Music

Jazz Album Review: Julian Lage’s “Speak to Me” — Mostly Magical

March 18, 2024
Posted in , ,

Guitarist Julian Lage wants his music to have a certain paradoxical lightness: to be “reckless and durable” at the same time.

Read More

Opera Album Review: Two Comic Operas Thrive in Frenchified Versions

March 18, 2024
Posted in , , ,

Much-loved short works by Pergolesi and Mozart storm the stage, thanks to spiffy French dialogue between the musical numbers.

Read More

Jazz Album Review: Tenor Saxophonist George Coleman Is in Command on One for All’s “Big George”

March 15, 2024
Posted in , , ,

“Big George” is polished, tonally elegant, and beautifully recorded

Read More

Folk Album Review: “Swingin’ Live at the Church in Tulsa” — Taj Mahal Ascendent

March 14, 2024
Posted in , ,

“Swingin’ Live at the Church in Tulsa” is a snapshot of a vibrant octogenarian artist who is still moving forward.

Read More

Jazz Album Reviews: A Trio of Organ Trios Who Pull Out All the Stops

March 14, 2024
Posted in , , ,

Here’s a trio of organ trios from a new generation of players indebted, but not chained, to the classic jazz format and style that has been dominant since Jimmy Smith in the ’60s.

Read More

Opera Album Review: Gluck’s Final Opera Finally Steps into the Spotlight via a Superb New Recording

March 13, 2024
Posted in , , ,

Rejected in Gluck’s time because it lacked dramatic thrust, today “Écho and Narcissus” proves to be a candy-box of delights.

Read More

Book Review: “Spirit of the Century” — The Inspiring History of the Blind Boys of Alabama

March 11, 2024
Posted in , , ,

“Spirit of the Century” is a riveting celebration of the Blind Boys of Alabama’s glorious and often unpredictable musical journey.

Read More

Jazz Album Review: The Lynne Arriale Trio’s “Being Human” — An Expected Joy

March 11, 2024
Posted in , , ,

 The dynamics of this splendid trio album, “a response to the division and turmoil in our world,” are gracefully balanced.

Read More

Concert Review: Hurray for the Riff Raff — Ringing Loud and Clear

March 10, 2024
Posted in , , , ,

“The Past is Still Alive” hones Alynda Segarra’s songs to an accessible Americana that allows their travelogue-tinged tales to nestle in ways both literal and metaphorical. It’s one of the best records of the nascent new year.

Read More

Music Interview: Disco Biscuits Redux — “Revolution in Motion”

March 10, 2024
Posted in , ,

The Disco Biscuits improvisations are not driven by a guitar-rock root: they are more apt to dive into a piece of classical music and then ease into a propulsive dance-club beat that eventually swerves into Zappa-style brainy grime.

Read More

Recent Posts