What if you took canonical Western works and reimagined them from an African perspective?
Music
Arts Commentary: “Counterculture in Boston 1968 – 1980s” — High and Heady Days
About the post-Reagan era, Boston Phoenix and Boston After Dark editor, Arnie Reisman, observes: “Everything went to sleep, and while we were sleeping, the Republican Party grew six more heads.”
Music Feature: Childsplay — The Last Waltz
Childsplay, the celebrated flash-band of fiddlers who have come together around the holidays for more than 30 years, is calling it quits.
Classical CD Review: Hungarian Composer Ernő Dohnányi — Love at First Listen
This is a gem of a recording, a wonderful introduction to this often overlooked Hungarian composer.
Music Review: New Hip-Hop Singles of October 2019
It has been a busy month for R&B and Rap — with tantalizing singles from Danny Brown, Gang Starr, and Frank Ocean.
Jazz CD Review: Nat King Cole Hittin’ the Ramp — The Early Years (1936-1943)
To hear Nat King Cole move from an anonymous member of a backing chorus to a world-class vocal soloist is well worth the time this boxed set demands.
Theater Review: “Triptych (Eyes of One on Another)” — Distanced Beauty?
TRIPTYCH (Eyes of One on Another) serves up a cool emotional package.
Rock Concert Review: The National in Boston — Highly Engaged
No one would classify the National as “arena rock,” but Matt Berninger and the group proved at Agganis that they’re quite capable of filling an arena and then putting on a show worthy of the space.
Concert Review: Skylark’s Rachmaninoff’s Vespers a.k.a. All-Night Vigil — A Beautiful Benediction
Skylark continues to impress me with its distinctly beautiful sound, its dazzling control over dynamics and intonation, and its unusually compelling programming.
Opera Feature: MassOpera’s “Freedom Ride” — An Operatic Conversation on Civil Rights, Past and Present
There can be little doubt that the urgency of the opera’s message about equality is as relevant as ever.
