The 2023 University of Minnesota Jazz Festival boasted a rapturous array of classic and modern blues on Saturday at Ted Mann Concert Hall.

Before the jazz ensembles performed, the festival opened its doors to performers from middle and high schools from around the Twin Cities area.

Courtney Edwards, a master’s student in trumpet performance, said she loves that the festival gives audiences an opportunity to listen to their neighborhood schools’ bands as well as the University’s jazz ensembles.

“It’s always really great to host these bands at the jazz festival,” Edwards said.

Phil Hey, a drummer and the director of the Jazz Ensemble Ⅱ, kicked off the festival with Duke Ellington’s “Sepia Panorama.” The roaring introduction to the afternoon’s main event drew immediate applause from the crowd.

Toward the end of his ensemble’s set, Hey introduced Michael Davis, the guest artist of the festival.

Davis, an acclaimed trombonist from San Francisco known for his work with the Rolling Stones and on Broadway, performed his song “Walk Like the Guv” alongside the students.

After a brief pause in the action, Jazz Ensemble I, led by School of Music professor Dean Sorenson, opened with Bob Brookmeyer’s “Seesaw.”

Sorenson welcomed Davis back on stage to finish the ensemble’s set with four more of his tunes in smooth fashion and in great rapport with the respected trombonist.

School of Music senior trombonist Matt Healy expressed his appreciation for the guest artist.

“It was such a treat getting to work with one of the country’s greatest living trombone players,” Healy said. “All of us in the section felt super lucky to have such a trombone heavy concert that involved working with Michael. We certainly played better as a section, and we were inspired by his artistry.”

The University’s School of Music will showcase its jazz ensembles once more this semester on April 19 in Ted Mann Concert Hall.

A Minneapolis producer’s debut album argues that shifting the eyes and ears of hip-hop fans to Twin Cities-based artists has never been more crucial. 

Producer Ace P released “Things I Can’t Speak About” in January. After becoming a luminary in the Twin Cities through his extensive work with emcees and respected craftsmanship, Ace P assembled 11 of the hardest-hitting emcees Minnesota has to offer. This group of individual artists came together in Wu-Tang fashion to deliver a Twin Cities project that accurately represents the prevailing sound in Minnesota. 

The project features performances from Juice Lord, Righteous Emcee, Knucky, Why Kaliq, Vinny Crook$, JuneThaKid, $aiku, PeaceGod, Naj, Reiki and Bushido Chop. Often appearing on each other’s bodies of work as feature acts, the list of names on this album is a good place to start your dive into the burgeoning Twin Cities hip-hop scene. 

For every Griselda, there’s an Alchemist. For this collection of emcees, that’s Ace P. East Coast-influenced lyricism meets Ace P’s soulful drum breaks and darkly toned sample mixing.

Tracks on the album like “The Hustle,” “Vinny’s Interlude” and “The Family” display the late ‘80s boom-bap sample influence on Ace P’s specific style. The chemistry between the rappers and the producer on this album feels palpable.

Ace P credits the level of talent coming out of the Twin Cities and his relationships with the artists for the success of his debut album. With tracks on the album like “Patterns” and “Riskin Survival” garnering more than 4,000 streams, local hip-hop fans are keeping the album in rotation. 

“There’s so much depth of talent in the Twin Cities – you’ll find artists that are just insanely talented, professional and polished. For me, it was about finding artists who blend well within the subgenre that I work with in hip-hop,” Ace P said. 

“We were making history in the Twin Cities”

It requires a particularly tight-knit dynamic for an emotionally vulnerable album like “Things I Can’t Speak About” to work. With each artist lending their pen to the work of Ace P, the emcees visiting his studio found themselves growing stronger together.

“It was a lot of organizing and hand-selecting people for sessions, and it came together so organically. That translates to the project and how we have artists that are genuinely passionate about their craft and are poised and ready for the national scene,” Ace P said.

“Patterns,” with its rodomontade cypher behavior, highlights some of the best work from JuneThaKid, Juice Lord, Vinny Crook$, Knucky and $aiku.

JuneThaKid and Juice Lord said working with a producer like Ace P provided the artists with a sense of creative freedom. 

“I feel like the whole time we were recording ‘Things I Can’t Speak About,’ we were making history in the Twin Cities,” JuneThaKid said. “Ace puts you in a position where you feel comfortable to create freely. That’s something that’s underappreciated with a lot of people.” 

Collaborator Juice Lord echoed a similar sentiment.

“The album came together very organically, no egos. We created music that’s for the soul, for hip-hop lovers,” Juice Lord said. “There’s so much I could say, but this was an amazing experience; Ace P is my brother.” 

“We have a lot to say:” pushing the local scene 

Ace P is able to put his own finesse on a timeless sound within the realm of sample arrangement in hip-hop. Dusty drum breaks and gritty undertone allow Ace P to have a signature sound in the Twin Cities. 

“The goal is to keep carving out a niche for myself and my sound in sample-based beats, which I feel is having a resurgence. It’s not all that I listen to, but that’s the music I make. Making these classic beats that you feel like you’ve heard a thousand times but in the same way you know it’s an Ace P beat,” Ace P said.

This blend in style comes from the local hip-hop scene reaching its boiling point. 

“When one door closes, another one opens. I feel like that’s what we’ve seen in the local scene the last few years,” Ace P said. “There’s plenty of younger artists that are pushing the local scene in so many different directions, and it’s dope to see. The amount that the Twin Cities has been through, I feel like we have a lot to say.” 

Local listeners should look out for more projects and performances from these artists in the coming year. 

Juice Lord, who was featured on the album, will have his own album release showcase at the 7th Street Entry on March 13. The show will include performances from featured artists JuneThaKid and $aiku, who are also a part of the local group Basement Gang.

Time is ticking for those hoping to catch up on some of the best in Hollywood. The Oscars will air on ABC at 7 p.m. on March 12.

Unable to make time for all 52 nominated movies? No worries. Local theaters such as The Main and Landmark’s Lagoon Cinema will show Oscar-nominated films for a limited time in anticipation of the event. Here are five essential films to see before the ceremony.

Everything Everywhere All At Once
Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert (Daniels) make their presence known in their shamelessly wild project, “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” “Everything Everywhere” is a firm fan favorite for this year’s Oscars and leads the pack with 11 nominations. The feel-good story of supporting actor Ke Huy Quan’s comeback has won Hollywood’s heart, and Michelle Yeoh stuns in a career-best that could land her the lead actress award. For Stephanie Hsu, the film’s breakout star, a nomination for her supporting role would be a win in itself. For a supposedly serious event, seeing any win from this electric cast and crew could be a live-television treat. “Everything Everywhere All At Once” is now streaming on Paramount Plus.

TÁR
Todd Field made his first directorial appearance in 16 years with the harrowing psychological drama, “TÁR.” Cate Blanchett leads with a proper tour de force performance as the world-renowned virtuoso conductor Lydia Tár. The film’s structure is imposing, allowing audiences to dissolve into the intentional ambiguity of events surrounding the protagonist. With a runtime of 2 hours and 37 minutes, Field controls his tempo with finesse, creating a haunting atmosphere that earned TÁR six nominations. Cate Blanchett has swept best actress awards in the past, including earlier this month at the Golden Globes for TÁR. If Yeoh does not win best actress, expect Blanchett to pick up the statuette. “TÁR” is now available to rent on Prime Video.

The Banshees of Inisherin
Martin McDonagh’s dark comedy “The Banshees of Inisherin” boasts some of the most fulfilling screenwriting of last year. The “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” director hones in on the fictional Irish island’s beauty and the mundane lives of its inhabitants with an effort that earned the film nine nominations. Colin Farrell, who previously worked with McDonagh in 2008’s “In Bruges,” leads with a gentle performance of a man whose best friend suddenly wants nothing to do with him. A best actor win for Farrell could easily come true. The brilliant ensemble, including Brendan Gleeson (another “In Bruges” alum), Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan deliver on their complex characters in an intimate fashion, earning each one supporting acting nominations.

With McDonagh’s screenwriting win at the Golden Globes, a similar result could happen at the Oscars in the best original screenplay category. McDonagh previously earned nominations in that category for “In Bruges” and “Three Billboards” but has not yet clinched an original screenplay win. “The Banshees of Inisherin” is now available to stream on HBO MAX.

The Fabelmans
Steven Spielberg returned in 2022 with a semi-autobiographical drama about his filmmaking roots and mid-century Jewish family. Spielberg offers a highly intimate view of his upbringing to the audience, one that clearly resonated with Academy voters as evidenced by the film’s seven nominations. The highly personal direction paved the way for an eccentric performance from Michelle Williams, who earned a best actress nomination for her role as the titular family’s matriarch. “The Fabelmans” also earned a best picture nomination that might result in a win, but it will be more interesting to see if Steven Spielberg can earn a third best director win for his staggering ninth nomination in the category. “The Fabelmans” is showing at AMC Theaters in Inver Grove Heights. For Sammy Fabelman’s sake, see this one in theaters.

Decision to Leave
Park Chan-wook’s “Decision to Leave” is a devastatingly beautiful Korean film about a police detective’s peculiar relationship with a murder suspect. It also received zero Oscar nominations, which is a shame considering the film’s outstanding cinematography, screenplay and actress Tang Wei’s supporting role. Three years after “Parasite” nabbed the Oscars’ top prize in a historic win, the American awards show still has a long path toward properly representing foreign-language films, especially from the particularly forward-thinking South Korean market. Check out “Decision to Leave” for a textbook example of an infamous Oscars snub. “Decision to Leave” is now available to rent on Apple TV and Prime Video.

Fast fashion, a business model characterized by lightning-fast but ethically dubious clothing production, deflates personal style and poses a moral dilemma for consumers.

While efficient, this business model’s reliance on trends creates unoriginality.

“Fast fashion completely ruined personal style. People buy it because everyone else is,” Simone Youssef, a University of Minnesota alum and fashion enthusiast, said. “Seeing it now with everybody dressing the same, it’s soul crushing.”

Fast fashion is more about business than couture or personal style. Fast fashion retailers pay attention to social media and high fashion trends, and then use that information to mass produce trendy clothes at low costs. Once the demand for a specific style has passed, it’s easy and cheap to repeat this process with a new trend.

In the age of the trend, conformity is widespread. This desire to conform contributes to overconsumption — as trends and micro-trends pass by faster than ever, consumers hoping to be trendy end up buying more clothes to compensate.

“Trends were seasonal. Looking at today, trends are no longer seasonal; they are daily,” Youssef said. “People are overconsuming like crazy. You see it on social media; you see the hauls of hundreds of items. Fast fashion was meant to be a means to accessibility.”

Crucial to the takeover of fast fashion is online shopping. It seems like no one goes to the mall or brick-and-mortar stores for their clothes anymore — even when buying in person lets you gauge an item’s quality. Mass-produced fast fashion is rarely high-quality, and clothing from SHEIN is no exception.

SHEIN is a wildly profitable fast fashion retailer — valued at $100 billion this April, according to the Wall Street Journal. With shirts that can cost as little as $2, one can see the allure of overconsumption, even when fast fashion items tend to deteriorate after just a few washes.

Regardless, this overconsumption is popular. Videos with the hashtag #sheinhaul have gathered more than 7.3 billion views on TikTok, which only fuels the fast fashion fire.

This popularity is impressive, given SHEIN’s ethically dubious business practices. The working conditions in SHEIN’s factories resemble those of sweatshops, according to Public Eye. According to the Swiss watchdog’s investigation, migrant workers employed in SHEIN’s factory in southern China are cramped into windowless rooms in blistering heat, with no means of earning overtime pay or taking adequate breaks from work.

At the end of the day, however, this is just another example of Americans turning a blind eye to exploitative and shady business practices. Some of us, it seems, are willing to compromise both our moral compasses and original style for $2 polyester t-shirts.

Social media usage in 2022 is drastically different from five years ago. The fast-paced and addictive nature of modern online content often leaves us wondering: Where’d the last hour go?

Your privacy is disregarded through TikTok’s predatory approach to handling user data. While users are caught in the never-ending flow of senseless videos involving the next challenge, hack or societal standard, their data is compromised.

There has never been a video-sharing service that has the same impact on its participants, many with similar experiences of losing vast amounts of time to the addictive nature of the short vertical video.

This is alarming.

One of TikTok’s draws is its scarily well-curated “For You” feed. The app’s ability to create a unique, addictive feed for each of its account holders begs the question: where are they getting all of our personal information?

TikTok’s data collection practices are intrusive. According to the platform’s terms of service, they can keep track of geolocation-related data, browser history and audio-enabled messages. While using the app, they literally have access to your entire phone book, notes and current location to push advertisements and content that will keep your engagement relevant to their participation standards.

This is not hidden information. Instead, it’s explicitly stated in the terms of service. You know, the one that nobody reads.

We live in an era where the distribution of our privacy and personal information is handled nonchalantly. Be honest: How many of you actually read the terms and conditions of your favorite social media platforms? Not many, I’d wager.

When did this sudden shift in protecting our privacy happen? At what point is the ethical line crossed, if it hasn’t been already?

Usually, that line is made clear regarding the online safety of children.

In September, the British Data Protection Agency stepped in to sue TikTok for failing to meet their Children’s Code Privacy Act.

The lawsuit claims that TikTok mishandled sensitive information from children’s accounts and failed to provide underage users with privacy information in terms they could understand.

Many children under 13 have their own devices and social media accounts. Platforms like TikTok take advantage of this demographic’s lack of media literacy to push user engagement and drive viewership numbers up.

This is not the first instance in which TikTok has seen charges for neglecting the privacy of younger audiences.

In recent weeks, California launched its defense plan against the platform with its California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, which will officially be enforced in 2024. This act aims to help children better understand the terms of service and agreements on their social media platforms, prompting them to understand what data is being shared from their devices. The act also has goals of boosting cyber security when it comes to location-based advertisement targeting.

This raises obvious concerns for parents of children who may be on social media. Parents can be left in the dark regarding the rights of their children when it comes to their online media use.

Caroline Felder is a mother of two girls, 11 and 13, in the Twin Cities. She has considered not allowing her children to download TikTok on their devices out of concern for their privacy.

For Felder, privacy is a bigger concern than her children’s attention spans.

“I’ve heard the concerns over the app playing a negative role on kids’ attention spans with how much they’re scrolling on there. I’ve always set screen time limits for my girls, so that part wasn’t much of a concern for me as long as they didn’t exceed their daily limit,” Felder said. “What concerned me was the talk of their location services being used to target videos and advertisements on their feeds without them knowing.”

Felder said she was stunned when she looked further into TikTok’s data practices.

“I started reading the terms and services of the app itself and what they can legally collect in terms of data because everyone clicks agree to the long list of policies before entering the app,” she said. “I was shocked, honestly, and I asked my kids to remove the app from their phones.”

Felder hopes that other parents also choose to be conscious of their children’s online privacy. “I think it’s an issue that all parents should be aware of – what kind of content and data collection our children are engaging in daily.”

Media literacy in terms of privacy and data collection is imperative in the age of social media. We shouldn’t stand by as corporations profit off of young social media users and the data that lives on their devices.

The next time you’re scrolling on TikTok, consider closing the app and instead reading up on their sneaky terms and conditions.

Once nickelodeons were introduced to the public, the world of stories changed forever.

The big theater doors get drawn back as picture-goers make their way down the red-carpeted aisles, filing into their seats and waiting for the lights to dim. Anticipation floods the room, with the film reel rolling its way onto the giant silver screen in sequenced light blocks.

The magic of pictures was born at the movies, not on your estranged aunt’s Netflix account.

Movies are to be appreciated in a medium apart from their music and theater counterparts. It’s not live, nor on wax. Cinemas are a time capsule, transporting our attention to a variety of settings and circumstances.

There are no distractions in the cinema, and the pause in the usual chaos of our lives becomes filled with stories of victory, heartbreak and elegance. Could you imagine watching “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” on an iPad?

Tragically, the luxury of seeing a show at the locally-owned cinema is now in decline. Nobody wants to put effort into seeing a film in theaters anymore because of the current microwave era of content. With fast-paced media in short segments dominating feeds across the country, the idea of sitting down for a full-length story loses its luster.

The age of streaming has torn the silver screen in half, prompting people to watch movies from their tablets and laptops due to convenience and accessibility. No one tells Martin Scorsese about this.

The pandemic was detrimental enough for movie theaters, and streaming services took advantage and changed the culture around watching movies. Platforms like Netflix and Hulu have incorporated an algorithm-based process in what movies are being watched and when.

The magic is absent, and cinephiles are hurting.

According to The Theatrical and Home Entertainment Market Environment (THEME) report, the mobile entertainment market saw a $32.3 billion year in 2021. This figure was a 7% increase from the previous year; as a result, all physical media sales saw a 20% drop in market value.

The hard copy is dead, and streaming services are cashing in.

The box office market in the United States and Canada saw a $4.5 billion year in 2021, according to the THEME report. This is a far cry from the pre-pandemic box office market values of the past 10 years, which showed an average yearly yield of $11.2 billion.

Middle budget films suffered most from this drop off and were replaced by films from the go-big-or-go-home model of movie making. Big-budget movies, then, became the standard in widely released formats in a post-pandemic market.

These numbers play a significant role in what types of movies are being made for theatrical release. Original stories were much more prevalent in theaters before the streaming era because the physical release would fulfill the project’s financial needs even if they were missed at the box office.

This return on investment is now at risk because of the perceived futility of physical media. This limits wide theatrical releases to safer options – often involving unoriginal, regurgitated scenarios, like The Rock in a jungle.

Filmmakers have never looked favorably upon complete studio dependence. This prompts more low-budget, independent works to self sustain through a limited release distribution format at locally-owned theaters and respected film festivals.

Your local AMC probably wouldn’t be showing “Eraserhead” if it were to come out tomorrow. That’s why it’s so important to support the local cinema: to keep smaller stories alive. Because, let’s face it, a world of only Superhero and Netflix “original” movies is monotonous.

The wonder of “Amélie” and the spectacle of “Arrival” could never be replicated on a device from home. Why is the American public letting the event of going out to the movies die when it’s been such a rich part of the nation’s cultural accomplishments?

In a world that’s become warped by meaningless online content and quick-click media, preserving the art of storytelling should be a top priority. The way to protect these stories is to protect their sanctuaries. Jean Renoir didn’t make “The Rules of the Game” for you to watch a new release on your laptop while scrolling Tik Tok.

Movies are simply better in theaters, at the big show. The inevitable rapid development of technology does not need to replace over 100 years of spectacle.

So take a trip to the movies, alone or otherwise. Get lost in the labyrinth of stories and tune out anything besides the silver screen. Cut to Guillermo Del Toro’s “I believe in cinema” speech.

American universities offer an extraordinary amount of options and career choices for young academics. However, they come at a cost for first-generation students. Students who are first-generation immigrants are often expected to sacrifice for their families and abandon their personal dreams in favor of what their parents want.

Medicine, law and engineering have become the trifecta of acceptable career choices for the often-stereotyped immigrant family with a child in college. After all, Baba didn’t cross the sea for his son to become an actor.

Hollywood has a history of targeting immigrant parents as hard noses about their children’s career goals. How many times have we seen the storyline of the Indian daughter who wants to become an independent musician against her father’s wishes? Maybe just once, in “Lemonade Mouth,” but you get the point.

This Hollywood stereotype of the stickler immigrant parent stigmatizes immigrant parenting. But, for once, it would be nice if a hero’s arc wasn’t necessary for a first-generation student to pursue a career in the arts.

The pressure to give up one’s life for the next generation is ingrained in first-generation students across the country. Being a child of immigrants comes with guilt, even when it comes to something as pressing as an individual’s career and life path. Under this pressure, it’s hard to stay true to one’s aspirations without feeling selfish.

For Carol Boules, a third-year biology student at the University of Minnesota, this pressure could not be more palpable.

“I grew up in an immigrant household. Career choices were ingrained in my brain as a top priority,” Boules said. “My choices were limited; I could be a doctor, lawyer or engineer, according to my parents. They made it clear that anything else would be unsatisfactory to them.”

But, even as she pursues a degree in biology, she’s not sure it’s right for her.
“I’ve had doubts about the path I’ve chosen, wanting to explore other ventures such as art,” she said.

The unpredictability in fields of study like film, theater or other arts programs is a luxury most first-generation students cannot afford. The relative precarity of these career paths can intimidate those who came to this country for the safety and assurance of a stable life.

“I feel like I need to do what they’ve expected of me in order to be successful in their eyes,” Boules said of her parents. “They’ve sacrificed so much for my siblings and I. The least I can do is pursue a highly acclaimed and stable career, right?”

She continued, “I don’t think I will be successful in my own eyes until I can give my parents what they want.”

Children of immigrants continue to pursue areas of expertise that greatly support their communities while cutting the lifespans of their dreams shorter than most. The sacrifices of their fathers and mothers allowed them to flourish in a way that could never be possible in their motherlands.

We didn’t choose for this pressure to be placed on us; the dreamers just got the short end of the stick.