A half-dozen cool things in music, from two points of view:

Al Zdon of Mounds View:

1 Gypsy Mania, Central Park, Roseville. It was amazing to see this kind of Minnesota musical talent, so dedicated to the fun and energy of 1930s swing jazz, carry on the tradition with such enthusiasm and skill.

2 James Walsh/Tere Patterson wedding, Mancini's. Walsh, the bandleader of Gypsy, described it as the greatest gathering of Minnesota rock hall of famers ever in one room. Most touching was the long line of musicians taking turns sitting next to an ailing Bobby Jones, longtime bassist/vocalist in top local bands.

3 "American Graffiti." After reading in Ron and Clint Howard's recent memoir "The Boys" about George Lucas' directorial emphasis on the music in the movie, I rewatched it with my attention only on the music. The '50s and '60s rock songs, and how they are used by Lucas, are the runaway stars of the movie.

Jon Bream, Star Tribune critic:

1 A.R. Rahman, Northrop. The Indian cultural hero and soundtrack king dazzled in a 2 1/2-hour marathon concert that was a visual feast, a seamless blend of ragas and rock, and a major event for the Twin Cities Indian community.

2 "Crackin', Shakin', Breakin' Sounds" by Nat Hentoff. In the New Yorker's current all-archival issue, this profile of Bob Dylan from October 1964 finds him in the studio recording "Another Side of Bob Dylan" in one evening and explaining himself and his philosophies to journalist Hentoff. It's fascinating and illuminating to see how evolved Dylan's thinking was at age 23. "I can't tell [people] how to change things, because there's only one way to change things, and that's to cut yourself off from all the chains. That's hard for most people to do."

3 Tedeschi Trucks Band, "Off-Air Jimmy Kimmel Live." In their three-song post-broadcast performance, this stellar 12-person jam band showed three different flavors — blues-rock, country-blues and hippie hymn — from their ambitious new four-LP project, "I Am the Moon," all tied together by Derek Trucks' expansive and heroic guitar work. ⁦

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