A Tribute to Singer Natalie Cole
Schomburg Communications Pre-Professional Alicia Perez looks back on the life and career of the late Natalie Cole, who was laid to rest on Monday in Los Angeles.In 1975, the Rolling Stones called her a...
View ArticleA Tribute to David Bowie
As a tribute to David Bowie's life, his music and his acting, here is a list of works by him as well as about him. Materials on the evolution of electronic music are also included. All are available to...
View ArticleFebruary Author @ the Library Programs at Mid-Manhattan
A musical heritage of the Jewish community...uncovering psychological tricks of a hustler...racial inequality and a call to action...revisiting Folk City, New York...Woody Allen—a life...the...
View ArticleSpotlight On: Me'shell Ndegeocello
Singer Me'shell Ndegeocello has been making music most of her life but came onto the scene in 1993 with her debut album Plantation Lullabies. Since that time she has...
View ArticlePodcast #99: Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin on Music and Meditation
Subscribe on iTunes.In 1983, Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin co-founded Def Jam, one of the most prominent hip-hop labels in the American music industry today. At Def Jam, Rubin produced myriad artists,...
View ArticleFind the 2016 Grammy Winners at the Library #GrammyAwards
Find the Grammy Winning albums at the Library #GrammyAwards: Record of the Year: Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, "Uptown Funk"Album of the Year: Taylor Swift, 1989Best New Artist: Meghan TrainorBest Rock...
View Article100 Years (Or So) Ago in Dance: Florence Mills
Florence Mills. Image ID: 5105186In 1916, five years before her big break in Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake's musical Shuffle Along, Florence Mills performed in Chicago’s Panama Cafe as part of the...
View ArticleThe Black Rock Coalition: Empowering Artists Who Break the Mold
In 1985, a group of musicians fed up with industry-imposed limitations that pigeonholed Black artists into either R&B singers or rappers, formed the Black Rock Coalition (BRC). Founders Vernon...
View ArticleCubicle Vacations: New Music, Vol 3
Nordic Affect, Clockworking (2015)Nordic Affect is an experimental chamber music ensemble from Iceland. A string quartet made up of four women, doing a handful of compositions all by women. Well that's...
View ArticlePodcast #109: Rosanne Cash on Shakespeare, Performing, and Poetry
Subscribe on iTunes.Four-time Grammy winner Rosanne Cash is something of a music legend. She's also an author whose memoir Composed was a bestseller and whose influences range from Laurence Olivier to...
View ArticleThe Music Division's Clipping File: Performers and Performances
The Music Division is celebrating the completion of its Clipping File inventory (done entirely by volunteers) with a blog series. Melissa is one of the volunteers who contributed so much to this...
View ArticlePlaywright Pays Homage To Legendary MCs With Play Cycle
Shaun Neblett aka MC SNEB, photo by Bob GoreShaun Neblett, aka MC SNEB, is a playwright, educator, and founder of Changing Perceptions Theater. As a young adult, Neblett entered his short play "This is...
View ArticleGeorge Avakian and Anahid Ajemian: An Introduction
George Avakian and Anahid Ajemian at Basin Street, watching the Benny Goodman Orchestra Photograph by Bernard Seeman, 1951Music For Moderns: The Partnership of George Avakian and Anahid Ajemian, a...
View ArticleCelebrating Miriam Makeba on the 56th Anniversary of Her Iconic Debut Album
Miriam Makeba and Harry Belafonte. Schomburg Center Photographs and Prints DivisionAs we celebrate the 56th anniversary of South African singer/songwriter Miriam Makeba’s self-titled debut album on May...
View ArticleJune Author @ the Library Programs at Mid-Manhattan
Strengths and strains of adult-sibling relationships...genetic genealogy, issues of race, slavery reparations and reconciliation...the complex story of the South Street Seaport District...a gritty...
View ArticleRecent Hip Hop You May Have Missed
As with a lot of hip hop music, there are language advisories. Please be aware that all content may not be suitable for those under 17 years old.Chance the Rapper is, as far as I’m concerned, this...
View ArticleLive From the Reading Room: Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller to Phil Ponce
Live from the Reading Room: Correspondence is a podcast series that aims to share interesting and engaging letters written by or to key historical figures from the African Diaspora. Each episode...
View ArticleAnahid Ajemian: In Memoriam
A flyer advertising Anahid Ajemian’s debut recital at Town Hall on November 19th, 1946.The violinist Anahid Ajemian, who dedicated her artistic life to performing and fostering new music, died on June...
View ArticleCelebrating Queer Voices in Black Music History
Ethel Waters, 1928; Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division; Image ID 1231400Kiani Ned, our Communications Intern, pays tribute to some of the greatest black...
View ArticleLive From the Reading Room: Ada "Bricktop" Smith to Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong
Live from the Reading Room: Correspondence is a podcast series that aims to share interesting and engaging letters written by or to key historical figures from the African Diaspora. Each episode...
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