Steve Smith
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Should one wish to immerse oneself in Boston's thriving live-music scene – and should one attempt to do so on a Monday night – one could do much, much worse than to hit the Lilypad, a modest, cozy storefont space in Inman Square, where two incredibly proficient, stylistically diverse bands are in regular residence. The…
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Apologies for the long, long silent stretch. Needless to say, a lot has happened since the last post, yet there's been precious little time to put fingers to keys for an update. Getting up to speed with new routines, technologies and terminologies at the Boston Globe has been a full-time occupation. And that's not to…
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[I intended to post this here on Monday, but the DDoS hacker attack on Typepad put paid to that notion, so I posted this on Facebook. Here it is, in case you missed it before now.—Steve] A new baby…a new work status…and now, a new job. What started with a simple email I received a…
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Truth be told, there wasn't a lot happening on Monday or Tuesday night, thanks to the convergence of Holy Week and Tax Day. Still, late is late, and late is frustrating – I'm still trying to get the hang of a schedule in serious flux, and there are new developments afoot as well. So much…
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As America takes stock of itself in this complex time-cycle, it is important to understand that one person can still make a difference. That not everyone has to follow the tried-and-true traditional path—to get tried-and-true traditional results. Steve Backer opened a door for a generation of creative artists to connect to the greater culture (and…
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Time Out New York, farewell—what an amazing 13 years it was. I'll always be grateful. Please be good to my friends and colleagues, especially Hank and Seth.
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Monday night was a wash in more ways than one, given nasty weather outside and more than a few loose ends to tie up during my final week at Time Out New York. Still, there's lots to look forward to during the next six days, most of all the world premiere of Robert Ashley's final…
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I start where I am and do what I can, practicing in my inner hearing and on the trombone what I can do, refining it and hearing it as clearly as I can in the time that I have available to me. I show up on Saturday where I am, giving the best that I…
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WiFi signal is dire where I am right now, but I want to get something posted quickly in order to get word of tonight's events circulated. I'll come back to this later in the day to flesh out the list. Official business Wednesday, April 2: Unsound Festival New York 2014Issue Project Room; 8pm; $25, members…
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Reinier van Houdt, by Michelle V. Agins for The New York Times Jacob Greenberg and Reinier van Houdt at Spectrum, March 25, 2014The New York Times, March 27, 2014 Two separate recitals by brilliant pianists heard most frequently in group settings: Jacob Greenberg with the International Contemporary Ensemble, and Reinier van Houdt in the Ives…
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Emerson String Quartet at Alice Tully Hall, March 23, 2014The New York Times, March 26, 2014 My first time to see and hear the Emersons with their new cellist, Paul Watkins. Nice to know that it all still works, and that youngblood has lit a new fire in his crew.
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Yesterday, I missed my mark for my weekly Wandelwatching series, due to a combination of conflicting chores, duties and circumstances. I'll get to that post a bit later, but first, an acknowledgement of something that happened yesterday in the social-media realm. A Facebook post I wrote in the afternoon – intended to set the record…
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Colin Stetson and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, by Hiroyuki Ito for The New York Times Colin Stetson with the Brooklyn Youth Chorus at Merkin Concert Hall, March 22, 2014The New York Times, March 25, 2014 This one came out really, really quickly, despite some hair-splitting fact-checking that ran up to deadline hour. Once I had…
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This week's agenda – delayed due to circumstances beyond my control, and reined-in because of my family's arrival in NYC to meet the newest member of the clan – includes just two events, both tomorrow night. That said, they're unquestionably meaty items. Tuesday, March 25: Jacob GreenbergSpectrum; 7:30pm; $15 Tuesday, March 25: Reinier van HoudtSpectrum;…
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John Zorn: Masada Book 3 at the Town Hall, March 19, 2014The New York Times, March 21, 2014 The biggest surprise about this particular concert was the fact that I was there; I'd originally been scheduled to cover a different event, but a sick colleague prompted a last-minute shuffle, and here we are. Because of…
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Third Coast Percussion, by Saverio Truglia Classical Playlist: George Antheil, Haydn, Sibelius and MoreThe New York Times ArtsBeat, March 19, 2014 My contribution: DAVID T. LITTLE: ‘Haunt of Last Nightfall’ Third Coast Percussion (New Amsterdam) Coming soon: Elliott Carter; Gil Shaham; Jeffrey Mumford; David Bowlin; Henri Dutilleux; Catherine Christer Hennix
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I find the implication that there are “ears” everywhere, at every point in a world, a fascinating concept, even if it is rather hard to imagine. It implies that position might be more important than time in hearing; and that the sounding configuration of a world can be understood (differently) from an infinite number of…
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Zubin Mehta, Diana Damrau and the Vienna Philharmonic, by Hiroyuki Ito for The New York Times Vienna Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall, March 15 & 16, 2014The New York Times, March 17, 2014 The whole time Diana Damrau was cavorting on the Carnegie Hall podium – during a long evening's third and final encore, understand –…
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Alan Gilbert, by Karsten Moran for The New York Times New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall, March 12, 2014The New York Times, March 14, 2014 In which I describe Carl Nielsen's Symphony No. 4, "The Inextinguishable," like so: "A seamless sequence of vivid episodes, the piece is a craggy MacGuffin that shouldn’t work but…
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BBC Singers, by John Wood Classical Playlist: John Adams, Prokofiev, Harrison Birtwistle and MoreThe New York Times ArtsBeat, March 12, 2014 My contributions: MORTON FELDMAN: ‘For Philip Guston’ John Tilbury, pianist; Carla Rees, flutist; Simon Allen, percussionist (Atopos) HARRISON BIRTWISTLE: ‘The Moth Requiem’ Roderick Williams, baritone; BBC Singers, Nash Ensemble, conducted by Nicholas Kok (Signum)
Night After Night 