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      Louis Ballard, the ‘Father’ of Native American Composers, Hasn’t Gotten His Due

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      More than 50,000 spectators filled Kennedy Stadium in Washington on Nov. 27, 1977, for a football game between two bitter rivals, the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys.There was drama in the game, with both teams in the hunt for a playoff berth, but more unusual was the entertainment before and at halftime: an enormous spectacle of Native American music, dance and history. It was, The Washington Post reported, “part of a new movement to re-establish American Indians as first-class citizens in the United States.”At the center of the event was the National Indian Honor Band — 150 students chosen from 80 tribes in 30 states — which played four pieces by Louis W. Ballard. With tens of thousands of listeners, this was probably the most prominent platform a Native American composer had ever had.The performance was a career highlight for Ballard, a pioneering figure who paved the way for the broad upswing in Native composers over the past few decades. He was among the first to negotiate issues that younger artists still face: melding Native and Western classical traditions; the role of his music in social and political activism; expressing his community’s deep history and culture in a modern way.“Ballard was the grandfather of Native American composers,” Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, one of that next generation of artists, said in an interview. Tim Long, a conductor and teacher, echoed that sentiment: “He is the father of all of us who are Native people in classical music right now.”A composer as well as a pianist, conductor, filmmaker, writer, teacher, compiler of Native songs and national curriculum specialist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Ballard had his music performed throughout the United States and Europe. He studied with Darius Milhaud and brought Stravinsky to a ceremonial Deer Dance in New Mexico.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Larry Bell’s Vast Collection of 12-String Acoustic Guitars

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      The artist Larry Bell has amassed a vast collection of acoustic instruments, carefully stored in a climate-controlled room.In My Obsession, one creative person reveals their most prized collection.The artist Larry Bell, 85, was born with severe undiagnosed hearing loss. “I didn’t know it, and neither did my parents,” he said. Unsurprisingly, music lessons were a struggle but, when he was about 17, he saw a strange guitar hanging in a pawnshop window in Downtown Los Angeles. “I had never seen anything quite like it because it had 12 strings instead of six,” he said. “I asked the man behind the counter if I could see it. I just dragged the back of my nails across the strings, and it was a complete epiphany. I heard it. And not only did I hear it, I could feel it.” Bell, who is best known for minimalist glass sculptures that explore the properties of light and color, has been collecting 12-string guitars ever since. Hundreds hang in their own climate-controlled room in his studio in Taos, N.M. Twelve-strings are more sensitive than six-strings: They’re difficult to tune and hard to play, and that’s what Bell appreciates. “My collection is about my passion for improbable things,” he said.The collection: Acoustic 12-string guitars.Number of pieces in the collection: “Roughly 300.”Recent purchase: “I had some spare time [during the run of the retrospective ‘Larry Bell: Improvisations’ at the Phoenix Art Museum], and one of the curators drove me around to see some guitar shops. I came across a fantastic instrument made in Vietnam. The sound’s sort of a cross between a harpsichord and an organ.”Weirdest: “In my mind, they’re all unusual because 12-strings aren’t a popular kind of guitar. Years ago, I commissioned a fantastic musician to make me a 12-string guitar that was small enough to slip under the seat of an airplane.”Most expensive: “Ten thousand dollars for a McPherson [a guitar handmade in Sparta, Wis.].”Most precious: “A little Mexican instrument that was made [about 50 years ago] in a town called Paracho, Michoacán. I paid about $600 [for it] at a store in L.A. It probably cost someone $12 when it was new. As it turned out, it was absolutely extraordinary in terms of its playability. How much a guitar costs is not necessarily what determines how good it is.”One previously owned by somebody famous: “Actually, it’s just the opposite. A few musicians borrowed them and never gave them back.”One that was damaged: “They crack all the time. It’s very dry here. I have four humidifiers that run around the clock to feed these guys water so they don’t turn to dust.”Plans for the collection: “I wonder how many people’s guitars burned up in the terrible situation in Los Angeles. I’m thinking of giving the whole collection to somebody who can put the instruments in the hands of those who might need them.”This interview has been edited and condensed. More

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      So You Think You Can Be a Cabaret Star

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      On a crisp Saturday morning in late February, Rachel Murdy joined a group of singers of various ages and experience levels at the 92nd Street Y and sang “Party Hat,” delivering the refrain “I’m going to put a party hat on my cat” with a playful spark.Murdy, a seasoned 56-year-old performer and director, had brought along her 7-year-old Chihuahua, Bibi. “I’m not a cat person,” she noted. But she said she could relate to the lyric, which advocates tackling loneliness with giddy defiance.Joe Iconis, the composter, lyricist and performer, who had been swaying enthusiastically throughout Murdy’s presentation, approved. “You’re so right on,” he said, as he would repeatedly when the participants, chosen from a pool who had submitted videos, performed. “It’s about a human being looking for a connection.”Rachel Murdy entertaining her classmates during the 92NY workshop.Hannah Edelman for The New York TimesThe group had gathered for a cabaret performance workshop that aims to foster fresh talent in a classic art form that has long been pronounced dead, only to rise again and again. Each had prepared a song by Iconis, whose musicals include the Tony Award-nominated “Be More Chill” and “The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical,” set to arrive in Washington, D.C., in June.“I’ll do anything I can to help light a fire, especially in young people,” Iconis said in an interview, “to show them you can have all those things that are exciting about pop singing and also learn how to interpret the lyric, and make the performance of a song a dramatic experience.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Trump Seeks More Sway in Picking Kennedy Center Honorees

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      When President Trump was criticized by some of the artists who were recognized at the annual Kennedy Center Honors program during his first term, he responded by boycotting the show, breaking with decades of precedent.Now, as he leads a sweeping takeover of the Kennedy Center in his second term, Mr. Trump is seeking changes that will allow him greater sway in the selection of honorees, according to two people briefed on the matter who were granted anonymity to describe confidential discussions.Mr. Trump, who is now the chairman of the Kennedy Center, is scheduled to speak at a meeting of its board on Monday afternoon, when proposed changes to the honors advisory committee will be on the agenda, according to the individuals and a copy of the agenda that was obtained by The New York Times.Since 1978, the Kennedy Center has named honorees to be recognized each year at a star-studded televised gala without interference from the White House. The center has honored a broad spectrum of artists and performers, including Lucille Ball, Dolly Parton, Clint Eastwood, Fred Astaire and the Grateful Dead.But Mr. Trump is seeking a more direct role. He replaced all the Biden appointees on the center’s once-bipartisan board, was elected chairman and installed a loyalist, Richard Grenell, as its president. The board is scheduled to meet Monday to consider a resolution, which has not been previously reported, that would give Mr. Trump more control over the selection of honorees.The resolution states that members of the committee responsible for selecting honorees “shall be appointed by the chairman of the board, and shall serve at the pleasure of the chairman,” according to a copy obtained by The Times. That would give Mr. Trump broad power to hire and fire those who help decide who will receive the honor, which recognizes people and institutions for lifetime artistic achievement. The committee will recommend a slate of honorees to the Kennedy Center’s president for approval, the resolution says.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Lady Gaga Sells ‘Mayhem’ Hard. But Does It Work?

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      Subscribe to Popcast!Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon MusicLady Gaga’s sixth solo pop album, “Mayhem,” was released last week, and its retro palette immediately connected with many of the singer’s most devoted longtime fans.Produced by Gaga, the rock revivalist Andrew Watt and the pop fixture Cirkut — with what Gaga has described as substantial input from her fiancé, Michael Polansky — the LP gestures pointedly back at the sounds of the pop star’s ascent in the late aughts and early 2010s. In a surprising amount of promotional interviews for a modern star of her caliber, Gaga has also cited a lofty list of influences for the album’s rock and funk touches: Prince, David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead, Earth, Wind & Fire and more.But does “Mayhem” transcend homage and fan service, successfully shifting or adding to the current conversation in pop? Reviewing the album for The New York Times, the critic Lindsay Zoladz called it “a refreshing anomaly” and “a little behind the times” — which may be its strength.To discuss “Mayhem” on this week’s Popcast, Zoladz was joined by Caryn Ganz, The Times’ pop music editor, and Joe Coscarelli, a pop music reporter, who traced Gaga’s unorthodox career path through the Top 40, jazz standards and Hollywood, while considering the potential limits of a “return to form” album for the 38-year-old singer.Connect With Popcast. Become a part of the Popcast community: Join the show’s Facebook group and Discord channel. We want to hear from you! Tune in, and tell us what you think at popcast@nytimes.com. Follow our host, Jon Caramanica, on Twitter: @joncaramanica.Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. More

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      Sean Combs’s Lawyers Say Video of Hallway Assault Was Altered

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      The video, a critical piece of the prosecution’s case, shows the music mogul beating and kicking his girlfriend at a hotel in 2016.Lawyers for Sean Combs argued at a court hearing on Friday that a leaked security video showing Mr. Combs assaulting his former girlfriend was “deceptive,” and said they would request that it not be allowed as evidence at his upcoming trial on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.That video, recorded at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016, was broadcast by CNN last year, months before Mr. Combs’s arrest. It showed him beating, kicking and dragging Casandra Ventura, his former girlfriend and an artist once signed to his record label under her stage name, Cassie.Marc Agnifilo, a lawyer for Mr. Combs, said that a forensic analysis of the security footage aired by CNN showed that the video had been sped up from its original source, that events were depicted out of sequence and that time stamps on the original tape had been covered up.“It’s a deceptive piece of evidence,” Mr. Agnifilo argued. Mr. Combs’s lawyers, however, did not define how a change in sequencing would have affected a viewer’s understanding of what occurred.Mr. Combs’s legal team also accused CNN of destroying the original footage, and said they planned to file a motion to exclude the video from evidence at Mr. Combs’s criminal trial, which is set to begin in May.CNN, in a statement from a spokeswoman, denied the allegations. “CNN never altered the video and did not destroy the original copy of the footage, which was retained by the source,” the statement said.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      An ‘In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb’ Playlist

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      Prepare for spring with songs from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Lion Babe, Buddy Guy and others.Karen O of the Yeah Yeah YeahsJack Plunkett/Invision, via Associated PressDear listeners,Early March is such a tease, occasionally giving us a fleeting preview of desperately desired springtime — only to snatch it away with yet another dreary, blustery, 30-something-degree day. You know the saying: “In like a lion, out like a lamb.” Since we’ve finally almost reached that fabled calendrical turning point in the middle of the month, I thought I’d put together a playlist that goes in like a lion and out like a lamb.Given their potent and evocative symbolism, there is no shortage of music that references lions or lambs. Lions connote strength, fire and even potential danger; lambs, in keeping with their biblical association, often represent purity, gentleness and self-sacrifice. In today’s selections, you’ll hear these themes explored by artists like Genesis, Neko Case and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, among others.May these songs bring warmer afternoons, longer days and much lighter jackets.Momentum for the sake of momentum,LindsayListen along while you read.1. The Tokens: “The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh)”Let’s begin with the most famous version of this oft-covered classic about a lion in peaceful repose. Most elements of what would eventually become “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” were written by the South African musician Solomon Linda, whose 1939 version of the song was titled “Mbube,” the Zulu word for “lion.” Pete Seeger’s folk group the Weavers released an influential version in 1951 (as Seeger, Edward Norton plays it onstage in “A Complete Unknown”), but the doo-wop group the Tokens took the song to new heights of popularity in 1961, with this rendition that featured English-language lyrics by the songwriter George David Weiss.▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTubeWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Chappell Roan’s Bro-Country Tweak and 9 More New Songs

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      Hear tracks by Playboi Carti, Haim, Bon Iver, Willie Nelson and others.Every Friday, pop critics for The New York Times weigh in on the week’s most notable new tracks. Listen to the Playlist on Spotify here (or find our profile: nytimes) and at Apple Music here, and sign up for The Amplifier, a twice-weekly guide to new and old songs.Chappell Roan, ‘The Giver’Chappell Roan provocatively but persuasively dons country-queen drag on “The Giver,” her first single in nearly a year, which she previewed on a November episode of “Saturday Night Live.” Driven by a boot-stomping beat and heavily embroidered with fiddles and banjos, the track is a vividly rendered throwback to country’s ’90s pop crossover moment — think Shania Twain and the Chicks — though its cheeky lyrics (full of queer innuendo) frame 21st-century bro-country in its cross hairs. “Ain’t no country boy quitter,” Roan winks at a love interest on a rollicking, shout-along chorus that centers female pleasure. “I get the job done.” “The Giver” feels like the beginning of the self-assured second chapter of Roan’s stardom, since her previous smashes were all sleeper hits that crawled up the charts long after their initial release. But here she’s stepping confidently into an expectant spotlight, unbowed by the pressure and ready to fulfill the song’s promise: “Baby, I deliver.” LINDSAY ZOLADZHaim, ‘Relationships’The Haim sisters, who haven’t released an album since 2020, juggle cynicism and connection in a new single, “Relationships.” The backup is steady-chugging midtempo R&B, with cushy piano chords and a firm backbeat; the lyrics pile on the ambivalence. The sisters ask, “Don’t they end up all the same? When there’s no one left to blame?” Seconds later they admit, “I think I’m in love but I can’t stand [expletive] relationships.” Consider it an update of Samuel Johnson’s line about a second marriage: “a triumph of hope over experience.” JON PARELESPlayboy Carti featuring Kendrick Lamar, ‘Good Credit’Playboi Carti has optimized hip-hop for the splintered-attention era of streaming and TikTok. He releases a barrage of one-off singles and features, slinging high-impact sounds and percussive, seconds-long phrases in unpredictable voices. Meanwhile, he’s been working on “I Am Music,” his first full-length album — a 30-track marathon — since “Whole Lotta Red” in 2020. Among the guests is Kendrick Lamar, who shows up on “Good Credit” to anoint “Carti my evil twin.” Lamar raps about his own un-gimmicky integrity and success: “The numbers is nothing, the money is nothing / I really been him, I promise.” Carti’s boasts are more scattershot — women, dangerous associates, drugs — and one is undeniable: “I got too many flows.” PARELESBon Iver featuring Danielle Haim, ‘If Only I Could Wait’Doubts and yearning — and electronics and distortion — threaten to overcome Justin Vernon, who performs as Bon Iver, in “If Only I Could Wait” from his coming album, “Sable, Fable.” He wonders, “Can I incur the weight? / Am I really this afraid now?” in one of his majestically hymn-like melodies — a melody that’s set atop edgy electronic drums and interrupted by stray guitar lines. Danielle Haim arrives with companionship and sympathy: “I know that it’s hard to keep holding, keep holding strong.” But their verses and vocal lines collide. By the time they find harmony, they conclude they’re “best alone,” more bereft than before. PARELESWillie Nelson featuring Rodney Crowell, ‘Oh What a Beautiful World’Willie Nelson’s next album, due April 25, is filled with songs from the catalog of Rodney Crowell, who joins him for a duet on the title track: “Oh What a Beautiful World.” It’s an easygoing, well-traveled reflection on life’s ups and downs — “It’s a walk in the park, or a shot in the dark” — delivered with Nelson’s grizzled, kindly mixture of acceptance and tenacity. PARELESWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More