One of the most important international competitions for young (ages 16 to 29) violinists takes place in the United States every four years. (The other top-tier classical-music competitions that include violinists, Moscow’s International Tchaikovsky and Belgium’s Queen Elizabeth, also run on four-year cycles.) While one might expect the US entry on that list to be…

This article originally appeared at The Tannhauser Gate — JB Open Goldberg Variations, Werner Schweer, editor. Listening to “happy” music can make one feel happier. However, instead of always making people feel worse, listening to sad music often brings on a state of “paradoxical pleasure.” I am not saying that listening to sad music in…

This piece originally appeared at The Tannhauser Gate — JB I think that the assertion that the Nobel Prize in Literature is essentially silly (and therefore, we are fools for taking it seriously) has something to be said for it. (Those happen to be the positions of the British novelist and translator Tim Parks.) Not…

David Wilson, assembling a WAMM loudspeaker, 1986. Courtesy of Wilson Audio. In Chicago in 1972, Peter McGrath was holding down a part-time job in a stereo store, while he pursued his graduate studies in fine art. For those who were not alive and aware at the time, the early 1970s witnessed the dawning of the…

(This piece originally appeared on The Tannhauser Gate — JB) The infosphere is fairly crackling with the news that the current incarnation of the musical ensemble Fairport Convention Fleetwood Mac has notified one of its elderly members that his services will not be required for their upcoming world tour. More than 40 years later, Fleetwood…

  In response to “What Would You Like To See Here?” I’ve decided to re-post something from my old blog. It’s a bit of a jazz primer for those of you who said you’d like more music recommendations. I’ve added some bonus content—the above video is some advanced content from the the great Kenny Garrett…

I think just about everybody who reads Riverside Green is aware that I majored in Music in school—more specifically, I majored in Jazz Performance. When I was in school, the best textbooks I had were actually compact discs. I scrimped and saved from my part-time job to buy used CDs from “Used Kids Records” on High Street…

The rumors are true—while cleaning out my bonus room I found my saxophone hidden under a pile of children’s toys. Figured I might as well use it. As a result, I’m playing with the Jeff Jensen Band this weekend at the Slippery Noodle on Friday and Saturday nights. We hit at 9:00 PM and go…

Yes! I’m super excited to announce that I will be playing at The Slippery Noodle Inn in Indianapolis on September 11th and 12th with the Jeff Jensen Band! Those of you who came over from the dearly departed Bark’s Doghouse (the domain barkm.com has expired, but you can still get there using barkm.wordpress.com if you…

Let’s say that you’re a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed eighteen year old, and you LOVE music. In fact, you love music so much that you have decided that you’d like to be a Professor of Music at an Institute of Higher Learning someday. So, you embark on a journey to gain not only an undergraduate degree…