Music

Book Review: “Remain in Love” — The Story of the Talking Heads, Told with Charm

October 13, 2020
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With the beguiling Remain in Love, Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz puts a refreshing spin on a familiar genre.

Rock Album Review: Blue Öyster Cult — Still Defying Norms

October 12, 2020
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The record celebrates everything that has made Blue Öyster Cult such an enduring presence — yet it sounds totally in the moment.

Book Review: Kathy Valentine — Life Before and After the Go-Go’s

October 9, 2020
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In this satisfying memoir, Go-Go’s bassist and quintessential rock chick Kathy Valentine shares her experiences as a member of the most successful all-girl rock band of all time.

Rap Album Review: Action Bronson — The World’s Rapper?

October 8, 2020
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In Only For Dolphins, Bronson serves up his usual brand of excessive escapism, but it is offset by just enough emotional depth to suggest that he is maturing as a person and an artist.

Arts Remembrance: Eddie Van Halen

October 7, 2020
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Not since Jimi Hendrix had there been such a game-changer for the electric six-string.

Pop Album Review: A.G. Cook’s “Apple” — Half-Baked

October 6, 2020
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A.G. Cook’s undeniable talent shines through in spots, but the record suggests that the celebrated producer has a ways to go before stepping into his own as a solo artist.

Jazz Album and Concert Review: The Sylvie Courvoisier Trio — A Tight-Knit and Adventuresome Threesome

October 5, 2020
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Serious but not somber would be a succinct way to describe this trio’s work as heard on disc and in a powerful recent live performance.

Jazz Commentary: Louis Armstrong as Negotiator

October 2, 2020
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Throughout much of his career, Louis Armstrong negotiated a balance between being a “popular” artist and a jazz artist.

Opera Album Review: Offenbach in a Spanish Mood, in a Top-notch First Recording

October 1, 2020
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Bravo to the Bru Zane folks for this latest triumph! I encourage opera lovers to get to know this treasurable Spanish (or faux-Spanish) work by the pioneering master of nineteenth-century operetta.

Book Review: “Heart Full of Rhythm: The Big Band Years of Louis Armstrong” — The King of All Kings

September 30, 2020
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He may be extreme as a polemicist, but Ricky Riccardi shines when he sticks to jazz’s history. 

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