Music
The real magic of the 2023 Newport Folk Festival didn’t arrive via high-wattage cameos but by way of the quality and quantity of collaborations from its homegrown community of musicians — as well as the cultural diversity of its lineup.
Taking both of these new releases together should satisfy the ‘bones jones of just about any jazz fan.
Move over, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, and Bartók: the pantheon of great Third Piano Concertos is growing.
This new recording of Charles Villiers Stanford’s”Requiem” by Martyn Brabbins, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO), and the University of Birmingham Voices, is beautiful and often memorable.
Alan Paul’s meticulous, in-depth research lays out many of the pieces needed to help the reader think more deeply about this era.
An album that does admirable justice to one of the most prolific, significant, and increasingly long-lived composers of a remarkable generation.
The guitarist led his razor-sharp band through two sets steeped in bluegrass that, at any given moment, could erupt into psychedelic jams, old-school country, metallic thrashing, or jazzy forays.
Randall Goosby’s sophomore album proves that the violinist is the real deal.
In this splendid album, pianist Kristin Ditlow shares her love of the piano in melody-drenched works from many lands and peoples.
What makes “Ode to Hip-Hop” such a worthy addition to the Rap Book Library is that it makes room for the contributions and trailblazing importance of artists who have been overlooked. Specifically, artists who aren’t straight men.
Arts Commentary: In Memoriam, Michael Tilson Thomas (1944-2026)