“Her work was, and is, raw to the point of scariness, accessing such dark materials as her father’s suicide, incest, and the violation of children. But what Finley’s pieces are not, of course, is erotic.”
Category: people
Jazz Harmonica Player Toots Thielemans, 94
“That Mr. Thielemans, who performed with greats like Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman and Charlie Parker, played jazz on the harmonica was unusual enough. Even more unusual was how he first gained widespread international attention: by playing guitar and whistling in unison.”
When You’re Famous Enough To Get Siri To Pronounce Your Name Correctly
Barbra Streisand: “And so what did I do? I called the head of Apple, Tim Cook, and he delightfully agreed to have Siri change the pronunciation of my name, finally, with the next update.”
This Jazz Pianist And Composer Took Her Mentor’s Style And Made It Her Own
“Connie Crothers, a jazz pianist who carried the mantle of her famous mentor, Lennie Tristano, but built her own identity as an inventive composer, improviser and instructor, died on Aug. 13 in Manhattan. She was 75. … In all her work, from billowy solo piano to sharp ensemble playing, melody was her main concern.”
What Happens When You Get A Breakout Role After Years (And Years) Of Work
“People are always trying to figure out how they know me. I think, for the first time, people are starting to say ‘That’s Sterling K. Brown,’ which is cool, which is uncharted territory for your boy. It’s nice to be called by your name when you’re not in character.”
Daniel Barenboim, Fanatic
“Barenboim still boils over with plans. He wants to tackle the gulf between a class of musicians who are technically skilled but ignorant of their society, and a wider society that can’t understand classical music. This autumn his Barenboim-Said Academy in Berlin begins teaching a degree course in music, coupled with twice-weekly philosophy lessons. He is also looking for a primary school in Germany to follow a programme of music education set by him and the Berlin Staatskapelle.”
Saratoga Performing Arts Center Names New CEO
“Elizabeth Sobol, formerly president and CEO of Universal Music Classics and managing director of IMG Artists in North/South America, has been named the new president and CEO of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center … [which] has been the summer home of the New York City Ballet and Philadelphia Orchestra since it opened in 1966.”
Will Thomas Mann’s House In LA Be Torn Down?
“Perhaps the juggernaut of the real-estate market is destined to roll over the Mann house as it has over many other notable places. Worse things will have happened in the world. But for anyone who loves Mann’s work, or who cherishes the story of émigré culture in Los Angeles, it would be a crushing outcome.”
Jazz Vibraphone Great Bobby Hutcherson, 75
“Hutcherson’s career took flight in the early 1960s, as jazz was slipping free of the complex harmonic and rhythmic designs of bebop. He was fluent in that language, but he was also one of the first to adapt his instrument to a freer postbop language, often playing chords with a pair of mallets in each hand.”
One Of America’s Top Oboists Lost Control Of His Fingers. This Is How He Fought And Won His Job Back
“The insidious thing was that when he was away from the oboe, his fingers worked just fine. It was only when he performed that his fingers got confused and stiffened. Practicing longer and harder only made the task-specific disorder worse.”