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Sounds
Soo Sunny Park & Spencer Topel Transform a Chain-Link Fence into Art
Artist Mary Goldthwaite-Gagne studies "Capturing Resonance," a piece made of chain-link fencing on view at the deCordova Museum. (Photo by Michelle Aldredge) On my recent visit to the deCordova Museum, one of the artworks I found most compelling was "Capturing Resonance" by sculptor [...]
Gwarlingo’s Don’t-Miss List: Missy Mazzoli, Olive Ayhens, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, & More
As spring approaches I suddenly find myself inundated with invitations to concerts, readings, and exhibits. It appears that our winter hibernation is finally coming to an end. Here is a small sampling of some of the events I'm planning to attend, along with a few I'm very, very sorry to [...]
Sibylle Baier’s Colour Green: An Accidental Classic
One of my favorite discoveries this winter was the German singer Sibylle Baier. The story of how her wonderful record, Colour Green, came to be is as interesting as the music itself. She grew up in Germany in the 50s and 60s. During a particularly low period in her early life, [...]
Brittany Howard & The Alabama Shakes: From Postal Worker To Powerhouse
One of the albums I'm most anticipating this spring is Boys and Girls, the first full-length record from the garage-soul band the Alabama Shakes. Brittany Howard's soulful, sandpaper voice channels the likes of Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, and Aretha Franklin, with a touch of Billie Holiday thrown in. It's [...]
The Gwarlingo Index: 2011’s Most Memorable Experiences in the Arts
It's the New Year, which means it's time for lofty resolutions and the annual onslaught of "best of" lists. Here at Gwarlingo, I thought I'd provide readers with a new twist on the traditional "Best of 2011" list. I asked an array of artists, composers, filmmakers, writers, musicians, and performers [...]
Peter Wyer’s New Opera Dramatizes One Tibetan Woman’s Journey to Freedom
"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent." This line from Victor Hugo came to mind the first time I heard the incredible story of Tibetan nun Ngawang Sangdrol. At age 14 Sangdrol was jailed at the notorious Draphchi Prison [...]
Can Christmas Music Ever Be Cool? The Real Reason Dylan Made the Critics Squirm
It's time to discuss a topic more divisive than religion, more inflammatory than right versus left or the 99% versus the 1%. A topic that will either make your eyes twinkle or your blood boil. Christmas music. There are two distinct camps when it comes to this subject: the lovers and [...]
The Sound of Four Hands Clapping: Steve Reich Performs “Clapping Music”
Earlier this month composer Steve Reich turned 75. Over the past few decades Reich has gone from being a musical outsider to winning the Pulitzer Prize for his 2009 Double Sextet. In the early days of his career, Reich drove a cab in San Francisco and worked as a part-time social [...]
Filmmaker Bill Morrison: Exhuming the Forgotten
One of my favorite filmmakers working today is Bill Morrison. There aren't many directors whose work compels me to see every film they make, but Morrison is one of those rare artists I've enjoyed following closely through the years. His films are always memorable and worth seeking out. Over [...]
Antti Paalanen: Breathbox
I recently came across this hypnotic piece of music by Finnish musician Antti Paalanen. Paalanen is a composer and a master of the diatonic accordion. Accordions are made in a range of different configurations and styles. Diatonic button accordions are bisonoric, which means each button produces two notes: one when the [...]
187 Mega-Hits by the 12-Tone Masters
I don't often post satirical videos, but thanks to Gwarlingo reader Elly Weiss, I had the pleasure of watching this hilarious "commercial" for the "all-time greatest hits by the beloved twelve-tone masters" this morning and wanted to pass it along. The fact that the video was posted by the Arnold [...]
Creative Spaces: A Legendary Songcatcher Inspires Two Musicians on a Vermont Farm
Robin MacArthur and Tyler Gibbons are Red Heart the Ticker (Photo by Doron Gild) Two weeks after Hurricane Irene I'm wandering the back-roads of Marlboro, Vermont, making my way to Robin MacArthur and Tyler Gibbons, also known as the music duo Red Heart the Ticker. Route 9--the main thoroughfare [...]
The Invisible Concerts of Everyday Life
How aware are we of sound as we move through the course of our day? Which sounds do we register and which do we ignore? Do we even give the subject much thought? "Quintetto" by the Italian artist collective Quiet Ensemble is an intriguing blend of music, sound and installation art. [...]
Sonny Rollins: “It’s All about Space”
Today is the birthday of jazz legend Sonny Rollins. At the age of 81, Rollins is still touring, making new music, and recording records. The long, remarkable career of Sonny Rollins is a good example of how sustaining it can be for an artist to have time alone to think, practice, [...]
Where Art Fears to Tread
As the 10th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, there is no shortage of news stories, official ceremonies, and tributes. But this weekend I've been contemplating how the arts community fits into all of this speechifying and memorializing. What is the artistic legacy of 9/11 now that it is a decade behind [...]