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The Jazz Detective Who Unearthed Legendary Baltimore Recordings

Concerts at the Famous Ballroom "were recorded, mostly for the private archives of the Left Bank and for the artists. ... Only a handful of them were released as commercial albums by record labels. But hardcore jazz fans knew the tapes were there." - NPR

The Stars Of Netflix’s ‘Beef’ Defend Their Coworker Over A Sexual Assault Story

Actor David Choe says he made up a rape story for a podcast. Beef creators and stars stated, "We’re aware David has apologized in the past for making up this horrific story, and we’ve seen him put in the work to get the mental health support he needed." - Washington Post

How One Woman Amassed A 10,000-Movie Pan-African Film Archive

When June Givanni, a Black British archivist, activist, and curator, "received the British independent film awards’ grand jury prize in 2021, the organisers said that she had 'made an extraordinary, selfless and lifelong contribution to documenting a pivotal period of film history.'" - The Guardian (UK)

Book Bans Proliferate Across The US

From July to December 2022, PEN found 1,477 cases of books being removed, up from 1,149 during the previous six months. Since the organization began tracking bans in July 2021, it has counted more than 4,000 instances of book removals. - The New York Times

The Italian Government’s War On English

Since 2000, the use of English words has shot up by 773% according to data from Italy’s Treccani dictionary. There are now around 9,000 English words printed in the latest edition. - The New European

Is Climate Change Sci-Fi Counter-Productive?

I not only worry that "cli-fi" might not be an effective form of environmental expression – I have come to believe that the genre might be actively dangerous, stunting our cultural ability to imagine a future worth living in or fighting for. - BBC

Not So Fast: Santa Fe Contemporary Art Museum Might Not Close After All

In the wake of the April 6 announcement, there has been an outpouring of support from Santa Fe community. Members of the community are rallying to reopen the doors, with plans to resume programming at the CCA Cinema on May 3 thanks to $195,000 in emergency fundraising. - Artnet

“Princess” Evicted From Rome House Containing Caravaggio

The US-born Rita Boncompagni Ludovisi was escorted out of the 16th-century Villa Aurora by police on Thursday after receiving an eviction order amid a long-running inheritance dispute with the three sons of her late husband, Nicolò, who was the property’s last owner. - The Guardian

Report: Piracy Costs Streaming Services $113 Billion

By 2027, there is a projected loss of $113 billion for streaming video providers serving U.S. customers due to content theft, according to a report from research firm Parks Associates. - Variety

A Pair Of Amateur Investigators Tracks Down Art Treasures Looted From India

"These sleuths, with the help of a small, anonymous global team of volunteers from various fields – who communicate mostly online – have brought back to India several millions worth of antiquities from countries like Australia, Singapore, Germany, UK and the US." - BBC

Has Twitter Lost Its Cultural Relevance?

Musk’s takeover of the platform has not only strained the dinner-party metaphor (a new host comes in and dominates the conversation, demanding money from you and accusing the hosts from before of being F.B.I. stooges?); it has also strained the sense of conviviality. - The New York Times

An Architect Uses Traditional Oaxacan Materials And Techniques To Create Beautiful Modern Buildings

"Juan José Santibañez has almost single-handedly revived ancient construction techniques in the area, created a market for artisanal brickmakers from miles around, and proven that genuine sustainability can be a source of pleasure, not just a grimly abstemious virtue." - Curbed

Remembering The Cultural Relevance Of Buzzfeed

 I don’t mean to sound self-aggrandizing, but it is legitimately hard to capture the cultural relevance of BuzzFeed to the media landscape of the mid-2010s, and the excitement and centrality of the organization’s approach to news. - The Atlantic

Publisher Michael Denneny, A Central Figure In Gay Literature, Has Died At 80

His Stonewall Inn Editions was the first gay imprint at a major publisher (St. Martin's Press), where "(he) released canonical titles by ... Larry Kramer, Paul Monette, Edmund White and Randy Shilts, including And the Band Played On, his bestselling 1987 chronicle of the AIDS epidemic." - MSN (The Washington Post)

Congress Considers “Tax Fairness” For Performing Artists

Experts estimate that arts workers spend between 20 and 30 percent of their income on necessary work-related expenses, including headshots and management fees. If passed, PATPA would allow workers to claim these expenses on their taxes. - Broadway News

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