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The Pittsburgh Pirates entered the 1992 season as two-time defending National League East champions. Back then, both the AL and NL had just two divisions, East and West, and the playoffs consisted of a single Championship Series pitting the division winners of each league; the winners of the LCSs would then face off in the World Series. No wild-card teams, no play-in games, no divisional series, just two teams in each league facing each other for the pennant and then the World Series. The Pirates had lost the NLCS in 1990 to the Reds, and then they lost the NLCSDown the rabbit hole….

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What a voice she had. What a musician she was. Too hard was her life. On the musical collaboration above: And back through the glen I rode again And my heart with grief was sore For I parted then with valiant men Whom I never shall see more But to and fro In my dreams I go And I kneel and pray for you For slavery fled Oh, glorious dead When you fell in the foggy dew Sheila O’Malley: It’s hard to describe what it was like when Sinéad O’Connor arrived on the world stage. She came from seemingly nowhere.Down the rabbit hole….

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Thank you for the music, sir. What a life. I’m not one to appoint “golden ages” of this or that, but…there really is something awfully and uniquely special about the first half of the 20th century in American popular song-writing, isn’t there? Share This PostDown the rabbit hole….

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Pianist Andre Watts has died. Watts was 77 years old when he died of prostate cancer last week. Born in 1946, Watts was best known for his expressive performances of piano music from the Romantic and early modern eras, which constitute the bulk of his recorded work. His music-making was always fiery and emotional, which I always appreciate; emotional distance and cool temperatures are never what I look for in music. Here is a selection of remembrances of Watts. In this selection, Watts performs the Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, by Camille Saint-Saens. The performance is taken fromDown the rabbit hole….

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Born this date, 1956: Anthony Bourdain. There are few voices I miss today more than that of Anthony Bourdain. His warm-hearted embrace of the entire world, his endless curiosity, his willingness to bridge gaps and accept differences–these are qualities our world is deeply lacking today. I, myself, fall short of his example…but I do try. Obviously I’m not able to travel as much as Bourdain did, but I do what I can. His oft-cited bits of travel advice, starting with eating where the locals eat, are always well taken. By pure good luck, I read a book of Bourdain’s wisdomDown the rabbit hole….

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Damn. I never knew that Tina Turner was just a few months younger than my father. She had a life full of triumphs and enormous difficulties, and she leaves an enormous legacy of music. I salute her. (image: via) Share This PostDown the rabbit hole….