JAZZ: A BRIEF HISTORY

RECENTLY, ONE OF MY SONS ASKED THE OTHER, "HAVE YOU EVER REALLY LISTENED TO THELONIOUS MONK?" 

A "Two Fathoms" Clemens Reader

And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, My Weekly Reader proudly presents a man who needs no introduction. America's very own first and greatest Literary King, the Pope of incandescent comedy, the Friar of acerbic wit, the Bishop of social commentary, the Rabbi to those who presume to write for those who pretend to read, the George Washington of American literature, the estimable Samuel "Two Fathoms" Clemens himself, Mark Twain! Let's read him, people! Mark Twain! Let's read him again, people, Mark Twain!

Mark Twain (1835-1910)

The Swingle Swingers dance and sing a Piazzolla Tango

No instruments were used in the performance of this music. 

All sounds were produced by the human voice.

FRANK SINATRA LIVES!

Whatever else he may have been in myth or reality, Frank Sinatra was a momentous figure in the music of the last century. He reinvented the whole manner of singing popular songs, investing it with passion and rhythm, undercutting the tough guy diction with the tenderness of his phrasing and timbre, and infused it all with sex, grace and more than a hint of danger. That’s why he was first, last and always, "The Voice."