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Book Review: “This Isn’t Happening: Radiohead’s “Kid A”” — An Enduring Soundtrack for our Malaise

December 24, 2020
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Steven Hyden’s ,/em>This Isn’t Happening, a book-length appreciation of Radiohead and Kid A is one of the best books I read all year.

Short Fuse Podcast #35: An Interview with Dancer and Critic Merli V. Guerra

December 24, 2020
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Host Deanna Costa interviews Arts Fuse contributor Merli V. Guerra, a multifaceted dancer as well as a writer..

Theater Review: The Christmas Revels 2020 — A Delightfully Virtual Revelation

December 23, 2020
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A 50th anniversary is a wonderful milestone, and I congratulate the Revels for looking back and huzzahing the occasion as they have.

Jazz Album Reviews: Ellis Marsalis and Monty Alexander — Lovers of Vinyl Rejoice

December 23, 2020
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This set proves Monty Alexander a more varied pianist than one might have thought. The Ellis Marsalis album is a final gift from one of America’s treasures.

Arts Feature: Best Classical Recordings of 2020

December 22, 2020
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The pandemic may have largely shut down live musical performances for 2020, but the recording industry remained alive and very active these past twelve months.

Book Review: “This Is Bop” — A Biography of Jon Hendricks, Master of Vocalese

December 22, 2020
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This biography provides a solid look at Jon Hendricks’s life and career; a well-rounded picture that is neither a hagiography nor a hatchet job.

Classical CD Reviews: Listening During COVID, Part 3 –From Boston with Love (Performances of Haydn, Dello Joio, and Virgil Thomson).

December 22, 2020
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Two new recordings and one much-welcome re-release contain first-rate performances of Haydn’s 1798 “Lord Nelson” Mass, Dello Joio’s opera about Joan of Arc, and Virgil Thomson’s astonishing musical portraits of Alice B. Toklas, Picasso, and others.

Arts Feature: Best Movies (With Some Disappointments) of 2020

December 21, 2020
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Our demanding critics choose the best films (along with some disappointments) of the year.

Book Review: Colum McCann’s “Apeirogon” — Showing a Path Forward

December 21, 2020
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Although some of Apeirogon is painful, this novel can inspire you to think differently and even to act, which is surely welcome after this horrible year in which we have all felt so helpless.

Rock Feature: Boston’s Salem 66 — Ripe for Rediscovery

December 21, 2020
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Could there be a Salem 66 reissue campaign on the horizon? Hope springs eternal for fans of the predominantly female quartet.

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