The International Ambassador For Louisiana Roots Music

“Dural took up the accordion in 1978 and founded Buckwheat Zydeco a year later. In 30 years of touring and recording he took zydeco to unexpected physical and musical places. From his take on Bob Dylan’s ‘A Night Like This’ for Australian TV in the ’80s, to ‘Hey Joe’ on David Letterman’s Late Show in the ’90s, to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in May, Dural was a welcoming presence who made his audiences happy.”

When Margaret Atwood Rewrites Shakespeare

“Shakespeare refuses to be boxed in. Not only do we know very little about what he really thought, felt and believed, but the plays themselves are elusive. Just when you think you’ve got a meaning nailed down, your interpretation melts like jelly and you’re left scratching your head. Maybe he’s deep, very deep. Or maybe he didn’t have a continuity editor. And Shakespeare will never turn up on a talkshow and be asked to explain himself, the lucky devil.”

Today’s AJBlogs Highlights

John Coltrane At 90 There are so many options that it is difficult to know what to bring you today to observe the great saxophonist John Coltrane’s (1926-1967) 90th birthday. Among Coltrane’s hundreds of recordings and videos, no doubt … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2016-09-23

Man Down! We’ve Lost Andrew Sullivan: The Battle For The Real World Is Coming For You Is reality just a construct of the online world or is the online world merely an overlay on reality? Every new technological advance that extends our reach also imposes previously unnecessary decisions about how and … read more
AJBlog: diacritical/Douglas McLennan Published 2016-09-23

A view from the gasworks In today’s Wall Street Journal I review an important off-Broadway revival of Shelagh Delaney’s A Taste of Honey. Here’s an excerpt. * * * Shelagh Delaney wrote her first play, “A Taste of Honey,” a … read more
AJBlog: About Last Night Published 2016-09-23