The idea has intrigued modern American composers for decades: What would happen if you mashed-up jazz with the symphonic form? Duke Ellington, Gil Evans, Vince Mendoza, and Maria Schneider have written ravishing scores in this vein. Now, the respected Los Angeles reed-man, arranger, composer and band leader Kim Richmond has released his latest masterwork, “Artistry,” a...
An Open Letter to Councilmember Hugo Soto-MartinezDear Councilmember Soto-Martinez,
The man you replaced, Mitch O’Farrell, was perceived by many as a cynical politician who placed the desires of wealthy real-estate developers over the concerns of the people he was supposed to represent. Sensitive to any perception of impropriety, you’ve made it a point to not accept…
For more than forty years one of our favorite writers, Detroit-based Peter Werbe, has been publishing provocative essays about capitalism, technology, religion, politics, and popular culture in the anarchist journal The Fifth Estate, where he’s long been an indispensable member of the editorial collective. Some of his best work is now organized in a compulsively readable...
