Jsck Johnson

One would think that, with the current feelings about the US presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, there would be frequent stagings throughout the country of Kurt Weill's JOHNNY JOHNSON, his awe-inspiring anti-war "play with songs" and his first work for the American theater. (Not coincidentally, where are all productions of Joan Littlewoood's OH, WHAT A LOVELY WAR and the Gershwin/Kaufman STRIKE UP THE BAND?)

This is a pick 'n' mix but nevertheless interesting assembly of Francis Poulenc's highly imaginative settings of French poetry. It ranges from the sublime to the inscrutable, with plenty of doggerel along the way. Like many other discs before and since, this is, in essence, a Felicity Lott with Graham Johnson showcase, and Poulenc, opuses plundered, takes a bit of a back seat. But even so, the brilliance of his writing is irrepressible as he turns numerous sows' ears into little silk purses. Anyone more interested in discovering Poulenc than Lott will not be disappointed at this taster.

A mix of new interviews with old footage and recordings, this documentary, narrated by Danny Glover, highlights legendary Mississippi blues guitarist-singer Robert Johnson (1911-38). Kevin Moore (who records as Keb Mo) appears as Johnson in narrated reenactment sequences, and producer Don Law is portrayed by Don Law Jr. With both color and black-and-white footage, the film traces the brief but extremely influential career of this near-mythic figure, generally regarded as the king of the Delta blues. Shown at the 1997 Boston Film Festival.