London Publishes on Sonny Boy Williamson’s ‘Little Village’
Professor of music Justin London recently had his article, “Ephemeral Media, Ephemeral Works, and Sonny Boy Williamson’s ‘Little Village’” published in the latest issue of The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism. London notes that a recording of the great blues harmonica player Sonny Boy Williamson inspired the paper. The article explains that although “Little Village” was never released as a single, the piece gives listeners a window into how songs were composed and produced during Chicago Blues era of the 1950s. In particular, it shows the impact of recording technology on song composition, and forces one to consider the difference between a song and an improvisation.
Professor of music Justin London recently had his article, “Ephemeral Media, Ephemeral Works, and Sonny Boy Williamson’s ‘Little Village’” published in the latest issue of The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism. London notes that a recording of the great blues harmonica player Sonny Boy Williamson inspired the paper. The article explains that although “Little Village” was never released as a single, the piece gives listeners a window into how songs were composed and produced during Chicago Blues era of the 1950s. In particular, it shows the impact of recording technology on song composition, and forces one to consider the difference between a song and an improvisation.