Music

Rock Album Commentary: Rostam’s “Changephobia” — The Sound of Heroic Optimism

June 5, 2021
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As we emerge from the pandemic, Rostam’s Changephobia strikes the right healing notes for fatigued ears.

Rock Album Review: Black Midi — A Dizzying Mashup

June 4, 2021
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If you’re up for a lofty challenge, the experimental British rock outfit Black Midi is more than poised to fill the void.

Film Review: “Buster Williams: Bass to Infinity” — Portrait of a Jazz Artist

May 31, 2021
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This fine documentary of a highly respected elder bassist presents a clear, focused picture of a man who is also a jazz musician.

Rock Album Review: The Tragically Hip — In Peak Form

May 30, 2021
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Pain and catharsis wind through Saskadelphia.

Opera CD Review: Congolese Tenor Patrick Cabongo Steps into Stardom in a World-Premiere Recording of Meyerbeer’s “Romilda e Costanza”

May 26, 2021
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The composer of Les huguenots and L’Africaine was already an accomplished master at age 26, as this first-rate recording reveals.

Classical Album Review: Quatour Modigliani plays Haydn, Bartók, and Mozart

May 24, 2021
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Any number of threads that tie these three pieces (and composers) together. But in this instance, such busywork is superfluous: the musical results – blazingly played and flawlessly recorded – speak for themselves.

Concert Film: “P!nk: All I Know So Far” — A Female Performer of Uncommon Power

May 21, 2021
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For fans, this backstage concert documentary is obviously a gift. For others, it will serve as a testament to the power of a woman whose life’s work has made real world impact.

Opera Album Review: An Extremely Effective Operatic “Pasticcio” Made by Vivaldi from His Own Arias and Those by Other Composers

May 21, 2021
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Vivaldi put this opera together using, in part, arias associated with two famous singers: the “Moorish” (i.e., half-African) Vittorio Tesi and the castrato Farinelli.

Jazz Album Review: Anna Webber’s “Idiom” — Free Improvisation as Potpourri

May 20, 2021
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Descriptions of Anna Webber’s music might make it seem intimidating. It is not — her compositions are stirring, amusing, and delightful, particularly in the shell games they play with variety and coherence.

Book Interview: Bill Nowlin on the Little Label That Could — Fifty Years at Rounder Records

May 17, 2021
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For local music enthusiasts of all stripes, the hometown label was a point of pride; for musicians and fans the world over, Rounder was the go-to source for music you couldn’t readily find elsewhere.

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