Email Author Aaron Howard

2001 Stories by Aaron Howard

• Gypsy Caravan II

  published November 8, 2001

  Any concert that tries to bring the musical world of the gypsies to a single stage is bound to fail. It can't be done. The gypsies are scattered... More >>

• Minibill

  published October 25, 2001

  For a songwriter whose lyrics dwell on anxiety and loneliness, Freedy Johnston's music is exuberantly melodic. Full of power chords, Johnston's... More >>

• Be Cool

  published October 18, 2001

  When author Elmore Leonard decided his character Chili Palmer (of Get Shorty fame) would manage a rock band in his new book Be Cool,... More >>

• Playbill

  published October 4, 2001

  What can an Indian classical music virtuoso who has been playing concerts since he was seven learn from pop music? "Being precise in my... More >>

• World on the Strings

  published September 20, 2001

  World musician David Lindley is like the adventurous friend you had in college, the one who always nudged you out of your comfort zone. While... More >>

• Simon Shaheen & Qantara

  published September 6, 2001

  With the Cuban son boom of the late '90s finally fished out, label execs are casting about feverishly for the next world-music prize catch.... More >>

• Phuz Tones

  published August 30, 2001

  Three members of Phuz are drinking café sua da in the Hong Kong City Mall food court when a twentysomething Chinese-American couple... More >>

• Robert Cray

  published August 30, 2001

  Robert Cray is like one of those sluggers who bats .300, knocks 30 homers and steals 30 bases year after year. In 13 albums over two decades, Cray... More >>

• Playbill

  published August 30, 2001

  While all of these are worthy artists, it's easiest to get psyched up about Tony Levin's presence on the bill. One of the great bass players,... More >>

• Minibill

  published August 30, 2001

  Each of these Arabic singers is a superstar in his or her own country. Najwa Karam hails from Lebanon. Ashika, her new CD, is a staple in... More >>

• I'll Be Jiggerered!

  published August 9, 2001

  Wolf Loescher loathed the three years he spent in Scotland. His German-born father had taken a job as general manager of an American-owned... More >>

• Playbill

  published August 2, 2001

  Wouldn't it be cool to chill with hizzoner at the Mayor's Jazz Brunch? It's easy to imagine Lee Brown as a smooth jazz cat. Okay, so at $75, it... More >>

• Mount Coy

  published July 26, 2001

  To belabor beyond all recognition that old saw about what you should wear to your wedding, this year Houston went in for something old, something... More >>

• Dear Sweet Goodness

  published July 5, 2001

  Blues is a charged emotional feeling derived from a bad situation. At least that's how Tony Vega sees it. Having grown up in Houston, Vega is... More >>

• Teresa Kolo

  published June 21, 2001

  The songs on Teresa Kolo's album sound like they were written in a small, hot, cramped room. They're chock-full of wandering thoughts, fragmented... More >>

• Tom Landa and the Paperboys

  published June 21, 2001

  Like other Celtic bands, Tom Landa and the Paperboys is a guitar/fiddle/flute/accordion/drum-based ensemble that combines rock and traditional... More >>

• Eddie From Ohio

  published June 21, 2001

  If you’re a sucker for four-part harmonies, Eddie From Ohio delivers heavenly versions. The band’s material is delightfully contrary. An Edd... More >>

• Free-Range Bird

  published June 14, 2001

  Come on a journey to the musical hinterlands. We begin at the vast tracts of mainstream suburban ranch homes and move past the downtown jazz... More >>

• Playbill

  published June 7, 2001

  Nothing says blues quicker than the fat sounds of a miked harmonica. Think of the great Chicago/Delta players: Big Walter, Little Walter, Sonny... More >>

• Hammond of the Gods

  published May 31, 2001

  Next to the pedals of a vintage Hammond Porta-B organ sits a tan size-ten Stacy Adams dress shoe, which belongs on Eugene Hawthorne's left foot.... More >>

• Playbill

  published May 31, 2001

  Sister Beatrice Ward sings traditional gospel every Sunday morning -- but not in a church. She praises the Lord at the Red Cat Jazz... More >>

• Playbill

  published May 24, 2001

  Country music never goes out of style. While Music Row's fortunes may wax and wane, the real identity of country music can always be found... More >>

• Felix Baloy

  published May 17, 2001

  The Afro-Cuban All Stars' first album, A Toda Cuba Le Gusta, came out in this country at the same time as the original Buena Vista Social... More >>

• Dave Douglas

  published May 17, 2001

  Is A Thousand Evenings jazz? Hmmm. Not according to traditional definitions. There's not a drummer in sight. There's a written score,... More >>

• The Big D

  published May 10, 2001

  Check out the cover of Ronnie Dawson's latest CD, More Bad Habits. The blond, flat-topped Dawson sits at a table that's buckling under the... More >>