NEWS RELEASE

 

For Immediate Release – October 24, 2014

Nassau Community College Presents

Bessie, Brown & Beyoncé: A Bridge to the Popular Song Form - Musician and Scholar Franklin Bruno 

 

November 13 

Garden City, NY –Who: Dr. Franklin Bruno, author of Elvis Costello's Armed Forces as well as writings in The Journal of Aesthetics, Popular Music and Society, The Nation and many others. He is currently writing The Inside of the Tune, a history of the bridge in popular music. As a musician, Dr. Bruno has released over a dozen albums of original songs, both as a solo artist and as a member of the bands Nothing Painted Blue and The Human Hearts. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from UCLA and has taught at Northwestern University, Bard College and SUNY Purchase.

What: Bessie, Brown & Beyoncé: A Bridge to the Popular Song Form

When: Thursday, November 13 at 4:00 p.m.

Where: Room 252-253 of the College Center Building.

Why: Most popular songs have verses and repeated refrains or choruses. Many songs also have bridges, which contrast musically and lyrically with other sections. Bridges are more common in some genres than others, but they have been a common element in many significant styles of popular music since the early 20th century. Dr. Bruno's talk will describe the history and function of the bridge through three significant works of African-American pop: Bessie Smith's 1920s recordings of W.C. Handy's St. Louis Blues, James Brown's Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine, and Beyoncé's Single Ladies.

For more information about this event, contact Claudia Cage at claudia.cage@ncc.edu or Scott Walden at scott.walden@ncc.edu.

Media Contact: Alicia Steger516.572.9634Email: alicia.steger@ncc.eduncc.edu/newsreleases

About Nassau Community College Nassau Community College, a division of the State University of New York, is an institution where over 22,000 full- and part-time students and approximately 10,000 continuing and professional students start and continue their successful journey through higher education. More than 70 fields of study are offered on a 225-acre campus located in the center of Long Island. As the largest single-campus two-year college in New York State, Nassau Community College maintains a national reputation for excellence. For more information, visit www.ncc.edu.

Ref: 1774.10/23/14/140