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.
Jazz instrumentalists are known for taking a melody and running with it — and often taking the listener to places far more mesmerizing and memorable than the source material. The same may be said of vocalists.
Unwarranted and unrestrained police violence against African Americans has long been a stain on the nation. But last May, the brutal killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis prompted a heightened awareness of that lingering problem — and an enhanced understanding of the Black Lives Matter movement and its struggle for racial justice.
Socialism is quite frequently brought up as a buzzword — particularly during election season, when candidates either struggle to explain it or rush to condemn it, even as the average voter remains oblivious to just what socialism means.
Charlie Parker is revered as a jazz genius — a bold and brilliant innovator largely responsible not only for revolutionizing the music’s sound, but for transforming its image from that of captivating entertainment to incontestable art.
Many museums around the region have closed in response to the COVID-19/coronavirus threat. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is closed to the public until further notice. For updates, please visit their website at nelson-atkins.org. Gordon Parks was a celebrated African-American photographer who came to fame through his work for the legendary “Life” magazine, and who […]
Of the literary arts, poetry is perhaps the least understood yet the most appreciated. And the range of contemporary works is vast, from the plainspoken musings of Billy Collins to the relatively esoteric flights of Anne Carson. With its focus on the beauty and precision of words, poetry can be a rare pleasure for readers but can also be a risky proposition for publishers.