Great art in London: Zurbarán and Whistler

There are two exhibitions which recently opened in London that have a connection with Diego Velázquez – for me, as for so many, one of the very greatest painters in the history of art. The first – devoted to Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664), at the National Gallery – is a clear link, since he and … Continue reading Great art in London: Zurbarán and Whistler

Joyful indeed: new(?) music from Carla Bley

I’ve been listening to some very interesting new music recently (more about which soon-ish, I hope), but nothing has been more welcome than a Carla Bley double CD entitled Joyful Noise – a somewhat unexpected treat since the great bandleader, composer, arranger, keyboards player and occasional singer died around two and a half years ago. … Continue reading Joyful indeed: new(?) music from Carla Bley

The Christophers: another gem from Steven Soderbergh

I’m not about to explain, once more, my reasons for always wanting to catch any new movie (or any small screen fare, for that matter) by Steven Soderbergh; I already wrote about my enduring interest in his work in posts about Black Bag and Presence and about his low-budget web series Command Z. But that … Continue reading The Christophers: another gem from Steven Soderbergh