Revelations: Notes on Music, Criticism, and Society; on Nelson George’s book Where Did Our Love Go? and Stanley Crouch’s book Considering Genius

George, someone whose work I used to read in Manhattan’s Village Voice, documents the beautiful and brutal reality that was Motown, a company and a creative period, the 1960s through the 1970s, that I think of as a highlight of African-American and American history, as important as (if not more important than) the Harlem Renaissance, giving us sounds and substance, giving us ideas, images, and individuals, of great value.

A review of Tumbuktu by Paul Auster

The overriding desire for meaning beyond this short life is one which infuses the book, but Auster never allows a human narrative voice to interfere with Mr Bones’ perspective. Clever, funny, lighthearted and serious all at the same time, this is a stylistic departure for Paul Auster which nonetheless makes full use of his gifts.

A review of Syncopations: Beats, New Yorkers, and Writers in the Dark by James Campbell

Campbell is very good on Capote and it is the slightly gossipy air of his writing that makes these studies especially interesting. He is even better on James Baldwin, subject of one of his books. He demonstrates how the FBI persecuted Baldwin, drove him into exile, and hampered his life so that after leaving the United States Baldwin’s best years as a writer were over. It would be pleasant to believe that such things are no longer possible, pleasant but, alas, unfortunately naive.

Excitements and Examinations: An Internet Interview with Music Scholar Walter Everett

This is an interview with musician, teacher, and writer Walter Everett in which discussed are his own work, academic standards, the roles of artist and critic and other social actors, particular essays investigating music, the differences between academic and popular responses to culture, the world wide web, distinguished and enjoyable musicians such as Radiohead and Gnarls Barkley and Nirvana and Patti Smith, and music as a political force. Everett says, “It has been amazing to follow the changes in popular styles and artistry, alongside the changing notion of how and why people listen to music.”

A review of Tremolo: Cry of the Loon by Aaron Paul Lazar

What makes this book work so well is how it moves beyond genre, to illuminate a critical period in his hero’s life, showing just how the warmth and honesty in his family life have given rise to an integrity which makes him more than simply a clever detective. His character creates a theme that works throughout all of the Gus LeGarde books, and, I suspect, a theme that may well be present in all of Lazar’s work.

An Interview with Linda Benninghoff, author of The Spaces Between Things

The latest collection of Linda Benninghoff’s poems is here under the title The Spaces Between Things (erbacce-press, Liverpool, 2008). Like her previous chapbook departures, this collection brings memories of childhood, friends, family, and experiences of natural elements (animals, trees, water, and weather) to life. The 34 poems in this short book deal with the experience of feeling the space between things and how it relates to our definition of life as a conscious individual. I was intrigued by Linda’s deep involvement with nature and her use of poetic expression for sharing her thoughts with readers and so we arranged to have a brief e-mail interview. Here is our e-conversation about Linda’s recent book.

A review of Botvinnik’s Secret Games by Jan Timman

Botvinnik’s Secret Games is a welcome addition to chess literature. Our present understanding of modern chess strategy would be unthinkable without the games and writings of Mikhail Botvinnik, and anyone who wants to fully appreciate his contribution to chess will want to study the games in this book.