SOTC March Madness

VOTE NOW: Does John Coltrane Or The Velvet Underground Deserve The Title Of "Quintessential New York Musician"?

By Maura Johnston Fri., Mar. 30 2012 at 8:00 AM
Categories: John Coltrane, SOTC March Madness, Velvet Underground

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March! The old saying is that it goes in like a lion and out like a lamb. But in tournament terms, it's more like it goes in like a crowded party where lots of people are invited and out like the very end of that long night, when the two people who know how to navigate the socializing ups and downs are sitting on the couch, calmly, cracking sly jokes. Which is to say that we've nearly reached the end of our search for the quintessential New York City musician—that one music-maker who embodies this city's spirit better than the tens of thousands of their peers—and we have one last match to go before a winner is crowned. The final two candidates? The pioneering saxophonist John Coltrane and the art-rock heroes the Velvet Underground. Vote below, and feel free to electioneer in the comments.

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SOTC March Madness

VOTE NOW: Will John Coltrane Or Blondie Make It To The Finals In Our Quintessential New York Musician Search?

By Maura Johnston Thu., Mar. 29 2012 at 12:00 PM
Categories: Blondie, John Coltrane, SOTC March Madness

As March comes to a close, so does our month-ish-long battle royale between 64 New York musicians, all of whom were put in the mix to decide which one best embodied the spirit of the city. Each of the divisions—Uptown, Queens, Downtown, and Brooklyn—has now crowned a winner, and for our first semifinal matchup, we pit the saxophonist and composer (and No. 1 Uptown seed) against the scrappy New Wavers Blondie (who rose to Queens' summit all the way from the No. 12 seed). The ballot is below, as is a look at how both musicians arrived at this exalted point. Vote now; the polls close at midnight tonight!

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SOTC March Madness

VOTE NOW For The Elite Eight: Coltrane vs. Keys; Blondie vs. Diamond; SY vs. VU; Wu-Tang vs. Rakim

By Maura Johnston Wed., Mar. 28 2012 at 12:00 PM
Categories: Alicia Keys, Blondie, John Coltrane, Neil Diamond, Rakim, SOTC March Madness, Sonic Youth, Velvet Underground, Wu-Tang

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After three weeks of feverish clicking and arguing, the final eight contenders in our search for the quintessential New York musician have been finalized—you can peruse the bracket here—and it's time for you to vote. Representing the Uptown division are No. 1 seed John Coltrane and No. 14 seed Alicia Keys; No. 12 seed Blondie will have it out with No. 3 seed Neil Diamond in Queens; No. 5 seed Sonic Youth will match Downtown bona fides with Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground (No. 3); and No. 6 seed Rakim will take on No. 4 seed Wu-Tang Clan in Brooklyn.

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SOTC March Madness

Presenting The Elite Eight: John Coltrane, Alicia Keys, Blondie, Neil Diamond, Sonic Youth, Velvet Underground, Wu-Tang Clan, And Rakim

By Maura Johnston Wed., Mar. 28 2012 at 9:00 AM
Categories: Alicia Keys, Blondie, John Coltrane, Neil Diamond, Rakim, SOTC March Madness, Sonic Youth, Velvet Underground, Wu-Tang

elite_eight_2012.jpg
After three weeks of feverish clicking and arguing, the final eight contenders in our search for the quintessential New York musician have been finalized. Representing the Uptown division are No. 1 seed John Coltrane and No. 14 seed Alicia Keys; No. 12 seed Blondie will have it out with No. 3 seed Neil Diamond in Queens; No. 5 seed Sonic Youth will match Downtown bona fides with Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground (No. 3); and No. 6 seed Rakim will take on No. 4 seed Wu-Tang Clan in Brooklyn. The polls will roll out at noon and close at midnight.

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SOTC March Madness

SOTC's March Madness: Welcome To The Lightning Round Of 16

By Maura Johnston Mon., Mar. 26 2012 at 12:00 PM
Categories: A Tribe Called Quest, Alicia Keys, Bette Midler, John Coltrane, Laura Nyro, Norah Jones, Rakim, SOTC March Madness, Wu-Tang

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John Coltrane is the only No. 1 seed remaining in the tournament.
This week, our search for New York's quintessential post-1955 musician is about to get hectic, with the winner crowned as the calendar flips to April on Saturday night. (A rundown of all the matches so far is here.) So for the Round of 16 matchups—four of which will happen today, four tomorrow—we're going to dispense with the punditry and get to the voting. The combatants, which hail from the Uptown and Brooklyn quadrants: John Coltrane and Bette Midler; Alicia Keys and Laura Nyro; A Tribe Called Quest and Wu-Tang Clan; and Rakim and Norah Jones. Ballot below. Please note that you have to vote in all four races in order for your vote to count.

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SOTC March Madness

John Coltrane (1) Meets Glenn Branca (8) In SOTC's March Madness

By Jesse Jarnow Tue., Mar. 20 2012 at 2:00 PM
Categories: Glenn Branca, John Coltrane, SOTC March Madness

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​Sound of the City's search for the quintessential New York City musician enters Round Two this week, with battles in the Round of 32 daily. Keep up with all the action here.

Give or take Downbeat polls or a sometimes-imagined rivalry with fellow downtown composer Rhys Chatham, neither John Coltrane nor Glenn Branca ever left much room for competition. During his lifetime, Coltrane cut a giant figure, an acknowledged giant of jazz whose ever-present curiosity helped the music blossom from bebop to the spiritual free improvisation he championed later in his life. Since his death in 1967, his reputation has only grown larger, one of the last unifying figures in jazz history. Branca, meanwhile, created symphonies of alternate tuned guitars, massive harmonies, vibrating holes in the universal fabric and, in part, inspiring Sonic Youth. Without either, we'd be a lot less free.

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SOTC March Madness

Sound Of The City's Search For The Quintessential New York Musician Pits John Coltrane (1) Against Lisa Lisa (16)

By Maura Johnston Mon., Mar. 12 2012 at 8:00 AM
Categories: John Coltrane, Lisa Lisa, SOTC March Madness

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The Round of 64 for Sound of the City's own version of March Madness—in which you, the Sound of the City voting public, help determine the quintessential New York musician—continues, and you get to vote on who makes it to Round Two. The final match in our Uptown division pits its top seed, the legendary John Coltrane, against freestyle pioneer Lisa Lisa. Check out the arguments in favor of each, then cast your ballot at the bottom of the page.

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