Taking Liberties: Alex Ross on reviving the art of classical improvisation. Will improvisation trivialize classical music — or save it? A review of Digging: The Afro-American Soul of American Classical Music by Amiri Baraka. A review of The Blue Moment: Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue and the Remaking of Modern Music by Richard Williams (and more and more). Kind of Blue: Why the best-selling jazz album of all time is so great. Can jazz be saved? The audience for America’s great art form is withering away. A review of Getting the Blues: What Blues Music Teaches Us About Suffering and Salvation by Stephen Nichols. Christine King, a lifelong Elvis devotee, takes us on an autobiographical journey signposted by the songs and life story of the rock'n'roll icon. Did Woodstock kill rock 'n' roll? Andy Battaglia on essential reading from future-shock music literature. A review of Selling Sounds: The Commercial Revolution in American Music by David Suisman. From PopMatters, a series on Casablanca Records. Sex in the USA: An article on male sexuality in Springsteen’s American Dream. Oliver Miller offers up a philosophical exploration of one-hit wonders. From Cracked, here's a history of rap music; and here are 7 songs from your grandpa's day that would make Eminem blush.
