Bix Beiderbecke was a seminal figure in jazz. This week is the 100th anniversary of his birthday. So “where are the sort of commemorative CD reissue series that celebrated Armstrong’s 100th birthday in 2001, or Duke Ellington’s in 1999? The major labels, which rarely miss an opportunity to make a quick buck off sentimentality (not to mention recordings paid for nearly 80 years ago), have apparently missed this one.”
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Adding Words – New This Year…
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, the “most widely circulated of all word books”, has “added a dozen or so new words this year, including blunt (a cigar hollowed out and filled with marijuana), booty (buttocks) and gearhead (a computer guru).”
Guard Implicates Himself In Dali Theft
A guard at New York’s Riker’s Island jail has implicated himself in the theft of a Salvador Dali sketch from the facility. “The officer told authorities Saturday’s theft was concocted as a get-rich-quick scheme, with participants hoping to cash in on the sketch by selling it on the black market for $500,000. But the painting was discovered missing far sooner than they hoped because the officers opted to keep it in its frame and put a replica sketched by one of the guards back with another frame.”
The New Classical Music?
“Alongside the traditional classical realm of Beethoven, Brahms and Mozart, another scene is asserting itself – one in which unconventional repertoire is embraced, new music by living composers is emphasized and being engaged with the cultural present is a priority. This scene isn’t entirely new. But it is deriving renewed energy from artists in their 20s and 30s who grew up listening to the British rock band Radiohead as well as Ravel. And the new sounds are attracting young audiences to a musical genre whose health seems forever at risk.”
Declaration Of Dependence
Much of the history of the world has been the story of struggle against the powers that be, a fight for independence. But artists can no longer delude themselves into thinking they are independent – at least not if they want to be successful. “She and he calculate, measure and double-guess their art’s compatibility with the rigid rules of the distribution of art, which dictate that art should be packaged in novelty and product-recognition or name-recognition, regardless of the esthetics or ideology represented in it…”
The Price Is Right? Wrong? Who Knows
The price of something rarely has to do with how much it costs to make it. Setting prices is a complicated psychological game. “Anyone who sells anything knows that price is the pivot of business, the ultimate leverage. If you can raise prices – even a bit – you can increase profits dramatically. If you can’t raise prices, you feel like your business is struggling, regardless of what is happening with cost, quality, or service. Meanwhile, anyone who buys anything knows that almost nothing has a single price anymore. Want to know the price of something? Well, you get back a series of questions: Who are you? How long have you been a customer? How much are you buying? How good are you at unblinking negotiation? Did you bring your frequent-shopper card?”
Broadway Strike – Silence On The Negotiating Front
Broadway’s musicians strike headed into Sunday night without any negotiations or progress. ” ‘They handed us a proposal – typed very clearly at the top ‘final proposal’ – and left the building. There have been no talks since then.’ Outside the theaters, the strike scene is becoming increasingly familiar. Musicians picketed and passed out leaflets urging people to “save live music on Broadway,” while disappointed theatergoers exchanged tickets for later dates or refunds. Stagehands and performers were honoring the picket lines.
Study: TV Violence For Kids Makes Them Aggressive Adults
A new study reports that “boys and girls who watch a lot of violence on television have a heightened risk of aggressive adult behavior including spouse abuse and criminal offenses, no matter how they act in childhood.”
A Film Fest With Buzz
“This week they’re celebrating the 10th anniversary of the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival, a nine-day event that started off as a mere offshoot of the longer-running SXSW Music Festival, but that has quietly proven itself as a must-do stop on the film circuit. SXSW Film now has more genuine buzz behind it than Robert Redford’s Sundance Film Festival, which a decade ago was a lot like SXSW is today (a cautionary note, perhaps).”
The Netherlands of Arts Funding
Dutch government spending on the arts is impressive. “The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science’s staggering $21 billion budget is the largest of any Dutch government agency. Adjusted to population size, it’s roughly equivalent to the military budget of the United States. The culture ministry spends $400 million a year directly on the arts — about $25 for every Dutch citizen. But the free ride may be ending. Recent policy dictates that “artists must be supported, equipped and stimulated to stir up their spirit of enterprise,” and institutions must now meet minimum targets for raising private revenues, or risk losing subsidies.”