Things ain't what they used to be.

Soda Fountain Rag - Duke Ellington (itunes)

Duke Ellington sure hit the nail on the head with that remark. This live recording of his final solo performance, in 1973, comes at the brink of the hiphop generation. His career had spanned the entire middle half of the twentieth century and he had seen the guard change many times. Only 6 1/2 miles northeast and on the other end of the Summer of '73 DJ Kool Herc would make a name for himself. That is all i will say on a subject that is wonderfully written out in a new book by Jeff Chang, "Can't Stop Won't Stop," get it. read it.

This is/was the first post of Audio Studios. I've meant to get into this blog game a long time, apparently livejournals don't count, nor does telling everyone of your AIM buddies about a certain mp3 = mpgblog-status. This blog will focus on Music, but will have forays into literary and historical criticism (hopefully dealing with songs/artsts, but sometimes not).

Enjoy.