When Brad Mehldau starts a song by Lennon & McCartney during one of his sets, a sigh of recognition goes through the room. During the American pianist’s improvisations on the music of the Beatles, you never cease to be amazed by the timeless beauty of ‘And I Love Her’, ‘Blackbird’ and ‘Here, There and Everywhere’. […]
Paul McCartney
Barack Obama’s playlist
Music plays a major role in the life of former President of the USA Barack Obama. After publishing his autobiography, he shares a playlist with songs that inspired him during his presidency. The list varies from Aretha Franklin, Beyoncé, Stevie Wonder, to the Beatles, Bruce Springsteen and U2. These artists move within a broad spectrum […]
Louis van Dyke: “Miles Davis’ music is as moving as Bach’s.”
Pianist, organist and composer Louis van Dyke (1941) was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease more than a year ago. Van Dyke’s delicate playing will probably be heard from time to time, but nowadays he only plays because he likes it, not because he has to. In the Autumn of 2018 I had the privilege to talk […]
Paul McCartney’s brilliant pop songs
On June 18th Paul McCartney will celebrate his 75th birthday. As a composer of pop songs, the stature of the former Beatle is unprecedented. Many Beatles songs were officially written by Lennon / McCartney as a duo. Nevertheless, McCartney’s influence on the music of the most successful pop group of the sixties is evident. McCartney […]