Louis Armstrong: A City Learned by Ear
Armstrong's New Orleans story begins with teachers, mentors, and the practical education of playing.
13 stories in this chapter
People & Places
Musicians, their surroundings, and the journeys behind the sound.
Nina Simone: The Piano Between Two Places
Nina Simone's route from Tryon to an Atlantic City piano job resists a simple story about discovering a voice.
Dolly Parton: The Mountains Inside the Song
Dolly Parton's connection to the Smoky Mountains runs through family music, early work, and the stories a song can hold.
Prince: Minneapolis as a Creative Base
Prince's Minnesota story includes a family of musicians and a place built to support creative work.
David Bowie: Hearing Berlin Through Hansa
Hansa offers a precise point of entry into Bowie's Berlin work, without turning the city into an explanation for everything.
The Beatles: Liverpool at Household Scale
The Beatles' Liverpool includes the ordinary rooms where early songs were worked out.
Cesária Évora: Mindelo and the Shape of Longing
Mindelo, departure, and morna offer a richer introduction to Cesária Évora than a single melancholy image.
Amália Rodrigues: Lisbon in a Changing Repertoire
Amália Rodrigues's Lisbon story includes artistic change as well as continuity with fado.
Fela Kuti: Lagos, Rhythm, and Public Argument
Fela Kuti's Lagos history joins musical invention with the places where public argument could be heard.
Miriam Makeba: A Voice Across Exile
Miriam Makeba's musical geography includes Johannesburg, exile, and a voice used on international platforms.
Astor Piazzolla: Tango Between Two Cities
Piazzolla's tango language grew through movement, apprenticeship, and an unusually wide musical ear.
Ravi Shankar: From Varanasi to Musical Conversation
Ravi Shankar's journeys are best understood alongside the discipline and depth of his musical practice.
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Tokyo and the Art of Listening
Sakamoto's path connects electronic music, collaboration, and an expanding attention to the world around sound.