CD REVIEW The Bad Plus, Plus One
Jazz is a genre that consistently flirts with risk-taking. Whether this manifests itself in compositional structure, instrumentation, harmonic choices, or transcending implicit musical boundaries, The Bad Plus is a group that has done it all. Since the release of the group’s first record on the Fresh Sound / New Talent imprint, the critic community has argued over the true categorization of these three veteran musicians from Minneapolis. At the very base, they are indisputably a jazz group. But what causes most listeners to question this blanket classification is The Bad Plus’ penchant for risk. Boasting a catalogue of astounding original compositions (each member plays piano and writes for the whole band) and an arsenal of jazz-tinged rock and pop covers, The Bad Plus explores more musical territory than most of their jazz or indie contemporaries. This past summer, at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, Netherlands (an event I was fortunate enough to attend) Reid Anderson (bass), Ethan Iverson (piano), and David King (drums) announced the upcoming release of their new album, <i>For All I Care</i>. They also mentioned that they’d had a surprise waiting for the audience backstage. Seasoned Bad Plus fans are no stranger to the antics that this trio brings to the stage, but there’s just one thing that fans were not expecting: Wendy Lewis.
DANCE REVIEW MIT Natya Presents Shakti: Women of Power
Last Sunday MIT Natya performed their annual show in Little Kresge, entitled <i>Shakti: Women of Power</i>. Natya is purely devoted to Bharatanatyam, a classical dance tradition originating from South India. The show utilized the art of dance to convey the stories of three women in Hindu mythology who have had notable impact on the status of women. Bharatanatyam is an extremely technical and challenging dance form that incorporates percussive foot movements, which often complement the rhythm of the drums in the accompanying music.
THEATER REVIEW ‘The Vagina Monologues’
What would Valentine’s Day weekend be without a celebration of women? And I’m not just talking about getting your girlfriend or gal pals chocolates or flowers, or taking that cute girl from lab out for dinner. I’m talking about the<i> Vagina Monologues</i>, a production that has raised millions of dollars for anti-violence organizations over the past decade.
THEATER REVIEW MIT Dramashop Puts On ‘Julius Caesar’
Conspirators wear business suits. Mark Antony chats on his cell phone. The soldiers of Brutus deck themselves out in camo and army boots.
MOVIE REVIEW ★★ Shopaholic During a Recession?
Movies make the worst first dates — unless they invoke insightful discussion. This Valentine’s Day, I decided to watch <i>Confessions of a Shopaholic</i> — on a first date — because, well, I wasn’t expecting much from the date nor the movie. Instead, I had a great first date, at the expense of not taking the movie seriously.
Staff Picks
Trumpeter Dominick Farinacci performs repertoire off his US debut album Loves, Tales & Dances (E1 Music) at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston. Since being “discovered” by Wynton Marsalis at the age of 15, Dominick has charmed fans and critics alike with the warmth and rich lyricism of his sound. Produced by the legendary Russ Titelman (Eric Clapton, James Taylor, etc), Lovers, Tales & Dances features some of the greatest players in jazz, including Kenny Barron, James Genus, and Joe Lovano.
CONCERT REVIEW ‘Where the Word Ends’
It’s hard to be a living legend. It’s hard enough having one brilliant idea. It’s even harder moving past it. To be an over-the-hill performer without just regurgitating the epiphanies of one’s early years is certainly something.
CONCERT REVIEW A Renaissance Fervor
Johannes Ockeghem was writing in the fifteenth century, a time whose musical traditions may already have been lost to the ages. Ockeghem’s music, still a matter of active research and lively debate in terms of its performance and practice, was written in a time that preferred vacuous perfect intervals to plump triads at the close of cadences, when tritones were still considered <i>diabuli in musica</i>, when audiences were still intimately familiar with the melodies of Gregorian chant and plainsong.
CONCERT REVIEW Matt Wertz Rocks the Paradise
Having been branded with a black “X” on each hand and informed not to drink “adult sodas,” I entered the Paradise Rock Club last Friday for the concert I had been enthusiastically anticipating — Matt Wertz.
MOVIE REVIEW ★★★ ½ Only for the Brave Children
If I were a young child, I do not think that I would have been able to watch the entirety of <i>Coraline</i> without screaming my head off. The genius of the stop-motion 3D film is its ability to transcend age barriers.
INTERVIEW From The UK to the US
In 2008, Los Campesinos! burst onto the indie rock scene with the release of their debut album, the critically acclaimed <i>Hold on Now, Youngster</i>. Their latest effort, the equally praised <i>We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed</i> hit stores last November. The Septet from Cardiff, Wales is currently on an extended American tour that takes them to the Paradise Lounge in Boston next Friday the 13th. Singer Gareth Campesino took time to talk to <i>The Tech</i> ahead of a show in Lawrence, Kansas.
RESTAURANT REVIEW Good for a Romantic Date Or Monday Night Foodie Fun
With Valentine’s Day looming around the corner, I thought I would try some restaurants that hopefully won’t break the bank while still maintaining a high level of quality. Sibling Rivalry, a self-proclaimed “modern American restaurant,” does just that. As you may surmise from its name, the restaurant is run by two siblings, Chefs David and Bob Kinkead, and each offers his own unique culinary creations on the menu. To add to the brotherly competition, they offer a special deal on Monday nights, two separate prix-fixe three-course menus for $35 each. The opportunity to be a judge, Iron-Chef-style, for a night? Sounds like my type of fun.
CD REVIEW This Album Brings Me Down… In a Good Way
Chicago-based songwriter and indie superstar Andrew Bird garnered peculiar amounts of attention after his 2005 release of <i>The Mysterious Production of Eggs</i>. Since then a relentless schedule of gigs, a successful album and EP release, and spots at larger festivals like Chicago’s Lollapalooza have driven Bird to surpass his contemporaries. Add on top of that success a writing gig at the <i>New York Times</i> and you’ll wonder how Bird does it all.
THEATER REVIEW Vietnam: In Your Face
Last season’s production of David Rabe’s classic 1970s play, <i>Streamers</i>, gives new meaning to the power of theatre. Executed by the Roundabout Theatre Company at Laura Pels Theatre in New York City, the performance included a cast of seasoned actors who brought an eerie realism to the tale of young soldiers awaiting deployment to Vietnam.
Important Albums of 2008
Album sales might be decreasing every year, but that doesn’t mean anything for 2008. Whether you bought them on special edition vinyl, downloaded them, or streamed them off of Seeqpod, the following albums probably made it into your playlist at some point during the course of the year. The past twelve months have given us plenty of important debut albums, career-shifting solo efforts, and also a good handful of reliable releases from well-established acts. You know it’s a great year when campus geeks Vampike Weekend take the world by storm within months of the release of Coldplay’s piéce-de-résistance, “Viva la vida, or Death and All His Friends.”
Songs With Words
Fundamentally, choral music is difficult to listen to. Certainly, there are technical issues that are prevalent throughout all of music — unusual dissonances, uncompromising forms and lengths — but choral music, in particular, adds another significant complexity.
Freddie Hubbard: 1938–2008
Playing trumpet with the masters of jazz (Sonny Rollins, Eric Dolphy, Quincy Jones) by twenty, Freddie Hubbard was key in the development of both free jazz and jazz fusion. A protege of Miles Davis, Hubbard brought a new fire to the instrument with chop-busting high notes and a controlled, unique tone. He participated in innovative work both as a sideman (Herbie Hancock’s Maiden Voyage, Oliver Nelson’s The Blues and the Abstract Truth, Ornette Coleman’s Free Jazz) and soared as a frontman (Hub Cap, Ready for Freddie). In the 70’s, Hubbard signed on to the new Creed Taylor label CTI, going on to produce some of his most famous albums: Red Clay, Straight Life, First Light, and others. Hubbard continued playing to general acclaim for several decades, even after suffering an upper lip injury in 1992 that would largely remove him from the scene (an injury tragically brought on by Hubbard’s unrelenting lip technique). Hubbard died on the morning of December 29, 2008, at his home in California. He is survived by his wife, Briggie, and his son, Duane.—<i>Samuel Markson</i>