Tom Lynch
We’ve been lucky in Ann Arbor to have had a front-row seat as Thomas Lynch has developed his writing career over the last thirty years. Lynch, of course, is the undertaker from Milford who has created a unique place for...
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Marrakesh and Back
In more than six decades of public performance, pianist Randy Weston has followed his own singular path. Never one of the more popular entertainers, he has, nevertheless, created a very personal musical approach that transcends...
Read MoreGas for Less
So far, there are two Gas For Less songs that choke me up. I’m not alone. Someone posted on front man Ryan Racine’s Facebook profile, “FU for making me cry into my whiskey…Shut your guitar.”Racine,...
Read MoreAndrew Kratzat Quartet
The band’s lineup is your first clue. When the Andrew Kratzat Quartet performs at the Kerrytown Concert House on Wednesday, March 10, they won’t be offering a night of conventional or traditional jazz. Aside from...
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The Eye of the Beholder
Visitors to the University of Michigan Museum of Art this month have the opportunity to see a stellar temporary exhibition of works on paper by some of the leading figures of the German and Viennese Expressionist movements of...
Read MoreBroetzmann and Lonberg-Holm
European jazz truly came into its own in the 60s, when musicians in the Netherlands, England, and Germany, long inspired by models from the U.S., programmatically sought to develop indigenous forms of expression. The music they...
Read MoreSteve Shipps Is Back
When Steve Shipps stepped down as concertmaster of the Ann Arbor Symphony six years ago, he’d held the job for fourteen years and helped take the orchestra from amateur to professional status. He’d been with them...
Read MoreLoving New Orleans
Dr. John, born Malcolm John Rebennack Jr., and the four Neville Brothers have been making music in and away from New Orleans for about fifty years now. They’re not household names, but most people with an interest in...
Read MoreA State of Mind
Like Orwell’s 1984 come to life, Daniel Gordon’s 2003 film A State of Mind documents totalitarianism, complete with ascetic state housing, rations, daily power outages, censorship, and a heavy dose of propaganda....
Read MoreSteve Nardella
Well into his third set at Guy Hollerin’s, Steve Nardella asked for a request from the still sizable audience, and someone yelled “Chuck Berry!” It was all Nardella needed to break into the familiar opening...
Read MoreThe Swan Thieves
Obsession. It is one of the great cultural themes. Most of us have probably felt some form of it, usually mild, for a person, our work, an art form, or an idea. When we recover our “normal” perspective, we may look...
Read MoreConcert4aCause
The format–an elevated musical variety show–matched the intent–the bringing together of artists, church people and social causes to their mutual edification, enjoyment, and endowment. In this case,...
Read MoreMutual Kumquat
There’s certainly no reason why social change and fun can’t go hand in hand–everyone loves a good demonstration, especially one with happy, finger-snappin’ music. Mutual Kumquat–an area band with an...
Read MoreChanneling Lincoln
Relax. That’s what modern dance choreographer Bill T. Jones tells audiences to do in his video Blog at billtjones.org. Don’t worry about it all making sense, allow what comes to you to come and see what you still...
Read MoreCarol Ann Duffy
They do things differently in Britain. British poets have always seemed more comfortable with received forms and with various kinds of reference than American poets. Here, our writers always work hard to establish the absolute...
Read MoreBen Jansson
When one thinks of great Michigan jazz, it is usually Detroit that comes to mind rather than cities like Ann Arbor. But this city has had a rich tradition of high school jazz instruction, perhaps best represented by Mike Grace,...
Read MoreSari Brown
When I first heard Sari Brown’s “Blue Ribbon,” I thought it was a cover. Not that I assumed this young performer wasn’t capable of writing such a good song; it just was so catchy I was sure I’d...
Read MoreEastman Wind Ensemble
Even the most curmudgeonly among us has to admit Ann Arborites are insanely lucky when it comes to classical music. Not only do we have more classical music performances per capita than any other city in Michigan, but we have...
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