An Addendum, By Kendrick

I need to remedy a grave error I made by omitting the coolest music gift ever: the Alan Lomax Popular Songbook. Alan Lomax was like a 20th Century musical archaeologist: he traveled the world in search of people who had songs to sing, and recorded legends like Leadbelly and Woody Guthrie (plus a whole lot of other people whose stories might have otherwise been lost). The men and women he made recordings of aren’t just folk singers; they’re historical vessels, offering us a window into the souls of the past.

The best concert I ever went to was in New Orleans, when I left my lovely wife and lovely kids in our hotel room and ventured out to see the Preservation Hall Jazz Band all by myself. This one-of-a-kind album captures the band’s excitement and humor, and also has an all-star list of collaborators like Tom Waits and Louis Armstrong. Oh, and it supports Preservation Hall, New Orleans, and the American musical tradition. So that’s obviously great.

Because I cannot abandon you without offering up some ideas for the Nerf and comic aficionados, please, please consider the Terrascout Drone Blaster and the graphic novel biography of Glenn Gould.  Thank you.

Signing off now. Happy holidays. – K