Chapter 01 — Today in music
On a day like today November 25
1976
The Band bows out with “The Last Waltz”, the definitive farewell concert
At San Francisco's Winterland, The Band plays its farewell concert with guests including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters and Van Morrison. Martin Scorsese filmed the evening and turned it into “The Last Waltz”, for many the greatest concert film ever made. No band has ever left with such elegance.
The Band
Bob Dylan
1924
Paul Desmond is born, who wanted to sound like a dry martini and wrote "Take Five"
On November 25, 1924, Paul Desmond was born in San Francisco, alto saxophonist in Dave Brubeck's quartet. He described his own sound by saying he was aiming to resemble a dry martini: clean, cold and without vibrato. In 1959 he wrote "Take Five", the tune in five-four that became the best-selling jazz single in history. He left all its royalties to the Red Cross on his death.
Paul Desmond
Dave Brubeck
1931
Nat Adderley is born, author of a melody that became an anthem of soul jazz
On November 25, 1931, Nat Adderley was born in Florida, a cornetist and younger brother of the saxophonist Cannonball, with whom he played for most of his life. In 1960 he wrote "Work Song", a melody built on the rhythm of prisoners breaking stone on southern chain gangs. It became a standard and, with lyrics by Oscar Brown Jr., a song half the world recorded.
Nat Adderley
Cannonball Adderley
1940
Percy Sledge is born: the hospital orderly who improvised soul's most recorded ballad
On November 25, 1940, Percy Sledge was born in Alabama. He worked as a hospital orderly and sang to patients while doing his rounds. One night in 1966, after a breakup, he improvised a melody over two chords his bandmates played him: that is how "When a Man Loves a Woman" came about. He gave the writing credits away to them and never collected royalties on it.
Percy Sledge
1984
British pop's stars record “Do They Know It's Christmas?”
Summoned by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, musicians including Bono, Sting, George Michael and Boy George record “Do They Know It's Christmas?” in a single day to fight famine in Ethiopia. The single broke UK sales records and founded the charity-pop model that would lead to Live Aid. Rock philanthropy was born that morning in Notting Hill.
Band Aid
1896
Virgil Thomson is born, who in 1934 premiered an opera with an all-Black cast
On November 25, 1896, Virgil Thomson was born in Kansas City, a composer and, for fourteen years, music critic of a New York newspaper. In 1934 he premiered "Four Saints in Three Acts", with a libretto by Gertrude Stein, and made a decision unheard of in American opera at the time: staging it entirely with Black singers, not because of the plot but because he thought they sounded better.
Virgil Thomson
Gertrude Stein
1964
Mark Lanegan is born: the deepest, darkest voice in the Seattle scene
On November 25, 1964, Mark Lanegan was born in a farming town in Washington and came to music after a teenage life of drink and arrests. With Screaming Trees he was part of Seattle's first wave, before the grunge label existed. His wrecked baritone was later used by Queens of the Stone Age, Isobel Campbell and Greg Dulli. He wrote a brutally honest memoir.
Mark Lanegan
Screaming Trees
Queens of the Stone Age
1966
Stacy Lattisaw is born, who had her first hit at twelve and retired at twenty-five
On November 25, 1966, Stacy Lattisaw was born in Washington. She recorded her first album at eleven and at twelve already had a hit on the rhythm and blues charts. She was one of the most popular teenage voices of the eighties, with songs playing on every Black radio station in the country. At twenty-five she decided to leave it all to devote herself to her family and to gospel music.
Stacy Lattisaw
1968
Erick Sermon is born, who rapped without raising his voice when everyone was shouting
On November 25, 1968, Erick Sermon was born on Long Island. With Parrish Smith he formed EPMD in 1987. At a time when rap was shouted, they did the opposite: rapping slowly, almost dragging the words, over samples of dirty seventies funk. That relaxed tone became a whole school. As a producer he later worked with Redman, Method Man and posthumously with Marvin Gaye.
Erick Sermon
EPMD
1978
Ringo Sheena is born, who scored her country's Olympic ceremony
On November 25, 1978, Yumiko Shiina was born in Japan and took the stage name Ringo Sheena. Her music crosses rock, jazz, cabaret and traditional Japanese song with a theatricality that made her both a cult figure and an enormous seller. In 2021 she was the music director for the Tokyo Olympic ceremonies.
Ringo Sheena
Tokyo Jihen
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