“Borrowing from Wikipedia’s model of user-generated content, Discogs has built one of the most exhaustive collections of discographical information in the world, with historical data cataloged by thousands of volunteer editors in extreme detail. … And with an online marketplace through which nearly $100 million in records will be sold this year, Discogs has carved out a valuable niche in a market dominated by companies like Amazon and eBay.”
Tag: 12.30.15
Canada’s Longest-Running Music Critic Retires At Age 84
Claude Gingras spent six decades as the classical critic for Montreal daily La Presse. Many observers objected to his often-harsh language – one Toronto colleague called him “Canada’s potshot king” and Marc-André Hamelin once refused to play if he was in the hall – but he was an early champion of conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin and composer Claude Vivier.
Sophisticated Art-Theft Ring At Rome Airport Busted, Say Police
“Police said the gang … made up of cleaning staff and ground crew at Rome’s Fiumicino airport … devised a plan to steal the works of art by pretending to bring them to oversized baggage collection points.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 12.30.15
Year-End Poll Results
Again this year, I swore off voting in what has become an epidemic of jazz popularity contests, also known as critics polls, with one exception. I don’t seem to be able to say no to … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2015-12-30
Cruising the Moskwa
Occasional Rifftides Moscow correspondent Svetlana Ilicheva (pictured) sent a report that may bring summer memories to those of us in the grip of the northern hemisphere winter. … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2015-12-30
Screw Conventions
Liturgy’s new album, The Ark Work, wins the number one ‘avant’ album of 2015 over at Rolling Stone. They even mention John Luther Adams in the description. It is a remarkably original album, strongly compositional, and apparently … read more
AJBlog: PostClassic Published 2015-12-30
Snapshot: the original 1952 London production of South Pacific
A complete archival multi-camera sound film of the original London production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific, starring Mary Martin. The production, directed by Joshua Logan, was a reproduction of the original Broadway staging. … read more
AJBlog: About Last Night Published 2015-12-30
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Higher Education In America Has Huge Problems. How Can They Be Fixed?
“For too long at too many American colleges and universities, it has been assumed that students alone control their educational destiny. So, static lectures, irregular student assignments and feedback, and disjointed course offerings remain in place even though better alternatives exist.”
The Smithsonian Says It Won’t Alter Bill Cosby Art Exhibition
“Eddie Burke, a spokesman for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art, said Wednesday that the exhibit will close as scheduled on Jan. 24. He says no changes will be made to a posted disclaimer that says the museum does not condone Cosby’s alleged behavior.”
‘They Can’t Cage Your Mind’: New York Public Library Brings Spoken-Word Poetry To Rikers Island – And Inmates Love It
“They had been pried from their favorite television shows to attend – of all things – a poetry reading. Some nice people from the public library, they were told. Then came the poet: unshaven, in his early 20s, dark hooded sweatshirt, dark T-shirt, dark ball cap slung backward on his head. Some men leaned forward, elbows on their knees. Expressions shifted to curiosity: This was not what they were expecting.”
Why Doesn’t The Metropolitan Opera Perform On Sundays?
“Peter Gelb, the company’s general manager, who has broached the idea of performing on some Sundays to attract bigger audiences, said in a recent interview that he had not yet been able to reach the necessary agreements with members of the Met’s work force to make it happen.”
Egypt Shuts Down Two Arts Venues And A Publisher
“In the first raid, on Monday, government agents seized papers and computers at the Townhouse Gallery and the affiliated Rawabet Theater before suspending the organization’s activities … On Tuesday, officials and police officers raided Merit, the publishing house, arresting an employee and confiscating equipment.”