Violinjazz - Gypsy Jazz !!!

If you aren't familiar with this genre of music, you're in for a real treat! It has roots in folk, rural, local, and classical music. Django Rheinhart is probably the most well known and now here comes Jeremy Cohen drawing attention to an American artist who was also great in that field: Eddie South.

Here's my review of Cohen's group's CD: http://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-violinjazz-the-music-of/

And here's my telephone interview with the talented Mr. Cohen: http://blogcritics.org/music/article/violinjazzs-jeremy-cohen-talks-about-the/

You can hear samples at Amazon, please check it out.

Sensational Murder Trial !!

"He needed killing." was, as the legend goes, a legal and effective defense in the Deep South for shooting a man.

The "hip pocket move" and the doctrine of "apparent danger," taken together, were the comparable defense in the Wild West Days of Fort Worth, Texas. Fort Worth, in the roaring twenties, was still considered in many ways to be enjoying the "wild west" ways of days gone by. It was certainly true of their legal system. To that synergistic mix, add Fort Worth's eleventh commandment, "Thou Shalt Not Mess With J. Frank Norris" and it's easy to see how a local pastor with the national celebrity similar to that enjoyed in later years by Michael Jackson or O.J. Simpson could be found guilty in the court of public opinion and acquitted by a jury of his peers.

Read my complete review here: http://blogcritics.org/books/article/book-review-apparent-danger-the-pastor/

Then if you want more info, I interviewed the author, Reverend David Stokes. Here's the link to that interview: http://blogcritics.org/books/article/interview-with-apparent-danger-author-david/

Tarantino and Violence

New book about Quentin Tarantino and his use of violence.

Read my review here: http://blogcritics.org/books/article/book-review-quentin-tarantino-life-at/