Not Who We Were
You know, continuing the thought from last post, my generation of composers (Downtowners at least) was the “no guilty pleasures” generation. … read more
AJBlog: PostClassic Published 2015-12-21
Motley & Oller (Part I): Whitney & Brooklyn Museums Embrace Black & Latino Cultural Forebears
Notwithstanding the latest spike of interest in diversifying museums’ displays and personnel, the problem of stimulating greater inclusiveness is nothing new: It has been a source of periodic discussion and sporadic action for decades. … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2015-12-21
John Lewis For Christmas
As promised in early December, the Rifftides staff will not load these pages with jazz takes on Christmas music, traditional or otherwise. We noted that there would be exceptions. Today’s exception is “England’s Carol,” … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2015-12-20
Misreading
Please don’t read this unless you read me regularly. I had gotten my blog readership down to about 150, 200 hits a day, and the commenters are almost all regulars, and I’m comfortable with that, … read more
AJBlog: PostClassic Published 2015-12-20
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Author: Matthew Westphal
Streaming TV Isn’t Just A New Way To Watch, It’s A New Genre
James Poniewozik: “At some point during Netflix’s Sense8 … I had to ask myself: What am I watching? I didn’t mean that the way I usually do when reviewing a baffling show. I meant what, in a definitional sense, was this maximalist, supersized, latticework story? A mini-series? A megamovie? To put it another way: Is Netflix TV?”
Mansplaining ‘Lolita’: What Happened When Rebecca Solnit Had At Esquire’s Books-Every-Man-Should-Read List
“I was arguing not that everyone should read books by ladies … but that maybe the whole point of reading is to be able to explore … and experience being others. Saying this upset some men. Many among that curious gender are easy to upset, and when they are upset they don’t know it (see: privelobliviousness). They just think you’re wrong and sometimes also evil.”
”What Would It Be Like To Have Sex With Raffi?’ Flashed Through My Mind’
“A tremendous volt of electricity went through my body, and my body said yes. In effect, it said, Yes, Sheila, you are a pervert.” Sheila Heti talks with the world’s most famous children’s singer about his life, his approach to music, and his relationship to his fans, children and grown-up.
Actually, Suicides Don’t Spike Around the Holidays
“According to the most recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the suicide rate is at its lowest in December. And studies dating back to the 1980s and conducted across the globe have … [found] again and again that Christmas is associated with a decrease in suicide.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 12.17.15
Broad Expectations: Exceeded
The other day the Broad Museum announced attendance since its opening on Sept. 20: it admitted 177,264 visitors in its first 12 weeks; by the end of this month, it expects more than … read more
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts Published 2015-12-17
$3.75m Cash Severance: Patrick McClymont, Sotheby’s CFO, Steps Down Suddenly
In the latest Sotheby’s shocker, the auction house has just announced that its chief financial officer, Patrick McClymont, is precipitously stepping down. He will resign, effective Dec. 31, to pursue the proverbial “other opportunities.” … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2015-12-17
Herman And Hefti, “Let It Snow”
“The birdbath looks like a coconut cake,” my wife said. In addition to beauty, the sight offered two benefits. 1. It was a reliable indicator of how much snow we had last night on the … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2015-12-17
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For Pregnant Performers, The Procreate Project
“The Procreate Project has been developed by Dyana Gravina, who … aims to bring pregnant artists and mothers within the arts together to collaborate. Procreate will also give them advice and support in mounting new productions. The first production through the project, called Foetus, ran earlier this year at Rich Mix in London.”
Making Ice Dance Artistic, And Even Cool
So the Winter Olympics have convinced you of skating’s potential, but Disney on Ice just isn’t for you? For his company Imperial Ice Stars, producer Tony Mercer takes skilled Russian champions, trains them in character acting and mime, and staged skated adaptations of classic ballets; Canada’s Le Patin Libre takes the contemporary dance approach, exploring shape, flow and composition in non-narrative works.
Merriam-Webster’s Word Of The Year Isn’t A Word, Either
The folks at the OED chose an emoji; their Stateside counterparts went for – a suffix.
The Sounds Of Silence: John Cage, The Nature Of Noise, And The Intent To Hear
“Since there could be no such thing as the absence of sound for a living, breathing human being with a pulse, what then could silence be? It was a matter of intent, Cage decided: The essential meaning of silence is the giving up of intention. Silence is not acoustic. It is a change of mind. … Does listening to random sounds we do not intend to hear – the drone of an airplane engine, a dripping faucet, the roar of a bus pulling away from a stop – constitute the experience of silence? Or does silence end the moment sounds actually impose themselves on our consciousness?”