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MUSICIAN

Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool

How Miles Davis recorded his iconic album “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 ...

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Woody Guthrie: Ain't Got No Home

Ain’t Got No Home

Woody Guthrie was born on July 14th, 1912 in Okemah, Oklahoma. He had a voice like a long distance train heard miles away. His songs have become the folk song standards of America. Among them: "Pretty Boy Floyd," "Pastures of Plenty," "Hard Travelin'," "Deportees," "Roll ...

Cab Calloway: Sketches

Biographic Essay: Cab Calloway’s Rennaissance

In 1980, Cab Calloway was (re)discovered by a new generation, in a filmed tribute to black music, The Blues Brothers. Long-term jazz fans, young initiates or blossoming rappers would be filled with the spirit of the last living jazz legend.

Cab Calloway: Sketches

About the Documentary

Calloway was also an ambassador for his race, leading one of the most popular African American big bands during the Harlem Renaissance and jazz and swing eras of the 1930s-40s. American Masters celebrates "The Hi De Ho Man's" legacy during Black History Month with the ...

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Troubadours Carole King and James Taylor

Troubadours

Carole King’s Monumental Tapestry Album

The legendary album first released in 1971 and reissued in 2008 on CD has sold 24 million copies and changed the retail and radio world forever.

Glenn Gould

Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould

Timeline

Read a timeline of the major events that occurred in the life of acclaimed musician and artist Glenn Gould.

Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould

Interview with Filmmakers Peter Raymont & Michèle Hozer

Read an interview with the filmmakers of American Masters Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould about the process making the film, editing a documentary, and interviewing people with passionate stories to tell about the iconic musician.

Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould

About the Film

A profoundly enigmatic musical poet, there have been many documentaries about Glenn Gould, but they were typically sidetracked, focusing on the pills and fashions - missing the man, the magic and the message of music. American Masters pierces through the misconceptions in Genius Within: The ...

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Cachao: Uno Mas

About Cachao

Read an essay by John Santos, Historian/Percussionist, on the life and formidable legacy of Cuban musician, Israel ‘Cachao’ López, and his unforgettable contributions to jazz.