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Songs in the Key of L.A.: The Bedrock Sessions

Songs in the Key of L.A. is a multi-platform collaboration between the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Public Library, and USC professor Josh Kun that brings to life the Library's extraordinary Southern California Sheet Music Collection. Consisting of sheet music pieces that range from the 1840s through the 1950s, the Collection offers a singular portrait of Los Angeles history and culture rendered in music and visual art. The motto of the project: archives should not just be preserved and maintained. Archives should come back to life.

Because so much of the sheet music in the Library's collection had never been recorded before, a few pieces were taken into the recording studio. Bedrock L.A generously donated some studio time with engineers Tyler Gardin and Eric Rennaker, and five L.A. artists representing a range of sounds, scenes and genres -- Aloe Blacc, La Santa Cecilia, Julia Holter, I See Hawks in L.A., The Petrojvic Blasting Company -- were invited to pick some sheet music, study it, and then interpret it in any style of their choosing. The finished products are now available for free download from the website of the Los Angeles Public Library, and Artbound produced short documentaries on the process.

 

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Songs in the Key of Los Angeles: Coda
A recap of all of the performances from Songs in the Key of Los Angeles, bringing to life long-archived sheet music within the L.A. Public Library.
Songs in the Key of Los Angeles: La Santa Cecilia
Songs in the Key of Los Angeles concludes with L.A. band La Santa Cecilia's take on "Chiapanecas" -- bringing to life long-archived sheet music within the L.A. Public Library.
Petrojvic Blasting Company | Photo: Eric Heights
Songs in the Key of Los Angeles: Petrojvic Blasting Company
Songs in the Key of Los Angeles continues with L.A. band Petrojvic Blasting Company's take on "Strolling Neath The California Moon" -- bringing to life long-archived sheet music within the L.A. Public Library.
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Songs in the Key of Los Angeles: Julia Holter
Songs in the Key of Los Angeles continues with L.A. musician Julia Holter's take on "Where The Mission Bells Are Chiming" -- bringing to life long archived sheet music within the L.A. Public Library.
Aloe Blacc | Photo: Eric Heights
Songs in the Key of Los Angeles: Aloe Blacc
Songs in the Key of Los Angeles continues with singer Aloe Blacc's take on "When The Girl You Love Lives in California" -- bringing to life long archived sheet music within the L.A. Public Library.
Courtesy of LAPL.
Songs in the Key of Los Angeles: A Prelude
Songs in the Key of Los Angeles explores a portion of the L.A. Public Library's sheet music collection, which is thought to be the world's only library collection of Southern California sheet music.
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