Of all the musicians who were harbingers of change, none has had the long-term influence on young musicians that John Coltrane has had.
Commentary
Arts Commentary: Meditations on Separation
This is what I feel can add: the perspective of a native-born son of the Rochester metro; and a view from the bridge through jazz-colored glasses.
Arts Remembrance: Soul Iconoclast Roy C
Roy C may not have lived to see the current regime toppled or his litigation over past royalties resolved to his satisfaction, but he died knowing that he was — without a doubt — a Black American original.
Visual Arts Commentary: Digital Media — Public Art Is a Bridge to Our New Normal
In a time when everyday seems like Wednesday, creative use of new media is a visual and experiential bridge to our new and hopefully innovative normal.
Arts Remembrance: Fred “Toots” Hibbert — Resiliency in the Face of Struggle
As anyone who is familiar with “Toots” Hibbert’s near sixty-year career could testify, he was an artist who wrote songs that were guaranteed to transcend the contexts of their particular place and moment.
Police Violence Commentary: Another NYPD Murder — Two Decades Ago
To be killed — as in murdered — by police you don’t necessarily have to be a person of color.
Jazz Commentary: Charlie Parker — The Eternal Radical at 100
I’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.
Arts Commentary: Family-Friendly Pandemic Entertainment?
Will attendees of Jurassic Quest “have a dino-mite time!”? Who knows? But the event will look mighty attractive to parents who havee been stuck in the house with kids who are driving them to distraction.
Book Feature: Children of the Revolution — An Interview with Lawrence Roberts about Mayday 1971
“One lesson is that when a country feels like it’s really gone off on the wrong track, a social movement that finds a way to express that dissent in the streets can really make a difference.”
Theater Commentary: Notes Toward a Definition of Theater, Part One — “Be Bold and Wild”
As we grapple with building the brave new world of live theater in a Covid and post-Covid world, a few stray thoughts.