Rarely does a book leave me questioning the ways in which I understood, or thought I understood, the construction of some of the most formative solos in jazz history.
Books
Poetry Review: “Casting Deep Shade” — On Humanity and the Beech Tree
C.D. Wright has woven a poetic text that mirrors the tangled intimacy between humans and the beech, in all of its violence, its confusion, and its beauty.
Poetry Commentary: Lawrence Ferlinghetti Turns 100 — The Beats Go On
The Beats came before the ’60s, the decade of civil rights protests, women’s rights, the anti-war movement, and the civil strife that included riots and assassinations.
Arts Remembrance: Poet W. S. Merwin — An Appreciation
W.S. Merwin remained politically as well as artistically motivated all his life, often proclaiming the vital importance of activism.
Book Interview: “Bad Environmentalism” — Laughing at Gloom and Doom
Mainstream environmentalism is not just serious and sanctimonious, it also happens to be very white and very heteronormative.
Concert Review: Boston Baroque’s “Jephtha” — The Fate of Youth
Music Director Martin Pearlman had the excellent idea to cut out 6 of the 24 arias to make Jephtha move along, and it paid off.
Book Review: “The Bird King” — Nothing But Enchantment
The Bird King is an utterly lovely reading experience.
Book Review: “The Wages” — A Powerful Folk Tale About Slavery
We need stories like The Wages to expose the hypocrisy and incoherence of the institutions that we are supposed to believe are pillars of justice.
Poetry Review: “Peaches Goes It Alone” — A Comic Ode to the Age of Trump
In the age of truthiness, poet Frederick Seidel’s is a welcome voice.
Book Review: “Where the Crawdads Sing” — Are the Rural Poor Noble Savages?
Delia Owens suggests that the only forward movement for her outsider-protagonist and “swamp trash” is to become curators of ecological/cultural museums in the very places where they once struggled for an independent life.