Leonard played second trombone in the orchestra for thirty-seven years. He liked second because it allowed him to participate in enormous things without necessarily being blamed for them. The first […]

Tonight I made one of those concoctions for which there is no recipe because admitting there was a recipe would imply somebody planned it. I started with my tomato sauce, […]

People often complimented Mimi on her willpower. There was evidence. She toured much, driving impossible distances. She practiced every day. She wrote songs even when no one was asking it. She finished […]

For years Zambuka spoke about fighting himself. He fought himself out of bed, fought into the practice room, fought from the refrigerator at midnight, fought away from difficult phone calls, […]

Nobody in the audience would have noticed the passage if it had gone well. Seven seconds buried in the middle of a serious piece. Yet for Jimmy it was a […]

Everyone assumed being Elon’s cousin meant she would invent rockets, batteries, or machines that frightened economists. Lulu Musk had different ambitions. She specialized in improving moments too small for civilization […]

The tritone always suspected other intervals talked about him. The perfect fifth never said anything directly. It just smiled with infuriating stability. Same with the major third. “You know,” it […]

Musicians joke about everything eventually. Missed notes. Terrible hotels. Death. For most of his life Marlon thought insomnia was just inconvenience. A bad night’s sleep before a concert. Then one […]

Critics routinely described his work as “hopeful.” Arthur had never corrected them. At the ceremony, the Master of Ceremonies spoke of resilience. Another spoke of courage. A former prime minister […]

The meeting ended when someone folded the moon. The activists stacked chairs that grew lighter each time they were lifted until the final chair floated toward the ceiling and remained […]