Review: Awa Sal Secka Sings ‘Summertime’
Signature Theatre is serving up a refreshing tonic for this summer’s unbearable heat in the form of a swinging cabaret show, “Summertime: Awa Sal Secka Sings Ladies of Jazz.” The…
Some Other Things I’ve Written Lately
Here are some other things I've written at other places: A review of a fine tribute concert for Leonard Cohen at the Kennedy Center on my Substack. Surveying an exhibition…
Friday TV: Bon Jovi Tells His Long Story
“Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story” (Hulu, streaming) is not named as a farewell. Indeed, band founder and lead singer Jon Bon Jovi spends most of the four hours…
Monday TV: Elton John Gets the Gershwin Prize
The sheer appeal and wide influence their music can be seen in the wide-ranging top-name artists who come to pay tribute and perform their songs on the special “Elton John…
Uplifting the Barrooms: ‘The Reverend’
Vince Anderson enters the modest stage in robes and long beard, striking the image of Dr. John working magic in music through a keyboard, a growly soulful voice and a…
Cher, Foreigner Among Rock Hall Nominees
The 2024 nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were announced Saturday, not at the hall in Cleveland or a rock club in New York, but at the…
Other Things I’ve Written Lately
Here are some other things I've written lately: A survey of 24 museum shows to see at Smithsonian museums in 2024, for SmithsonianMagazine.com Remembering Wayne Kramer, the influential MC5 guitarist,…
Some Other Things I’ve Written Lately
Here are some other things I've written recently: A survey of recent acquisitions at the National Portrait Gallery, for Smithsonian Magazine.com. A review of Lucinda Williams' autobiographical concert at Capitol…
Soul Music Revue: How Sweet It Is
Signature Theatre in Arlington is helping expand the American Songbook to include rock and pop classics of a half century ago in cabaret shows this winter that will celebrate Leonard…
Remembering Tony Bennett, 1926-2023
Through his remarkable career that spanned eight decades, Tony Bennett, who died Friday at 96, not only set the mark for delivering pop standards with pop and verve, he encouraged…