Music

From the hip-hop group, PM Dawn, Prince Be. The duo consists of Prince Be (Attrell Cordes) and his brother J.C. the Eternal (Jarrett Cordes). One reviewer writes of them, "the duo effortlessly blends disparate elements -- balladeering and rapping, samples and live orchestration -- into gorgeous, wide-screen tableaux of sound. They also write terrific songs, from galloping melodies. . . to exquisite forlorn ballads." Their new album is "Jesus Wept" (Gee Street, Island Records).

American folk singer Rosalie Sorrels may not be wildly famous but since the 1960s she's developed a near cult like following. Her admirers describe Sorrels as someone who has lived the life she now sings about. In fact, she was immortalized in a song by Nanci Griffith describing Sorrels as "Salt of the earth.....with a voice like wine." .Her newest CD is "Borderline Heart" by Green Linnet Records Inc. The book "Way Out in Idaho" is a collection of her poems, songs and recipes.

American Conductor John Mauceri. He is the host and narrator of a new PBS Great Performances documentary, "Music for the Movies: The Hollywood Sound." Mauceri also composes the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in music from Hollywood films from the 30's and 40s'. (The documentary airs tonight at 9:30). Mauceri is currently music director of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra in L.A. He has two new CDs: "Between Two Worlds: Music of Korngold," and "The Sound of Hollywood: Music From the Movies" (both on London records).

British writer Nick Hornby. His autobiographical memoir about being an obsessed soccer fan, Fever Pitch (1992, now in paperback, Penguin) achieved cult status. With his second book, and his first novel High-Fidelity one reviewer writes that Hornby has "established himself in England as a maestro of the male confessional." High-Fidelity (Riverhead Books, div. of Putnam) is about 36-year old Rob Fleming, an obsessed record-collector, who's just lost his girlfriend, a casualty of his devotion to music.

Composer Philip Glass. His latest work is a new score for the 1946 Jean Cocteau film adaptation of "La Belle et la Bête" ("Beauty and the Beast"). Glass's score includes four voices who sing a libretto, based on the screenplay. Glass has toured the live music-film event in Europe and the United States. One reviewer called it "a beautiful, superbly integrated work." (Time, Dec. 19, 1994). (The score is available on Nonesuch Records.)

Ben Sandmel and Luderin Darbone are two members of the Cajun band "The Hackberry Ramblers." Darbone is a founding member of the band who is now in his 80s. The Ramblers started in 1933 in Louisiana. The Ramblers were among the first Cajun bands to abandon the accordion's dominance for the more American guitar-fiddle string band sound. In 1993, The Ramblers released their first album in 30 years titled "Cajun Boogie." prior to this album the Ramblers recorded on the Bluebird Label.

Senior curator of the motion picture collection at the George Eastman House, Paolo Cherchi UsaiI. He is also Associate Professor of Film Studies at the University of Rochester. He is an expert on silent films, and is co-director and co-founder of the Pordenone Silent Film Festival. He has worked with Alloy Orchestra on several film projects. And he restored the print of "Lonesome." He's the author of numerous articles and studies of silent film.

From The Alloy Orchestra, composer and keyboardist Caleb Sampson. The band has gained a reputation for composing and performing exciting, percussive silent film scores. Their repertoire includes scores for "Metropolis," "Nosferatu," "Lonesome," and their newest, for the Russian classic "Man with a Movie Camera." The film has a "sneak preview" at the Telluride Film Festival in early September, and it premieres at the Pordenone Silent Film Festival in Italy in October. They have two CD's.

Record producer Willie Mitchell. A new retrospective album of the 60's and 70's "Hi Label" hits has been released. Mitchell was one of the hit makers for the Memphis-based label in its early days and later was the influential producer who made the sounds of soul greats Al Green, Ann Peebles and Otis Clay so well known.

Journalist and rock historian Daniel Wolff has written a new biography, You Send Me: The Life and Times of Sam Cooke. Wolff was aided in his research by many people who were close to Cooke, including S.R. Crain, a co-founder of the Soul Stirrers and later Cooke's manager. Crain also joins the conversation.