Although he was never a household name, anyone with a record collection almost undoubtedly owns one of Blaine’s songs. By his own count, he played on more than 6,000 tracks over the course of his career. – BBC
Tag: 03.12.19
John Richardson, Picasso Biographer, 95
Richardson’s grandest and most acclaimed project was his multivolume biography of Pablo Picasso, the first part of which was published in 1991. (Two more volumes have been put out since; a fourth is expected to follow, though a publication date has not yet been set.) In 2008, Richardson was asked what made his biography different from books on the painter. He told Artinfo, “The fact that I knew him well and he opened up to me.” – ARTnews
Britney Spears, The Musical?
The show will have its world premiere this fall in Chicago at the James M. Nederlander Theatre. Previews begin in October. The show’s story centers on classic fairytale princesses like Cinderella and Snow White learning that being happy ever after may take some work. – Washington Post (AP)
The Venerable Dance Critic At 85
Deborah Jowitt, who has been reviewing since 1964, has probably vexed fewer choreographers than most other leading critics. She speaks of Taylor tenderly (“a genius”), and with gratitude. As the subject of her first review for The Village Voice (Nov. 9, 1967), he immediately wrote her with advice: She should have more confidence in her own views and not quote a senior critic to prop herself up. – The New York Times
Shulman’s ‘Age of Disenchantments’ Has Arrived
Aaron Shulman’s collective biography of the Spanish Panero family, The Age of Disenchanments — just out from Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins — has a cast of dramatic characters that is nothing less than stunning. – Jan Herman
Recent Listening, In Brief
Daniel Szabo, Visionary (Fuzzy Music)
Szabo’s work reflects influences of jazz, classical and modern European music. But more striking is that the music has coherence and — for lack of a more exact term — a distinct personality. – Doug Ramsey