Music and Poetry
Making the “voice of the people” heard again: 70 years of Topic Records
By Paul Bond, November 10, 2009
The British folk music record label Topic has recently published a 7-CD and book set, Three Score and Ten: A Voice to the People, to mark its 70th anniversary.
Music Review: The Monsters of Folk
By C.W. Rogers, November 6, 2009
The Monsters of Folk is a collaborative “supergroup” composed of Conner Oberst and multi-instrumentalist-producer Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, and singer-songwriter M...
Obituary
Les Paul: A legacy of ground-breaking musical invention
By Tony Cornwell, August 19, 2009
As well as being a beautiful player who never sacrificed musical ideas for flashy displays of technique, Les Paul was responsible for key advances in musical recording techniques.
Gurrumul: an evocative and unique musical contribution
By Tony Cornwell, August 7, 2009
The most remarkable feature of Gurrumul, the recent first album by Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, is this blind Australian indigenous singer’s extraordinary voice.
New York City Opera threatened by economic crisis
By Fred Mazelis, July 9, 2009
The crisis facing the New York City Opera says a great deal about the current state of so-called “high” culture, those sections of the performing arts that are not always or even mostly profitable...
The Michael Jackson memorial: A mostly tawdry affair
By David Walsh, July 8, 2009
A collection of performers, preachers and politicians entertained or addressed a crowd of some 20,000 people in the Staples Center for slightly more than two hours.
PJ Harvey and John Parish in concert
By Hiram Lee, June 26, 2009
PJ Harvey and John Parish recently gave a remarkable performance in Covington, Kentucky, while touring in support of their new album A Woman a Man Walked By.
A tribute to James Yancey: Volumes 5 and 6 of Madlib’s Beat Konducta series
By Hiram Lee, May 12, 2009
Hip hop musician Madlib pays tribute to fellow hip hop producer James Yancey, who passed away in 2006.
Renowned pianist Krystian Zimerman protests US militarism during concert
By Hiram Lee, May 11, 2009
Pianist Krystian Zimerman spoke out against US military activity in Poland and the Middle East during an April concert in Los Angeles.
“Shutting Detroit Down”: Country singer John Rich sings about the crisis, but also spreads confusion
By Hiram Lee, April 22, 2009
Country singer John Rich’s populist song “Shutting Down Detroit” takes on the Wall Street bailouts, mass layoffs and home foreclosures. At the same time, he hangs out in right-wing circles.
Akhnaten by Philip Glass, performed by the Atlanta Opera
By Kenny Crucial, February 3, 2009
Philip Glass ventured to the Emory University campus for a performance of his opera Akhnaten and to receive an award from the university. Glass was honored for both his musical output and his contribu...
Anita O’Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer: Documentary on famed vocalist
By David Walsh and John Andrews, January 27, 2009
Robert Cavolina and Ian McCrudden’s documentary Anita O’Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer, about singer Anita O’Day, whose career spanned more than 50 years, presents a picture of an extraordinary ...
