Top Picks: Kamasi Washington's 'Harmony of Difference,' the movie 'Afterimage,' and more
If you’re a hiker who likes to figure out every detail of your adventure before you leave the house, check out the Footpath app, check out recently departed musician Tom Petty and his band performing one of their most well-known hits, and more top picks.
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Jazz expansion
Saxophonist/composer Kamasi Washington first got our attention with his indelible playing and his work on Kendrick Lamar’s groundbreaking “To Pimp a Butterfly” album. Now back with his latest solo effort, Harmony of Difference, Washington continues his inspiring exploration and expansion of what jazz can be. His large ensemble melds multigenerational musicians from hip-hop, pop, and jazz, and the resulting six compositions exude youthful zeal and healing positivity. The album’s bookends, “Desire” and “Truth,” are accessible, uplifting, and infused with emotion. Hear why Washington is bringing a whole new audience back to America’s great art form.
Magisterial performance
Polish painter Wladyslaw Strzeminski is the subject of director Andrzej Wajda’s film Afterimage, which is available on DVD and Blu-ray Oct. 24. Monitor film critic Peter Rainer notes that the unrated movie, about Strzeminski’s targeting by Communist authorities in 1940s Poland, is “intensely harrowing” but that star Boguslaw Linda gives a “magisterial performance.”
Dino exploration
If you have a dinosaur fan around the house or are just looking to remind yourself about the difference between a triceratops and a duckbill, the National Geographic Kids Ultimate Dinopedia app is worth checking out. It offers impressive illustrations, an A-to-Z guide to dinosaurs, and information about how dinosaurs hatch and where they traveled. It’s $4.99 for iOS.
Planning hikes
If you’re a hiker who likes to figure out every detail of your adventure before you leave the house, check out the Footpath app. Use the app to sketch out where you’re going, and it will automatically use trails and roads to map the route and show you elevation so you can see how tough your hike will be. (No GPS is needed.) Footpath is $0.99 for iOS.
Departed legend
Rock legend Tom Petty, who died Oct. 2, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. Check out the musician and his band performing one of their most well-known hits, “American Girl,” for the ceremony via the Hall of Fame’s video at http://bit.ly/tompettyrockroll.