I’ve been listening to a local jazz station, KCSM, for as long as I can remember. It’s perfect for my commute after a long day or late at night when drifting off to sleep. I love jazz, always have.
What makes KCSM unique is that it’s a community station. As such, a couple times each year, they do a membership drive requesting donations for support. It’s a great system, and I will often contribute for the cause. (Click here if you’d like make a donation.)
They are currently in the midst of a membership drive and conducting a special tribute this weekend to Nat “King” Cole to celebrate what would have been his 95th birthday. Brilliant.
While I like Nat Cole’s music, I’ve never had a chance to go father than the big hits like Unforgettable, Stardust, Route 66, and what is arguably the best holiday song ever, his rendition of The Christmas Song. But thanks to KCSM, they’ve done a wonderful job of weaving in some of his other hits as well as giving an amazing insight into his life and personal struggles that he encountered as a well-known entertainer who was also a person of color who was reaching amazing heights during the civil unrest taking place in the 50’s and 60’s.
Listening to these original songs as they shared various accounts of his life really helped me to appreciate the notion of storage when used for music preservation and archiving.
Even more fitting since just last night, we sponsored the GRAMMY Foundation’s – A Song is Born event in Los Angeles. If you’re not familiar with the GRAMMY Foundation, they host one-night-only event each year “to cultivate the understanding, appreciation and advancement of the contribution of recorded music to American culture…”
Each event has a different theme and “A Song Is Born” explores the history and evolution of the songwriting process and will celebrate the various invaluable contributions of key players behind the music and their impact on the American cultural landscape. We have photos and video from the event that you can check out on our SeagateCreative Facebook page. Stop by and check ’em out.
I would like to think that Nat “King” Cole is watching the City of Angels with great interest this week especially since he won the GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award back in 1990.
Good music may come and go, but great music endures. And through organizations like The GRAMMY Foundation and Seagate, we’ll make sure that it will endure for generations to come.
And long live the King – Happy Birthday, Mr. Cole.
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