How To Listen

The Day Music Was Born

Ray Charles: Georgia On My Mind

Today is Ray Charles’s birthday. In this video Ray pulls off one of the hardest things I have ever tried to do in music. Singing multiple bars, or in Ray’s case, a whole phrase late makes my brain instantly liquefy. The result of this feat of mental nimbleness is an unprecedented amount of lyric/harmonic tension is added to the music. Ray was a master.

John Coltrane: On Green Dolphin Street

Coincidentally today is also John Coltrane’s birthday. I am not sure I need to explain why ‘Trane was important. Just listen.