Salt of the Earth (1954)

In 1954 a group of blacklisted filmmakers made the first blacklisted film in American history, SALT OF THE EARTH. Centered on a strike by Mexican-American workers in New Mexico, it is ever more timely now.
by David McGee
 

 
 

My Summer Romance: Laughter, Tears & Tenderness

MY SUMMER ROMANCE: LAUGHTER, TEARS & TENDERNESS in three stories and a poem about summer loves. Music by MEL CARTER, SPANKY & OUR GANG, et al.
by David McGee
 

 

 

‘It’s Almost Like We’re Standing Against an Evil Giant’

NAVAJO WOMEN are rising up against unfettered oil and gas development on Native lands; a statue of CHIEF JOSEPH of the Nez Perce is going into Statuary Hall.
by David McGee
 

 
 

This American Yule

With conductor/artistic director HARRY CHRISTOPHERS at the helm, the HANDEL AND HAYDN SOCIETY offers a journey through traditional carols using American tunes.
by David McGee
 

 

 

The Mythic Weight Of Phil Spector’s Christmas Gift

In 1963, PHIL SPECTOR thought his CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR YOU album would be a career-defining event. Then a not-so-funny-thing happened to him on his way to musical world dominance. BILLY ALTMAN fills us in.
by David McGee
 

 
 

The Coolest Yule

The Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet's first seasonal outpouring, FOOLS FOR YULE, offers some bracing surprises in its mix of original songs and classic holiday fare.
by David McGee
 

 

 

‘Once in Royal David’s City’

The journey of 'Once in Royal David's City' from an 1848 text to global processional hymn.
by David McGee
 

 
 
Black Hole

‘Cry’ of a Shredded Star Heralds a New Era for Testing Relativity

‘This gives us an opportunity to explore the nature of black holes and test Einstein’s relativity at a time when the universe was very different than it is today,’ Last year, astronomers discovered a quiescent...
by David McGee
 

 

 

Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot

With more than one million views at present, this video of CARL SAGAN's eloquent, poetic meditation on 'the only home we've ever known' is even more timely and important than it was when published in 1994. To say it speaks for ...
by David McGee
 

 
 

The String and The Source

On Néo, KAORU WATANABE celebrates 'going upward, connecting to the divine...the unity that binds us to something greater.' It's the master Taiko multi-instrumentalist/composer's finest hour.
by David McGee
 

 

 

Christopher O’Riley at the Top

CHRISTOPHER O'RILEY, host of NPR's popular 'From the Top,' offers his own bold takes on Liszt on his acclaimed new solo piano album, O'RILEY'S LISZT.
by David McGee
 

 
 

Of Ethereal, Poised Beauty

Film composer Richard Harvey's disc of highly evocative choral music in superb performances from two Baltic choirs, the LATVIAN RADIO CHOIR and the ESTONIAN PHILHARMONIC CHAMBER CHOIR
by David McGee