Christopher O'Riley in my present bingeread of the work of Madison Smartt Bell, i’ve just read his first set of short stories, read as autobiography (Princeton life, Hoboken skids), but of a more spiritual, intuitive voice than Henry Miller, especially noteworthy for the title story, told from the specifically informed consciousness of an expert soundman (one of …
getting the band back together: I will be joining Pablo Ziegler, composer and pianist of many years for Astor Piazzolla’s New Tango Quintet, touring his fantastic two-piano arrangements of his own works and famous tunes by Piazzolla. We needed to find two pianos to rehearse, and so Irene Wlodarski of Steinway reserved a studio at …
Continuing my binge-reading of the works of Madison Smartt Bell with another of his early novels, Waiting For the End of the World, a deep gaze into the spiritual abyss that was New York City in the early 80’s: domestic terrorism lurking omnipotent, Satanism, even some Dickensian instances of Spontaneous Human Combustion. This book makes …
Just finished reading Madison Smartt Bell‘s debut novel, The Washington Square Ensemble. it was thanks to Stona Fitch and Concord Free Press that I became aware of Smartt Bell’s work through his latest volume of short stories, Zig Zag Wanderer. I found his prose style addictive, his habitation of new voices compelling. I’ve collected all …
So now I’ve caught up with the compleat published works of Haruki Murakami (in preparation for the English publication of his latest novel, The Colorless Tsukuro Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage), having just finished reading his comprehensive short story collection (works from 1980-2005), Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman. Two dozen brilliant stories wholly worthy of …
Thrilled to announce this project, brainchild of Maestro Eduardo Marturet‘s Season of the Piano at the Miami Symphony Orchestra, a collaboration with brilliant Brazilian jazz pianist and composer, Andre Mehmari. His music is beautiful, his energy, infectious. Thanks to school-chum and Percussionist of the Miami Symphony Orchestra, Dexter Dwight, for turning me onto this great …