Calvin Wilson

Calvin Wilson is an arts writer at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He is also host and creator of the jazz program, “Somethin’ Else,” on 107.3 FM and 96.3 HD2 in St. Louis.

Ballet Tells a Haunting Tale

Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” has haunted readers for almost seven decades. Its narrative is simple: In a fictional town, an annual rite is held in which one of the citizens is murdered — by stoning. The townspeople approach the lottery with a chilling nonchalance. Betraying one of their own — in this case, a wife and mother named Tessie Hutchinson — is merely something that must be done to maintain the social order.

May 16, 2017
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Road-Tested and Fired Up: “Jazz 100” at JCCC

Jazz fans often lament that so many of the music’s legends have moved on to that jam session in the sky. And indeed, there’ll never be another Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Mongo Santamaria or Ella Fitzgerald. But the spirit of those performers lives on. And by a serendipitous coincidence, each of them — iconoclastic pianist […]

March 13, 2017
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A Work for the Ages

“A Raisin in the Sun” is regarded as a major American play that not only reflects the era in which it was created — the 1950s — but continues to resonate for its insight into humanity in general and race in particular. The signature work of playwright Lorraine Hansberry, the tale of the Younger family and its transition from an uncomfortable life in the city to an uncertain one in the suburbs has become iconic.

March 1, 2017
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Wylliams/Henry Celebrates a Quarter-Century of Excellence in Dance

For any arts organization to reach its 25th anniversary is cause for applause. But such an achievement is perhaps even more notable for a dance company. Dance, one of the most revered art forms, is also among the least understood. But Kansas City’s Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company, founded by the late Leni Wylliams and Mary […]

September 1, 2016
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New Book on Historic Blues Magazine Born of KC/K-State Connection

Any true blues fan can tell that the music is as much about telling stories as about rocking the house. The blues gets to the essence of life — its delights and disappointments, its tragedies and triumphs. And for more than four decades, Living Blues magazine has told the stories of the personalities and passions […]

June 22, 2016
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Owen/Cox: Balancing Profundity and Fun

The critically acclaimed Owen/Cox Dance Group teams up with leading choreographer Kate Skarpetowska in fall performance at JCCC. Kansas City’s Owen/Cox Dance Group brings to the stage an intriguing blend of classical and contemporary influences. But perhaps more importantly, the company pursues that approach while striking a balance between profundity and fun. This fall, the […]

September 1, 2015
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