Category Archives: Music
A Late Quartet — a Review
It’s not often that I see a movie on subject matter that I think I know something about. But A Late Quartet in some respects touches very close to home. The story is about a famous string quartet struggling to … Continue reading
Chronicles: Volume 1 — Bob Dylan
Contrary to implications from the title, and also to the customary method of presenting biography, Bob Dylan’s book Chronicles: Volume 1 is not a traditional “Born on a mountaintop in …” chronologically-told tale. We learn bits of the back story … Continue reading
Keith Richards and Eric Clapton Autobiographies
In January 2011 I read Life by Keith Richards. In April I followed that with Eric Clapton’s earlier book: Clapton: The Autobiography. It was inevitable that readers who read both will see comparisons between these two icons of rock and … Continue reading
Posted in Arts, Music, Re: Views
Tagged CharlieWatts, Eric Clapton, KeithRichards, Mick Jagger, Rolling Stone
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Fry Street Quartet, Southern Theater
On Saturday night we had the pleasure of attending a concert by the Fry Street String Quartet at the Southern Theater in downtown Columbus, which we had not yet visited in our three-plus years of living in Ohio. The Southern … Continue reading
Soft Pedal vs. Soft Peddle
Once I used the phrase soft pedal in e-mail to an erudite friend, in a form like this: “I intend to soft pedal my idea so as not to stir up controversy and resistance.” The friend corrected me, claiming that … Continue reading
Keith Jarrett — Paris / London: Testament
Music reviews are typically descriptive, but because words never adequately describe music, I rarely review music recordings. Nonetheless, for Keith Jarrett’s 2008 album Paris / London: Testament I’ve made this exception. But first some background … People who know me … Continue reading
Posted in Arts, Music, Re: Views
Tagged Charles Lloyd, Keith Jarrett
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The Creative Habit — Twyla Tharp
As a sometime composer and writer, I have always been fascinated by listening to creative people of all types discuss their work, especially how they go about doing it. Therefore, when I recently bumped up against the title The Creative … Continue reading
Posted in Arts, Legacy, Music, Re: Views
Tagged The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life, Twyla Tharp
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Elliott Carter at One Hundred
On December 8, 2008 Elliott Carter celebrated his one-hundredth birthday, in good health and spirits. He still works several hours and goes for walks daily. This milestone was observed along with a flurry of accolades and honorary concerts, including a … Continue reading
Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman — Arizona Opera
Last night was the first time in 62 years of musical life that I ever attended a live production of a Wagner opera. At that rate I’ll be 124 before I see my next one. I can wait. The event … Continue reading
Music As Wallpaper
Music today has become like wallpaper — part of the ambience. Hardly anyone ever just listens to it any more, unless it’s to get up and dance. As a child I became accumstomed to simply listening to music, allowing it … Continue reading
Posted in Arts, Legacy, Music, Opinions, Thoughts
Tagged Classical music, Radio, Sixteen Tons
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Handel’s Semele — Arizona Opera Company
On January 30th Suzy and I attended the Arizona Opera Company’s performance of Semele by Handel. Some musicologists classify it as a “secular oratorio” rather than an opera, but all presentations of it I’ve found listed by Google have been … Continue reading
Downtown Chamber Players Concert Review
Friday night Suzy and I attended an all contemporary chamber music concert. (Contemporary if you count Ysaÿe.) It’s been a long time since I did that. The venue was a huge space in downtown Phoenix called The Ice House, which … Continue reading
Posted in Arts, Legacy, Music, Re: Views
Tagged Elliott Carter, Steve Reich
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Job Interviews Are Like Auditions
Recently I have been looking for work once again, and in so doing have had to make myself available for job interviews, the humiliating grilling in which a person is expected to lay his life’s work experience on the line … Continue reading
Chopin on the Banjo
You haven’t lived until you’ve heard Bela Fleck playing a Chopin Etude on the banjo. If you were to listen to it while falling over a cliff while running from a bear in Alaska, your life would be complete (and … Continue reading
Posted in Arts, Humor, Music, Squibblings, Thoughts
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Where’s the Beef?
Some time ago I learned that Billy Joel has been busy composing “classical music.” What this term means to composers of popular music is generally something quite different from what it means to modern, mainstream, “serious” composers. To most pop … Continue reading
Posted in Arts, Legacy, Music, Re: Views
Tagged Billy Joel, Frank Zappa, Paul McCartney, Randy Newman
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