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Book Review: Biographies of Lou Reed and Warren Zevon — Satisfying Lives of Singular Talents

November 15, 2019
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Two recent biographies take very different approaches as they revel in the wild lives and examine the distinctive songs of two of rock music’s most enigmatic figures: Lou Reed and Warren Zevon.

Jazz Album Review: Karl Berger and Jason Kao Hwang “Conjure” Freely

November 15, 2019
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These are two practiced masters at free improvisation. I am confident that many listeners will find them as intriguing and accomplished as I do.

Concert Review: Boston Symphony Orchestra plays Jolas, Ravel, and Shostakovich

November 14, 2019
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In the right hands, Shostakovich’s Twelfth can come off as nothing less than an intriguing, lively symphonic essay.

Jazz Albums Review: The ‘Season’ of Newvelle Muri — Adventurous, Sure-Footed, and Strikingly Lyrical

November 14, 2019
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The sound on these discs couldn’t be more clear or precise; the music is low-key, thoughtful, and resolutely melodious.

Author Interview: Pulitzer Prize Winner David W. Blight — Speaking of Frederick Douglass in the Witch City

November 13, 2019
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“You can read Frederick Douglass forever and still just encounter new things, new ideas, new passages, new phrases. He’s that kind of writer. It’s like reading Emerson or even Shakespeare.”

Opera Album Review: Muslims vs. Christians in 10th-Century Spain, Portrayed in an 1881 Gounod Opera (World-Premiere Recording)

November 13, 2019
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Gounod was no mere purveyor of gentle sentiments. This 1881 opera, superbly performed, shows plenty of drama and grit.

Music Commentary: The Black Crowes — Redux?

November 13, 2019
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When have the Robinsons ever done what was expected on them? And when have they ever really cared?

Concert Review: Puddles Pity Party — It’s His Party, and He Will Cry If He Wants To

November 12, 2019
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An exhilarating and entertaining evening with Puddles, a most personable and unique clown.

Concert Review: “The Last Waltz 40 Tour” — The Best Approximation Possible

November 12, 2019
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To hear a 13-piece ensemble of this caliber, doing justice to these great songs, was simply hard to beat.

Theater Review: The Sci-Fi of “X” — Revelation Through Disintegration

November 12, 2019
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Part cautionary tale about the fate of the earth, part homage to Samuel Beckett, part theatrical metaphor for dementia, X is a harrowing exploration of the human psyche.

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