Each month, our arts critics — music, book, theater, dance, and visual arts — fire off a few brief reviews.
Allen Michie
Arts Reconsideration: The 1971 Project — Celebrating a Great Year in Music (April Entry)
Arts Fuse writers continue their countdown of great music celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and the list includes Marvin Gaye, Link Wray, David Bowie, Jean Knight, and The Rolling Stones.
Jazz Album Review: Big Bands, Ian Charleton and Schapiro17
Two big bands, two different sides of the tradition.
Arts Reconsideration: The 1971 Project — Celebrating a Great Year in Music (March Entry)
Here’s yet one more fantastic thing about it no longer being 2020: it’s now the 50th anniversary of the excellent music that premiered in 1971.
Jazz Special Feature: Chick Corea (1941-2021) — Memories and Impressions
Fuse critics pay homage to Chick Corea performances and recordings that they found memorable.
World Music Album Review: Michael Wimberly’s “Afrofuturism” — Journeying Forward Through Diversity
We need more recordings like this. This is a diverse and imaginative album that draws on a wide range of influences: rap, old-school funk, Afropop, traditional West African music, and R&B jam sessions.
Book Review: Anahid Nersessian’s “Keats’s Odes: A Lover’s Discourse” — More like a Quarrel
Anahid Nersessian claims that her book is a kind of love story between her and Keats’ odes. But it turns out we have to take her word for that. Too often this study comes off like an acrimonious couple’s counseling session.
Arts Feature: Significant Jazz Experiences, 2020
The magazine’s jazz critics look back over the past year and highlight their favorites — performances, recordings, and books.
Jazz Album Review: The Yellowjackets Celebrate Turning 40 — With a Big Band
Now that ¾ of the Yellowjackets are eligible for Social Security, the emphasis is more on confirming a legacy of creative compositions and expanding their art of arranging with a broader range of colors.
World Music CD Reviews: Percussionist Julian Gerstin and Guitarist Todd Mosby Go Their Own Way
These superb CDs, from musicians who are doing it their own way, on their own labels, celebrate the realms below and above us: the sea and the sky.