Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 158

LARB Radio Hour | Kelefa Sanneh’s 'Major Labels: A History of Popular Music in Seven Genres'

'LARB Radio Hour host Kate Wolf speaks with writer Kelefa Sanneh about his debut book, Major Labels: A History of Popular Music in Seven Genres. An exhaustive, enthralling breakdown of the last 50 years in music, Major Labels diagrams the American sonic landscape, Alfred Barr-style, in the discrete yet overlapping categories of rock, R&B, country, punk, hip hop, dance, and pop; it also pays close attention to the proliferation of genres within genres, covering everything from thrash metal to glitter rock, quiet storm to hip hop soul, and many more. The book reveals what these divisions mean not only for the way music gets made, but how it’s listened to, and by whom. In conversation, we learn what inspired, and continues to inspire, one of our leading music writers.'

Creative Conversation: How author Soman Chainani is Revolutionizing YA Fiction with His Twisted Fantasies

'On this episode of Creative Conversation with KC Ifeanyi, author Soman Chainani explains his greatest challenge: getting into a creative flow state.'

Melanie Charles, Marlena Shaw - Woman Of The Ghetto (Reimagined)

'Brooklyn born and raised musician Melanie Charles reimagines Marlena Shaw's classic "Woman of the Ghetto".

One Hundred: The Ed Gordon Podcast with Donnie Simpson

'On this episode of One Hundred, host Ed Gordon talks with radio and TV legend Donnie Simpson. They talk about their years at BET, his hall of fame radio career and the relaunch of Video Soul, the popular music program Simpson hosted “back in the day".'

TheBlerdGurl Podcast with Karama Horne: Alfred Enoch Discusses Diversity in the Far Future of 'Foundation' on Apple TV+

'This episode of theblerdgurl podcast features actor Alfred Enoch. Best known for portraying Dean Thomas in the blockbuster Harry Potter films and Wes Gibbins on the ABC television series How to Get Away With Murder Alfred is one of the stars of the new Apple TV + epic series Foundation. For those unfamiliar, Apple TV’s new show Foundation is based on the legendary Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series. Asimov’s enormously influential science fiction series inspired generations of filmmakers ever since.'

Terence Blanchard's Opera 'Fire Shut Up in My Bones' is More than a Historic First

'Jazz United was in the house when Terence Blanchard became the first Black composer to have an opera presented at The Met. In this episode, hosts Greg Bryant and Nate Chinen laud Fire Shut Up in My Bones for its music, its message and its broader meaning.'

The Hidden Biases of Search Engine Algorithms

'2021 MacArthur Fellow Dr. Safiya Noble is an Associate Professor at UCLA in the Departments of Gender Studies and African American Studies and she’s also the author of a best-selling book Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism. In her research, she has extensively detailed the negative impacts that come from rarely having women of color, particularly Black women, programming algorithms for popular search engines. Dr. Noble joined The Takeaway to discuss her research.'

'Invisible Child' Chronicles How Homelessness Shaped the Life of Dasani — from Childhood to Today

'In 2013, the story of a young girl named Dasani Coates took up five front pages in The New York Times. The oldest of eight kids, Dasani and her family lived in one room in a dilapidated, city-run homeless shelter in Brooklyn.  Offering a rare look into how homelessness directs the course of a life, New York Times writer and Pulitzer Prize winner Andrea Elliott was allowed to follow Dasani's family for almost 10 years. This week, an expansion of her reporting comes out within the pages of Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival & Hope in an American City.'

Fannie Lou Hamer's Enduring Message

  

'Award-winning historian and New York Times best-selling author Keisha Blain joins The Takeaway to discuss her new book, Until I Am Free: Fannie Lou Hamer’s Enduring Message to America and the relevance of the civil and voting rights icon today. '

Soundcheck: Vijay Iyer Trio's Music Evolves Every Time They Play

'Pianist Vijay Iyer, bassist Linda May Han Oh, and drummer Tyshawn Sorey, wear their composer and collaborator hats simultaneously in new music by Vijay Iyer, who reminds us that “the most turbulent music may contain stillness, coolness, even wisdom,” (Uneasy liner notes.) They share the joy in hearing each other together in a room creating something collaboratively based on something put on the page. The members of the trio talk about optimism and hope - in spite of it all, their decades of shared connections, and some of their separate creative projects. Vijay also speaks to his perceived reputation for making art about subjects no one wants to talk about, and believing in the craft of making an album – the shape of it and the journey. Vijay and the trio play music from Vijay Iyer’s 2021 record, Uneasy, for the first in-studio since early 2020, in The Greene Space.'