Pinned“Blackstar” and The Spiders From JazzTHE MAKING OF DAVID BOWIE’S FINAL ALBUM — By Bradley Bambarger <2016> David Bowie was on a roll — again. The rock icon had begun his 21st century with two energized studio albums and one of his most acclaimed world tours, before that momentum hit the brick wall of his heart attack in 2004. But after nearly a…David Bowie24 min read
PinnedMcCoy Tyner: The Intensity of a Jazz OriginalThe thrilling pianist made his name with John Coltrane in the Sixties — but kept exploring into the 21st century By Bradley Bambarger<2020> Few things are more important to a musician, especially in jazz, than developing an individual sound on his or her instrument, that quality of being recognizable to…Mccoy Tyner13 min read
PinnedPat Metheny and the LAGQ: Going from the Page to the StageBy Bradley Bambarger <2017> The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet had just premiered the biggest work of its career, the nearly half-hour Road to the Sun, composed for the group by jazz guitar icon Pat Metheny. Most witnessing the LAGQ’s autumn performance at the University of Denver, with the attendant exhilaration…Pat Metheny12 min read
PinnedVan Cliburn: Classical Pianist as Folk HeroAmerica has never produced a more broadly popular classical instrumentalist than Van Cliburn. Not told as often as it once was, the pianist’s story is both heroic and cautionary. By Bradley Bambarger <2017> America has never produced a more broadly popular classical instrumentalist than Van Cliburn. The pianist wasn’t just…Van Cliburn18 min read
Sep 24, 2021Review: Hopkinson Smith’s Bittersweet Science of the LuteBy Bradley Bambarger <2005> Once upon a time, when the world was much quieter, the lute was the premier, princely instrumental voice — intimate, complex and expressive, ideal for accompanying songs and dances or for playing solo. …Hopkinson Smith3 min read
Apr 30, 2021Review: “Two Hours of Pow!” — Rufus Wainwright Channels Judy Garland at Carnegie HallBy Bradley Bambarger <2006> Kate McGarrigle, banjo in hand, sang folk tunes to her infant son, but he didn’t seem to like them. It was only when she sat at the piano playing Tin Pan Alley numbers that he brightened up, eventually learning “Over the Rainbow” himself. …Rufus Wainwright4 min read
Apr 26, 2021Review: Opposites Attract — Van Halen Reunited with David Lee RothBy Bradley Bambarger <2007> The ostentatious hugs may be as stage-managed as a G8 summit, but at least the smiles appear genuine on the original Van Halen’s reunion tour — finally, after a decade’s on-again, off-again soap opera. Guitar whiz Eddie Van Halen and singer/showbiz-ham David Lee Roth are famous…Van Halen3 min read
Published in Rock n’ Heavy·Apr 23, 2021Review: Pixies Reunited — Vintage Songs About Sex, Religion and UFOsBy Bradley Bambarger <2004> The Pixies may be bigger, balder and more sedate than when their subversive songs helped skew late-’80s college rock and offer a dynamic template for the alternative boom to come. Yet those songs remain undated, inimitable and wonderfully weird. When the band played the first of…Pixies3 min read
Apr 19, 2021Mozart on the StageBook Review: MOZART AND HIS OPERAS by DAVID CAIRNS (University of California Press) By Bradley Bambarger <2006> For all the virtues of Handel, Wagner, Verdi and Britten, the operas of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart have a mix of sensual appeal and emotional subtlety that is, for those lucky to know them…Mozart2 min read
Apr 16, 2021True Images of Mozart…By Bradley Bambarger <2006> One of Mozart’s pupils, Johann Hummel (who became a noted pianist and composer), described his teacher being of “small build, his face pale; his physiognomy contained much that was pleasant and friendly, with a touch of melancholy seriousness; his large blue eyes gleamed brightly.” This gives…Mozart6 min read
