The Pop Group: Back with ‘hooligan jazz’
When British post-punk band the Pop Group reunited after more than 30 years, its members had a rule. This was not going to be just a nostalgia trip and would...
All Stories
Alex Temple’s voice comes alive
Chicago composer Alex Temple said she usually writes about "characters who are removed from society, dropped out or view the world in an askew way." Her new "Behind the Wallpaper"...
Dobet Gnahore makes everything move
When singer Dobet Gnahore performs, her arms and legs direct — as much as they respond to — the drummers' changing beats. Also a percussionist and dancer, she brings her...
King telling stories with melody
Ownership means everything to the R&B vocal trio King. The group's three women — sisters Paris and Amber Strother along with Anita Bias — chose a name that conveys dominion,...
Charley Organaire is still rocking steady
Charley "Organaire" Cameron is a harmonica player and singer, but sitting in the Good To Go Jamaican restaurant in Rogers Park, he is regarded somewhere between a celebrity and favorite...
Review: ‘Gil Scott-Heron’ by Marcus Baram
Nobody could tell singer-songwriter Gil Scott-Heron that idealism had become outdated when he was a musical guest on "Saturday Night Live" in 1975. He performed "Johannesburg," a funk tune with...
‘Tom Tom’ beats the drum for the South Side Big Band
The South Side Big Band started rehearsing the opening lines of Miles Davis' 1950s composition "Milestones" at one of its regular Monday practice sessions, when conductor Thomas "Tom Tom" Washington...
Sones De Mexico’s polite sonic insurrection
About 20 years ago, bass guitarist Juan Dies was asked to perform at a party in Pilsen that celebrated the legacy of Mexican revolutionary hero Emiliano Zapata. He invited some...
2 singers carry messages to World Music Festival
Changing a country takes an immense effort, but the tools can be simple. Singers Emel Mathlouthi, of Tunisia, and Aurelio Martinez, of Honduras, just needed their songs to ignite social...
Reviews: ‘Cold Sweat’ and ‘Inside the Godfather’
James Brown reveled in tall tales, even though his incredible life story never needed any embellishment. For those who don't already know about how he rose up from rural poverty...