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Music Commentary: The Mess at the Met

July 27, 2014
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What’s clear is that something needs to give and, after nearly thirty-five years of labor-management harmony, it’s apparent that the Met’s problems start at the top.

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Book Review: An Evocative Biography of Zionist Agitator and Writer Vladmir Jabotinsky

July 27, 2014
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There’s room to wonder if Vladmir Jabotinsky would have accepted Menachem Begin, Ariel Sharon and Benjamin Netanyahu as his legitimate Zionist heirs.

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Coming Attractions in Jazz: Midsummer Festival Update 2014

July 26, 2014
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Cambridge and Springfield have launched promising new festivals even as some others have dropped by the wayside. Meanwhile, festivals in Northampton, Cambridge (again), Lawrence, and Newton have announced their schedules..

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Classical Music Commentary: The Boston University Tanglewood Institute — A Marvelous Experience For All

July 26, 2014
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Precision and obvious competence were only part of the story. What made this concert from The Young Artists Orchestra so special was the joy conveyed by these fledgling musicians.

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Jazz CD Review: Pianist Fred Hersch’s “Floating” – A Constant Delight

July 25, 2014
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Pianist Fred Hersch’s ballad playing is one of the special treats in contemporary jazz.

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Movie Review: “And So It Goes” — A Synthetic Slice of Boomer Banality

July 25, 2014
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This kind of faux-inspirational drivel has Hollywood privilege written all over it.

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Book Review: Know When to Fold ’em — Colson Whitehead Explores “The Noble Hustle”

July 24, 2014
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The Noble Hustle gives talented novelist Colson Whitehead an opportunity to spelunk in some of the gnarlier corners of the American dream, in this case the Tropicana in Atlantic City.

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Theater Review: “The Granite State” — Good, Not Great, Entertainment for a Summer’s Eve in New Hampshire

July 24, 2014
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Charles Morey’s new comedy focuses on the trials and tribulations of aging writers. Most of its humor revolves around the past, while its plot hinges on the present and future.

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Music Feature: At the Lowell Folk Festival — “Da Butt” is no joke for EU

July 24, 2014
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Sugar Bear and his legendary go-go band are coming to the Lowell Folk Festival.

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Book Review: “The Shelf”‘s Splendid Ambition — to Burst Open the Literary Canon

July 23, 2014
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Like me, Phyllis Rose frets about the zillion fine books out there that nobody bothers with. Why their neglect? She reasons that it’s because no one pedigreed has championed them.

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