“At first the men were accustomed to donning masks, mimicking the ladies who customarily went about masked during the celebration of the first of May. And thus adopting the custom of the ladies and youths, they donned costumes and sang dance songs.” That’s from an account of mid-15th-century Florence, published by A.F. Grazzini. When he […]
Music Features
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Expressing his Spanish heart
Over the last five decades, few musicians have had the continuous impact of Chick Corea. While in Miles Davis’ late 1960s band, he was among the first trailblazers to take on the electric keyboard. Later, he helped define the fusion movement, leading groups like Return to Forever and writing compositions, like “Spain,” that transcended the […]
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Still humpin’ after all these years
When I spoke with The Invictas’ frontman Herb Gross in 2001, he nixed the idea of a band reunion. “It would be pretty tough to re-create that time,” he said. “But it was a blast.” From 1964 to 1968 The Invictas — Herb Gross (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Dave Hickey (drums), Mark “Max” Blumenfeld (lead […]
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Ray Charles on his mind
Saxophonist David Newman’s nickname may be “Fathead” but the name Ray Charles used to call him — “Brains” — is a far better fit. Newman, who pays tribute to his former bandleader on his new CD, I Remember Brother Ray, is among the most soulful sax players of all time. He may not fill a […]
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Good Charlotte is just a rock band
Good Charlotte is not a punk band. They’ll be the first to tell you, too. “I don’t listen to punk music,” says guitarist Billy Martin. “I’ve never been into punk music.” But when Good Charlotte exploded out of Waldorf, Maryland in 1996 they were almost immediately labeled “punk” by a media that’s still shocked by […]
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Submerged in minor keys …but the Black Arrows leave the backbone in
It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock ‘n’ roll. It’s even longer if you have to burn dreary thruway miles from Ithaca to do it. Each week members of The Black Arrows drive an hour and a half to converge at their bass player’s home in East Rochester. The quartet entombs […]
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It doesn’t have to be beautiful
“Nothing,” jokes Matty Sonar, describing what attracted him to playing in local noise outfit Gaybot. “I didn’t like it at all,” he says, “and I don’t know if I do now.” For Sonar, who provides beats and plays guitar, saxophonist Chris Wicks, and mastermind Brian Blatt (who most often embodies the Gaybot persona, though he […]
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Deep in the heart of Texas
Dave D’Angelico loves those Texas blues. The grumbling lowdown shuffles and stinging bare-fingered leads that fly out of his amp are all big sky and open spaces. His Tele’s tone is mean. But the music’s aggression counters his casual delivery and deadpan demeanor, and he traverses the neck with graceful purpose and ease. He’s bombed […]
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Sun City girl
Half the fun of following a band like Sun City Girls is wrapping your head around the notion that they could actually exist. Self-described “aristocrats of impertinence,” the Sun City Girls have been performing and recording their defiant music since 1981. And there’s really no sense in classifying that music, which was initially (and fittingly) […]
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The bursting open of a flower
“Bali has the most vibrant culture I have ever seen or experienced,” says Ellen Koskoff, professor of musicology at Eastman School of Music. You’ll have an opportunity to see if this statement holds any water when she and the gamelan ensemble Lila Muni perform their annual concert at Kilbourn Hall as part of the ongoing […]
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MC Beneficial shows how Rochester does it
If commitment made record contracts, MC Beneficial would be rich by now. The young rapper’s first CD dropped last week. Called Great Expectations, it took a year and a half to put together. And with all that work, he made sure it looked and sounded right. “A lot of people, they just record in somebody’s […]
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Braiding mediums
ImageMovementSound may be one of Rochester’s best-kept secrets. Most residents don’t even know it exists. But outsiders seem to know. Kelly Ferris, a first-year SUNY Brockport grad student from Tennessee says, “One of the reasons I came here to Rochester was to be a part of this festival.” In its ninth consecutive year, ImageMovementSound 2005 […]
