Jon Garelick
The sense of place, the passage of time, the death-haunted imagery, and the coolly rhythmic verse gives Lucinda Williams’s songs their traction.
The Fest’s music is mostly about audience participation — whether it’s dancing, sing-a-longs, or shouts of call-and-response.
But dissonance is at the edge of everything you hear at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival — a sound that contains multitudes.
Bill Frisell and his quartet performed a program of well-worn American hits whose juxtapositions allowed you to make your own cross-references and draw your own conclusions.
The New Orleans JazzFest is made for omnivorous gluttons, which makes it a perfect complement to the region’s cuisine.
Violinist Regina Carter and her band drew the audience in with a sustained mood of intimacy, warmth, and unfailingly beautiful playing.
There were times during the performance when Mehmet Ali Sanlikol and the band seemed to fully enter the Ottoman empire.
One of the most remarkable features of Cosmos — and possibly its greatest public service — has been its matter-of-fact, understated championing of the scientific method.
Kris Adams is one of those singers who can do amazing things without ostentatious showiness.
Music Appreciation: Gunther Schuller –The Eloquent Ear
Gunther Schuller dove into jazz with passionate hunger, in the process dispelling cultural, class, and racial prejudices.
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