Author and music critic, formerly for the NYT, now for fine publications everywhere.... Co-author of "The McCartney Legacy Vol. 1 1969-1973," out 12/13/22.
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Articles by Allan Kozinn
‘The Boys of Dungeon Lane’ by Paul McCartney Review: Melody and Memory
The ex-Beatle’s new album is a collection of characteristically fresh and tuneful songwriting, mixing reflections on his Liverpool days with more contemporary-minded material. Paul McCartney Mary McCartney Since he released his last album, “McCartney III,” at the end of 2020, Paul McCartney has not strayed far from the limelight.
Neil Sedaka, singer, pianist and songwriter has died at age 86
Advertisement oop Skip to Content By 1963, his record sales had swelled to more than 25 million, about half his lifetime sales of more than 50 million • Singer Neil Sedaka performing with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in May 2008. He passed away this week.
Neil Sedaka, singer, pianist and songwriter has died at age 86
By 1963, his record sales had swelled to more than 25 million, about half his lifetime sales of more than 50 million • Singer Neil Sedaka performing with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in May 2008. He passed away this week.
Neil Sedaka, singer, pianist and songwriter has died at age 86
Skip to Content Trending Travel Trending Travel Trending News Trending World Trending Travel By 1963, his record sales had swelled to more than 25 million, about half his lifetime sales of more than 50 million • Singer Neil Sedaka performing with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in May 2008. He passed away this week.
Neil Sedaka, singer, pianist and songwriter has died at age 86
Advertisement oop Skip to Content By 1963, his record sales had swelled to more than 25 million, about half his lifetime sales of more than 50 million • Singer Neil Sedaka performing with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in May 2008. He passed away this week.
Neil Sedaka, singer, songwriter and pop hitmaker in two eras, dies at 86
Neil Sedaka, the iconic singer, pianist, and songwriter known for hits like “Oh! Carol” and “Laughter in the Rain,” has passed away at the age of 86. Throughout his career, Sedaka sold over 50 million records, collaborated with artists like Elton John and Captain and Tennille, and continued to innovate by blending classical influences into his music.
A Productive, Political Partnership
Try GOLD - Free The Wall Street Journal | October 09, 2025 A new set collects the collaborations of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. JOHN LENNON was the most overtly political of the Beatles, and he was at his most outspoken during his first years in New York, in 1971 and 1972, when his circle included the likes of Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman, of the Chicago Seven, and Black This story is from the October 09, 2025 edition of The Wall Street Journal.
‘Power to the People’ Review: John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Productive Partnership
Though frustratingly incomplete, a new boxed set of superb sound quality collects most of the couple’s output from the early 1970s, when they were creatively energized by the issues of the day. John Lennon was the most overtly political of the Beatles, and he was at his most outspoken during his first years in New York, in 1971 and 1972, when his circle included the likes of Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman, of the Chicago Seven, and Black Panther Party members Angela Davis and Bobby Seale.
Robert Wilson, Provocative Playwright and Director, Is Dead at 83
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Robert Wilson, Provocative Playwright and Director, Is Dead at 83 Original
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Robert Wilson, Provocative Playwright and Director, Is Dead at 83 He shattered theatrical norms with his own stunningly visualized works and his collaborations with a diverse range of artists, from Philip Glass (“Einstein on the Beach”) to Lady Gaga. Robert Wilson in 2024. “To see someone try to act natural onstage seems so artificial,” he said in 2021.
Robert Wilson, Provocative Playwright of ‘Einstein on the Beach,’ Is Dead at 83
Robert Wilson, the acclaimed theater director, playwright and visual artist who shattered theatrical norms with stunning stagings of his own imaginative works as well as innovative collaborations with a diverse roster of artists, from Philip Glass to Lady Gaga, died on Thursday at his home in Water Mill, N.Y. He was 83. His death was confirmed by Chris Green, the executor of his estate and the president of the Robert Wilson Arts Foundation.
Where Acoustic And Electronic Meet
The Wall Street Journal | July 24, 2025 In the early days of electronic music, the prevailing belief among most composers and listeners was that the new genre would be self-contained, distinct from traditional instrumental and vocal music. Molly Joyce, whose album 'State Change' is out now; Teddy Abrams's 'Preludes' comes out Friday. This story is from the July 24, 2025 edition of The Wall Street Journal.
‘State Change’ by Molly Joyce and ‘Preludes’ by Teddy Abrams Review: Adaptation and Allusion
In the early days of electronic music, the prevailing belief among most composers and listeners was that the new genre would be self-contained, distinct from traditional instrumental and vocal music. The performance venue, in most cases, was a studio rather than a concert hall, and composition was a matter of creating or collecting sounds and then juxtaposing and sequencing them into aural collages, rather than notating abstractly for others to execute at another time and place.
Roger Norrington, iconoclastic British conductor, dies at 91
Roger Norrington, an English conductor who became a star of the historically informed performance movement by provocatively applying scholarly research about tempos and tone production to a broad expanse of the symphonic repertoire, from Ludwig van Beethoven to Gustav Mahler and even the modernist Igor Stravinsky, died Friday at his home outside of Exeter, England. He was 91.
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Roger Norrington, Iconoclastic British Conductor, Dies at 91 His work, largely unknown outside Britain until late in his career, was often based on historical treatises. It was seen by many as refreshingly innovative. Roger Norrington in 1996.
Charles Wadsworth, Pianist and Champion of Chamber Music, Dies at 96 Original
As the founder, director and genial host of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, he helped drive the chamber music bomb of the 1970s.
‘The Four Elements’ by Brooklyn Rider Review: Primordial Parts, Cutting-Edge Music Making
The adventurous quartet celebrates its 20th anniversary with a record of works composed since 1960 that reveals the diversity of its range and the depth of its talent. The string quartet is often regarded as an inherently conservative institution, dating back to the early 18th century and built for elegance and balance.
Bill Murray Sings Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical” on Late Show With Dave Letterman
Bill Murray is no stranger to making us laugh, and his iconic lounge singer alter ego, Nick Winters, never fails to entertain. In a memorable appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, Murray took things up a notch by performing Olivia Newton-John’s hit song “Physical.” At the time, Newton-John’s recording was still fresh, having been released just a few months earlier, and would later go on to be named Billboard’s most successful single of the 1980s.
Harold Meltzer, Composer of Impossible-to-Pigeonhole Works, Dies at 58 Original
Harold Meltzer, a composer who set aside a career as a lawyer to create a highly regarded body of energetic, colorful chamber, vocal and orchestral scores that mixed accessibly melodic themes and rich ensemble textures with the sharp-edged angularity of modernism, died on Aug. 12 in Manhattan. He was 58. Hilary Meltzer, his wife, said that his death, in a hospital, was caused by respiratory failure, a complication of a variety of medical problems he had withstood since having a stroke in 2019.
Byron Janis, Pianist of Romantic Passion, Dies at 95 Original
He had a brilliant career before arthritis in his hands forced him from the stage, but he overcame the condition and returned to performing. Byron Janis, an American pianist renowned for his commanding performances of the Romantic repertory and for his discovery of manuscript copies of two Chopin waltzes, died on Thursday in Manhattan. He was 95. His death, at a hospital, was confirmed by his wife, Maria Cooper Janis.
Peter Schickele, musical parodist behind 'P.D.Q. Bach,' dies at 88
Peter Schickele, a Grammy Award-winning composer and wry humorist who presented himself as the world's leading authority on the rule-fracturing P.D.Q. Bach, the "last and least" of J.S. Bach's musical children, died Jan. 16 at his home in Bearsville, N.Y. He was 88. His daughter, Karla Schickele, confirmed the death and said his health had been in decline after infections last fall.
Peter Schickele, musical parodist behind ‘P.D.Q. Bach,’ dies at 88
The rarefied reference was typical of Mr. Schickele’s comedy. Jokes meant for experts on composition were intertwined with gags that required only a cursory knowledge of music — the interruption of a serene baroque adagio with a few bars of boogie-woogie, for example, or an overlay of “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” on a J.S. Bach prelude. The works of P.D.Q. Bach often parodied the titles of popular classics.
Aerosmith's Isolated Vocals For "Dream On"
Aerosmith’s “Dream On” was written by the band’s lead singer, Steven Tyler, and released as the second single from their self-titled debut album, Aerosmith, in 197. 3Despite not initially achieving significant commercial success upon its release, “Dream On” became more popular over time and has since been widely praised. It remains one of Aerosmith’s most enduring and beloved songs.
David Del Tredici, Who Set ‘Alice’ to Music, Dies at 86
Music|David Del Tredici, Who Set ‘Alice’ to Music, Dies at 86 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/18/arts/music/david-del-tredici-dead.html David Del Tredici, a Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer who began as an experimentalist but became best known for a midcareer shift toward a style that came to be called the New Romanticism, which yielded a series of rich-hued, tuneful pieces based on Lewis Carroll’s “Alice” stories, died on Saturday at his home in Manhattan. He was 86.
Contemporary Classical Music for the Curious
There are undoubtedly still classical music listeners, and practitioners, who have bound themselves to a circumscribed approach to contemporary composition, but those who hold such attitudes are fast disappearing as younger musicians and listeners refuse to adhere to the old boundaries.
The McCartney Legacy: Volume 1: 1969-73
Scholars of the Talmud, Geoffrey Chaucer, or Taylor Swift have nothing on the passion and production of those devotees who’ve gleefully dissected the Beatles since even before the group disbanded in 1970. Beatle bookshelves groan under the increasing weight of “insiders’ stories,” discographies, and especially the waves of tomes penned by otherwise sane, intelligent people slightly unhinged by their passion and obsession.
The McCartney Legacy By Allan Kozinn And Adrian Sinclair Review -
This book is Mark Lewisohn’s fault. Almost ten years ago he published Tune In, the first volume of what is planned as a three-volume history of the Beatles. In nearly 1,000 pages, the author reached only the very beginning of the group’s recording career. And it was widely judged a triumph. I certainly thought it so. It worked as a readable book on an exceptional band and a social history. So it isn’t entirely surprising that it has attracted imitators. And The McCartney Legacy is an example.
How Paul McCartney Dispelled the Myth of His Own Death
It was a bad move, probably the worst thing he could have done at the moment. Paul McCartney, the most publicity-savvy of the Beatles, knew that the instant he hurled a bucket of kitchen scraps at a pair of unwanted visitors to High Park, his hard-to-find, harder-to-reach farm in the Scottish countryside, near Campbeltown. As the vegetable scraps, dirty water, and dinner leftovers flew through the air, Paul focused on his targets and realized that he knew one of the intruders.
The McCartney Legacy
In this first of a groundbreaking multivolume set, THE MCCARTNEY LEGACY, VOL 1: 1969-73 captures the life of Paul McCartney in the years immediately following the dissolution of the Beatles, a period in which McCartney recreated himself as both a man and a musician.
Next Week in Music | Dec. 12-18 • New Books
From Sir Paul to Saint Etienne and Bob Dylan to Boy George, your musical reading options continue to cover the musical waterfront.
Book Review: ‘The McCartney Legacy’ by Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair
Books|No John, No George, No Ringo, but Still a Lot to Say https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/06/books/review-the-mccartney-legacy.html Nonfiction “The McCartney Legacy” follows the superstar from the last gasp of the Beatles to “Band on the Run.” It’s 700 pages — and only the first volume planned. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share.
Review: 'McCartney Legacy' a compelling read for any Beatles fan. And it's just Volume 1
When the Beatles flew to America for the first time in early 1964, Phil Spector happened to be on the same flight. Paul McCartney, nervous about the band’s prospects in the New World, quizzed the producer: “What are we going to give them that they don’t already have?” To say that thousands of books have been written about the Beatles is no exaggeration.
‘The Future Is Female’ by Sarah Cahill and ‘She/Her/Hers’ by Lara St. John Review: Welcoming Women Into the Canon
New-music fans have argued for decades that the classical-music canon needs to be reconsidered, if only because refusing to revamp it means transforming a vibrant, living art into a calcified museum culture. Lately, the discussion has expanded beyond new music, as musicians have started to consider other music excluded from the once-sacrosanct canon, particularly music by women and composers from all but a few European countries.
‘Revolver Special Edition’ Review: The Beatles’ Best
The new “Revolver Special Edition,” released by Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe on Oct. 28, makes a solid case for that reconsideration.
‘This is America’ by Johnny Gandelsman Review: A Musical American Mosaic
The violinist Johnny Gandelsman used the enforced downtime of the pandemic to undertake a commissioning and recording project with several missions. The most practical and quotidian was expanding the solo fiddle repertory. But equally important, Mr. Gandelsman saw the project as a snapshot of our fraught times, and a manifesto on diversity, musical as well as social.
‘Big Things’ by Icarus Quartet Review: Percussive Powers
By June 22, 2022 5:04 pm ET With the wisdom of hindsight, it makes perfect sense that elegantly balanced chamber ensembles like the string quartet or the woodwind quintet sprouted in the 19th century, and that the 20th century gave us more chaotically varied mixed-timbre groups and the high-energy assertiveness of percussion ensembles.
Ingram Marshall, composer who used electronics, natural sounds, dies at 80
Marshall's music drew on a wealth of styles, from 18th-century hymnody and lush Romanticism to mid-20th century electronic composition and minimalism - a breadth of influences that made his music almost impossible to classify. He was sometimes called a post-minimalist, but he disliked the term, suggesting postmodernist as an alternative.
Alvin Lucier, Probing Composer of Soundscapes, Is Dead at 91
His experimental music was rooted in the physics of sound and might yield unpredictable results — in one instance a Beatles song emanating from a teapot. Alvin Lucier in 2004 performing “Opera With Objects” at the experimental theater club La MaMa in Lower Manhattan. He began many projects by wondering what kinds of sounds would emerge from a specific process, like tapping a pair of pencils.Credit...Hiroyuki Ito for The New York Times Dec.
‘Let It Be Special Edition’ by the Beatles Review: Burnishing an Album’s Tarnished Image
‘Let It Be” has always been the Beatles’ problem child. It began as a multimedia back-to-the-roots project, the plan was that the band would rehearse an album’s worth of new material that could be played live, without the electronic wizardry and orchestral sweetening that had become part of their toolbox. They would then perform these new songs in a single concert, perhaps in an exotic setting, which would be filmed and recorded for a television special and an LP.
‘Count to Five’ by Recap and ‘Piano Music’ by Satoko Fujii: Women Turning Simple Sounds Into Sonic Experiments
Composition, at heart, has always been a matter of transforming relatively simple sounds—the raw tones of an instrument or voice—into structures that make sense to a listener. But there has also been an implicit challenge for composers, especially over the past century, to make their sonic manipulations more extreme, either by altering the traditional sound beyond recognition or by placing familiar timbres in unusual contexts.
‘All Things Must Pass’ by George Harrison Review: An Enlightening Remix
George Harrison had something to prove when he walked into EMI Studios on May 26, 1970, the first day of sessions for what would become “All Things Must Pass.” Within the Beatles’ working dynamic, he had been forced to accept third-class status as a songwriter, after John Lennon and Paul McCartney. But the praise earned by recent songs like “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “Something” and “Here Comes the Sun” had made him more confident and assertive.
‘Road to the Sun’ by Pat Metheny Review: A Bright Fusion of Genres
You would think that the worlds of classical and jazz guitar would be closely aligned, given that both prize harmonic ingenuity, melodic exploration (and variation) and a high level of virtuosity. There are technical distinctions: Although some jazz players use the nylon-stringed classical instrument, steel strings and amplification are more typical now, and different approaches to tone and articulation underpin each style.
‘McCartney III’ by Paul McCartney Review: Songs From a Homebound Beatle
When one door closes, another opens, as folk wisdom has it. But having the thumbs-up optimism, workaholic instincts and passion for composing and performing that have long been among Paul McCartney’s character traits helps—as does having a state-of-the-art recording studio on your property. Mr. McCartney had planned to spend this year touring, but Covid-19 shut down the concert world, leaving him largely confined to his estate in Sussex, England.
Hurricane Sandy’s Casualties Include Chelsea Art Galleries
CRG Gallery, where workers on Wednesday cleaned up damaged art and spaces in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.Credit...Robert Caplin for The New York Times The first thing you noticed walking through the streets lined with art galleries between 10th and 11th Avenues in Chelsea, on Wednesday, was the constant, undulating roar of generators, and the hoses, in clumps of three or four, snaking out of just about every gallery, from which cold water that had come flooding in from the Hudson River...
Julian Bream, Maestro of Guitar and Lute, Dies at 87
It could be argued that he, even more than Andrés Segovia, established the guitar’s credibility as a serious solo instrument. Julian Bream helped turn the guitar into a serious recital instrument and broadened its repertory through numerous commissions.
Meditation on the man who saved the Beatles
"Maharishi — what have you done? You made a fool of everyone." That was the opening line of a sarcastic song about Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who died on Tuesday, that John Lennon wrote in 1968, not long after the Beatles abruptly left the maharishi's ashram in Rishikesh, India, and declared themselves no longer his spiritual disciples. It wasn't released that way.
Leon Fleisher, 92, Dies; Spellbinding Pianist With One Hand or Two
Unable to use his right hand, he performed pieces written for left hand only, conducted and taught. After 30 years, he made a triumphant two-handed comeback. The pianist Leon Fleisher at his home in Baltimore in 2007. Unable to play with his right hand for 30 years, he performed pieces written for the left hand only until 1995.
Claudio Arrau, Pianist, Is Dead at 88
See the article in its original context from June 10, 1991, Section B, Page 11Buy Reprints TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. About the Archive This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them.
Astrid Kirchherr, Who Helped Create the Beatles’ Image, Dies at 81
The stark black-and-white photographs she took of the group in Hamburg, Germany, before the musicians were famous captured both their toughness and their sensitivity. The photographer Astrid Kirchherr with Ringo Starr, left, and John Lennon of the Beatles during the filming of “A Hard Day’s Night” in 1964.
Art Bending the Tyranny of Reality
MUSIC REVIEW See the article in its original context from October 8, 1996, Section C, Page 20Buy Reprints TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. About the Archive This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them.
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