Cotton Tail “Cotton Tail” is a 1940 composition by Duke Ellington. It is based on the rhythm changes from George Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm”. The first Ellington recording on May 2nd, 1940 is notable for the driving tenor saxophone solo by Ben Webster. Originally an instrumental, “Cotton Tail” later had lyrics written for it by […]
Read more "My Top 10 Most Favorite Works"After taking this course, I realized how lucky I am to be a part of this city. We often take this city for granted and not realize how incredible this place is. I wrote a letter to New York as a reminder to appreciate New York City.
Read more "A Letter to New York City"View map and full guide at: http://macaulay.cuny.edu/eportfolios/zhang20/2016/12/05/flushing-culture-guide/ Flushing’s History Flushing, which had been previously called Vlissengen, was granted a charter by the Dutch West India Company in 1645. It consequently joined and formed part of the Dutch colony of New Netherlands. Among the earliest settlers of Flushing were the Quakers who came due to religious […]
Read more "Urban Art and Culture Guide: Flushing"“Empire State of Mind” is a song written by Angela Hunte and Jena’t Sewell-Ulepic and performed by rapper Jay-Z featuring vocals by singer Alicia Keys. It was realeased as the third single from Jay-Z’s 11th studio album, The Blueprint 3 (2009), by his Roc Nation label in October 2009. In the song’s music video, Jay-Z […]
Read more "Music Posting: Empire State of Mind"Edward Kennedy Ellington was born on April 29th, 1899 in Washington D.C. to two talented, musical parents in a middle-class neighborhood. Early in his childhood, he earned the nickname “Duke” for his charisma and aristocratic demeanor. This name stuck and most people today know him as Duke Ellington. Ellington’s father, James Edward Ellington, made […]
Read more "Musician: Duke Ellington"It was September 15th, 1920. It was a cold, gray day in the city. Gray rain fell from a gray sky. Gray cars whizzed by. Gray people rushed down the street under gray umbrellas. A gray shape huddled against a tall, gray building. That gray shape was Wayne Eyun, the homeless man whose name meant […]
Read more "Historical Fiction: Past, Present, and Future"Robert Mapplethorpe was born on November 4th, 1946. He is an American photographer, known for his sensitive yet blunt treatment of controversial subject matter. He is known for his large-scale, highly stylized black and white medium of photography. His work featured an array of subjects, including celebrity portraits, male and female nudes, self-portraits and still-life […]
Read more "Photographer: Robert Mapplethorpe"Factory Girl The year is 1965. Edie Sedgwick is living every young girl’s dream. She is an heiress studying art in Cambridge, Massachusetts before she moves to New York City. Shortly after moving to the city, she is introduced to pop art painter and film-maker, Andy Warhol. This is where the story […]
Read more "Film Review: Factory Girl"