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Sanjoy Narayan

Last summer, while a debate over net neutrality was on in the US, in his very funny news satire show, Last Week Tonight, the comedian John Oliver used a typically risqué example to explain what a non-neutral Internet could do to small web-based entrepreneurs and startups.

Articles by Sanjoy Narayan

The Stones dig deep into their roots

Their latest album is their first pure cover of old blues songs. And it’s brilliant

The Rolling Stones, who turned 54 this year, have for the first time dropped an album with covers of old blues songs(Getty Images)

lifestyle

Updated on Apr 21, 2017 08:34 PM IST

BySanjoy Narayan

Requiem for a soul sister: Farewell, Sharon Jones

Farewell to the vivacious R&B singer that was Sharon Jones

Jones had been suffering from cancer for the past several years, although she performed and released records that never betrayed the pain she was going through intermittently(Getty Images)

lifestyle

Published on Dec 03, 2016 06:36 PM IST

BySanjoy Narayan

Reliving the Last Waltz with a book on The Band’s final gig

The Band’s final gig turns 40; and a book brings back memories

The uniqueness of The Band’s music is that it’s at once folky and psychedelic(Getty Images)

lifestyle

Updated on Nov 19, 2016 08:33 PM IST

BySanjoy Narayan

Godfather of Gloom: Could Leonard Cohen’s latest album be his last?

In many ways the nine songs on Cohen’s You Want It Darker, could be interpreted as being about mortality; of having settled earthly matters and being ready to move on, writes Sanjoy Narayan.

Leonard Cohen is a great companion to brood along with on a lonely evening that isn’t turning out to be happy(Redferns via Getty Images)

lifestyle

Updated on Nov 05, 2016 07:46 PM IST

Hindustan Times | BySanjoy Narayan

Bob Dylan redux: Growing up with the music of the legend

Post his Nobel Prize win, it has been a Dylan redux for Sanjoy Narayan.

I don’t remember the last time I pulled out a Dylan album, but after he won the Nobel Prize, there were no excuses.(Getty Images)

lifestyle

Updated on Oct 23, 2016 12:40 PM IST

Hindustan Times | BySanjoy Narayan

One last treat for fans of the man who gave us Dixie Chicken

A listen at Lowell George’s last and only solo album

A creation of artist Neon Park, this cover of Lowell George’s last album before he died, is bold, distinctive and laden with a sense of humour

lifestyle

Updated on Oct 08, 2016 08:28 PM IST

BySanjoy Narayan

Charles Mingus’s creativity as a jazz musician atones for all his mood swings

Sanjoy Narayan revists a genius and a very difficult man.

Many consider Mingus Ah Um to be the double-bassist, composer, bandleader, and genius Charles Mingus’s best album.(Getty Images)

lifestyle

Updated on Sep 25, 2016 12:14 PM IST

BySanjoy Narayan

Download Central: A native American band and some Blo

Sanjoy Narayan traces history and ancestry through music.

Redbone was the first native American rock band; it gave a voice to the indigenous people(Getty Images)

lifestyle

Updated on Sep 11, 2016 11:15 AM IST

BySanjoy Narayan

Why Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue is one of the greatest jazz albums of all time

Musician Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue is one of the greatest jazz albums of all time, writes Sanjoy Narayan.

Musician Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue is one of the greatest jazz albums of all time.(Getty Images)

lifestyle

Updated on Aug 28, 2016 09:59 AM IST

BySanjoy Narayan

Download Central: Crank up some Eggs Over Easy

What’s it like listening to a forgotten genre of retro music on a vintage amp?

Lost stars: The American band Eggs Over Easy may have pioneered the forgotten genre of pub rock in London, but sadly, they had no brush with fame (Photo courtesy: eggsovereasymusic.com)

lifestyle

Updated on Aug 14, 2016 10:45 AM IST

BySanjoy Narayan

In with the old: What makes Faith No More such a great band

Like many great bands, Faith No More is often underrated and its frontman Mike Patton not as well-known as he ought to be

Mike Patton, Faith No More’s frontman, can not only sing in Italian and Spanish, but also has a stupendous vocal range(Getty Images)

lifestyle

Updated on Jul 30, 2016 06:36 PM IST

BySanjoy Narayan

When Elton John is your DJ...

…you discover new musicians and unearth classic old gems, introduced with rare nuggets of information and a personal touch, writes Sanjoy Narayan.

lifestyle

Updated on Jul 16, 2016 08:27 PM IST

BySanjoy Narayan

Why singer-bassist Esperanza Spalding should be on your playlist

Grammy Award-winning American singer-bassist Esperanza Spalding’s latest album is a gold mine for Jazz aficionados

A few years back Esperanza Spalding became the first jazz musician to win a Grammy in the best new artist category.(Getty Images)

lifestyle

Updated on Jul 02, 2016 10:00 PM IST

BySanjoy Narayan

Download Central: Here’s why the new Grateful Dead tribute album is epic

Last month, a new Grateful Dead tribute album dropped – a 5-CD, 59 songs collection by musicians across panoply of genres. And it’s epic!

Help on the way: The Grateful Dead celebrated its 50th anniversary a year ago with five sold-out concerts. But if you’ve missed out on the Dead, then Day of the Dead could be the album that finally introduces you to their music(Bettmann Archive)

lifestyle

Updated on Jun 18, 2016 09:17 PM IST

BySanjoy Narayan

Jobs and prices are the markers of our well-being

To know how well-off we are, we would do well to go beyond the GDP data.

There are many things that the inflation data do not capture. For example, the cost of eating out has gone up exponentially(Picture courtesy: Shutterstock)

columns

Updated on Apr 11, 2016 02:30 PM IST

Hindustan Times | BySanjoy Narayan

Why the polls in four states are worth watching

In each of the four poll-bound states, there are things that are out of the ordinary this time and that makes them noteworthy.

In Assam, for the first time in that state’s history, the BJP has a fighting chance of getting its first chief minister.(HT Photo)

columns

Updated on Apr 04, 2016 01:24 PM IST

Hindustan Times | BySanjoy Narayan

Delhi’s top cop, BS Bassi, has a curious view on dealing with mobs

In effect, Mr Bassi, who has been a career policeman since 1977, seems to think it is not the nature of the offence but who perpetrates it is what should determine police action.

Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi coming out of Prime Minister Office at South Block in New Delhi on Wednesday. Bassi is due to retire on February 29.(PTI Photo)

columns

Updated on Feb 23, 2016 09:34 AM IST

Hindustan Times | BySanjoy Narayan

How much longer before our MPs face their voters’ wrath?

If we were to do a poll like Esquire’s on what angers people most, how high on that list do you think would a dysfunctional Parliament feature?

How high will a dysfunctional Parliament feature in the list of what angers people the most?(Sonu Mehta/HT File Photo)

columns

Updated on Feb 15, 2016 07:00 AM IST

Hindustan Times | BySanjoy Narayan

Garbage wars: AAP and BJP should run Delhi, not ruin it

It isn’t merely adversarial politics that is at the root of the current spat over Delhi’s civic upkeep.

columns

Updated on Feb 07, 2016 10:11 PM IST

Hindustan Times | BySanjoy Narayan

Download Central: The Reggae Rajas

If you like your reggae shaken up with ska, punk, funk and groove, then Sublime is the band for you.

Of delightful metamorphoses: Sublime may have had a short run when lead singer Brad Nowell (above) died of a drug overdose at the age of 28, but their albums (below), compilations and a box set still find loyal takers.(Getty Images)

entertainment

Published on Jan 30, 2016 07:03 PM IST

Hindustan Times | BySanjoy Narayan, New Delhi

Startups should be left to start up on their own

Rarely are such ventures really innovative. Most of them are set up to chase valuation and then hope to sell out. That’s one reason — not the only one — for the high failure rate for startups. But the question is: Should the government get its hands messy by getting into all of this?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, finance minister Arun Jaitley, commerce and industry minister Nirmala Sitharaman and delegates pose at the launching of the

columns

Updated on Jan 25, 2016 02:09 AM IST

Hindustan Times | BySanjoy Narayan

Why flying in and out of Delhi in winter is such a bother

Why is it that airlines, pilots and the Delhi airport have not been able to crack the chronic problem of beating fog conditions the way many international airports are able to, some of them in places that experience more extreme weather conditions?

columns

Updated on Jan 17, 2016 12:48 AM IST

Hindustan Times | BySanjoy Narayan

Download Central: The band of many colours

Baroness, as I said, are a heavy metal band – some music critics affix prefixes such as ‘stoner’, ‘alternative’ or ‘sludge’ to their genre but the fact is that they are a heavy metal band.

Baroness (left, with frontman and guitarist John Baizley in the centre) performs in Chicago in 2012.(Corbis)

entertainment

Updated on Jan 17, 2016 08:40 AM IST

Hindustan Times | BySanjoy Narayan, New Delhi

What BJP and Cong may want from polls in 2016

As major assembly elections are due in many states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Assam in 2016, here’s what the BJP and the Congress can expect.

columns

Updated on Jan 11, 2016 09:16 AM IST

Hindustan Times | BySanjoy Narayan

A 2016 resolve to wish for: Make Parliament work again

The last two sessions in Parliament, monsoon and winter, were write-offs with hardly any business getting done. And despite its brute majority in the Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government are struggling to enact laws.

The last two sessions in Parliament, monsoon and winter, were write-offs with hardly any business getting done.(PTI File Photo)

columns

Updated on Dec 27, 2015 09:40 PM IST

Hindustan Times | BySanjoy Narayan

How to check the pulse of rising food prices

While the overall inflation rate declined last month, the component relating to food prices rose sharply to 5.20% compared to 2.44% in the previous month. A closer look at the inflation data shows that of all the items that make up the food basket, the sharpest rise has happened for pulses or the humble dal.

Pulses displayed at a grains market in Vashi, Mumbai.(Agencies)

columns

Updated on Dec 20, 2015 07:51 AM IST

Hindustan Times | BySanjoy Narayan

Why Delhiites must make an ‘odd-even’ rule work

Growing urban traffic can result in congestion but also, as Delhiites are discovering, alarming levels of pollution, which has adverse implications for the health of citizens.

Delhi has a car population of around 2.8 million and according to a four-year-old census, a quarter of its workforce goes to work using private vehicles.(HT File Photo)

columns

Updated on Dec 29, 2015 05:27 PM IST

BySanjoy Narayan

Download Central: Longing for Jaco Pastorius

Three decades after his untimely death, a documentary chronicles the life and music of bass legend Jaco Pastorius.

Jaco Pastorius’ influence on generations of bassists has been profound.(Sanjoy Narayan)

entertainment

Updated on Dec 05, 2015 04:58 PM IST

Hindustan Times | BySanjoy Narayan, New Delhi

World watches as India sets the pace

In a nation’s history, there are some periods that stand out from the rest. By most indications, India today appears to be on the cusp of a transformation.

When many parts of the developed world are struggling to not slip back into contraction, India is pulling ahead at about 8% and is set to regain its lost status as an engine of global growth.(Reuters)

india news

Updated on Nov 30, 2015 11:40 AM IST

Hindustan Times | BySanjoy Narayan

Maggi creates ripples: Lessons abound from Nestle’s noodles crisis

This Diwali, Nestlé re-launched its instant noodle brand Maggi five months after it was forced to withdraw the popular product from the Indian market when tests by various states found lead in the product beyond permissible limits.

Packets of Maggi noodles hang on display at a roadside stall, in Ahmedabad. Maggi noodles are back on shelves five months after the popular snack was found to contain lead above permissible limits.(AP Photo)

columns

Updated on Nov 16, 2015 07:23 AM IST

Hindustan Times | BySanjoy Narayan

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Sanjoy Narayan

Last summer, while a debate over net neutrality was on in the US, in his very funny news satire show, Last Week Tonight, the comedian John Oliver used a typically risqué example to explain what a non-neutral Internet could do to small web-based entrepreneurs and startups.

Their latest album is their first pure cover of old blues songs. And it’s brilliant

Farewell to the vivacious R&B singer that was Sharon Jones

The Band’s final gig turns 40; and a book brings back memories

In many ways the nine songs on Cohen’s You Want It Darker, could be interpreted as being about mortality; of having settled earthly matters and being ready to move on, writes Sanjoy Narayan.

Post his Nobel Prize win, it has been a Dylan redux for Sanjoy Narayan.

A listen at Lowell George’s last and only solo album

Sanjoy Narayan revists a genius and a very difficult man.

Sanjoy Narayan traces history and ancestry through music.

Musician Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue is one of the greatest jazz albums of all time, writes Sanjoy Narayan.

What’s it like listening to a forgotten genre of retro music on a vintage amp?

Like many great bands, Faith No More is often underrated and its frontman Mike Patton not as well-known as he ought to be

…you discover new musicians and unearth classic old gems, introduced with rare nuggets of information and a personal touch, writes Sanjoy Narayan.

Grammy Award-winning American singer-bassist Esperanza Spalding’s latest album is a gold mine for Jazz aficionados

Last month, a new Grateful Dead tribute album dropped – a 5-CD, 59 songs collection by musicians across panoply of genres. And it’s epic!

To know how well-off we are, we would do well to go beyond the GDP data.

In each of the four poll-bound states, there are things that are out of the ordinary this time and that makes them noteworthy.

In effect, Mr Bassi, who has been a career policeman since 1977, seems to think it is not the nature of the offence but who perpetrates it is what should determine police action.

If we were to do a poll like Esquire’s on what angers people most, how high on that list do you think would a dysfunctional Parliament feature?

It isn’t merely adversarial politics that is at the root of the current spat over Delhi’s civic upkeep.

If you like your reggae shaken up with ska, punk, funk and groove, then Sublime is the band for you.

Rarely are such ventures really innovative. Most of them are set up to chase valuation and then hope to sell out. That’s one reason — not the only one — for the high failure rate for startups. But the question is: Should the government get its hands messy by getting into all of this?

Why is it that airlines, pilots and the Delhi airport have not been able to crack the chronic problem of beating fog conditions the way many international airports are able to, some of them in places that experience more extreme weather conditions?

Baroness, as I said, are a heavy metal band – some music critics affix prefixes such as ‘stoner’, ‘alternative’ or ‘sludge’ to their genre but the fact is that they are a heavy metal band.

As major assembly elections are due in many states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Assam in 2016, here’s what the BJP and the Congress can expect.

The last two sessions in Parliament, monsoon and winter, were write-offs with hardly any business getting done. And despite its brute majority in the Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government are struggling to enact laws.

Growing urban traffic can result in congestion but also, as Delhiites are discovering, alarming levels of pollution, which has adverse implications for the health of citizens.

Three decades after his untimely death, a documentary chronicles the life and music of bass legend Jaco Pastorius.

In a nation’s history, there are some periods that stand out from the rest. By most indications, India today appears to be on the cusp of a transformation.

This Diwali, Nestlé re-launched its instant noodle brand Maggi five months after it was forced to withdraw the popular product from the Indian market when tests by various states found lead in the product beyond permissible limits.

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