Review

Music Festival Review: Big Ears 2026 — Guitars, Big Bands, and a World of Unhinged Sounds

April 2, 2026
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Over four days of listening (and walking), we found that the 13th Big Ears reaffirmed its reputation for daring curation—fostering a community of eager listeners always ready to discover something new.

Film Festival Roundup: Berlinale’s Political Palette — Red Hangars, Rose Rebels, Yellow Censorship

April 2, 2026
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This year’s Berlin International Film Festival was nothing if not political.

Film Review: “Alpha” — A Plague‑Haunted Masterpiece of Memory and Marginalization

April 2, 2026
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AIDS made us strangers in our own lives. It took our world and made it foreign, putting us in the same socio-cultural no-man’s-land where “Alpha”‘s immigrant family is struggling.

Concert Review: Opera Meets Realpolitik — “Nixon in China” Resonates Amid the BSO’s Own Power Drama

April 1, 2026
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Last Friday night, conductor Andris Nelsons and the musicians came on stage together wearing red carnations as symbols of solidarity. The applause was immediate and fervent.

Visual Art Review: “Imagined Nation” and the Unfinished Work of American Democracy

April 1, 2026
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In light of our current government, the show provides inspiration from the past, and it serves as an invaluable reminder that democracy has never been static, but ever evolving.

Jazz Album Reviews: Ella and Bennett Revisited — April Varner Rises, John Pizzarelli Holds Back

March 31, 2026
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April Varner, a rising star in this new generation of female jazz singers—which happily seems full of them—pays homage to Ella Fitzgerald; John Pizzarelli’s recording is an early entry in the no-doubt long list of tributes celebrating Tony Bennett’s 100th birthday.

Jazz Concert Review: Gerald Clayton Trio at the Regattabar — Swing with Soul and Subtlety

March 30, 2026
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The relaxed intensity of the band was apparent from the get-go.

Theater Review: In “Giant” on Broadway, John Lithgow Towers Above the Material

March 30, 2026
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The play is preachy. But John Lithgow is magnificent.

Album Reviews: Latin Flair and Jazz Fire — Edward Simon and Alfredo Rodríguez Redefine the Songbook

March 30, 2026
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Strong albums from trios led by pianists Edward Simon and Alfredo Rodríguez.

Music Commentary: Brian Wilson’s Legacy Thrives — 2026 Reissues Reviewed

March 30, 2026
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Though Brian Wilson has left us, his enormous musical legacy lives on through a growing series of posthumous CD and vinyl reissues and books.

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