Jon Garelick
The Pulitzer Prize-winning composer eludes easy categorization, but Henry Threadgill’s new memoir — and his latest recording — take a step in defining his singular artistic personality.
Read MoreJason Moran, as virtuoso pianist and bandleader, enacted all of jazz history at the keyboard, from ragtime to no time, as the saying goes.
Read MoreTo hear free music so beautifully contained and expressed in such inventive forms isn’t unheard of (Henry Threadgill? Vijay Iyer? Wadada Leo Smith?). But bassist Michael Formanek has his own way.
Read MoreSuch a beautiful evening of music — two relatively concise sets, one an hour long, another a little less — adding up to an integral whole.
Read MoreWe’d returned to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. We’d ridden a paddle-wheeler on the Mississippi River. It was good to be back, and why we’ll go back every chance we get: to life.
Read MoreSolo performance is still a way ahead for jazz pianists, judging from four CDs released in 2021.
The sum total of George Wein’s career was a successful wedding of art and commerce.
Read MoreI’m still not sure I heard what’s revolutionary about Charlie Parker’s recordings — they’re very old news by now. But I warm to the expressions of unique genius, a beauty that in itself is radical.
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Culture Commentary: World War II Was a Race War, and It Isn’t Over
It isn’t exactly news that the genocide of Native Americans was a model for Hitler, but it hit with fresh force in The U.S. and the Holocaust.
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