In Amy Schumer’s Trainwreck, heart beats out rowdy

Amy Schumer’s comic mind surely worked overtime to come up with Trainwreck. The rising star wrote the script, as you probably know unless you’re living in one of the few places where they haven’t beamed her deserving face on a morning or evening show interview these past couple of weeks, and then passed it along…

Lake Street Dive unveils its Princess

The catch a rising star moment wrapped the M&T Syracuse Jazz Fet in its happy arms early Saturday night. Lake Street Dive, good to know you now. I only hope those plaques proclaiming it your day all four of you brought home, the bouquets placed in the arms of lead singer Rachael Price and bassist…

Aretha Franklin still qualifies as the Queen of Soul

The Queen of Soul still holds courts on a stage. Aretha Franklin took the 10,000 and more folks who pressed onto the campus of Onondaga Community College for her finale set of the M&T Syracuse Jazz Fest and showed them a thing or two about proper soul singing Saturday night. And it was very, very…

A Big Band jump start to the M&T Syracuse Jazz Fest

Into every M&T Syracuse Jazz Fest a little rain must fall. So it seems sometimes in the history of this big party to celebrate good music and hopefully fine times in Central New York. On the first night of the 33rd edition of the summer event on the campus of Onondaga Community College, the precipitation…

The Magnificent Mrs. Johnson

The lovely chapel on the Syracuse University quad resonated with chuckles. Some of the hundred people inside from the shining July sun dabbed their cheeks from tears. We listened to pretty guitar and stately organ music. We celebrated the 92 years of Vivienne Jean Johnson beautifully in Hendricks Chapel on a lovely Thursday afternoon as…