Santa Evita a novel by Tomás Eloy Martínez. Translated from the Spanish by Helen Lane. (Alfred A. Knopf) Eva Perón has long been a character in search of a novel. A modestly talented actress of humble origins, María Eva Duarte worked, hustled and intrigued her way up in the Argentine society of the 1930s and …
Compañero: The life and death of Che Guevara by Jorge Castañeda. Ernesto “Che” Guevara was executed on October 9, 1967, by the Bolivian army, after a brief, disastrous guerrilla campaign. It was only the last in a string of failures. Yet the fascination with Guevara has remained strong if at times disconcerting, ranging as it …
Mexican singer, actress, and performance artist Astrid Hadad takes the absurd seriously. Her surreal brand of cabaret lampoons the marketing of Mexico’s cultural icons and reframes received historical truths. Her costumes, often marvels of movable set design, unfold, billow and blink. At one moment, she’s a living Diego Rivera calla lilies painting, and the next, …
Gil Evans photo by Janet Knott, The Boston Globe Gil Evans’ career, like his music, defies convention. Most great creators in jazz made an impact early in their lives, then settled for a steady, gentle decline — or died young. Evans, a self-taught pianist, and arranger was 45 years old when he first recorded an …
In The Key of Evans. Gil Evans at 75 (The Boston Globe) Read More »
I filled out the applications, got my picture taken, sent the money order, got a letter with the appointment date, waited in line, had my name called, did the interview, went home and forgot about it. Time passed, got a note in the mail, went to the Knight Center, waited in line, heard the speeches, …
JAZZIZ Magazine Editor’s Letter “Jazz is known all over the world as an American musical art form and that’s it. No America, no jazz,” said drummer and bandleader Art Blakey. “I’ve seen people try to connect it to other countries, for instance to Africa, but it doesn’t have a damn thing to do with Africa.” …
Hear the World. The Globalization of Jazz (JAZZIZ) Read More »
Willie Clarke, co-founder of Deep City Records. Photo by Larry G. Warmoth. Well before Miami Sound became a brand name, there was a Miami sound. It came together in the mid-’60s and it was soul and funk as only Miami could make it. It was raw and gritty. It was built on the sanctified grooves …
Deep City Records, Miami’s Motown (Knight Foundation) Read More »