Rick Kogan – Page 30 –

Chicago musician Michael MIles, whose latest CD is "American Bach Revisited."

What musical magic and new songs emerged when J.S. Bach met Michael Miles and his banjo

September 12, 2023 at 5:00 a.m.

Separated by centuries but tied together by music, Johann Sebastian Bach and Michael Miles have had a demanding if fruitful relationship that continues to thrive, giving us a spectacular new...

Isiah Thomas of the Detroit Pistons drives against Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls during an NBA game in 1988 at The Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

Bird, Magic, Isiah and Michael are the basketball stars of Rich Cohen’s ‘When the Game Was War’

September 5, 2023 at 4:18 p.m.

Rich Cohen writes ... and writes and writes and writes. This child of Glencoe is among the most prolific writers on the planet and the wonder of it all is...

Ronnie Marmo stars in "I'm Not a Comedian ... I'm Lenny Bruce" at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie.

Lenny Bruce is back, in the form of Ronnie Marmo, and performing in Skokie

August 31, 2023 at 5:00 a.m.

Lenny Bruce is coming back to town. Though on previous visits he mainly kept to the city, this time he'll be in Skokie. Though dead for nearly 60 years, the...

Robert Borgstrom, Chairman/CEO of Wendella, takes a tour on one of his boats on July 20, 2010.

Wendella’s Bob Borgstrom dies at 89 after a lifetime on the river

August 28, 2023 at 7:18 p.m.

Robert Borgstrom spent most of his life on the Chicago River as owner and one of the captains of the Wendella sightseeing boats. He took the last of his thousands...

Actors Isaac Keys, left, and Joseph Sikora in Season 2 of "Power Book IV: Force."

Starz series ‘Force’ returns for Season 2 with Joseph Sikora ready to take over Chicago

August 23, 2023 at 5:15 a.m.

Sept. 1 will be a big day for Joseph Sikora. He has been awaiting the day, actually Friday night at 7 p.m. CT, for a long time, ever since he...

Beckie Menzie and Tom Michael perform at Drury Lane Water Tower in 2008.

Beckie Menzie and Tom Michael have been making music together for more than 25 years

August 22, 2023 at 5:30 a.m.

Her husband is named Irwin Berkowitz. He is a percussionist. He is sitting across the room as his wife, Beckie Menzie, who is a pianist and singer, tells me that...

Artist Ray Borchers stands next her two collages at BOP! Adventures in Collage, an exhibition she co-curated at The Dime in Wicker Park on Aug. 10, 2023.

Ever make a collage? Of course you did, as a kid. Now let the professionals show you how it’s done.

August 16, 2023 at 5:00 a.m.

If you were lucky enough to have had a teacher with an artistic bent or parents who wanted to keep you from watching TV or goofing around on the internet,...

Born and raised in Hyde Park, Bob Swan was a fixture on local stages, movie screens and concert halls for decades.

Robert Swan appreciation: Movie actor, singer and founder of Harbor Country Opera has died at 78

August 15, 2023 at 5:00 a.m.

Robert Swan was a big man. He was big in physical stature, standing 6'4? and weighing 220-some pounds. He was big in talent, displayed on theatrical stages, in movie roles,...

"Making the Low Notes: A Life in Music" by Bill Harrison.

In 40 years as a jazzman, Bill Harrison had ups and downs and one night dressed as a Conehead

August 9, 2023 at 5:00 a.m.

If you think the world of a professional musician is all great tunes and glamour, you should have been at a downtown hotel on Dec. 13, 1983, when jazz bassist...

Architect Richard Barancik surveys the city on March 10, 1971, from the 33rd floor of a high-rise he developed at 100 E. Bellevue Place.

In memoriam: Richard Barancik, artful architect and last of the ‘Monuments Men,’ is dead at 98

August 1, 2023 at 11:42 a.m.

There is a handsome high-rise on Bellevue Place in the Gold Coast that features a lobby with a colorful mural filled with flora and fauna. Two of the building's elevators...

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