The expansion of the Wordless Music series–with its intriguing interplay between contemporary classical music and a more “vernacular” idiom–continues beyond its New York City origins with its inaugural Chicago summer concert series, entitled “Loops and Variations.” This free series of concerts in Millennium Park extrapolates from Wordless Music’s successful formula of pairing works by such composers as Arvo Pärt, John Adams, Nico Muhly, and Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood …more…
Arts America Blog
Jazz in the Burbs? Enter Pete Miller’s
May 26, 2012 by
Once when I was a student at Binghamton University, I was taking a taxi cab back to campus from the Greyhound Station. The gregarious driver and I struck up a conversation about music and he asked what genre I enjoyed. “Mostly jazz” I answered, to which he became very excited and asked if I liked Art Pepper and John Coltrane. I immediately answered in the affirmative so we took our …more…
Old Friends, New Recordings
May 26, 2012 by
As a former New Yorker now living in Chicago, it is always great when old New York jazz friends come to town. This month was especially a treat with bassist Tal Ronen rolling through the windy city. Ronen, who is easily one of the best bassists of his generation, is a regular at New York stalwart clubs, such as Smalls, 55 Bar, and the Fat Cat. Recently, he has been …more…
Pop Art Powerhouse Roy Lichtenstein at the Art Institute of Chicago
May 24, 2012 by
This summer, comic book heroes, beautiful women, and colorful explosions will invade the Art Institute of Chicago with Roy Lichtenstein: A Retrospective. The blockbuster show is the first to examine the life’s work of the famous Pop artist, bringing together a collection of his famous comic-inspired paintings, in addition to lesser-known but equally striking works from the length of his career – early abstractions, landscapes, sculpture, and much more. In …more…
The Art Institute of Chicago’s “Capturing the Sublime” Highlights the Spark of Creativity
May 12, 2012 by
The Renaissance was one of the greatest periods of achievement in human history. The arts flourished, and we have countless masterpieces of panting, fresco, sculpture, and architecture that continue to awe us with their wonder and beauty. However, there is one element from these years of humanism and rebirth that has been largely absent – drawing. The Art Institute of Chicago highlights these largely unknown works with their exhibit, “Capturing …more…
A Weekend in the Country: a Sondheim favorite @ Writers’ Theatre
May 11, 2012 by
It may not be the “country” but for city-dwelling Chicagoans, it’s close enough. Writers’ Theatre in Glencoe, just outside the city, concludes their twentieth season with Sondheim’s pastoral classic, A Little Night Music. Writers’ Theatre is one of the suburbs’ foremost theaters, recently notable for David Cromer’s successful revival of A Streetcar Named Desire. Though considerably lighter in subject matter, this new mounting of Night Music is still pretty revelatory, more so than the …more…
The lie of a pipedream: ‘The Iceman Cometh’ at Goodman Theatre
May 4, 2012 by
It’s difficult to find humor in a Eugene O’Neill play, but The Iceman Cometh was inspired by a vaudeville-era joke. In typical O’Neill fashion, the joke is mined down past the comedy to its tragic source in this nearly five-hour epic. From the same director that brought The Goodman’s production of O’Neill’s Desire Under the Elms to Broadway in 2009, comes this star-studded revival of The Iceman Cometh. Featuring …more…
Feel the Sway with Matt Wilson’s Arts and Crafts at the Green Mill
April 29, 2012 by
As one steps back and takes a good look at all of the jazz that is out there, all the different musical directions that have developed and are developing right now, it can be overwhelming. To boot, much jazz music is quite serious in nature (don’t get me wrong, much of that serious music is quite inspiring) but when one is listening to a jazz suite composed over the John …more…
Jazz Spotlight: Vocalist Rose Colella
April 29, 2012 by
In the age of American Idol, singers are often unfortunately graded on how hard they can belt. Rose Colella sings with understated nuance in a way that brings to mind Blossom Dearie, Shirley Horn, and Billie Holiday. Colella does not use a song’s lyrics as a “show off” vehicle, she massages each lyric with deep musical sensitivity and emotional maturity. She uses a gentle whisper to caress a melody or …more…
A Living History Lesson: ‘The March’ @ Steppenwolf Theatre
April 27, 2012 by
In the grand tradition of historical reenactment, comes a stirring epic from the same team that brought The Grapes of Wrath to Broadway in the early 90’s. Steppenwolf company member Frank Galati adapted and directed E.L. Doctorow’s 2006 PEN/Faulkner award-winning novel about Sherman’s destructive march across the Confederate South. Like so many novels, movies and plays about the Civil War, The March is less about the battlefields and more about the …more…
Write Now: Artists & Letterforms brings together the Visual and Verbal
April 20, 2012 by
As I’ve mentioned before, the Chicago Cultural Center is a great place to take in free art exhibitions the Loop. During my latest visit, I decided to investigate the exhibition “Write Now: Artists & Letterforms” before it closes at the end of the month. As a writer, I have a fondness for the written word, and I am always fascinated when artists incorporate the visual and the verbal.
“Write Now” features …more…
No Black Cats, Just Art: Friday the 13th Gallery Highlights
April 16, 2012 by
Chicago is home to an array of wonderful museums, full of amazing artwork. But if you want to tap into a vibrant, rewarding, and possibly unpredictable art experience, a trip to one of the city’s many gallery districts is the way to go. I braved the potential bad luck of Friday the 13th to explore some of the latest spring openings.
My first stop was Kasia Kay Art Projects, located in …more…
The Seldoms: Contemporary Dance That’s Always Current
April 15, 2012 by
The Seldoms
One of Chicago’s most interesting dance companies, The Seldoms have a strong sense of physicality, flow, and mystery. It is easy to see the intelligence behind their choreography as the work is not only driven by questions dealing with contemporary issues, but also a personal relationship to the environment.
Artistic director Carrie Hanson, named by Dance Magazine as one of 25 to watch in 2012, founded the company in …more…
Real Love is Never Ambivalent: ‘Angels in America’ @ Court Theatre
April 15, 2012 by
If you’ve taken any basic college drama class in the past twenty years, hopefully you’ve come in contact with Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer-Prize winning play, Angels in America. Originally presented in repertory on Broadway from 1993 to 1994, this two-play, commissioned work became a national sensation. Through the beauty of his original and memorable dialogue, Kushner astutely puts the Reagan-era, AIDS-era and Cold War-era of American history into a fantasy situation in …more…
A Heart as Big as a Baby’s Head: ‘Camino Real’ @ The Goodman Theatre
March 29, 2012 by
You know you’re experiencing good theatre when patrons are walking out because of moral objection rather than poor quality. The Goodman Theatre serves up a very intriguing interpretation of a lesser known Tennessee Williams gem. Camino Real (pronounced re-AL) is a complex drama with a short production history since its initial 1953 debut. This rare production is the brainchild of Goodman artistic director Bob Falls’ pairing of Calixto Bieito …more…
Chicago’s Iconic Experimental Jazz Scene
March 25, 2012 by
I was recently attending the annual conference for the International Society for Improvised Music and I got into a conversation with trombonist, Jeff Albert. First of all, Jeff is a pretty awesome dude: he is currently working on his Ph.D in Experimental Music, experimenting with the possibilities of computers and improvised music, and was recently named a Rising Star in the Trombone category for Down Beat Magazine… plus, Jeff is …more…
The State of Jazz Clubs: Chicago and New York
March 23, 2012 by
I was attending a wonderful show by vocalist Arlene Bardelle and I reflected on the unique perspective that my wife and I (as well as a few others) have from observing the jazz scenes of both the windy city and the big apple. As jazz clubs continue to financially tread water, refine their lineups to fit more popular tastes, or simply close down, many in the jazz community question what …more…
“Limits of Photography” at Museum of Contemporary Photography
March 16, 2012 by
If you’re a photography addict like I am, then the Museum of Contemporary Photography should be one of your must-see cultural destinations in Chicago. Located at Columbia College, the museum has the distinction of being the only institution dedicated solely to photography in the Midwest, and it has the added bonus of being free and open to the public. Their latest exhibition, “The Limits of Photography,” is in its final …more…
A ‘Pygmalion’ in Africa: ‘The Convert’ @ Goodman Theatre
March 15, 2012 by
“I was thinking one day, and I was like, I want to make a play that’s sort of … an adaptation of Pygmalion, about Zimbabwe, because I just feel like there are so many parallel themes,” says playwright Danai Gurira in an NPR interview, whose newest work The Convert is currently holding its world premiere at The Goodman Theatre. This commissioned work began at The McCarter Theatre Center in New Jersey in late January and was transfered to The Goodman in late February. ...more...
Polish Printmaking at the Chicago Cultural Center
March 11, 2012 by
The Chicago Cultural Center is one of my favorite places in the city. Not only is it home to the largest Tiffany glass dome in the world, it’s a place to get information on happenings all around the city, and hosts plenty of cultural programming, such as concerts and art exhibits. The last time I was there, I was drawn to the exhibit in the Michigan Avenue galleries, “The Wrocław School of Printmaking: Faculty of the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Fine Art and Design,” that features a collection of work from artists out of Wrocław, Poland. ...more...
Dancer Spotlight: Stephanie Paul – Be The Groove
February 29, 2012 by
It is both a risk and a dream to start your own company. You raise it like a child giving it your time and energy. And it takes all of your experience and more to raise it. Be The Groove, created in 2006, is the rhythmic loving child of Stephanie Paul and Davora Sides.
Stephanie Paul grew up as an athletic child. She danced from a young age until she was …more…
Jazz Spotlight: Tenor Saxophonist Chris Madsen
February 29, 2012 by
The history of the tenor saxophone runs as deep as it does wide in jazz, from Bean to Brecker, to the extent that one can almost question what else can possibly be done on the instrument. Fortunately for the skeptics, the jazz community does continue to turn out unique tenor saxophone stylists and among them is Chicago-based tenor player Chris Madsen. The first thing one notices about Madsen is his …more…
“Light Years” brings together Photography and Conceptual Art
February 28, 2012 by
Last post, I mentioned that there are some great photography shows up around Chicago right now. While the Art Institute of Chicago offers a glimpse of how artists are utilizing the medium today in ”Exposure”, the museum is also offering a thorough look at photography’s recent past. “Light Years: Conceptual Art and the Photograph, 1964–1977” brings together more than 140 works by 57 artists in the first major survey to explore photography’s role in the conceptual art movement – a show that is exclusive to Chicago. ...more...
Jazz Spotlight: Sarah Marie Young
February 28, 2012 by
With the eclectic nature of Chicago’s music scene, filled with the blues, jazz, gospel, and R & B, it is a real joy to check out the vocal stylings of Sarah Marie Young. An alumni of Columbia College’s heralded vocal jazz program, Young has been impressing Chicago audiences since 2004.
One aspect of Young’s singing that really amazes is her ability to sing jazz, R & B, as well as her …more…
Gustavo Ramirez Sansano: Current and Classic
February 17, 2012 by
Gustavo Ramirez Sansano’s choreography is getting a lot of notice, especially right now in the Chicago area where he is Artistic Director of Luna Negra Dance Theater, appointed as of 2009. ...more...
