September 1, 2013

This Machine still needed. This issue is all about the music. We pay tribute to J.J. Cale and to two Oklahoma jazz legends, and we offer a crowd-sourced playlist of the 25 best songs about Oklahoma. Plus, a tour of the state’s rattlesnake roundups and a rhythmic new poem.

AFTER MIDNIGHT: An interview with J.J. Cale, the maker of that blend of country, rock ‘n’ roll, and blues that a city could call its own. From Steve Todoroff.

COUNT IT OFF: J. Kavin Ross remembers the first time he heard the ivories as tickled by the late jazz legend George Duke.

DEN OF DEATH: Holly Wall heeds the serpent’s song at Oklahoma’s rattler festivals.

THE MISSING YEARS: John Wooley pens the story of the drummer who orchestrated the comeback of a toothless Chet Baker.

THE OLD LAND AND THE SEA: A rhythmic new poem by Joel Stein.

ORIGINAL OKIE: Erin O’Dowd is a singer-songwriter from Tulsa, Oklahoma who takes her inspiration from nature, history and everyday life. She plays Americana and folk, along with some blues and country.