Author: Alec Sugar
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Celebrating Time and Tradition at Ron Carter’s 88th Birthday
“My responsibility as a bassist and band leader is using every opportunity to create spectacular music,” writes Ron Carter in his Instagram bio. It’s no surprise, then, that the legend spent his 88th birthday week performing with his Golden Striker Trio at NYC’s Blue Note, a jazz venue famous enough to attract polo-shirted tourists but… Read more
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Magic in the Making: The Met’s Magic Flute as a Living Creation
Standing in the aisle or talking to a neighbor is not where an opera-goer hopes to be caught when the performance begins. But choreographer Simon McBurney’s production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) gave the audience at NYC’s Metropolitan Opera little warning. With house lights still on, audience and cast alike found their places… Read more
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Cairns: Soundwalking with the Dead
The Green-Wood Cemetery is not just a traditional home for the dead, but a vibrant living space to connect with nature and culture. Local musician Gelsey Bell offers visitors a guided immersion in Brooklyn’s oldest and largest necropolis through her soundwalk Cairns, available for download on Bandcamp. Beneath light, angelic singing, I was ushered into… Read more
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Robert Fripp’s Exposure: Recorded in 1979, Performed in 2025
In 1979, British guitarist Robert Fripp released his first solo album, Exposure. Its aim was to “investigate the ‘pop song’ as a means of expression,” and it featured contributions from the likes of Darryl Hall, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, and Brian Eno. But when it came time to promote the record, Fripp didn’t tour with… Read more
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The Deftones’ North American Tour: A Tale of 3 Energies
With shimmering guitar washing over Madison Square Garden, Deftones singer Chino Moreno snaked his way to the front of the stage. He took in the cheering crowd for a few seconds from atop a speaker before jumping off just as the band exploded into motion and pandemonium ensued. The audience knew exactly what was about… Read more
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Indofunk’s Raga Jazz Jam
When a sitar weaves around a sax solo that’s handed off to a sliding trumpet, you’ve entered the realm of Indofunk. Named for his signature musical style, Indofunk plays the firebird trumpet, a 3-valved trumpet equipped with a trombone-like slide. He hosted an open Raga Jazz Jam at the Fifth Hammer Brewing Co’s Brewside Lounge… Read more
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Back to the Futurism: Kraftwerk @ King’s Theatre, Brooklyn, 3/13/25
Man-machine, computer-love, dance music played to a sold out theater of seated adults, a song called “Musique Non Stop” immediately before the concert stops… Kraftwerk juxtaposes unlikely concepts with infectious rhythm, mesmerizing colors and anachronistic techno-optimism. German quartet Kraftwerk pioneered electronic music starting in 1970. Their music has inspired nearly everyone making electronica or techno… Read more
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Becoming Led Zeppelin: Classic Rock on the Big Screen
“Mine’s a tale that can’t be told, my freedom I hold dearHow years ago in days of old, when magic filled the air‘Twas in the darkest depths of Mordor, I met a girl so fairBut Gollum and the Evil One crept up and slipped away with her“ The famous lyrics to “Ramble On” epitomize the… Read more
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Fifth Hammer Brewing Serves Up Hoppy Jazz
It’s not every night that a rubber chicken squawks in the middle of a drum solo, but anything goes when jazz bubbles in a casual setting. Long Island City’s Fifth Hammer Brewing Co offers live music in the Brewside Lounge as eclectic as the beer selection. Wednesdays see brewery owner Chris Cuzme trade in his… Read more
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16 Songs that Tell the Story of Miles Davis
The name Miles Davis is synonymous with cool, creative and visionary. If you’re only familiar in passing, you might wonder why. Miles made a name with his emotive yet un-frilled trumpet sound, but he was more like the conductor of an orchestra than the lead singer of a band. His remarkable ability to bring the… Read more