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Book Review: “Great Demon Kings” — A Comet Circling Gas Giants

July 30, 2020
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John Giorno was in the vanguard of what later became the herd: Ginsberg, Kerouac, Warhol, Buddhism, Burroughs, enlightenment, spiritual quests to India, unfettered sex, wild poetry, new technology, experimental forms of expression, queer politics, pot, speed, LSD —  all the household bric-a-brac of the counterculture.

Rock Album Review: Fontaines D.C.’s “A Hero’s Death” — Eyes Wide Open

July 29, 2020
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When in doubt, lean towards letting the world in, advises Fontaines D.C.. It’s scary. In fact, you will probably be terrified most of the time. But do it anyway. With eyes open.

Jazz Album Review: Quinsin Nachoff’s “Pivotal Arc” — Rhythmic Vitality Galore

July 29, 2020
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This is demanding contemporary music that succeeds at the trick of pulling you in — and makes you glad to be there.

Jazz Commentary: Ornette Coleman — An Outsider Cracks the Egg

July 28, 2020
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The final, ineluctable quality that Ornette Coleman brought to the table was that he had an individual “voice,” which is the sine qua non and preeminent ethos in jazz.

Film Review: More Movies to Watch While Sheltering in Place — It’s Stir-Crazy 7

July 28, 2020
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Five more feature films of great interest and their links, carefully chosen to get you through the continuing travails of the coronavirus.

Classical CD Reviews: Michael Tilson Thomas’ “From the Diary of Anne Frank,” Nielsen Symphonies nos. 1 & 2, and Arabella Steinbacher’s “Four Seasons”

July 27, 2020
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This San Francisco Symphony release proves to be a fitting send-off for music director Michael Tilson Thomas; there’s much to admire in the Seattle Symphony’s playing of Carl Nielsen’s first two symphonies; fiery energy from both violinist Arabella Steinbacher and the excellent Münchener Kammerorchester make their new disk a gem.

Pop Album Review: Oliver Tree’s “Ugly Is Beautiful” — Embracing Our Inner Kookiness

July 27, 2020
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Though it’s inconsistent, Oliver Tree ‘s debut album offers an ample display of songwriting acumen along with his determined eccentricities.

Book Review: “Lake of Urine: A Love Story” — Breaking Established Reality

July 27, 2020
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It’s hard to critique a novel that flies under such a resplendent banner, a wholesale rejection of the dead and decaying world of trends and war and meaninglessness.

Book Review: Ornette Coleman –The Life of a Jazz Visionary

July 27, 2020
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“Ornette was looking for those notes, the ones that feel no pain.”

Jazz Album Review: Following the Lessons of the Master, “Thumbscrew – The Anthony Braxton Project”

July 27, 2020
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The album’s set of pieces not only revels in the spirited formal experimentation of the great musician’s music, but its expressive urgency as well.

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