Earlier this week, the Library Foundation and the Los Angeles Public Library announced their new project, “Songs in the Key of L.A.,” the first in a series of collaborations to unearth the Library’s vast collections. The project showcases for the first time the vast collection of Southern California sheet music, which offers a fascinating look at the early days of Los Angeles music. Several local organizations have teamed up with the Library to shed light on these historic discoveries from the 1850s to the 1950s through a contemporary lens. Yesterday, KCET Artbound launched a series documenting new recordings from the sheet music collection by local artists, including singer/rapper Aloe Blacc; alternative country group, I See Hawks in L.A.; singer/songwriter, Julia Holter; nouveau-gypsy band, The Petrojvic Blasting Company; and modern-hybrid Latin band, La Santa Cecilia, all recorded at Echo Park’s Bedrock LA. Artbound will feature mini-documentaries every two weeks highlighting these new recordings as well as interviews with the artists and articles by USC Professor Josh Kun, the curator of the “Songs in the Key of L.A.” project. Watch the first piece below.
