National Jukebox, Historical Recordings from the Library of Congress

The Library of Congress has made thousands of recordings, from 1901-1925, freely available for streaming, with their new project, the National Jukebox.

Image: Library of Congress
You can access the National Jukebox from the Music Libguide, under the sound recording tab.

The collection includes a range of genres, including popular, religious, spoken, word, and more. Now, go explore!

CLOSED for Summer

Photo by Nina Leen

 This past year in the Music Library has been great. However, all great things must come to and end. Since classes and finals are all over (FINALLY!) the Herklotz Music Library will be closing for the summer. If you need to use the facilities, you can make an appointment with Assistant Instruction Librarian/Music Subject Specialist, Annette Young (amyoung@oxy.edu). The Music Library will reopen when classes reconvene in the fall. Until then, we'll see you at the beach!

Rap Battle!

Apparently white people are making a comeback in the hip hop industry. The other day I found these videos titled Pale Kid Raps Fast and Pale Kid Raps Faster, respectively. 

Which rapper do you like better? 

The Strokes- Angles

It has been entirely too long since we've heard from The Strokes. After a five year hiatus, the newest album 'Angles' has finally dropped and it certainly delivers. It captures the band's original style we loved on their first albums, yet it still remains fresh with a healthy dose of 80's and occasionally a hint of reggae. Since lead singer Julian Casablanca was not present during most of the recording sessions, Angles provides a chance to hear more creative influence from the rest of the band, (Nick Valensi, Albert Hammond, Jr., Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti), then on previous albums. The first single of the album "Under the Cover of Darkness" is really a fun one- its catchy and upbeat with a bit edge that we expect from the Strokes. The only down side to the album is that it is a wee bit short, clocking in around only 30 minutes But really why draw out an album with filler songs? Instead each track on Angles has a purpose; the album chooses quality over quantity. And quality they provide: this is an album that lives up to the name of The Strokes. Definitely a winner!

A Music Moment Of Zen.

If the action itself isn't enough, his facial expressions seal the deal on this one.

Electronic Music Concert 4/27/11

Oxy Jazz 4/26/11

LA Opera's Young Artist Celebration

On April 20, 2011, the Occidental College Music Department welcomed LA Opera's Young Artists to Bird Studio for an amazing performance displaying the immense talent of these young artists. The artists--Janai Brugger-Orman (Soprano), Museop Kim (Baritone), Yohan Yi (Bass-Baritone), Matthew Anchel (Bass) and Douglas Sumi (Pianist/Coach)--performed works from Mozart, Gounod, Wagner, Donizetti, Luna and Bellini. The opening performance was a duet of "Bei mannern" from Mozart's Die Zauberflote. The jam-packed hall fell silent as the performers carried the audience through a series of events involving love, heartbreak, family and infidelity. It was a privilege to witness LA's raw talent and the future of opera!

Songs, Snacks, And Study All Day Tomorrow!

Do you get stressed out by the tense atmosphere of the library? Are you the kind of person who pops in your headphones the moment you sit down to work? Do you like to eat delicious snacks?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then come to the Music Library any time tomorrow (April 26th) for a mellowed out music study day! We'll be playing chilled out records on request and serving tons of delicious snacks to help you get through those crazy last days of school. So come on down to crank out some pre-finals studying in a stress-free environment.

Music Library Study Party

Join the Occidental Music Library for an ALL WEEK study party! Finals are coming up fast, stress is building and the anticipation of summer is growing. Let's buckle down for a final week of studying with some chips, popcorn, drinks and more!

Lily Orcutt Junior Recital

Today, Saturday April 23rd, please come to Bird Studio to support the Music Library's very own Lily Orcutt! Lily is a talented singer and todays vocal performance should be amazing! The performance begins at 2:30 in Bird Studio located in Booth Hall. Let me add, that today is not just any performance--this is Lily's junior recital! So come on down to Booth to hear some great music and support a fellow Occidental student librarian!

Hip Hop Record Listening Party!!!

We had a fantastic hip hop record listening party in the music library tonight. Professor Ford's Death of Hip Hop Class and Professor Myers' class came down to kick back to Kanye, Biggie, Lauren Hill, Ghostface Killah, etc, etc. Check out these pictures!

Occidental College Chamber Music This Saturday!

Robert Vijay Gupta

Robert Vijay Gupta, first violinist of the LA Philharmonic will be performing at Oxy! What a rare opportunity! 

CSP 64 Listening Party

Yesterday, my shift at the music library was the most exciting one yet! Professor Lorenz hosted a listening party for her freshman cultural studies program (CSP) students. Throughout the semester, she and her class have studied music and migration, which she leads by sharing her own collection of songs. At this party, she gave her students the unique opportunity to share their favorite songs with her. Artists ranged from K'naan, to Mumford & Sons, to Eminem, etc. Towards the end of the party, Professor Lorenz even heard dubstep!

Pizza, candy, popcorn, chips, and salad were served to all the students, and the music library staff were able to snag a few treats as well.

After weeks of planning, the listening party was a huge success. Professor Lorenz made a toast to her students, congratulating them on being a quarter of the way done with college. The students were also able to see the music library and hopefully will come back soon!

Amazing New Study About Music

I found this awesome article in the New York times science section and wanted to share it. Originally I tried to summarize the whole article here, but it's pretty dense so I'll just give you all the link and you can check it out for yourselves. Happy learning!

To Tug The Heartstrings, Music Must First Tickle The Neurons

Los Angeles Opera 4/20

On Wednesday, April 20th, four young opera stars from Members of the LA Opera Company's Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program will be coming to Oxy. The event will feature music and discussions with the artists at 12:30 pm in Bird Studio. This event is also a part of CSP 99.

David Choi Concert at the Bootleg Theatre

Last Friday, I was lucky to attend a David Choi concert at the Bootleg Theatre. He is an unsigned artist who is famous within the Youtube community.

I expected a huge concert with a bunch of aspiring singer-songwriters singing and jumping along. But it was a little bit different. Going in, I was surpised at how small the venue was, probably big enough to seat 150 people. Instead of a huge back up band, there was only a stand up bassist (which I thought was super cool), and a drummer (who used brushes instead of sticks to play quietly). Moreover, his band was with him for only half of the set.

We sat and watched as he performed his music. Instead of a typical concert atmosphere, I was sitting there being mellow. But it was really cool; he is a very talented artist.

The best part was that the venue was small enough to have a meet and greet afterwards. After waiting in line, we took pictures with him and chatted briefly.

That being said, I would recommend his concerts to everyone! Seeing that he lives in OC, he will probably be back.

youtube.com/davidchoimusic

Photo credit to Nancy Lee

Son Jarocho Ensemble 4/21

At the Herklotz music library, we are always looking for new and exciting music. Luckily, Oxy offers us many changes to find some. On Thursday, April 21, Cesar Castro will direct the San Jarocho Ensemble. According to the flyer, "San Jarocho is a musical genre from Veracruz, Mexico, that mixes indigenous Mexican, African, Spanish, and Arabic sounds." The mix of east and west proves to be a perfect combination for Occidental College (get it?) and this concert is one that you do not want to miss. The show starts at 8:00 pm in Bird Studio and is free for all.

Because We Love You

Enjoy.

With love,

The Music Library

The Clicking Tone Game