Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 343

How Miles Davis Recorded "Kind of Blue"

'Miles Davis didn't provide sheet music for his musicians during the recording of his iconic album Kind of Blue. He said that "I didn't write out the music for Kind of Blue. But brought in sketches 'cause I wanted a lot of spontaneity in the playing".' -- American Masters PBS

 

Sea Levels Are Rising In Miami, Turning Little Haiti Into Hot Property

'While the city’s famous beaches will eventually be submerged by rising sea levels, Little Haiti sits on a ridge far above these properties. Its location has made it a hot spot for development, and Haitians say they are being forced out.' -- AJ+ 

Where is the Funk? How Prince Created the Minneapolis Sound (feat. Jellybean Johnson of The Time)

'The electro-funk style known as the Minneapolis Sound took over pop music in the 1980s and 90s. LA is in Minneapolis to meet with Jellybean Johnson of the Minneapolis Sound pioneering band, The Time, to find out how Prince and artists like Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis developed the sound. Jellybean also helps LA create his own Minneapolis-style original composition.' -- Sound Field 

On Work, Hunger and the Starvation of the Welfare State

'Anthropologist Maggie Dickinson examines the intersections of hunger, work and the collapsing US welfare state - as the government pushes work requirements for social programs, food assistance subsidizes low-wage jobs, empowers the profits of capital over the lives of workers, and entrenches deep poverty across society. Dickinson is author of Feeding the Crisis: Care and Abandonment in America's Food Safety Net from University of California Press.' -- This is Hell! 

J Hoberman: Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump and the American Political Imaginary

'Legendary film critic J Hoberman joins LA Review of Books to discuss Make My Day: Movie Culture in the Age of Reagan, which is the the final installment of his film history trilogy Found Illusions. Hoberman describes how he set out to tell the story of how cinema operated as the social and political unconscious of American society throughout the Cold War and discovered along the way that Ronald Reagan was the “protagonist” of this story. The conversation traces Reagan’s career in Hollywood and politics; and how the development of feel good blockbusters in the 1970s harmonized with Reagan’s message as a candidate.'

Bill Rhoden On Sports: Thoughts on the Legacy of David Stern & The NFL's Black Coach Problem

'William C. Rhoden, Jamal Murphy and Eryn Ashleigh Mathewson talk about the legacy of former NBA commissioner David Stern and the NFL's problem with minority coaching hires and more.' -- BROSpod

Director Of 'Just Mercy' Depicts Characters 'In All Of Their Complexities'

'Bryan Stevenson's bestselling book Just Mercy may not seem like the most obvious candidate for a splashy Hollywood movie adaptation. It's about the founding of a not-for-profit advocacy organization that helps low-income people who were denied fair trials. And the plot follows the grueling legal work necessary to appeal the sentences of convicted murderers on Alabama's death row, not all of whom are wrongly accused. But the book resonated with Destin Daniel Cretton, who co-wrote the screenplay and directed the $25 million picture, which came out in limited release on Christmas and just in time for the Oscars. Cretton is part of a generation of Asian American directors making significant inroads into Hollywood.' -- All Things Considered

Rhiannon Giddens on African American Contributions to Music

'Rhiannon Giddens is a folk singer and multi-instrumentalist who also happens to be a classically trained opera singer. Having grown up in North Carolina, she’s now on a mission to re-frame the history of African Americans and their contributions to the musical landscape. Giddens sits down with Walter to discuss her latest album, “There Is No Other,” and play a little banjo.' -- Amanpour and Company

Single Mothers and the Boys and Men Raised by Them

'Filmmaker Daphne McWilliams joins All Of It to discuss her documentary, In a Perfect World, about the experience of boys raised by single mothers.' 
         
       

An Alternative to Our Broken Prison System

'On the Media co-host Bob Garfield speaks with Danielle Sered, author of Until We Reckon: Violence, Mass Incarceration, and a Road to Repair. As executive director of Common Justice, an organization based in New York City, Sered pioneered the practice of restorative justice with violent offenders at a local level. She discusses the profoundly transformative power of making amends.'