“The music is meant to evolve, and we’re in the midst of its most wildly adaptive, thrillingly unruly evolutionary phase in some 40 years. So why do I balk whenever someone declares that jazz has entered another golden age?” – The New York Times
Tag: 12.25.18
Study: Important World Heritage Sites At Risk In Climate Change
The vast majority—47 of the World Heritage Sites studied—were found to be potentially threatened by coastal erosion or storm surges by the end of the century. Specifically, 37 of the sites were found to be at risk from a 100-year flood or storm surge, and 42 to be at risk from coastal erosion. Just two of the sites studied, Medina of Tunis and Xanthos-Letoon, were found not to be facing any risk from either of those two hazards by 2100. – Pacific Standard
Through Venezuela’s Chaos, Dance Company For Disabled Carries On
“Caracas-based AM Danza works with 50 young Venezuelans who are pursuing their passion for dance despite limitations like broken spines, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome or blindness.” — Yahoo! (AP)
Artists, Thinkers, Activists, Leaving Russia
Since 2014, the year Russia took Crimea from Ukraine and annexed it, Russia’s prominent cultural figures, writers, artists, gallery owners, musicians, film-makers, and journalists have been moving out. According to the latest study by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center, nearly every third young Russian wants to emigrate. – The Daily Beast
How I Choreographed Childish Gambino’s ‘This Is America’
Sherrie Silver: “Donald [Glover] is somebody who likes to learn, so that made my job easier. I changed the choreography quite a few times. It was really complicated at one point, then I made it simpler, then I changed my mind again and called another rehearsal.” — The Guardian
Artists We Lost In 2018, In Their Own Words
“Some people like to paint trees. I like to paint love.” (Robert Indiana)
“It never came to mind: ‘Maybe I’m not good enough.’ I never thought like that.” (Roy Hargrove)
“The myth was that because you were black that you could not do classical dance. I proved that to be wrong.” (Arthur Mitchell)
“Don’t shove me into your damn pigeonhole, where I don’t fit, because I’m all over. My tentacles are coming out of the pigeonhole in all directions.” (Ursula K. Le Guin)
— The New York Times
Luminous PoKempner pix of Sun Ra’s celestial music
If you liked Black Panther, listen to the music that introduced and embodies Afro-Futurism. Photojournalist Marc PoKempner captured a bit of the celestial magic of the Sun Ra Arkestra during its November touchdown in New Orleans’s Music Box Village. — Howard Mandel