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Arts Remembrance: Krzysztof Penderecki (1933-2020) and Christopher Rouse (1949-2019)

April 5, 2020
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Many of the qualities that mark Penderecki’s best work – exquisite technique, an innate feel for rhythmic athleticism, an ear for dazzling colors and theatrical gestures, an impeccable sense of musical structure, and the affinity for emotional immediacy – are also hallmarks of Rouse’s.

Book Review: “Shakespeare in a Divided America” — Illuminating the Bard’s Influence on Our History

April 5, 2020
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Shakespeare’s role in American history is not immediately apparent — at least it wasn’t to me. Part of the considerable pleasure of reading this book is seeing how James Shapiro draws the connections.

Jazz CD Reviews: Lakecia Benjamin & Dave Liebman Group — Rejuvenating the Past

April 5, 2020
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I’d have to give the edge to Dave Liebman in terms of innovative creative reach. But Lakecia Benjamin more than holds her own in how she gives re-vitalizing attention to some very important musical roots.

Music Review: Childish Gambino’s “3.15.20” — The Best (And Worst) of Both Worlds

April 4, 2020
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Childish Gambino is hamstrung by ambition, but 3.15.20 still contains a bevy of enjoyable songs, including one or two tracks that brush against brilliance.

Book Review: “August” — A Rewarding Curiosity in the Ordinary

April 4, 2020
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August is funny in a way — over time its small scale rhythms and monosyllabic reactions generate a comforting beauty that settles in.

Television Review: “The Virtues” — The Twisted Path to Redemption

April 4, 2020
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The pace of this superb mini-series is keyed to generating intimacy with the characters and their struggles.

Arts Remembrance: The Three Funkiest Handclaps in Music History — An Appreciation of Bill Withers

April 3, 2020
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When I think of Bill Withers I think of just three handclaps. It’s my favorite example in his music, or just about anyone else’s, of the power of restraint — not slamming and flailing about to shift a groove into overdrive.

Short Fuse Podcast #26 — Live Music and Talk with Student Musicians Aaron Halford and Matty Michna

April 3, 2020
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Musicians Aaron Halford and Matty Michna describe their journeys to Boston and ponders their futures beyond The Hub.

Television Review: “Tiger King” — King of the American Jungle

April 3, 2020
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What’s so appealing about Tiger King? Perhaps it is that the lurid goings-on are so distinctively American.

Music Review: Bob Dylan’s “Murder Most Foul”

April 2, 2020
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Bob Dylan’s new song not only articulates the madness that undermines the American experience, but supplies a certain kind of corrective, a tonic, for that kind of insanity.

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