano music.

Repeat in-person course. Format includes lecture, discussion, and film.

SUGGESTED BOOK: Black Pearls, Blues Queens of the 1920s, Daphne Duval Harrison, ISBN 9780813512808

This is a survey course for music lovers, blues fans, and those who want to learn more about the blues. We’ll start with the great women blues singers of the 1920s and end around 1970 with the Chicago blues and the great white blues players, like Eric Clapton and Michael Bloomfield. In between we’ll cover rural blues, folk blues, barrelhouse and boogie woogie piano, rhythm and blues, and lots more. Bring your opinions. Everyone has favorites. We’ll also play a game where I play an original blues and a modern cover and we’ll vote which we like best. Hint: There are no wrong answers.

New in-person course. Format includes lecture, discussion, and film.