The rise of bebop led to trios and quartets replacing the 15-to-20-member orchestras of Ellington, Basie, etc. as the dominant ensembles in jazz. Economics keep it that way; big bands don't usually get a bigger fee than small ones. But a few intrepid bandleaders are keeping the flame alive. - The Guardian
Early in December, the Art In Public Places Commission narrowed dozens of submissions to just three and posted them online with a call for feedback. They got what they asked for — just maybe not what they expected. - Baltimore Banner
The €5 charge won't even cover the cost of administering it, let alone discourage or limit wear-and-tear from too much foot traffic. Anna Somers Cocks argues that it should cost at least as much to enter Venice as it does to go to the Uffizi Gallery (€25). - The Art Newspaper
The bans and the battles over them, writes Laura Miller, might achieve the goal of their wealthy conservative backers (destroy citizens' faith in public schools and libraries so they can be privatized), but they won't, and can't, keep kids from learning about the subject matter. - Slate
He and his brother Gregory formed a highly successful tap duo (and played a similar duo in Coppola's film The Cotton Club) before starting separate careers in the '70s. Among Maurice's many achievements were two productions, in 1986 and 2006, which he conceived, choreographed, directed and starred in. - The Hollywood Reporter
Just a year after the expiration of copyright on another extremely cute character was swiftly followed by Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, the passage into the public domain of the oldest version of Disney's cheerful rodent was marked by the trailer for the upcoming horror flick Mickey's Mouse Trap. - BBC
"The Austrian government said Saturday that it is giving the country’s centuries-old Vienna Boys Choir 800,000 euros ($884,000) to help it out of severe financial difficulties. … The choir had been struggling with rising costs due to inflation and a lack of income (due to the) pandemic." - AP
"Nussbaum’s films included Men in Black and Field of Dreams, but his primary business was being a Chicago stage actor. His credits were legion and spanned decades" — and his repertory spanned centuries, from Shakespeare to Mamet, who wrote for Nussbaum a new 15-minute two-hander just 18 months ago. - Chicago Tribune (MSN)
"For the most part, though, being a theater critic has been an extraordinary privilege. How many people have the opportunity to be transported by an actor’s performance or a playwright’s words or a composer’s music, and then be able to do something about it?" - The Washington Post (MSN)
That’s right: in Orange County, Florida, students currently can’t read three Tony Award winners for Best Play, as well as a major work by a Pulitzer prize-winner, let alone a collection of plays by one of the earliest major dramatists in world history. - Howard Sherman
They will remain rich and powerful, and they will continue to have many bright and competent people working within their ambit. And yet their authority will grow more brittle and their appeal more sectarian. - Compact Magazine
It is worth remembering the vast majority of what we call free-speech issues have little basis in the First Amendment, which only forbids the abridgment of speech by the government, not private organizations like magazines, cultural centers, or Hollywood production companies. - New York Magazine
Harvard, the faculty members said, should abandon its practice of taking official positions on political or social issues, as it did during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests and, more controversially, in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. - Boston Globe (MSN)
The Americas dominate this year's list, with three buildings in New York, two each in Vancouver and Sao Paulo and one in Mexico City. The other two come from the Asia-Pacific region, with one in Shenzhen and the other in Sydney. - Dezeen
