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☆ Snakes in the Grass — and Under the Piano, by the Pool and in the Prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Natasha Frost | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

There’s a snake in a cell. Within a few hours, snakes have also been spotted at a school, beneath a piano stored in a private garage and near a lagoon-like swimming pool at a retirement home. On the busiest days, he can receive more than 35 calls about troublesome snakes. Queensland is home to the largest number of snake species in Australia — about 120. Throughout Australia, fatalities from snake bites remain extremely rare — about two a year — and in Queensland, the reptiles are simply a part of life.

Persons: Stuart McKenzie Organizations: Customers, Business, Australia — Locations: Sunshine, Queensland, Australia

☆ A 20-Year-Old Transcriber Is Turning Sheet Music Into Hot Content
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Tristan Geary | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

For some budding musicians (and even old pros), the very sight of sheet music can elicit a fight-or-flight response, bringing up painful memories of strict piano teachers and high-pressure recitals. George Collier, a 20-year-old music transcriber, is doing his part to change that. Another clip, titled “She Practiced 40 Hours a Day for This,” captures a virtuosic Mozart piano cadenza by Mitsuko Uchida. While Collier specializes in jazz, he also showcases performances from the classical world, as well as everyday people with impressive talents. A clip titled “When Your Family Is Musically Competent” features a version of “Happy Birthday” that turns into improvised gospel-laden riffing.

Persons: George Collier, Collier, Wynton Marsalis, Celine Dion, who’ve, what’s, ” Collier, ”, Frank Lacy, Art Blakey, Mitsuko Uchida, Joe Turner’s “ Organizations: Warwick University, YouTube, Art, London Locations: United Kingdom

☆ Angela Bassett says it was a 'supreme disappointment' losing the 2023 Oscar for 'Black Panther 2' to Jamie Lee Curtis
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Lauren Edmonds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Angela Bassett spoke to Oprah Winfrey about losing the best supporting actress award in the 2023 Oscars. AdvertisementAngela Bassett reflected on losing the 2023 Oscar for best supporting actress, saying she was "gobsmacked." "I just knew your name was going to be called," Winfrey told Bassett. Angela Bassett’s reaction to Jamie Lee Curtis’ name being called…you can tell how much that Oscar would have meant to her. AdvertisementShe added: "There are going to be these moments of disappointment that you're going to experience, but how do you handle yourself in the midst of them?

Persons: Angela Bassett, Oprah Winfrey, Bassett, Jamie Lee Curtis, —, Oscar, Oprah Winfrey's, Queen Ramonda, Deirdre Beaubeirdre, Winfrey, Angela Bassett’s, Jamie Lee Curtis ’, oHDfuDUksG — Spencer Althouse, Annette Brown, Tina Turner, Holly Hunt Organizations: Service, Globe, Marvel, Entertainment

☆ What’s the Greatest Jazz Record? Here’s a Clue: Miles Davis.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Peter Keepnews | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

3 SHADES OF BLUE: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and the Lost Empire of Cool, by James KaplanMiles Davis was one of the biggest stars in jazz as well as one of the most innovative and influential musicians. John Coltrane was both a saxophone virtuoso and a fearless explorer whose lifelong musical and spiritual quest attracted a passionate following — and later, as that quest went beyond the boundaries of jazz as many people understood the word, heated criticism. Bill Evans redefined the concept of the piano trio and rewrote the rules of jazz harmony. Well, we may not need it, but we have it. And if “3 Shades of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and the Lost Empire of Cool” is neither an essential addition to the jazz literature nor quite the sweeping statement its subtitle promises, it’s certainly a compelling read.

Persons: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, James Kaplan Miles Davis, Davis, Coltrane, Evans, Ashley Kahn’s, Eric Nisenson’s “, Richard Williams’s “, Miles Davis’s, it’s, James Kaplan, — Organizations: Modern Music

☆ 5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Don Cherry
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Marcus J. Moore | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Of all the musicians we’ve featured in this series, Don Cherry might be the most adventurous. Though with Cherry, there was a sense that he didn’t want to shift the genre as a whole. Cherry grew up in a musical family; his grandmother played piano for silent films, and his mother played piano at home. Though Cherry earned favor as a member of Coleman’s band and a featured player on the albums “Something Else!!! Then, on the 1985 album “Home Boy (Sister Out),” Cherry turned his attention to Paris.

Persons: we’ve, Don Cherry, Ornette Coleman, Cherry, Coleman, Coleman’s, ”, NPR’s Terry Gross, Leonard Bernstein, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, “ Brown Rice, ” Cherry Organizations: Plantation, Atlantic Records, ” Locations: Tulsa, Okla, Los Angeles, Sweden, Paris

Microsoft filed a motion in federal court on Monday that seeks to dismiss parts of a lawsuit brought by The New York Times Company. The Times sued Microsoft and its partner OpenAI on Dec. 27, accusing the two companies of infringing on its copyrights by using its articles to train A.I. In its motion, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Microsoft argued that large language models, or L.L.M.s — the technologies that drive chatbots — did not supplant the market for news articles and other materials they were trained on. The tech giant compared L.L.M.s to videocassette recorders, arguing that both are allowed under the law. than it was to the VCR (or the player piano, copy machine, personal computer, internet or search engine),” the motion read.

Persons: OpenAI Organizations: Microsoft, The New York Times Company, The Times, Southern, of Locations: U.S, of New York

☆ Surrealism Is 100. The World’s Still Surreal.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Nina Siegal | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

It’s a fish in the shape of a piano, floating in a clear blue sky, seen through a keyhole. Surrealism, the art movement that gave us disembodied eyeballs, melting clocks and animals with mismatched parts, was born in 1924 when the French poet André Breton published a treatise decrying the vogue for realism and rationality. Breton argued instead for embracing the “omnipotence of dreams” and exploring the unconscious and all that was “marvelous” in life. “The mere word ‘freedom’ is the only one that still excites me,” Breton wrote in his “Surrealist Manifesto.”It was a literary idea that became an art movement and revolutionized nearly all forms of cultural production. It’s now commonplace to call pretty much any weird experience “surreal.”

Persons: André Breton, Breton, ” Breton Locations: French

☆ Freddie Mercury’s London home for sale for $38 million
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Catherine Nicholls | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —The former London home of rock legend Freddie Mercury is available to buy – that is, for those with a cool £30 million ($38 million) to spare. The property was bought by Mercury on the spot when he first visited it in 1980, according to Knight Frank, which is handling the sale. In this spirit, the dining room was painted citrus-yellow, reportedly Mercury’s favorite color, with complementary jewel tones in the cornices of the room. The property’s principal suite is entered through what used to be Mercury’s dressing room, where he stored his clothes and stage costumes. After more than 30 years taking care of them, Austin, now 72, auctioned about 1,400 of Mercury’s belongings last year, and is now looking to sell Garden Lodge for offers in excess of £30 million ($38 million), according to Knight Frank.

Persons: Freddie Mercury, Knight Frank, Robin Moore Ede, ” Knight Frank, Barney Hindle, Knight Frank The, Mercury, Mary Austin, “, ” Austin, Freddie Organizations: London CNN, Mercury Locations: London, Kensington, Austin

☆ My 91-year-old grandma was filled with wisdom. There were 3 important life lessons I was grateful she passed down.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Jane Ridley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Daisy Ridley is better known as Rey in Star Wars — the sensitive Jedi whose attitude is nonetheless badass. My paternal grandmother, who died at 91, became Daisy Ridley — her maiden name was Duck of all things — in 1932 when she married my grandfather, Robert. And, just as the Star Wars character inspired women and girls to be strong, Nanny was our role model. She didn't want to have to leave at 60 — the retirement age for women in the UK back then. Daisy Ridley was wise and a positive force.

Persons: Daisy Ridley, Daisy Ridley —, Robert, Alison, Rey, Nanny, Daisy, Linda, babysat, Don Organizations: Rey, Star, Business, Star Wars Locations: Scotland

☆ Eagles’ Don Henley Testifies That Stolen Lyrics Were Deeply Personal
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Colin Moynihan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Don Henley and Glenn Frey followed a routine while writing some of the most emblematic and enduring songs of the 1970s. The men, who co-founded the Eagles, would rent a house and bring in a piano and guitars. The two would rise in late morning — “musician time,” Mr. Henley testified in a Manhattan courtroom on Monday. They would make coffee, then have “philosophical” conversations and begin trying out riffs and discussing “song titles, subject matters, concepts,” he said. Mr. Henley paid particular attention to lyrics, crafting and refining them on legal pads.

Persons: Don Henley, Glenn Frey, ” Mr, Henley, ”, Glenn Horowitz Organizations: Eagles Locations: Manhattan, Malibu , Calif, New York, Town

☆ How Rick Beato struck YouTube gold with his ‘Everything Music’ channel
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( John Blake | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

I first heard about Beato after stumbling onto his YouTube channel. During the pandemic, for example, many music fans migrated to the internet to watch various forms of music because live music was off-limits. “I still feel at 60 the same way I did when I was 14,” he said recently in a YouTube video. His face lights up when he talks about his family on his YouTube channel. “My YouTube Channel was a way to honor my parents and leave something for my kids.

Persons: Rick Beato, Instagram, Beato, ”, Pat Metheny, Sting, Jimi Hendrix, he’s, it’s, “, you’re, He’s, Rick, —, Mike Rowe, Jobs, ” Rowe, I’ve, I’m, “ Woo, Bach, Brad Mehldau, Keith Williams, Williams, ” Beato, Dick Cavett, Keith Jarrett, Jarrett, John Coltrane, Beato regaled Jarrett, awestruck, ” Jarrett, Steve Gadd, Chuck Mangione, Oscar Peterson, Music —, Nina, Dylan, Lennon, Layla, Eric Clapton, polychords, Taylor Swift’s “, Paul Allen, Everybody, Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock, Rick Beato's, Melissa Golden, John Blake Organizations: CNN, YouTube, Costco, Twitter, Facebook, Berklee College of Music, Eastman School of Music, Ithaca College, New, Conservatory, Music, Ithaca, Microsoft, Intelligence Locations: Atlanta , Georgia, London, Berlin, New Jersey, Fairport, Rochester , New York, Italian, New York, Ithaca, Atlanta, Silicon Valley

☆ Smell the Music: Inviting a Perfumer Into the Concert Hall
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Joshua Barone | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It was time to smell Scriabin’s “Prometheus: The Poem of Fire.”This music, from 1910, has an element of synesthesia in its score, which calls for a color organ — a keyboard instrument that projects lights of a dozen hues — along with a full orchestra, a piano soloist and a choir. But in October at Davies Symphony Hall, the home of the San Francisco Symphony, the piece was being prepared with an additional sense in mind. Onstage, the pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet practiced his solo part in “Prometheus,” which the San Francisco Symphony will perform March 1 through 3, while the conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen listened attentively to the wooden vortexes as they were being tested; the sound they made while emitting smoke, he noticed, was nearly a G.Mathilde Laurent, Cartier’s longtime perfumer, who had designed the scents, double-checked notes on her iPad. For this day’s test, without the orchestra, she wanted to be sure the diffusers were timed to match the music. So they were going to play a recording overhead.

Persons: Jean, Yves Thibaudet, Pekka Salonen, attentively, Mathilde Laurent, Cartier’s, perfumer Organizations: Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco

☆ Review: A Case for Understated Majesty at the Philharmonic
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Joshua Barone | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Take Anders Hillborg’s second piano concerto, “The MAX Concerto,” which had its local premiere with the New York Philharmonic on Thursday. Programmed somewhat arbitrarily between works by Sibelius and Rachmaninoff, it was more entertaining than either of them, and just as well crafted. Likable without being eager to please, thrilling without shameless dazzle, it is, like Ax, enjoyable simply because it’s excellent. And, crucially, Hillborg’s concerto works regardless of how familiar a listener is with his music, or any classical music for that matter. Or you could just sit back and sense, intuitively, the genial majesty and pleasure coursing through it all.

Persons: Anders Hillborg’s, Sibelius, Rachmaninoff, Emanuel Ax, Ax, Manny Ax, Beethoven’s, ”, Bach Organizations: New York Philharmonic Locations: San Francisco

☆ Review: Dancing Out ‘Goldberg’ With a Nod to John Travolta
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Gia Kourlas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Images of women testing their bodies’ endurance have been swirling about the universe lately. For “The Goldberg Variations, BWV 988,” De Keersmaeker is joined by the young Russian-born pianist Pavel Kolesnikov. On paper, De Keersmaeker’s version of “Goldberg Variations” is a solo. This “Goldberg” is stark and simple, painting a choreographic picture full of shadows and light that mercifully loosens up over time. So does De Keersmaeker, a respected experimentalist based in Brussels, who has turned to Bach several times over the course of her career.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Madonna, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, ” De Keersmaeker, Pavel Kolesnikov, “ Goldberg, Goldberg, Bach Locations: Russian, Brussels

☆ Reports of Cabaret’s Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Elysa Gardner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Cabaret has been integral to New York nightlife for more than a century, but every so often, reports of its death — however exaggerated — cause a stir. Recently on a brisk afternoon, she arrived at a loft in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, for a confab with four other veterans of the cabaret scene. Tammy Lang, 57 — who has earned a devoted following through her titular comedic persona as Tammy Faye Starlite, an evangelical country crooner, and through her homages to Marianne Faithfull and Nico — perched beside her on a sofa. Horne holds court Mondays at the East Village’s Club Cumming, playing piano for singalongs that stretch into the wee hours. Such late revelry is less common than it used to be, pointed out Sidney Myer, 73, who, as longtime booking manager of Don’t Tell Mama near Times Square, has nurtured careers for decades and is a performer himself.

Persons: Natalie Douglas, “, —, ” Douglas, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Tammy Lang, Tammy Faye Starlite, Marianne Faithfull, Nico —, Jennifer Ashley Tepper, Lance Horne, Liza Minnelli, Kylie Minogue, Horne, East Village’s Club Cumming, Sidney Myer Organizations: Birdland, Broadway, East Village’s Club, Times Locations: New York, Los Angeles, Brooklyn

☆ Review: A Teenage Pianist Takes on the Canon at Carnegie Hall
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Zachary Woolfe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It was that rare occasion on Wednesday: There was an encore at Carnegie Hall. I mean a literal, French-for-“again” encore, when a musician, brought back at the end of a concert by applause and more applause, gives another rendition of a piece he has already played. Bowing modestly after making his Carnegie debut with a confident, supple, eventually dazzling performance of Chopin’s 27 études, the teenage pianist Yunchan Lim had given three eloquent encores of other Chopin works. So he returned to the stage and started the gentle undulations of the A-flat major étude he had played some 40 minutes earlier — now with even more flowing naturalness. Lim was courting comparison with himself after a concert spent courting comparison with the canon.

Persons: “, Yunchan Lim, Chopin, Lim, Chopin’s Organizations: Carnegie Hall, Carnegie

☆ Jaap van Zweden Bids Farewell, and Other Classical Highlights
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Zachary Woolfe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The New York Philharmonic’s spring gala is not usually of much musical interest. The gala, on April 24, features the only appearance this season by Gustavo Dudamel, the Philharmonic’s next music director. He will take part in the celebration of the orchestra’s education programs, including its signature Young People’s Concerts, which are turning 100. The Philharmonic has been careful not to have its Dudamel-led future step too much on its less starry present. This season also brings the final months of Jaap van Zweden’s brief tenure as music director, which will begin on his favored ground: the classics.

Persons: Gustavo Dudamel, Jaap van Zweden’s, Conrad Tao, Beethoven’s Locations: York

☆ Billy Joel says he’s ‘thought about putting together a band’: ‘Me, Don Henley and Sting, and maybe John Mayer’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Dan Heching | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —To file under the fantasy music collaborations category, Billy Joel has been toying with the idea of joining forces with some contemporary music greats. “I thought about putting together a band,” Joel retorted. “Me, Don Henley and Sting, and maybe John Mayer on guitar.”That roster would surely be a worthy update to the Wilburys, which was a supergroup team-up between the late Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and George Harrison, along with Jeff Lynne and Bob Dylan. Joel also said he talks to Paul McCartney “a lot,” but added that he doesn’t “have the nerve” to ask the former Beatle to band up. Joel humored Stern while he continued to fantasize about who would be in the supergroup, and said, “Ringo would be good.

Persons: Billy Joel, –, Howard Stern, Joel, “, ” Joel, Don Henley, John Mayer, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Stern, hasn’t, we’ll, ”, Paul McCartney, Joel humored Stern, “ Ringo, Ringo, doesn’t, Freddy Wexler –, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Pink — Arthur Bacon, Wayne Hector Organizations: CNN, Sting Locations: ”

☆ Step inside Quartzsite, Arizona, where snowbirds flock for warmer weather and a cheap place to park their RVs
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Monica Humphries | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

AdvertisementOne of those places is Quartzsite's La Posa long-term visitor area . Monica Humphries/Business InsiderIf off-grid living won't fit a visitor's needs, Quartzsite is home to more than 50 RV resorts . As I meandered around La Posa, I debated how close was too close to park next to a stranger. Monica Humphries/Business InsiderIn 2020, Quartzsite became a Hollywood backdropMost people recognize the name Quartzsite from the Oscar-winning movie "Nomadland," which was released in 2020. There was a sense of freedom living on La Posa, and almost everyone I met was friendly and eager to chat.

Persons: It's, —, snowbirds, Monica Humphries, you'll, Quartzsite, Casey Osborn, he's, Osborn, He's, Osborn doesn't, Bob, La Posa, La, Fern —, Frances McDormand, Fern, Paul Winer, Winer Organizations: Service, of Commerce, Tourism, Land Management, Vehicles, La, Social Security, Reader's Oasis, Oasis, Quartzsite Yacht Locations: Quartzsite, Arizona, Quartzsite , Arizona, Mexico, La Posa, La

☆ Opinion: A thrilling Super Bowl that was also about something more
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Opinion Amy Bass | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Amy Bass Rodney BedsoleThis time around, football pundits wondered if Super Bowl LVIII would be the coronation of Chiefs coach Andy Reid and the establishment of a Kansas City dynasty with a third title in five years. This Super Bowl matchup, of course, had history. “We’re not done.”Key to any Super Bowl, of course, is the halftime show. Compared to Usher on roller skates, the commercials – which often take center stage of any Super Bowl broadcast — were relatively tame. “Taylor Swift is in Las Vegas,” commentator Ian Rappoport had assured Taylor Nation.

Persons: Amy Bass, Read, Patrick Mahomes, Mecole, ” Hardman, Tom Brady, Michael Che, ”, Donald Trump’s, Lady Gaga, Amy Bass Rodney Bedsole, Andy Reid, Kyle Shanahan’s, Mike, Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, Reid, Kelce, Shanahan, Brock Purdy, George Kittle, Swift, Taylor, Purdy, Jake Moody’s, Harrison Butker, Moody, Butker, Mahomes, “ We’re, Usher, Alicia Keys, Lil Jon, Ludacris, Lionel Messi, Dan Marino, Jason Sudeikis shilled, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Dunkin, Robert F Kennedy Jr, ’, Kennedy, Kennedy Jr’s, Taylor —, “ Taylor Swift, Ian Rappoport, “ I’ll, —, Ashley Avignone, Joe Biden, Trump, ” Taylor, Joe Biden ”, Biden, Biden — Organizations: Manhattanville College, CNN, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, Budweiser, Denver Broncos, Chiefs, 49ers, Super, Kansas City, Verizon, PAC, “ GO CHIEFS, NFL, Truth Locations: America, Kansas, San Francisco, Japan, Las Vegas, Mahomes, Cetaphil’s, Massachusetts, Sephora

☆ Usher, Alicia Keys and Beyoncé made Super Bowl a night to remember for Dolce & Gabbana
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Oscar Holland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

It was Dolce & Gabbana. Beyoncé pictured wearing a Dolce & Gabbana mini dress at Wynn Las Vegas before ahead of Sunday's Super Bowl. Comprising an organza cape and catsuit covered in — you guessed it — Swarovski crystals, her stunning red ensemble was one of the evening’s best looks. But then it was back to Usher, who appeared at Keys’ piano in a crystal-embroidered custom D&G vest. “Jermaine Dupri was actually the first person who introduced me to Dolce & Gabbana,” Usher told Vogue magazine in a behind-the-scenes video of his final wardrobe fitting.

Persons: Travis Kelce’s, Taylor, Stefano Gabbana, Gaga, baring, Beyoncé, Bey, Usher, Michael Jackson, Kevin Mazur, Alicia Keys, Keys, Virgil Abloh’s, “ Jermaine Dupri, ” Usher, ” Organizations: CNN, Kansas City Chiefs, Hollywood, Kanye, Gabbana, Wynn Las, Sunday's, Wynn, Verizon, Vogue Locations: Italian, Wynn Las Vegas

☆ Usher Brings Precise Details to Pop’s Biggest Stage: The Super Bowl
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Jon Caramanica | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A few minutes into Usher’s dynamic and sly Super Bowl LVIII halftime show performance Sunday night at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas came a moment of uncommon, almost startling calm. Alicia Keys had just appeared, in a sequined red jumpsuit and matching encrusted gown, and rather gratuitously flubbed the opening note of her hit piano ballad “If I Ain’t Got You.”She recovered, and as she approached the end of the chorus, you could hear Usher singing in quiet harmony as the camera panned back, settling on the two of them at opposite ends of Keys’s piano. Usher picked up the final line of the chorus — alone, smooth and confident, almost whispered — before Keys returned to share the last note.

Persons: Alicia Keys, Usher, Keys Locations: Las Vegas

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Usher emerged at Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium for the Super Bowl halftime show seated on a throne, joined by a marching band and a trove of Vegas performers — but stayed its center. It was an immediate confirmation of his position as the ideal halftime performer: one with timeless, well-known hits, masterful choreography, and a devoted audience. The eight-time Grammy award winner is also no stranger to the Super Bowl stage — he made a guest appearance with Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am in 2011. “I got a chance to see a bit of what it felt like,” Usher told The Associated Press in a recent interview. In his first Super Bowl performance, he descended from the stadium ceiling to perform “OMG” in Arlington, Texas.

Persons: — Usher, “, Alicia Keys, Usher, Michael Jackson —, ”, Jermaine Dupri, Lil Jon, Ludacris, “ Usher, will.i.am, ” Usher, “ Don’t Organizations: ANGELES, Super, Apple Music, Dolby, MGM, Associated Press Locations: Las Vegas, Arlington , Texas

☆ Two Pianists Make a Life Out of an Intimate Art Form
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Hugh Morris | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It looked like some kind of grand music exam. The pianists Pavel Kolesnikov and Samson Tsoy sat down at their instruments onstage at Wigmore Hall and began to play for an audience of two. It was June 2020, and Kolesnikov and Tsoy were, like virtually every other musician at that time, playing a livestreamed concert. (He could be heard frantically recapping the piece as he walked down the street. The pandemic forced Kolesnikov, 34, and Tsoy, 35, to recalibrate.

Persons: Pavel Kolesnikov, Samson Tsoy, Kolesnikov, —, “, ” Organizations: Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall Locations: London, Copenhagen, —, recalibrate

☆ Opinion | No, ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ Is Not ‘the Worst’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( John Mcwhorter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Gershwin intended the rhapsody to fuse the respective powers of classical music and jazz. In the article I cited above, “The Worst Masterpiece: ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ at 100,” Iverson offers an intriguing take: that “Rhapsody in Blue,” while having its charms, is just too square to merit being played as often as it is. He believes the rhapsody isn’t truly jazzy enough, and specifically that it only lightly dwells in African-based rhythm. But to Gershwin, the rhapsody was precisely what it needed to be. I resolved, if possible, to kill that misconception with one sturdy blow.” So while the rhapsody certainly has its foot-tapping sections, it also sails, rests, jolts and soars.

Persons: George Gershwin’s, tony, Paul Whiteman, Gershwin, Ethan Iverson, ” Iverson Organizations: Times, Aeolian Locations: Manhattan

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