A Nyc Tribute

Renowned DJ, producer, and engineer Louie Vega has been a pillar in the house music scene for nearly four decades. Being born in the Bronx back in the ’60s, Vega was raised in a rendition of New York City that was on the cusp of realizing it’s potential as a cultural hub. By age 13 Vega was already DJing in local NYC clubs, and now 40 years later he is paying homage to the city that defined him with his latest album NYC Disco.

From 1965 to 1971, beloved poet and writer Allen Ginsberg wrote The Fall of America: Poems of These States, a poetry collection detailing his travels across and “discovery” of America. Now, in honor of the 50th anniversary of those writings, a special star-studded tribute album has been announced.

All the tribute albums in the Magna Carta catalog tread dangerous ground. How can they give the artists room to stretch and still maintain enough of the original spirit to capture the art-rock audience that knows these songs by heart? "Supper's Ready" manages to walk that fine line for the most part, with strong contributions by Annie Haslam, Kevin Gilbert (a trombone solo on "Back in NYC" works impossibly well) and Magna Carta label workhorses Robert Berry, Trent Gardner and Magellan, and Shadow Gallery. On the down side, John Goodsall, guitarist of Phil Collins' jazz offshoot, Brand X, is wasted on "Carpet Crawlers." Matching him with vocalist Michael Zentner is a disservice.