Malcolm John Rebennack Jr., who died Thursday at age 77, was a onetime Catholic schoolboy who remade himself into a bona fide high priest of funk — and a lifelong ambassador of gritty, glittery New Orleans groove.
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011, Dr. John — the name and characterization he adopted in 1968 with the release of the landmark Gris Gris album, based in part on stories of a 19th-century voodoo priest — earned 15 Grammy nominations and six wins during a career that spanned more than 50 years. He beat drug addiction, did a long-ago stint in jail, knew witches and invented his own particular sideways way of speaking English. (The title of his 1974 album Desitively Bonnaroo was half old Creole slang and half his singular patois, and gave the name to one of America’s most successful music festivals — whose founders, having come of age in New Orleans worshiping Dr. John, are likely astonished to be mentioned in most remembrances of the music icon.) In 2013 he accepted an honorary Ph.D. from Tulane University, making him a double doctor.
.
We look back at 12 essential songs by Dr. John, the late pianist-singer who “[had] the whole history of New Orleans music in his head.”
The eighth Women’s World Cup, which begins Friday in France, comes at a pivotal time for the women’s game. For years, players around the world have demanded better pay and more support from their federations. In some countries, serious progress has been made; in many others, the fight continues.
We wanted to know what it’s like to be an elite women’s soccer player in this moment.
To get inside that bubble, The New York Times sent a survey to every national team participating in this year’s World Cup and heard back from more than 100 players from 17 of the 24 countries competing in France.
.
Members of the United States national team at training camp in San Jose, Calif., in May.Photograph by Kelley O’Hara, 30, United States defender
Eyjafjallajokull is a strato volcano. It is a conical volcano built by many layers of hardened lava, tephra, pumice and volcanic ash. Strata volcanoes are among the most common volcanoes. Due to the glacier on top of Eyjafjallajokull eruptions are explosive and contain much ash.
Lagazuoi is a mountain in the Dolomites of northern Italy, lying at an altitude of 2,835 metres, about 18 kilometres southwest by road from Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Veneto Region.It is accessible by cable car and contains the Rifugio Lagazuoi, a mountain refuge situated beyond the northwest corner of Cima del Lago.
Burgundy wine is wine made in the Burgundy region in eastern France, in the valleys and slopes west of the Saône, a tributary of the Rhône.The most famous wines produced here—those commonly referred to as “Burgundies”—are dry red wines made from Pinot noir grapes and white wines made from Chardonnay grapes.
It is said that all modern pop music is really just based on four chords. So, in essence, every pop song is mostly the same — it’s how one arranges those chords that makes the music interesting or different. The same can be said for the pop music biopics. The newest entry is “Rocketman,” which focuses on the first 40 years of legend Sir Elton John’s life. On paper, the film sounds exactly like every other pop music biopic, from the one-hour “Behind the Music” specials which used to air with alarming regularity on VH1 to last year’s hit “Bohemian Rhapsody.” It’s what the film does with its source material that makes it special.
The comparisons to “Bohemian Rhapsody” are inevitable. Set in the same early-1970s to late-1980s era, both movies feature sons who have their musical interests and signs of genius discounted. One day, Young Elton (then named the far less sexy Reginald Dwight) meets a fellow musician to partner with, lyricist Bernie Taupin, who is still his main collaborator. This coming-of-age story, complete with a series of challenges posed by drugs and a meddlesome lover-turned-manager, is quite similar to the story of Queen frontman Freddy Mercury. In the end, rock bottom is found, the artist has a call to sobriety, and the film ends with a triumphant recreation of a seminal career moment.
.
Taron Egerton is a bolt of electricity in “Rocketman.”Paramount Pictures
On Monday, Apple will roll out a series of replacements for the app that has been a main feature on its products for nearly 20 years, Bloomberg News reported.
CEO Tim Cook and other Apple leaders will outline a sweeping array of changes from the company during its annual developer conference in San Jose, California.
The move marks a significant shift for Apple customers who have used iTunes for music, podcasts, TV shows and movies.
Now, the tech giant plans to fill the void on its computers with three new apps ― Music, Podcasts and TV. Apple’s iPhones and iPads have already been fitted with the trio of features as alternatives to iTunes, but Macs and MacBooks have yet to see the change.
Film and Writing Festival for Comedy. Showcasing best of comedy short films at the FEEDBACK Film Festival. Plus, showcasing best of comedy novels, short stories, poems, screenplays (TV, short, feature) at the festival performed by professional actors.
We look back at 12 essential songs by Dr. John, the late pianist-singer who “[had] the whole history of New Orleans music in his head.”
An image of the Eyjafjallajökull Volcano
An image of Lagazuoi Mountain Italy
An image of Burgundy Vineyards
.
James' World 2 