“[He] added a vast repertoire to his instrument and performed to packed concerts around the world. … In between classical concerts, Mr. Morel paid his bills by performing nightly at the New York jazz nightclub the Village Gate. At various times, he shared stages with pianist Erroll Garner, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and even country guitarist Chet Atkins.” – The Washington Post
Black Dancers And Dance Companies Worry They Won’t Be Able To Survive Pandemic
Broadway dancer NaTonia Monét says that, even when theaters finally start up again, “you have your few Black shows that come along, but other than that, you’re fighting for the one or two token roles in the cast.” And (with the sole exception of Ailey) Black dance troupes, from small regional companies right up to Dance Theater of Harlem, have been so underfunded for so long that some may, as it were, never recover from COVID. – The Washington Post
Keeping Up Live Performance As The World Goes Virtual
“We have a total commitment to live performance. That’s what we do. We’re not a film company,” says the director of the Annenberg Center in Philadelphia. What’s more, “we really wanted to maintain work for artists as much as possible, as well as our staff, … at a time when they really didn’t have a lot of options.” And so, with safety measures in place, since this past fall the Annenberg has been streaming performances in real time from its stage. – The Philadelphia Inquirer
In Britain, A Dig Reveals A Lot Of Detail About Home Life In The Iron Age
Archaeologists “were hopeful of unearthing something of interest because the area has been occupied for more than 3,000 years. But nothing prepared them for the excitement of discovering an extended iron age settlement, with the remains of more than a dozen roundhouses dating from 400BC to 100BC – as well as an enormous Roman villa built in the late third to early fourth century.” – The Observer (UK)
London’s Bridges Truly Are Falling Down
Or they might, soon. London needs “infrastructure week,” but for real, and for much longer than a week. Take Hammersmith. “It’s obvious whom to blame: politicians are guilty to varying degrees of buck-passing, posturing, point-scoring, broken promises and inaction. The problem is that they are in different parties and different authorities.” The results are disastrous. – The Guardian (UK)
Outdoors Is The Way For The UK To Return To Theatre
Of course, “The British weather does not always help. A valiant ‘drive-through’ production of La Bohème staged in a car park by English National Opera last year did encounter problems owing to high winds: sometimes the elements cannot be entirely outfoxed. Nevertheless, the more sagacious arts organisations are looking ahead to alfresco possibilities.” – The Guardian (UK)
A Blow-Up Over Racism, Antisemitism, And Academic Politics In American Musicology
This story is convoluted, and needs careful reading to understand what’s going on not only in musicology in the U.S. but also across the world. To quote the article, “How this ends is not clear.” – The New York Times
Why Are The Met’s Trustees Sitting Idle While The Museum Contemplates Selling Its Treasures?
The problem isn’t earned income lost to tourism (that is, no tourism). The problem is the trustees. “Met trustees established a special fund to deal with the pandemic crisis. So far, according to the museum’s spokesperson, the board has raised ‘just north of $25 million.’ That is, in a word, pathetic. Since the pandemic began, America’s billionaire class has seen its wealth rise to astonishing levels.” – Los Angeles Times