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This month, we’re highlighting two iconic jazz compositions in which the vibrant rhythms and spirit of Latin music played a major role: “A Night in Tunisia“ and “Manteca,” both associated with the legendary jazz musician Dizzy Gillespie.
These classics demonstrate how beautifully jazz and Latin musical traditions can come together to create something truly unforgettable.
A new semester is full of possibilities. As students return to campus and dive into new subjects, ideas, and experiences, there are countless opportunities to discover something unexpected. Sometimes, those discoveries come from listening to the sounds of the past.
At the Recorded Sound Archives, history comes alive through recorded sound. From music and popular culture to religious traditions and cultural heritage, our collections offer a unique window into the people, places, and moments that shaped earlier generations.
As we celebrate the Fourth of July, we are highlighting a special vintage piano roll performance of God Bless America by Irving Berlin from the personal piano roll collection of Ben Roth.
Few patriotic songs have remained as deeply woven into American culture as God Bless America. Originally written by Irving Berlin in 1918 during World War I, the song was initially set aside and later revised in 1938 amid growing international tensions. Upon its release, it quickly became one of the most recognizable patriotic songs in the United States, performed by generations of singers, musicians, and communities during moments of both celebration and reflection.
Recent headlines about newly rediscovered whale recordings have captured the public imagination, reminding us just how powerful sound can be in understanding the natural world. In fact, the earliest known whale song recorded in 1949 during underwater sonar experiments was only recently identified, offering a rare glimpse into a quieter ocean of the past.
At the Recorded Sound Archives (RSA), discoveries like these resonate deeply. While archives are often associated with music, sound collections also preserve the voices of the natural world, capturing animals, environments, and ecosystems across time. Earth Day provides an opportunity to reflect not only on the environments we protect, but on the sounds that define them.
What makes a performer great? Howie Mandel tells us every week on “America’s Got Talent” that the answer is the “wow factor.”
As we watch contestants on TV shows like “American Idol” we ask ourselves, “Did this performance wow me?”
