My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you that in 2020, the state of jazz is… well, I suppose it all depends on what you mean by “state.” In a country where the highest-paid public employees are football coaches and where artists are expected to work for the non-remuneration of “exposure,” jazz as a professional calling remains a daunting […]
Author: A Star-Revue Contributor
Sunset Terrace Family Health Center expands
Originally a hub for adult primary care, behavioral health, and HIV services, the Sunset Terrace Family Health Center has expanded to become a full-service healthcare facility to care for the borough’s growing families. The expansion of primary care and the addition of dental services and a new pharmacy are among the new services now provided at the newly renovated facility at 514 49th Street […]
Red Hook Coastal Resiliency gathering on January 29
The New York City Mayor’s Office of Resiliency (MOR) and the Department of Design and Construction (DDC) will host this first community gathering for the Red Hook Coastal Resiliency Project. The Red Hook Coastal Resiliency Project is an integrated coastal protection system that will reduce the risk of coastal flooding, maintain access to the waterfront, and improve the public realm. […]
Hugh Pool makes New York City look good, by Jack Grace
The first time I saw Hugh Pool perform, I was deep in conversation with an old friend, Tom Vaught, at the enchanting but since departed Lakeside Lounge. Suddenly from the stage, a long-haired, National guitar-picking, slide-screaming, harmonica-through-amplifier, screeching force came soaring like a nip-soaked cat on fire in a bag filled with rabid dogs on acid. Our jaws became acquainted […]
When will the blues come? by George Grella
In this giant international city where supposedly everything is available 24 hours a day, there is one thing that’s in short supply: live blues. Where to go to hear the blues? B.B. King’s Blues Club closed in April, 2018, and Hank’s Saloon is now interred in the cemetery. You can try to stroll by 55 Bar on Christopher Street and […]
Liberty Valance, ASCAP, Rolling Stone & The Man: gather those rose buds!, by Joe Enright
In my wayward youth, before I accidentally found my true mission in life, I applied for a job at ASCAP – the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. The position was Deputy Under Assistant to the Radio Associate or some such ridiculous title. The work required successful applicants to tune across the AM/FM dials and identify the music they […]
New paths to affordable housing in NYC: a look at the Singapore model, by Sander Hicks
The number-one issue that 98 percent of New Yorkers care about is affordable housing. I have been studying the successful affordable housing programs in Singapore. New York City could learn a lot. Let’s look at the work of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. This guy was loved by the masses. Lee Kuan Yew was originally a union organizer and […]
PAVE goes to camp, by Maren Morsch
Nearly 60 eighth-graders from Red Hook’s PAVE Academy traveled to Warren County, New Jersey, to spend three days on the campus of the Princeton-Blairstown Center (PBC) last week. There, the scholars participated in tailored programming designed to increase community bonding and foster teamwork and communication skills. “We hoped our students would have a stronger sense of community after this trip. […]
Dustin Yellin’s big table, by John Buchanan
The following is an interview with artist Dustin Yellin, founder of Pioneer Works. RHSR: What’s the genesis of your work? Yellin: The works in this building are of the three hands: the Descriptive, the Prescriptive, and the Impossible. The Descriptive being how do you use different mediums to tell stories, narrative stories, and that’s what you see happening in the […]
Spotify, Apple, streaming and stereos, by Jack Grace
Listening to music on the speaker of a cell phone is about as enjoyable as eating a burrito through a straw. You can get the taste but did you really experience the textures it had to offer? Ok, get yourself a damn high quality stereo already and listen to it often. Yes, vinyl is that good; it’s not just a […]