Waves of Music 2008 – Acrylic on corkboard, paper, and hardboard. 40″x30″

Prints now available on redbubble

Chicago has always been a musical hotbed. The music has included the introduction of jazz in the 1920s by the likes of King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, and Jelly Roll Morton and the birth of the “Chicago Blues” by the electric riffs of Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Howlin’ Wolf, and the rough and powerful voice of Koko Taylor. The club scene has been dancing to the innovative heavy beats of house music created by DJs Frankie Knuckles and Walter Gibbons and to the industrial music of Ministry. Local punk and alternative rock bands such as Smashing Pumpkins, Veruca Salt, Alkaline Trio and hip-hop artists Kanye West and Common have made their mark in today’s music industry. Plus, Chicago enjoys the world-renowned Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the ever-growing popularity of folk and world music. Just as we are fortunate to have the beauty of the lakefront, we should feel grateful for the variety of music, both old and new, that rushes over us, wave after wave.