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Soundcheck / June 14, 2007

Soundcheck

Thursday, June 14, 2007
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  • (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/what_i_see/191916940/" target="_blank">Mr. Mark</a>/flickr)
    (Mr. Mark/flickr)

    Sweet "Sol" Music

    Hot weather means cool tunes - or at least catchy, infectious, stick-in-your head ones. With the official start of summer just a week away, today we look at what will be crowned this year's summer jam, and what makes for an effective summer hit.

Selecting the Song of the Summer

Every June around this time, candidates for the year's "Song of the Summer" start to appear. Those are the songs that blast from car windows, beach radios and cell phone speakers. Today, we talk with Rob Tannenbaum, editor at Blender magazine, and Maura Johnson, editor at Idolator.com about makes a summer jam stick - is it romance? Escape?

Check out five summer song contenders and tell us below what your picks are.

Techno for an Answer

French choreographer Pascal Rioult first made a name dancing with the Martha Graham Dance Company before achieving international acclaim as a daring interpreter of classical music. Now he's finding inspiration in... British techno? He joins us to talk about the new work based on the music of the band, Autechre, which he's unveiling at the Joyce Theater.

Pascal Rioult's Website

Opera at the Ballpark

Two very different Bay Area teams are getting ready to turn a tricky double play. The San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Giants announced they will present a live simulcast this fall of Camille Saint-Saëns' biblical epic “Samson and Delilah” at the Giants' ballpark, AT&T Park. We talk with Gramophone magazine's Anastasia Tsioulcas about enjoying opera in unusual surroundings.

Anastasia Tsioulcas' article on Gramophone.co.uk
More on Samson and Delilah simulcast at AT&T Park

cab

Noteworthy New York

Soundcheck

We have invited musicians and artists to help us select their favorite cultural destination in the neighborhood where they live. From parks and coffee shops to bowling alleys and museums, the options are as diverse as our group of contributors.

Quincy Jones

The Journey of Quincy Jones

Soundcheck

During his 50-year career, Quincy Jones has worked with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Puff Daddy, founded Vibe magazine, collected countless awards, and earned a reputation as a jazz giant. (Somewhere in there, he found time to make possible an album called "Thriller.") Jones joins us on the occasion of his new book, "The Complete Quincy Jones: My Journey & Passions."

Soundcheck blog: John Schaefer on Quincy Jones, Henry Rollins and the term "Renaissance man"

death

Pop's Love Affair With Death

Soundcheck

Death may be an unpleasant topic for conversation, but it ranks up there with sex and love as a basic ingredient in song lyrics. Today, we look at how pop music copes (and even thrives) with death. We're joined by Graeme Thomson, author of the self-explanatory book, "I Shot a Man in Reno: A History of Death By Murder, Suicide, Fire, Flood, Drugs, Disease and General Misadventure, as Related in Popular Song."

Soundcheck blog: What's your favorite song about death?

John Lennon

Behind the public face of John Lennon

Soundcheck

Writing a book about the Beatles is to enter a crowded market. But Philip Norman’s new 851-page biography, “John Lennon: The Life” is getting much buzz this fall for the unprecedented access provided by Lennon’s friends and relatives, including Yoko Ono. We talk with Norman about why Lennon remains such a fascinating and troubled figure.

Dusty Springfield book jacket

The Soul of British Soul

Soundcheck

British soul divas like Amy Winehouse and Duffy owe a big debt to a '60s icon with a breathy voice and a beehive wig. Today: the story of singer Dusty Springfield. Later: folk-rock artist Ani DiFranco performs songs from her new album "Red Letter Year" live in our studio.