Here is the link to my Spottify Playlist for this year. We kick off this year’s curated playlist with a delightful work by Ellen Taafe Zwilich, Upbeat! Lots of fun rhythmic play gets things off to a lighter start here for this year’s collection of music. First appearing in 1926, John Alden Carpenter’s Skyscrapers is an unjustly overlooked jazzy ballet with touches of Americana as we head into the big city. In a time of uncertainty we move into Umoja: Anthem of Unity by Val

(un)common threads Ariana Kim, violin. Roger Moseley, fortepiano. Shane Shanahan, percussion. Saffron Soul Records 519061 Total Time: 75:37 Recording: ****/**** Performance: ****/**** Ariana Kim, who teaches at Cornell University, has put together an album that explores both classic violin literature and global styles with a touch of improvisation. The album celebrates the sense of the latter with exploring some historical approaches to playing. The first half of t