Corey’s dizzying mix of mock-intellectual circumlocutions, earnest political tirades and slapstick one-liners made Corey the king of comedic confusion and earned him the nickname “professor.”
After Dark Season, Sacramento Philharmonic Makes A Comeback
Said executive director Alice Sauro. ‘Two months after we sent out renewal forms, we got 876 subscribers. By October, we had over 1,000. … We never expected the response would be so positive.”
How, In 2016, Do You Choreograph A 1940 ‘Negro Fantasy’?
Cabin in the Sky is getting revived this summer by New York’s influential Encores! series for the sake of its score by Vernon Duke. With no record of the original choreography (partly) by Balanchine, how is Camille A. Brown making dances for the show? By looking to the work of the original co-star and co-choreographer, the pioneering Katherine Dunham.
What Will It Take To Get More Musicians Of Color In American Orchestras?
“The Cincinnati Symphony was one of the first orchestras in the nation to establish a multicultural council. And groups such as the Detroit-based Sphinx Organization are working to improve opportunities by offering training, competitions and mentoring to young minority musicians.”
Did The Smithsonian Buy Fake Art From This Man?
“As alleged, Eric Spoutz created an entire world of fiction to make a profit—from the fraudulent paintings he was selling, to the phony letters and receipts for provenance,” said FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Diego Rodriguez.
Forest Whitaker Makes His Broadway Debut
“The role will be the first time in decades that Mr. Whitaker, an in-demand film and television actor who won an Oscar for his work in The Last King of Scotland, has acted in a play. It will also be the first time that a black actor has played Erie Smith on Broadway.”
What 74 Years Of New York Times Crossword Puzzles Say About The Language We Use
“The results are imperfect, since the puzzles can be tricky and there is a lot of overlap between English and foreign words. But the broad trend is clear. The puzzle today uses one-third fewer non-English clues and answers than it did at its peak in 1966, and makes two-thirds fewer international references than its peak in 1943.” (includes interactive puzzle)
What The Washington Ballet Needs In A New Director
Sarah Kaufman: “It’s difficult to imagine a new director matching Webre’s magnetism, room-brightening cheer and go-go output. But a new hire doesn’t need to. … With a strong financial position, the Washington Ballet has an opportunity to shoot for the top. It should focus on the very highest quality, not just the short-term buzz of exhilaration. Why shouldn’t it be the nation’s premier chamber-size ballet company?”
YOLA And Gustavo Dudamel Nail Their Super Bowl Appearance
“Classical music’s vaunted elitism is tissue-paper thin: The field is always almost pitiably hungry for validation from the pop world, while appearing to disdain it. But if the field is really eager to win over young audiences, this is the way to do it.”
The UK’s Funding Cuts Are Destroying Regional Museums
“A public protest on the scale of the movement fighting for the preservation of local libraries has yet to get under way. So far, the British public seem to feel less ownership of their neighbourhood museum. But anger is growing, with campaign groups springing up to protect specific gems.”
Rabindranath Tagore, In A New Translation, Is Too Sexy For China
“‘Most Chinese grew up thinking Tagore was mild and romantic, all stars, gardens and flowers,’ Mr. Feng said in a recent interview in his Beijing studio. ‘So with my translation, many people felt like their Tagore, the Tagore from their childhood textbooks, had been challenged.'”
Let’s Talk About Problems With The Jazz Solo Grammy
“The heroic stand-alone solo is an interesting lens for how jazz is popularly understood, but not necessarily how it is practiced. Jazz is about context and collaboration; it really is about bands. (For that reason, it’s a good thing that most of the solos in this year’s crop come from records made by working bands.) If the way you listen to jazz is to wait for the sustained passage of individual heroism, you may be missing a lot.”
Top AJBlogs Posts For 02.07.16
AJBlog: RiffTidesPublished 2016-02-07
Ah, an old-fashioned press-banning. Feels like the good old days. Of the 162 stories we collected this week, a few memes emerged: It was the week of artistic directors in dance. First, Benjamin Millepied said he would be leaving…… read more
AJBlog: DiacriticalPublished 2016-02-07
The New York City Ballet premieres Justin Peck’s new ballet and offers works by Thatcher, Binet, Schumacher, and Wheeldon. Justin Peck’s The Most Incredible Thing. Sterling Hyltin and Taylor Stanley dance in front of the… … read more
AJBlog: DancebeatPublished 2016-02-06
But a recent article in The Economist (!) confuses the matter. Dynamic pricing occurs when sellers adjust prices on a frequent basis to account for varying shifts in demand, or limitations in supply. Uber raises… … read more
AJBlog: For What it’s WorthPublished 2016-02-06
Here are four links, to some fabulous music. Even if you don’t read further in this post, even if you just follow listen to what I’m linking here, I’ll be happy. Sarah Vaughan,stupendously… … read more
AJBlog: SandowPublished 2016-02-05
Members Of Parliament Demand That Museum’s Collection Not Be Moved To London
“Not a single person on the board of trustees has links to Bradford, or indeed the wider region. We cannot have decisions about our city and our region being made by the ‘great and the good’ in London.”
Making Comics More Real, Or At Least More 21st Century
“The world of comics in 2016 resembles the music business in 1977-1980, when agile indie labels such as Rough Trade and Factory outmanoeuvred the major record companies and the majors were forced to respond.”