Steve Smith
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That was the original title of my article about violinist-composer Jenny Scheinman in TONY a couple of weeks ago, on the occasion of her weekend hit at the Jazz Standard with Jason Moran and Paul Motian. As a fan of all three musicians, I had no idea how they might sound together; when I talked…
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Looking over Ethan Iverson’s gargantuan catalog of great jazz records issued between 1973 and 1990, I’m overwhelmed both by the sheer wealth of great music that was made during this critically neglected era, and also by the depth of passion and insight Ethan (and his bandmates) were demonstrating toward jazz at such an early stage…
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Tonight, Album arrived in New York City. My feelings as I sat awaiting in Joe’s Pub were a mix of paternalistic pride — knowing that my enthusiastic coverage of the group in TONY (here and here) had played some small role in their being booked for the Celebrate México Now! festival — and blind-date nervous…
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Sometimes it’s tough to keep life in proper balance. This week, I did some good, solid work, both at the writing table and away from it. But the toll was high: Burning far too many after-midnight candles, I ran myself down — physically, mentally and spiritually — to an untenable extent. I want to do…
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Over the weekend, I learned in a post by Kyle Gann that composer James Tenney had succumbed to lung cancer. I don’t know the bulk of Tenney’s music as well as I might, but I have a healthy respect for the recordings that I’ve heard, foremost among them the Frog Peak compilation on New World…
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The New York Grand Opera in Central Park – Suor Angelica and PagliacciThe New York Times, August 29, 2006
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CD review: Jay Greenberg – Symphony No. 5; Quintet for StringsLondon Symphony, conducted by José Serebrier; Juilliard String Quartet; Darrett Atkins, cellist.Sony Classical 82876-81804-2; CDThe New York Times, August 27, 2006(ArkivMusic, Barnes & Noble)
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I’m willing to grant, in accordance with Darcy James Argue‘s recent list of the "Top Four Tolerable Rock Sax Solos of All Time," that Sonny Rollins’s contribution to the Rolling Stones song "Waiting on a Friend" might not make the grade. (I’m on the fence about it personally, but I see Darcy’s point in the…
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Ears still pleasantly buzzing, I’m just in from a powerful triple-header at the Mercury Lounge downtown. The headliner, Red Sparowes, is one of those bands that gets lumped under the heading of "post-metal," which I just learned tonight via an entry at Wikipedia. Before now, we’ve been using the equally unspecific but somewhat more descriptive…
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"The first time that I met her, I was throwing up in the ladies’ room stall." Tim Kasher has a way with tossing off lines that sound like personal reminiscences, but which trigger a reflexive "I’ve been there," or at least an "I can imagine that." The phrase above opened Album of the Year, a…
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The Metropolitan Opera in Central Park – La TraviataThe New York Times, August 24, 2006
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Bard Music Festival, weekend twoThe New York Times, August 22, 2006 ===== Yes, well. I did promise — way back on July 24, to be precise — that just because I’d been afforded the privilege of observing things in an official capacity for the Times didn’t mean that I was abandoning this blog. And truthfully,…
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Ingrid Fliter at the Caramoor International Music FestivalThe New York Times, August 14, 2006
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CD review: Marc Mellits – Tight SweaterReal Quiet; Cristina Buciu, violin; Chuck Meyer, cello; Tom Kolor, percussionEndeavor Classics CD 1016The New York Times, August 13, 2006(ArkivMusic, Barnes & Noble)
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Leipzig String Quartet at the Walter Reade TheaterThe New York Times, August 8, 2006
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Sergey Khachatryan at Avery Fisher HallThe New York Times, August 7, 2006
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Emily Manzo at the StoneThe New York Times, August 1, 2006
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If you read my review of Ornette Coleman’s brilliant recent concert at Carnegie Hall during the JVC Festival, it’s entirely likely that you might have wanted to hear it for yourself. If that’s true, waste no time in heading over to Destination Out, a fine young MP3 blog devoted to outward-bound jazz. The tone is…
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Thomas Meglioranza at Pace UniversityThe New York Times, July 26, 2006
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Frances-Marie Uitti at Columbia UniversityThe New York Times, July 24, 2006 (No, I haven’t given up on the blog, I promise. Just need to get my feet back under me…)
Night After Night 