Music
Kristina Esfandiari's Songs of Sorrow
By John AmenWhatever methods she embraces going forward, I can't imagine that she'll stray far from a continued study and articulation of our fundamental ambivalences: how our chief relationship is with the unknown, corporeal and existential; so much bliss, so much trauma; so much beyond our control.
Elliott Sharp’s IrRational Music
By George GrellaArtists and critics on the vanguard these days are suppose to be past the idea of genres, other than to set them up like bowling pins to be scattered by the force and momentum of insight and truth.
Robert Ashley's Improvement
By Dan JosephAmidst the ongoing renaissance of contemporary opera in New York, the influence of the late Robert Ashley casts an ever-widening shadow. With vibrant companies such as Object Collection and Experiments In Opera, and annual festivals such as Prototype consistently injecting new ideas into the form, Ashley's idiosyncratic vision of opera remains a touchstone of the genre.
Outtakes
By Steve DalachinskyThough I didn't run around like a madman at this year's Winter Jazzfest here are the highlights of what I caught: Michael Formanek's Very Practical Trio with Tim Berne and Mary Halvorson; Borderlands Trio with Kris Davis, Stephan Crump, and Eric McPherson (he was a standout); Artifacts Trio with Nicole Mitchell, Tomeka Reid, and Mike Reed; Travis LaPlante, and Gerald Cleaver; Dave Liebman, Adam Rudolph, and Hamid Drake, plus standout solos by Charles Tolliver and Pharoah Sanders in Gary Bartz's Another Earth project.
Highly Selective Listings
March Listings
By George Grella and Brad CohanThe Rail’s Highly Selective March Music Listings
