Posts
While he paints, Stanley Whitney listens to and is inspired by jazz. Miles Davis’s album “Bitches Brew” is his constant companion in the studio.
These Stata-East recordings are the result of a special moment in the history of jazz, when some musicians brilliantly took charge of their own careers. Luckily for us, the music is still strikingly fresh and contemporary.
This week’s poem: Martha McCollough’s “always the “schaden “never the “freude”
The not-to-be missed “Symphonic Chronicles IV” is a very welcome alternative to much of the atonal, modern classical music currently flooding the market.
Sunday’s 100-minute show at Crystal Ballroom offered a celebration of what Gang of Four means for its surviving original members and followers alike, including newer generations represented onstage as well as in the packed hall.
The future for documentaries looks troubling, but the IFFBoston perseveres.
American darkness is now up front and personal. “Holland”‘s stale moves miss where we are now — disaster isn’t hidden, it is in clear view.
Back in February of 2024 I began to write a weekly column for the newsletter on Substack. A few readers have asked that I post these opinion pieces in the magazine. Here is a selection of my favorites.
This was a “Resurrection” Symphony for today: urgent and unsettled, yes, but also searching, persevering, and, ultimately, triumphant. If the weekend turns out to have marked conductor Benjamin Zander’s last go-around with this masterpiece, what a way to finish.
Arts Commentary: From the Editor’s Desk — By Popular Demand, 2025
Back in February of 2024 I began to write a weekly column for AF newsletter on Substack. A few readers have asked that I post these opinion pieces in the magazine. Here is a selection of my favorites of 2025
Read More about Arts Commentary: From the Editor’s Desk — By Popular Demand, 2025