Articles of Note

Music as mental exercise. The pianist Mal Waldron did more than gig with Billie Holiday, Allen Ginsberg, and Lenny Bruce. He cultivated an analytical style... more »

New Books

Critics of criticism. When did the only sophisticated stance on a cultural object become distance, deflation, and diagnosis?... more »

Essays & Opinions

The ancient Greeks had color words for “pansy-like” and “wine-like,” but never sea or sky blue. Can we understand their descriptions if we can’t see as they did?... more »