Combinations: “Louie, Louie”

Music fans from the 1960s are familiar with The Kingsmen’s ballad, “Louie, Louie,” which became a surprise hit upon its release in 1963. But how many know that it was a remake? The original, performed by its composer, Richard Berry, was recorded in 1956 and released in 1957. Poor sound engineering by The Kingsmen’s studio…

Applying New Definitions to Art Styles

Visual Arts, and especially painting, suffer from the same dilemma that confronts writers of fiction: that is, a lack of specificity and clarity in defining its genres. When discussing painting, it is more common to think in terms of styles than genres, so we will call them that here. While fiction has dealt with the…

My Favorite Things

I fell in love with the song “My Favorite Things” in 1993, the year my daughter was born, after buying Al Jarreau’s live-in-studio recording. He performed the song with operatic soloist, Kathleen Battle, and the combination, made in one take, felt flawless. I could immediately conceive of any number of interpretations of the song, it…

On Mastery

I am going to do something I rarely allow myself to do. I am going to write without first thinking about what I will say. You see, I have learned over the years to write masterfully. That is not to say all of my writing is masterful, merely that I know how to do it,…

Days of Art 2025-65: “Alon Basela”

“Alon Basela,” a song by Avishai Cohen, means “an oak tree planted in stone.” It symbolizes knowing one’s strength by knowing the strength of one’s roots. Musically, it is a kick-ass live performance from a brilliant bassist, his pianist, Omri Mor, and his amazing percussionist, Itamar Doari. The time signature is mad.

What Is “Street Photography?” 10 Years Later

Maria and I have considered the question, “What is Street Photography?” for years. We’ve settled on this definition: Street photography documents humans and their behavior, in situations wherein they act spontaneously, generally but not always in urban settings. Street photography is a visual history of contemporary human life, not just of human cities and environs.…