Red Hook Star-Revue, December 2022

Sonia and Isabella are the designers of the Food Bazaar holiday displays.

481 Van Brunt Street, 8A Brooklyn, NY 11231 (718) 624-5568 www.star-revue.com george@redhookstar.com

Editor & PublishEr George Fiala

NEws Nathan Weiser Brian Abate

FEaturEs Erin DeGregorio

CulturE Roderick Thomas ovErsEas maN Dario Muccilli roCk Kurt Gottschalk Jazz George Grella Film Dante A. Ciampaglia books Michael Quinn CartooN Marc Jackson

wEbmastEr Tariq Manon kids Editor Marie Heuston dEsigN George Fiala ads Liz Galvin

Merry Band of Contributors

Michael Cobb Joe Enright Michael Fiorito Jack Grace Mike Morgan Nino Pantano

Shortage of church organists presents a spiritual challenge

by Erin DeGregorio

Imagine not hearing the majestic sounds produced by thousands of metal or wooden organ pipes echo ing around you during a wedding, funeral, or Mass. That’s the reality some houses of worship are facing as an organist shortage unfolds nationwide, on the heels of a pandemic that brought in-person ser vices to a screeching halt for months and has since affected attendance.

As the national professional association serving the organ and choral music fields since 1896, American Guild of Organists (AGO) seeks to set and maintain high musical standards and promote under standing and appreciation of all aspects of organ and choral music. AGO record ed 14,150 members across the country in its 2019 survey—an 11% decline in mem bership from 2015. In 2012, the Brooklyn chapter had 58 members; today it’s 48.

“In most cases, churches can’t afford to pay a full-time organist … many organ ists I know have multiple jobs and gigs to make a living,” he said. “The reality is it’s becoming harder and harder to find quality organists who know the craft and are exceptional at the art.”

Bringing Bach the tradition

FOR EDITORIAL, ADVERTISING OR EMPLOYMENT INQUIRIES, email george@redhookstar.com

The Red Hook Star-Revue is published every month.

Founded June 2010 by George Fiala and Frank Galeano

Having studied organ and sacred music before being called to the priesthood, Father William L. Ogburn of Carroll Gar dens’ St. Paul Episcopal Church knows firsthand the key role organ music plays in bringing parishioners closer to their faith. “Hearing a well-played organ is an amazing experience that you don’t en counter in many other places,” he said, referring to the 1914 Austin organ in the Carroll Gardens church that’ll have a new player at the helm this January.

Fr. Ogburn believes money is partly to blame for the nationwide rate of decline, citing expensive organ repairs that are easily hundreds of thousands dollars and lack of funds for organists’ salaries.

Local organists, however, have stepped up to make sure the art doesn’t disappear. For Dr. John A. Wolfe, his path to the “king of instruments” began in church, where he loved “being enveloped by gorgeous organ music” at Christ Lutheran in Get tysburg, PA. Wolfe learned how to play at 15 from his church organist, David Erick son, and has since made it his profession. Wolfe—who previously served as dean of the AGO Brooklyn Chapter and has been the organist at St. Philip Episco pal Church since 2019—is also one of 20 organists on the Brooklyn chapter’s substitute roster, often available to play whenever he may be needed across the borough. “Being on call is especially im portant for funerals, since funerals of ten need to be put together in just a few days,” Wolfe noted.

Though numbers are low, Wolfe has faith that the art of organ playing still has life in it yet. “Fewer Americans go to church now than in the past, so naturally there are fewer organists, [but] I hope young people in the future will still have oppor tunities to experience these awesome in struments,” said Wolfe. “I know enough dedicated and skilled young organists to believe our art has a bright future.

“The organ has literally a thousand years of tradition and musical literature … some of the greatest musicians in his tory, like J.S. Bach, Johannes Brahms and Felix Mendelssohn, all wrote for organ,” he added. “It’s humbling to feel that weight of history and to know my col leagues and I are responsible for carrying it forward. Passing these masterpieces to the next generation is definitely a critical part of a church musician’s ministry.” St. Philip’s free Coleman Memorial Or gan Recital Series—which has featured four New York City-based organists, including Wolfe, in concert so far this year—allows fans and newcomers alike to listen to professionally trained artists at work. The next installment of the se ries takes place on December 4 with Ray mond Trapp of Plymouth Church at the bench. “The nature of music is that every listener will take something different from their listening experience, and the incredible richness of the organ’s sonic palette means there can be something for everyone,” said Wolfe.

Similarly, St. Paul’s launched a monthly evensong series to educate and evan gelize. “We’ve only had a few sessions since the series began in September, but it does bring in a lot of people and it exposes them to organ music and a pro fessional choir,” said Fr. Ogburn of the program that will run through May 2023. The next session takes place December 18. “After receiving such a positive re action, we’re hoping to hold the series again next year.”

Joe Enright's Guest Column

Am I Getting Old? No Way!

Yesterday I stood on a step ladder to change a ceiling floodlight. The packaging said my new LED light would last fifteen years if it was used 8 hours a day. Doing some quick math, I realized this floodlight would probably outlive me. I decided to install an old incandescent bulb in stead.

For the third time on the same day, I misplaced my reading glasses. Af ter a systematic but fruitless search, I asked my wife to help. She points to my shirt pocket where the glasses sit, silently mocking me. I start to berate them for playing games but the wife interrupts. “Really? Now you’re argu ing with your reading glasses? What’s next, singing along with the toaster?” Hmmm, sounds like fun.

At a party, I’m asked to name the best actor of the 1950s. I immediately focus on the lead actor in “On the Water front,” whose name I just cannot re call. Marvin Blanda? Martin Branca?

As the seconds tick by, I finally blurt out, “The Godfather Guy!”

A young lass asks me what I think of Kendrick Lamar’s latest blasts “which just dropped.” After scanning the floor in every direction, I admit I can’t find them.

On a weekly Zoom call with three of my far-flung buddies, whom I’ve known since high school, I ask, “Re fresh my memory, did we ever serve in the Army together?”

Back at the party, I’m asked what it was like to grow up in the 1950s: “Not often recognized,” I pontificate, “radio back then was an interactive medium:

if you didn’t like a song, you turned the dial. You could also multitask with it by adjusting the volume as you fid dled with the dial.”

As I step off the curb at corner STOP signs, cars screech to a halt (as for those scooters and bikes that speed up instead, almost knocking me over, thanks for making me feel young, guys!)

Some folks will stand up to offer me a seat on the subway, obviously wanting to honor the wisdom I seem to exude in my antiquity, but 40-somethings swoop in before I can move, validat ing my self-image as a disrespected Gen-X dude.

Getting off a long flight at JFK, my bones aching from sitting scrunchedup for hours, there’s an attendant standing on the gangplank or what

ever they call it, standing behind an empty wheelchair.

“Do you need assistance sir?” he asks, moving the wheelchair forward a few inches.

“No!”

“Are you sure?”

“Oh, what the hell, OK.”

Opinion: Words by George

When you get old you live through more stuff

by George Fiala

While old Joe, above, has a couple of years on me, 2022 is the last time I can still try to describe myself as middle-aged. Starting next month I'm into old age. Don't worry, I'll still produce this pa per and get it from the printer and drop it off all over the place, just like I've done every month for the past 12 and a half years. I'm not worried about that (knock on wood). What I did think about the other day was the

kinds of disasters that have occurred in every decade of my life.

For a while I thought that my timing was pretty lucky. The people before me went through two world wars and a depression. A fair amount of them had to go into the army, others the Salvation Army. I grew up with plenty of food, school and fun. To be honest, I still feel pretty lucky, as I've never had to fire a gun or file for un

BY MARC JACKS0N

employment. However, the world has not been so lucky. Utopia is still a ways away. I think the fifties were pretty good ac tually. There was Korea, but the econ omy boomed. War which brought Americans together started us on a path to integration, which ended up in the 1965 Civil Rights Act. I'm not saying all things were solved, but at least going in the right direction. But then came the sixties. Lots of cul tural changes occurred, but you had three major assassinations, plus the Vietnam War, which really damaged the country in many ways.

The seventies brought us the near impeachment of a president, Middle East conflicts which changed forever the cost of energy. That disrupted the world's economy and brought us 20% inflation with no economic growth.

All of which brought us Ronald Rea gan in 1980. I remember thinking at the time that Reagan's election would be a step in the wrong direction when it came to the kinds of things that to day's youth call social justice.

For a little while after Vietnam, the idea of the US getting involved in another war didn't exist. But little by little that changhed. We invaded Gre nada in 1983, for some obscure rea son. Then we got tired of Noriega and bombed Panama's slums and whisked their president off to jail in Florida.

The 1990's brought us Desert Storm, in which we killed pretty many Iraq is. For me, President Clinton was the chance for a new beginning towards

some future utopia, but the Republi can party, egged on by a new kind of media star in Rush Limbaugh, did ev erything they could to get rid of him. The whole Hillarygate and Monica Lewinsky situations were the begin ning of the horrible state of US politics today, which resembles rugby more than it does government.

Remember, I'm alive through all these things. Next came Y2K, which the me dia, which started to realize they could make lots more money with sensa tional rather than traditional news–sensationalized. Then came hanging chads (the Bush/Gore fiasco). It was kind of quiet for a few months after that, and then 9/11 happened.

That's when we got fully involved with wars again, Afghanistan and Iraqboth of which were as ill-fated as Viet nam, and which killed and maimed a lot of Americans younger than me.

So that brings us to the last decade. My mother really liked President Obama, who didn't seem to do anything re ally dumb, plus was a very eloquent speaker, which she liked. My mother, by the way, lived through one world war and the depression years. So she was alive all the above times also. She saw the first few years of Trump, which helped put her over the top and into the ground.

Which is probably good since she didn't live to see Covid or the current Russian atrocities.

Hopefully, I've got a couple of decades left. Maybe with a little less problems?

Probably not, but whatever....

SHORT SHORTS:

tion page.

The first step to becoming a lifeguard is passing the qualifying test. To pass the qualifying test, you must: be a least 16 years old by the start of em ployment, have at least 20/30 vision in one eye and 20/40 in the other - with out corrective lenses, and be able to swim 50 yards in 35 seconds or less, with proper form. The next step is to complete a 16-week program that consists of 40 hours of training, a CPR course, and final swimming tests.

If you successfully complete the train ing program, you may be offered a full-time job for the summer working at a beach or pool in one of the best cities in the world! Beaches open on Memorial Day Weekend and outdoor pools open in late June.

cozy candles. Dance, drink, and enjoy the night with a free 2 oz candle with every in-store purchase.

Holiday Bazaar: Head to The Brook lyn Collective (212 Columbia St.) for an evening of shopping and art as well as live Jazz and free drinks on Dec. 2 from 5-8 pm.

Christmas Toy Drive at the Red Hook Community Justice Center (88 Visitation Pl.) Accepting dona tions through Dec. 8. Drop off is at the Youth and Community Initiatives of fice. Join us on Dec. 9 at 9:30 am for Service Friday, in which we will be wrapping gifts and creating cards for the community at the Mock Court room.

Apotheke also invites you to take photos with Santa on Dec. 10 from 1:30-3:30 pm.

Community artspace show

To highlight a wide range of images deriving from the unrelated ideas of a diverse group of local artists, My Gallery NYC is presenting “ECLECTI CA”.  The exhibition will focus on paint (oil, acrylic, watercolor) and textile art.

Darla Ebanks, gallery owner, envi sioned a space to not only show case her own artwork, but one that would be accessible and welcoming to all members of the community.  In addition, she wanted to create a beau tiful and affordable space for artists to exhibit their work to a broad au dience. The name of the gallery was chosen to encourage artists to feel a sense of ownership and connection.   Darla is a self-taught artist who came to the United States from Honduras at sixteen years old.  She didn’t pick up her childhood love of painting until she retired.  Her work includes paint ings in acrylic and mixed media piec es, as in her work above this article. Opening reception:  Friday, December 2 from 5-7 pm.  Regular viewing will be from December 2–30, 2022 during reg ular gallery hours:  Thursday – Sunday from 3–7 pm.

My Gallery NYC is located at 587 Franklin Avenue at the corner of Pa cific Street in Crown Heights, Brooklyn

Lifeguard openings

NYC Parks is looking for New York ers who have the physical and mental discipline to become lifeguards in the summer of 2023. Qualifying tests be gin on December 2 and will be held at 10 pools around the city. You can reg ister for an upcoming qualifying exam on the NYC Parks Lifeguard informa

Bakery moves back up the block

Mazzola Bakery has moved back to its original location (192 Union St.) after spending the last year and a half at a temporary location across the street (529 Henry St.) The temporary loca tion used to be Francesco’s, a local pizza place, which is not reopening. While at the temporary location Maz zola made pizza in addition to baked goods and they are continuing to make pizza now that they are back at their original location. The bakery is listed as open from 6 am-7:30 pm Monday through Friday, 7 am-7 pm on Saturday, and 7 am-6 pm on Sunday, though hours may differ on holidays. Mazzola is known for its great bread and cookies.

HOLIDAY EVENTS:

Red Hook Lobster Pound (284 Van Brunt St.) will have its fifth annual Christmas tree lighting on Dec. 1 at 7 pm. Stop by for holiday cheer and grog from 6-8 pm.

Shiny Sparkle Mistletoe Jam: Celebrate the season with Shiny Sparkle Studio Labs (185 Van Dyke St) on Dec. 1 at 6 pm. There will be drag performances at 7:30 pm and 10 pm. There will be door prizes, glassy activities, and reindeer games throughout the night!

Art Bazaar at Basin Gallery & Stu dios (344 Van Brunt St.) There will be art from more than 30 artists and makers from Dec. 1 through Dec. 22. The opening reception is on Dec. 1 from 6-9 pm.

Apotheke (459 Van Brunt St.) Holi day Party: Join us on Dec. 2 from 4:30-9 pm and celebrate the holiday season with music, drinks, food, and

Join the Red Hook Recreation Cen ter (155 Bay St.) for holiday festivities on Dec. 15 from 4:30-7:00 pm. A little more sparkle, a little less stress; this holiday season we wish you the best! All are welcome to join and there will be music, games, and toys.

Cobble Hill Ballet (193 Columbia St.) presents excerpts from The Nutcrack er on Dec. 17 at 5:30 pm and Dec. 18 at 11 am, 3:30 pm, and 6:30 pm

Join Hyssop (293 Van Brunt St.) for a New Year’s Eve supper: four-course prix fixe + bubbly: $110. Get tickets at hyssopbrooklyn.com.

More Events at the Red Hook Recreation Center:

Athletic & Fit: Tuesday-Friday 1-6 pm and Saturdays 10 am-3 pm through Dec. 24. Join us for a fun intro to high-intensity interval training. The class consists of light cardio in intervals designed to build strength and endurance at the same time. Get ready to sweat!

Zumbini Classes: Thursdays 3:30-4:30 pm. The goal of the classes is to introduce young children to music, movement, and rhythmic instruments in a child-initiated, child-directed, and, teacher-supported en vironment.

Motion & Expression: This program will get youth to move their bodies, learn selfexpression, and build confidence. Dance classes will provide children with guidance and structure while they have fun. Ages 6-17 are welcome to participate.

Senior Dance Workout: Tuesdays 12:301:30 pm and Thursdays 11 am-noon through Dec. 24. Get a good workout and pick up some new moves to bring to the dance floor. Individuals of all abilities are encouraged to come to this class as danc ing is the quickest shortcut to happiness!

Treat Decorating: Thursdays 3:30-4:30 pm through Dec. 24. Biscuits and Triscuits and baskets of fun. This class is open to more than just one. All materials will be supplied and those 24 or younger are free!

Flag Football: Saturdays from 9 am-noon through Dec. 24. Besides all of the benefits of regular exercise, flag football teaches teamwork, leadership, sportsmanship, and self-confidence.

Fitness Room: Monday-Friday 6 am-8:15 pm and Saturdays 8 am-10 pm. Weight lifting doesn’t just build muscle mass, its benefits include better posture, bet ter sleep, gaining bone density, and much more. Treadmill exercises help increase heart rate and build stamina. Ages 16 and

Thanks!

I just read and re-read your article on my retirement. The photos are amaz ing and brought back a lot of memo ries. I'm sure it took awhile for you to put this together and it is very much appreciated! I really appreciate also your words at the end of the article - I will remember those words alwayscoming from you, they mean a lot to me. Thank you! - Alex Calabrese PS - Love your opinion column - keep going! While I will be picking up the paper in Red Hook, I’m going to stop by to say hello and get a yearly sub scription.

Same old same old Election Day has come and gone. This reminds me of "The Outer Limits," a 1960's television show. With the end of round the clock commercials by politicians, political parties, political action groups and pay for play spe

cial interest groups, we now return control of your television back to you until the next election cycle. No more candidates campaign mailings clog ging mailboxes and weighing down our hard working postal employees. Finally, some peace and quite!

Candidates who claimed they cared about the environment can now do their part. Winners and losers should have their paid campaign staff and volunteers pick up all the thousands of campaign signs that litter our roads and highways to help clean up this waste. They could also use left over campaign funds to hire homeless or unemployed people to collect this lit ter. Let some people with community service be assigned this task. If candi dates refuse to clean up after them selves, the NYC DOT Department of Highways should do the job and send candidates the bill. - Larry Penner

I guess LICH is never coming back, as Henry Street luxury skyscraper opens

by Brian Abate

Eight years ago Long Island College Hospital (LICH) closed down for good (though the emergency room still remains) and three years later Fortis Development Group be gan construction on 5 River Park, a high-rise building at 347 Henry St. While Fortis is continuing construc tion on more high rises where the hospital once was, 5 River Park is now complete. The condominium is 15 stories high and is already standing well above the other buildings in the Cobble Hill Historic District.

LICH specifically asked not to be in cluded in the Cobble Hill Historic Dis trict even though it would make sense geographically for it to be included. This allowed Fortis to build a much taller apartment complex than would have been allowed if the site was in cluded in the Historic District.

Many people were opposed to the hos pital closing in the first place and pro tested against it while others protested against allowing high-rise buildings in the neighborhood. Ultimately, 5 River Park was built as of right and most of its 25 units are already occupied.

There were a lot of strong opinions about the building but I wanted to find out what local residents think of it now so I waited outside of the building and spoke to everyone who was willing to talk to me.

There were a few different points of view regarding 5 River Park: some people disliked the building, some did not mind the building, some were most upset about the hospital clos ing, and finally, some people did not feel strongly about the building and hadn’t really noticed it.

“It feels like the place is very fancy and doesn’t fit in with the rest of the neigh borhood,” said Gabby from Cobble Hill. “Partially because of the height, partially because of the design… It’s not a big deal but I don’t love it either.”

The 25 units in the complex are worth an average of $3.15 million each. I also saw on StreetEasy that one of the apartments which has seven rooms,

including three bedrooms, and 3.5 bathrooms is “in contract” for $3.625 million. According to Douglas Elliman (real estate company,) no other units in 5 River Park are currently available. StreetEasy lists past sales in the build ing which indicates that units were sold rather than rented. For example, a one-bedroom and one-bathroom unit was sold for $1,333,907.

“It definitely doesn’t look like a place I could afford,” said Daniel from Fort Greene. “Right now there’s so much demand for apartments and not enough places for everyone in NYC. I think we need fewer upscale places and more places for everyday people.”

The Cobble Hill Historic District is certainly an expensive area, and 5 River Park is no exception. However, its height and design make it stand out as a few people pointed out to me.

Some people did not have a problem with 5 River Park but were unhappy about the hospital closing down. LICH was one of the country’s oldest

gotten used to it now and I think that it looks pretty good.”

“I’m not sure how the people who live here feel but I don’t have a problem with it,” said Ava from Carroll Gar dens. “I’m neutral.”

A few others told me that despite the height of 5 River Park they have not thought about it. In fact, one man told me he never even paid attention to the building until I mentioned it and that he just then realized how different it looks from other buildings in the area.

“I think that I’m so used to my routine and so focused on getting to my desti nation that sometimes I forget to look around me,” said Jarrel from Brooklyn.

“It looks like the type of place you’d see in Manhattan, not here in Brook lyn,” said one man who did not want his name to appear in the story.

“When I first saw it, I actually thought it was a hotel,” said Maya from Cobble Hill. “It’s one place that I always no tice when I’m walking by here.”

“On one hand the place looks beau tiful, but on the other hand it re ally messes up our view,” said Tara from Cobble Hill. “It’s just so much taller than any of the other buildings around here.”

hospitals and originally opened in 1860. It also has special significance for me because I was born there, as were many of my friends.

“I walk past here every day to get to work so I’ve seen the construction getting done,” said Joshua from Cob ble Hill. “I’ve never been inside but it looks nice now, but it just doesn’t sit well with me. A lot of people were so sad that the hospital closed down and I remember them protesting to try to keep it open. I don’t have an issue with the apartment specifically but I feel bad for all of the people who were hurt by the hospital closing.”

Another woman told me, “I didn’t want [5 River Park] here, but they don’t care what I think.”

Other people I spoke to did not feel the same level of attachment to LICH and did not feel as strongly about 5 River Park.

“I don’t have a strong opinion on it,” said James from Brooklyn. “At first it looked funny having it here but I’ve

I’ve also noticed that once I’m going about my daily routine, I don’t always pay as much attention to what’s going on around me. I think that’s happened to some of the people in the neighbor hood with 5 River Park too.

Though I have not been able to talk to anyone who lives at 5 River Park, a few people told me that they thought the building looked great.

“The place looks nice and I have no other comment!” said Jay from Brook lyn Heights.

One thing that is clear is that there is not a group consensus regarding how people feel about 5 River Park. I spoke to a lot of different people and they all had their own opinions on the build ing. For now, it seems like everyone will have to agree to disagree about 5 River Park though there were quite a few people who told me they missed LICH and were very upset that it is no longer there.

Out in front of 5 River Park, there is still a big clock that reads “Long Island College Hospital,” a final reminder of what once was.

“It looks like the type of place you’d see in Manhattan, not here in Brooklyn,” said one man.

“It definitely doesn’t look like a place I could afford,” said Daniel from Fort Greene.

"I think we need fewer upscale places and more places for everyday people.”

From the ground floor, 5 River Park looks like a normal luxury building. (photo by Abate)

Here's why there was such a push to replace an aging hospital with expensive condos.

Notes from a former political prisoner: Thirty years ago

Thirty years ago in the 1992 Presidential election I reg istered to vote and voted.

For that simple and solitary act I spent two decades in purgatory battling criminal charges, the past five years in Federal Courts on my mali cious prosecution lawsuit. But if you think I have any regrets the answer is no. When a country starts locking people up for voting you have to draw a line and stand your ground. Liberty is not something that gets taken away from us all at once. It gets chipped away at slowly and slowly. Count one, “filing a false instrument,”

by John O’Hara

was the voter registration card, my address the Brooklyn District Attor ney determined was false which was count two, and since I voted in the fol lowing five elections and primaries. These were all considered illegal votes which meant an additional five felo ny counts for a total of seven felony counts. I was facing 28 years in prison for voting.

I was the first person to be prosecuted for illegal voting in New York State since 1873. The defendant in that case was Susan B. Anthony. I also became the first person to be tried in Brooklyn three times on the same charge. At the

first trial I was convicted, but it was reversed on appeal. The second trial was a hung jury and at the third trial I was convicted again. The penalty was 5 years of probation, $16,000 in fines, 1,500 hours of community service, and I was disbarred from the practice of law.

There were a dozen appeals, months turned into years and years turned into decades. When you have been wrongly convicted you become con sumed with your own vindication. But what I really focused on was run ning candidates for Brooklyn District Attorney, which happens every four years. Finally in 2013 Charles Hynes became the first District Attorney to be defeated in New York City in over one hundred years. Three years after that, in 2017 the new District Attorney, Eric Gonzalez, overturned my conviction.

An investigation by the new District Attorney revealed that the State As semblyman I ran against 30 years ear lier, Jim Brennan, and his clubhouse lawyer, Jack Carroll, instigated the prosecution and acted as the DA’s se cret investigators. My real crime was that I ran for office and lost. But the political influence didn’t just extend to former District Attorney

Hynes. Judges were also spoken to. You see nobody ever got wrongfully convicted in a Court Room by acci dent. That’s just not how it happens. A prosecutor decides who is guilty and then figures out a way to prove it. And when a prosecutor’s misconduct is exposed, they face no consequences. So much for the cliché “nobody is above the law.” There are no checks and balances in place to combat these abuses. Prosecutors control what goes on in the Courts while the Judges just direct the traffic.

But it hasn’t been all bad and some good things came out of this. I spent years working on getting District At torney Hynes out of office and after he was ousted in 2013 the new DA over turned over 30 convictions of people wrongfully convicted. Bad prosecu tors in the office were fired, and, I didn’t have to wait for my funeral to find out who my friends really are. What I want is for people to embrace the political process. Politics can be the great equalizer and if it wasn’t for the fact that we elect our District At torneys I’d still be a convicted felon today.

John O’Hara is an attorney and sub scriber to The Red Hook Star Revue. He lives in Brooklyn.

Red Hook schools mark Thanksgiving

by Nathan Weiser and George Fiala

Red Hook’s PS 676 kicked off Thanksgiving week with a community potluck that was enjoyed by students and parents after school on Tuesday, November 22.

Celebrants met in the cafeteria and got to choose from turkey, chicken, rice, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, Mac and cheese, rolls, fruit, packaged cookies from an Italian bakery, cake with vanilla icing, donuts, cupcakes and banana bread with chocolate.

Each table went up one by one to get their food with music playing in the background. Pastor Pacheco from Re demption Church announced when each table could get on line and was the DJ for the event.

Parents and staff provided most of the food. In the beginning of the event, the students socialized with a Thanks giving word search game.

At the entrance to the cafeteria, there were a few long pieces of paper where students and adults could write what they were thankful for.

After eating, six turkeys and Italian cookie tray packages for the kids were raffled. The turkeys were provided by the school and the winners were an nounced by Pastor Pacheco.

There were a few neighborhood or ganizations at the event to give out information or provide an activity for the kids.

Pioneer Works had materials on a ta ble where kids could design their own birdseed ornaments.

The Red Hook Library branch had information about their building with Legos activity from 4:00-4:45 on Wednesdays and their in-person crafting for ages 4-10 in the children’s room on Tuesdays from 4:00 to 4:45.

Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield had information on healthy living. They had tips for eating healthy meals, being active, diabetes prevention and what to do if you are struggling with anxiety.

Good Shepherd at PS 15

On Thursday, November 14, Good Shepherd Services, who operates the

afterschool Beacon program in the PS 15 auditorium, invited students and aprents to their 31st Annual Red Hook Thanksgiving Dinner at the Red Hook Beacon Community Center.

The event provided Red Hook fami lies with a warm meal, live perfor mances, and entertainment ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hometown BBQ was hired by Good Shepherd to cater the event. Live performance by MNFST (Manifest), a New York street drummer, and Jabow en Dixon, a tap dancer. Good Shep herd has been hosting Thanksgiving dinners for Red Hook families at the at the Red Hook Beacon Community Center for over 30 years.

The Red Hook Beacon Community Center provides year-round, day, eve ning, and weekend activities engaging thousands of young people and their families to promote individual, fam ily, and community development and help participants realize their fullest potential at home, at school, and in their community.

A winner of the PS 676 raffle.

There was food galore at the Good Shepherd dinner at PS 15.

There was dancing after dinner in the PS 15 auditorium.

Public art on Conover Street

by Brian Abate

The New York City Emergency Management Department and the Red Hook Community Justice Center partnered for the Red Hook Beautification Proj ect for the Atlantic Basin temporary flood measures. Members from both the Emergency Management Department and the Justice Center proudly an nounced the completion of the project on Nov. 16.

Pictures that were taken by 10 students who participated in the Justice Cen ter’s “Just Arts Photography” program in the Spring of 2022 are now show cased on the Interim Flood Protection Measures (IFPM) that are along the Atlantic Basin.

“Ten years ago, the Red Hook community was severely impacted by Hurri cane Sandy,” said Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol. “And I am so proud of these youth for using their artistic abilities to illustrate the resiliency of our city while educating themselves and others about the miti gation measures New York City uses to protect our communities from future storm surges.”

The “Just Arts Photography” program lasted 12 weeks and encouraged stu dents to explore their artistic self-expression. The Beautification Project al lows them to showcase their artwork while also helping the community.

“The Red Hook Community Justice Center was honored to support NYC Emergency Management with our participation in their community beauti fication project, as an effort to acknowledge our resilience since Sandy and the impact of unity and community healing,” said the Deputy Director of the Justice Center, Marcus Scurry.

There are a lot of great pictures and they certainly make the dreary-looking flood barriers look beautiful.

City program tries to keep abuse victims in their homes

by Nathan Weiser

At the end of October, the Mayor’s Office to End Do mestic and Gender Based Violence announced the expansion of their Home+ program. This helpful program is available to residents of the five boroughs and they sign up for it through the bor ough that they live in. This program provides free and confidential secu rity resources to survivors of domestic and gender based violence who want to stay in their homes instead of going to a shelter.

Bea Hanson, Senior Advisor to end domestic and gender based violence, there are two major aspects of this program. The first part of the Home+ program that was launched in 2021 was the emergency response alarm system. The person in need of help will press a button and a call center will listen to see how things are. The call center will then notify the designated person, which could be a neighbor, a family member or law en forcement.

Lock repair and replacement will be able to happen within 24 hours. Re garding door repair. Fixing the door could happen within 24 hours and a replacement might take a few days.

The alarm system for the apartment would be mailed out so that would take a few days.

“Everyone deserves to feel safe in their own home,” said Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence Commissioner Cecile Noel. “HOME+ strengthens the City’s efforts to increase safety and stability for sur vivors of domestic and gender-based violence and helps empower survi vors who often suffer silently and fear seeking out the help they need.

To sign up to get the Home+ benefits interested people in need of help can call these various numbers based on the borough that they are in:

BRONX: Violence Intervention Pro gram (VIP), 1-800-664-5880

BROOKLYN: HELP R.O.A.D.S./USA, 1-718-922-7980

MANHATTAN: STEPS at Rising Ground, 1-877-783-7794

QUEENS: Womankind, 1-888-888-7702 (call), 1-929-207-5907 (text only)

STATEN ISLAND: Seamen’s Society for Children & Families, 1-917-524-5819

The program will then talk to them about not just Home+ but other ser vices as well to assess their level of risk. Other support can include coun seling services and help with law enforcement if they want to report a crime.

Any survivor of domestic violence and of sexual assault is eligible for the Home+ program and it does not mat ter if they have worked with the Fam ily Justice Center before.

“We think this program is going to be a game changer in the way we address domestic violence,” Hanson said. “It will enable survivors to stay in their

home and for children to be able to stay in their same schools. And for the family to live in their community and retain those supports from family, friends and neighbors.”

Without this program, the two options that survivors had were going into a domestic violence or regular shelter or calling the police. The shelter is very disruptive.

“You have to leave your home, you are leaving your community and your kids need to change schools,” Hanson said. “Often when you go to a domes tic violence shelter, housing is so dif ficult to get in the city, you may end up in the homeless shelter after that.”

Most of the time even with a domes tic violence shelter there is a limit re garding how long one can stay. People might not be able to get permanent housing in the 180 days they are al lowed to stay in the domestic violence shelter so then they will end up in the homeless system.

Many people do not feel safe or com fortable calling law enforcement. She added that the accused person being arrested does not necessarily mean

the violence will stop.

“This program proves the extra sup port to help them stay safe in their home,” Hanson said.

Kitchen designers open Dumbo showroom

by Brian Abate

room openings already scheduled in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and New Jersey. The expansion is financed by Paris-based Experienced Capital, who invested €25 million (just under $26 million) in Reform.

“We want to show that you don’t have to choose between quality and af fordability,” Bødker Christensen said. “You can have both.”

cabinets, and drawers - which means that we now offer the ‘full package’ in order to provide a better customer journey and quality,” Bødker Chris tensen said.

Reform, a Danish Kitchen com pany formed by Michael An dersen and Jeppe Christensen, celebrated the grand opening of their flagship kitchen showroom in Dumbo this November.

The new location in at 39 Main Street, is Reform’s largest showroom invest ment ever and marks the beginning of the brand’s expansion into the United States market with three more show

“We see a great fit because the neigh borhood is known for being a hub for creatives such as designers, archi tects, and artists,” said Rikke Bødker Christensen, public relations man ager at Reform. “We are a design brand working with architects and designers, so we see a natural con nection to the area in that sense. Be sides that, Dumbo has a vibrant and forward-thinking atmosphere that we really like and that we also think is re flected in the way we work. It’s easily accessible to the rest of the city and the picturesque location just between Manhattan and Brooklyn bridge just makes it a great spot.”

Reform often uses IKEA products and Jeppe Christensen said in an in terview with friendsoffriends.com, “When you’re starting a company, you really need to just go ahead and do stuff so you can gain some momen tum.”

However, while some people still think of Reform as an IKEA hack firm, that is no longer the case.

“Today we are a ‘complete’ kitchen brand producing our own interior -

The grand opening showcased some of Reform’s kitchen designs and they had some great food too.

by Brian Abate

Judge Alex Calabrese retired in Oc tober after 22 years of leadership and innovation at the Red Hook Community Justice Center. He was there since it opened in 2000. Sharen Hudson is now the presiding judge at the Justice Center and she was kind enough to talk to me about her time in Red Hook and her work.

“I grew up in the Red Hook Houses, attended P.S. 15, and I actually knew Principal Daly,” Hudson said. “I re member we always had rules about where we could go at certain times but we had a few different parks I loved going to.”

Hudson also explained how she be came interested in becoming a judge.

“The first time I really started thinking about it was because I loved watch ing Perry Mason,” Hudson said. “I worked as a court officer at 141 Liv ingston Street and seeing how every thing worked firsthand really piqued my interest. Once I told the people I worked with that I was thinking about it, everyone was really supportive and they all encouraged me.”

Hudson took courses at night so she was able to continue working dur ing the day. After graduating she got experience by working at the Justice Center and even filled in for Cal abrese sometimes.

“I was a court attorney and I was able to watch Judge Calabrese work which

was great for me,” Hudson said. “I helped out where I could but I was able to watch how he worked with litigants, in family court, in criminal court, and how he worked with the community. I was able to learn first hand from him.

“I also learned about the Center for Court Innovation and saw the pro grams they made to help people as well as making the court more effi cient and more litigant-friendly.”

One of Hudson’s goals is for the Jus tice Center to get back to where it was pre-COVID and operate MondayFriday. She also wants to continue building off what the Justice Center has already done and have even more

programs and more services available to get to the root cause of why people end up at the Justice Center in the first place.

“This is very general but I want to help get Red Hook back on its glorious feet,” Hudson said.

Hudson also gave a piece of advice for everyone in the neighborhood, say ing “I always suggest that people stop by and even bring their kids, especial ly since this is the Community Justice Center. We’re open to the public and it never hurts to see what services are provided, get familiar with the court system, and ask any questions.”

Meet Brooklyn’s own homeboy! Jean-Micheal

Basquiat.

by Blake Sandberg

The King Pleasure show organized by his family, an intimate portrait of a local artist who took the down town New York art scene by storm. Then he took his artwork across the globe.

Jean-Michel Basquiat was born right here in Park Slope Brooklyn.

To Matilde and Gerard Basquiat. Later they settled in Boerum Hill. His mother noticed his interest in art and nurtured it by taking him to The Met and The Brooklyn Mu seum of Art.

Where he viewed Picasso’s works including Guernica. Which was highly influential to Jean- Michel. I discovered Basquiat as a 19 year old. I was at the San Antonio Museum of Art, I was looking through the books on their shelves in the shop.

At the bottom on one shelf there was a face looking up at me. A book laying there a bit beat up.

A line drawing of a face with explosive eyes, a vibra tion, a rhythm, and a stick-like halo. I grabbed it. Who is this? This was my introduction to Jean-Mi chel Basquiat. The book was The Whitney Museum catalog by James Marshall.

A trampled book on a sale shelf – it was mine now! His work was different. Modern.

He combined drawing and painting simultaneously. This was his trick!

His skill.

His contribution.

An ability to combine line drawing and brushed paint on one canvas. Andy Warhol and others tried this in moments especially in early pop paintings. Jasper Johns had done this to some degree with his marks and encaustic crust paintings and prints having a drawn element. Jim Dine also uses drawing in his paintings. Larry Rivers too. . It was a part of Pop art until the hard-edged print images took over.

Twombly made drawing into painting. No doubt Jean-Michel knew his work. There’s a Dubuffet relationship too.

But Jean has his own personality. Easily seen in his artwork.

His art is a direct line to his thoughts, passions, fears, influences, and discoveries.

This is why we love his work.

Immediacy.

Poetry.

Collision of ideas, references, and imagery.

Editing.

Jean-Michel puts the discovery there for you to see. Most painters cover their tracks.

Re-working.

Perfecting the image.

He grabs chance opportunities he embraces the mo ment in his painting.

If it didn’t work.

Just paint over it. Until it does.

Put down the colors and images. Take them away. Omit this. Add that.

It’s a mobile – fluid – attack on the canvas or whatever surface to be painted.

Like graffiti.

Layering.

In his approach.

He absorbed plenty of this overpainting style walking down the street or riding a train.

The whole of downtown was covered in paint.

He reverberated that style into a style of his own.

A way of painting.

A painter almost can’t use an oil stick anymore.

Basquiat’s Trademark.

TM.

He took it.

He capitalized on his talent. His vision and ability. Others helped him grow.

Diego Cortez organized the 1980 Times Square art show putting Basquiat on the map.

A larger map.

Already known downtown now he was getting offers for shows.

Annika Nosei.

Bruno Bishofberger. Mary Boone.

Fast forward to today.

Basquiat - King Pleasure is the show.

King Pleasure is the title of a Jazz Record. Jean refer enced in several works.

This exhibition draws together works from the estate of the artist and highlights his roots, early work, local shows like the Fun Gallery in the East Village. Plus major works from later shows in larger galleries.

Basquiat’s monumental scale canvases made for the Palladium nightclub are presented here in a surprising recreations of the Palladium.

Basquiat’s giant 20’x20’ dragon-head painting domi nates.

The opposite wall is a linear canvas that must be over 40 feet long.

An entire roll of canvas.

“Nu-Nile” this painting is an important masterpiece. It suggests a new world view.

It stresses the importance of the African – origin of humanity.

A large Notary stamp notarizes it for us - 1985. It’s an epic work.

It’s stark red black and white – like type in a newspa per.

He punched out images on this long scroll of a work. A Batman like pow! With two silhouettes. There are two views of the Earth. One seems to be under attack by the paint itself. The other shows images of Petrol and human power struggles. The struggle of life on this planet.

Unlike many works the text is nearly omitted

On this canvas he speaks in images nearly exclusively.

It’s a fascinating painting.

A journey.

It’s like Kerouac, who wrote “On The Road” on a long continuous roll of paper.

Jean-Michel knew Kerouac’s friend William S. Bur roughs. Who’s bunker apartment was just blocks from his Great Jones Street studio.

A glimpse into Basquiat’s studio. Recreated here in the show. With his own things.

His television, video tapes, objects he collected, brushes, paint, and work spread around the re-created studio space.

It’s powerful.

I was surprised how effective this was.

It could have been a gimmick.

But it evokes his personal space. His studio.

His way of working.

It evokes Basquiat the person. The artist.

The local man whose paintings have become so popular. World famous.

A King from Kings County! Makes sense. Boom for real!

Blake Sandberg is a musician, painter and skateboarder who lives in Sunset Park.

photos by Blake Sandberg

Moses in The Shed

by Joe Enright

I’m not a big theater fan. I’d rather see a flick. No need to change out of flip-flops, plenty of legroom, no lines at the uri nal, and somewhat affordable. On the other hand, my wife grew up in rural Illinois, but as a kid her parents took her to Broadway to see My Fair Lady Thus was a theater buff born. So I get dragged to a lot of shows, sometimes willingly (Stephen Sondheim, Tom Stoppard), sometimes groaning (ev erything else).

In the latter category, I now include a drama that ends its two-month run on December 18th, Straight Line Cra zy. In July Virginia ordered two nose bleed seats for $500 and by the time of our Thanksgiving-Eve arrival, tickets were being resold for over a thousand bucks. Each. Ralph Fiennes as Robert Moses proved to be as big a draw as Taylor Swift. Who knew? And why is “Ralph” pronounced “Rafe”?

We saw the play at a new theater in the new Hudson Yards, located at the top of a six-story escalator ride in a new arts-only building called The Shed. There’s a bar in the lobby where you can grab a shot of booze for $17 if you can wait a half hour to get served. Otherwise, forget it. To get there from Flatbush, we took the B train to Bry ant Park (renovated by Robert Moses in 1934), walked through a block-long tunnel to the 5th Avenue stop of the #7 train which took us to the new Hud son Yards station located four escala tors (125 feet) below the street, mak ing it our new go-to bunker, assuming we have an hour before bombs-awaybaby. Still, a new surface-level crosstown rail would have been a welcome alternative. If only Robert Moses had built some.

The play’s title derives from urban ologist Jane Jacobs’ characterization of the planning method used by the Great Master Builder: draw the short est distance between two points no

matter the human toll. Early on, when the Jacobs character first appears by breaking the fourth wall to announce herself to the audience, there was en thusiastic applause. I asked Virginia whether the actress was famous. “No,” she whispered, “now be quiet!”

I’m told the audience has cheered the Jacobs entry at every performance be cause hipsters know she’s the female David who defeated the Gotham Go liath. And by the time of her death in 2006 at the age of 90, bicycling Jane had become a patron saint of the “Re claim Our Streets from Evil Autos” movement.

In 1973, when Robert Caro handed in the massive manuscript for his Mo ses biography, The Power Broker, he was told it was a million words too long. WTF! He reluctantly cut out his long chapter on Jane Jacobs so that her name does not even appear in the seminal work that instantly trans formed the consensus estimation of Robert Moses: from an admirable getthings-done public servant colossus to a neighborhood-destroying racist who, for better and for worse, fully shaped the world we New Yorkers have inhabited for the past sixty years. A world with problems Moses created by refusing to build any mass transit infrastructure that would have made his incredible transportation achieve ments sustainable. Indeed Caro’s sub title for his 1,250-page magnum opus was “Robert Moses and the Fall of New York.”

By the way, my paperback Power Broker weighs in at 3.5 pounds, more than my laptop. Hell, my hardcover Bible checks in at only 992 pages and is a lightweight one-pounder by com parison. Two copies of The Power Broker work very well as handheld dumbbells for building arm strength. In addition, the Big Apple’s greatest living historian, Columbia Univer sity’s Kenneth T. Jackson, still consid

ers it the single most important book written about 20th Century New York. Moses created most of the parks, pools, highways, and bridges we use today, carving up parts of the outer boroughs in the process. In Brooklyn alone, he gave us the Verrazano and Gil Hodges bridges, the Battery Tun nel, huge municipal pools, Manhat tan Beach, dozens of playgrounds, the Red Hook Recreation Center, Pros pect Park Zoo, Marine Park, McCar ren Park, Canarsie Beach Park, Spring Creek Park, and the Jackie Robinson Parkway. But he also scarred and di vided Sunset Park, South Brooklyn, Windsor Terrace, with his Gowanus, Brooklyn-Queens, and Prospect Ex pressways.

Then, just as he was about to rip straight-line gashes through Manhat tan with east-west expressways and extend 5th Avenue through Washing ton Square Park, he was defeated. The Village projects in particular proved a bridge too far, thanks to the commu nity’s effective opposition, bolstered by Jacobs’ influential 1961 book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities. The birth of that opposition in 1956 served as the denouement of the play.

Straight Line Crazy is structured by British playwright David Hare as a tragedy. Moses out-maneuvers filthy rich upper-class resistance in Act One by leveraging the political mus cle of a popular Governor (Al Smith) to build expressways for a rising tide of middle-class motorists drawn to his new parks and beaches on Long Island. By Act Two, he has simply ig nored the powerless lower-class to bulldoze his way through the Bronx, displacing thousands of residents, calling it urban renewal. But the mov er-and-shaker was stopped dead in his tracks by the organized middle class of Greenwich Village. Hare’s dia logue zeros in on the Master Builder’s

racism, driving it home so to speak by inventing a Black female foil from the South Bronx on Moses’ staff. He never built a promised railroad spur to Jones Beach, and dismissed any thoughts of new subway construc tion. His automobile-centric plan ning at the expense of mass transit provided cover for the racism that ex plains why, in the 1930s, he built two playgrounds for Black children and 253 for whites. But he was ultimately humbled by activists who didn’t want to sacrifice their homes, their park, and their neighborhood on the Moses altar of improved traffic flow. Oh, Mo ses, how blind and haughty thou be! Meh. You didn’t miss much, except for Ralph Fiennes proving he can still add nuance to the monsters he plays, be it the unhinged Nazi commandant of Schindler’s List or Voldemort in the Harry Potter series. Read Caro and Jacobs instead and you’ll find Moses was first stymied by Brooklyn Heights activists in 1954.

Moses died in 1981 at the age of 93, a very flawed man who did some great things but hurt thousands of people and bequeathed us huge transit des erts. As for Jane Jacobs, in 1969 she re located her family to Toronto to spare her sons from the Vietnam-era draft. As fate would have it, the house where they moved was on another straight line drawn for that city’s new Spadina Expressway. Uh oh. This is the part where we came in. I sure hope they add that vignette when they make the movie.

Well, time to kick back, pour myself a Dewars and savor the Pogues & Kristy McColl goin’ at it again in my favorite Christmas classic, “Fairytale of New York.” Peace on Earth and God Bless Ukraine.

"The play’s title derives from urbanologist Jane Jacobs’ characterization of the planning method used by the Great Master Builder: draw the shortest distance between two points no matter the human toll."

The Vatican’s behind the scenes push to end the Russian war

by Dario “Pio” Muccilli, Star-Revue foreign correspondent

When Ukrainian missiles, at the beginning mistak enly identified as Russian, hit Polish (NATO) territory, leaders throughout the have started thinking about an end to the Russian war be fore it gets even more out of hand. The US stance on a negotiated end to the conflict seems to have shifted slightly after the rockets, as it did with most Western leaders, highlighted by significant attempts to bring the sides

Scholz, possibly with China’s help. Regarding the first European leader, his efforts cannot only be seen as an expression of the usual French spirit of  grandeur and will to be a major international actor. He has expressly called for negotiation several times and he discussed the matter during a long meeting with Pope Francis last October 24th, before the Polish incident, revealing how the Vatican is playing a big role in the French at

eldest daughter of the Church”, and despite some very anti-clerical peri ods when they nationalized churches (1905), ties between Vatican and Paris has often been strong.

Of course, we are not saying that the Vatican is using France as a pup pet, but that the convergence of their stances has historical roots. But if Macron and other political leaders have to be wary about their pseudoneutralist will, Pope Francis, due to his moral authority, can go further. Recently he offered himself as a me diator, and he has often criticized some narrations of the war for being too much one-sided, stating that even if Ukraine is the victim “you have to investigate the dy namics that developed the conflict,” and, according to some reports, even criticiz ing NATO enlargement. This Vatican attitude has al ready started to push other political leaders to call for an immediate peace. In Italy the opposition leader Giuseppe Conte, former PM during the pandemic, has received sev eral endorsements by Cardi nals and Church’s bodies due to his pro-peace stance. But the game that Pope Francis is playing is far more important than the internal politics of any western country.

The Church, meant as an international organization, is on the brink of its larg est crisis since the Lutheran Reform. In China the Com munist Party is gaining grip on the local Catholic Church, imposing its favored bishops and sending to trial promi nent members of the cler gy and even a Cardinal. In Germany, the local Catholic church is breaking up with Rome on the ground of LG BTQ marriage and rights, marking a schism that no one has yet acknowledged publicly. Pretty the same is happening in lots of north

ern European countries, meanwhile scandals regarding pedophilia have risked several times to cover with mud the former Pope Benedict the 16th, accused to have protected pedo phile priests when he was a cardinal. The Church’s stance in the world therefore is weak, and failing to play a key role in the Ukrainian crisis would be for the Vatican the eventual failure in a chain of sufferings, and would pave the way for the Pope’s power to being pointless in international rela tions.

Thence it goes without saying that for the Vatican this is a life-or-death is sue, where there are of course genu ine purposes for a reconciliation in Ukraine, but that have to be put along side a will of the Vatican diplomacy to still matter.

Yet the biggest obstacle on this path seems to be Ukraine itself, who doesn’t seem enthusiastic about the Peace project prospected by the Holy See, with many Ukrainian officials that would rather die than recognize Russian sovereignty on a centimeter of Ukrainian land.

In fact, there are once again in history two perspectives running, the spiritu al one, where land, politics, and nego tiation are just a tool for a higher goal, and the temporal one, where the land and the politics, the independence are values to struggle and die for. It is rather difficult for these two opposing attitudes to find a compromise, may be harder than one between Moscow and Kyiv.

Pope Francis knows all of this, but nevertheless it should be no surprise his attempt to lead to a de-escalation of the conflict. The Church has always been doing it, and, whether anyone can find it rightful or not, it’s its way to survive.

Tár’s counterintuitive conservatism

by Kurt Gottschalk

Todd Field’s Tár begins, essentially, with the end cred its: dozens of names in white scrolling over a black background. It could be taken as an indication that it’s time to go home.

Once the credits are done, things don’t pick up. The first third of the movie is belligerent in its boringness. It sets up the titular, successful orchestra conductor (well played by Cate Blanchett) by showing her in on onstage with real-world New Yorker contribu tor Adam Gopnik. Then, a guest lecture at Juilliard finds Tár confronting a male-presenting student who identifies himself as BIPOC about not liking Bach. He doesn’t consider 500-year-old music relevant to today’s world and she tears him up for his narrow vision, to the point where he gathers his stuff and storms out of the lecture hall. After which, she contin ues to badmouth him in front of the other students. There’s features plenty of conversations about Bach and Beethoven, Gustav and Alma Mahler, living composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir and conductor Marin Alsop to show that Tár (and thus writer/producer/ director Todd Field) knows her (thus his) stuff. Audi ence members who don’t know that stuff are left in the dark. Meanwhile, nothing happens to establish or move any sort of story. They just talk. When things do finally start to move, it’s a down hill run. Tár gets caught up in accusations of sexual harassment of female students. It’s unclear whether or not she did it, but the narrative seems to suggest that while she enjoyed the attention of cute, young students, she didn’t act on their making themselves available. It doesn’t matter if anything more happened between her and her students, though. The point of

the story is that she’s an innocent victim of current, and ever shifting, morés.

To put a finer point on it, it’s a story about how cancel culture (the student in the lecture hall) and #metoo (the harassment allegations) can unfairly take down the powerful. Had Tár been male (rather than just wearing expensive and well-tailored men’s suits), this would have been more evident. But Field goes for the counterintuitive, which is what makes the movie so duplicitous. It’s not about a strong woman, it’s about the tyranny of the young. The last words in the movie (coming from a film for which Tár is conducting a live score) are “you will not be judged.” But Tár was judged, leading to her downfall and the movie’s mis guided moral message.

The downhill slide continued after the movie had ended, as I ruminated over why it bothered me so much and then engaged in social media about it. (This essay, in fact, as in no small part a rewrite of an extended online diatribe).

Politics aside, the movie is just problematic in its art fulness. Tár jumps back and forth between Manhattan and Berlin (and we do with her, since every scene is about her) without so much as an exterior shot of an airplane to clue us in. Once her career is wrecked, she can apparently only find work in an unnamed, im poverished Southeast Asian country. A guide makes a reference to when Brando was there. Does that mean it’s Vietnam, where Apocalypse Now was set? Or the Philippines, where it was actually shot? That doesn’t seem to matter. Her humiliation is riding public transportation in a country that’s very non-Western. At one point, early in Tár’s breakdown, she marches

around her apartment with an accordion, loudly im provising a song about the apartment next door being for sale. The song is only a few lines long, but apart from watching Sophie Kauer as one of the young in fatuations play cello (she studied at the Royal Acade my of Music in London for 7 years, starting when she was 10), it’s the only enjoyable scene in the film. The 2021 documentary on Marin Alsop, entitled simply The Conductor, is available on streaming services. It’s far better and about half as long.

Talking

blues in

brand new shoes.

With Dry Cleaning’s second album released in October—building on the unexpected success of their infectious 2021 debut New Long Leg—and the subsequent (and harder to fathom) popularity of Wet Leg’s chatty single “Chaise Lounge,” it seems what I want to call the talkcore movement’s got, you know, legs.

Dublin’s Fontaines D.C. and Yard Act out of Leeds are more closely aligned with patron spoken-punk saint Mark E. Smith, the fallen hero of the Fall. More convincing than all of them, though, are another Dublin act. Gilla Band has been at it for more than a de cade but Most Normal (Rough Trade) is the boys’ first album since changing their name from “Girl Band,” citing unintended suggestions of gender conformity.

The new album is raucous and excit ing, pounding and grinding through a dozen tracks that are cutting while cutting a groove, full of unexpected turns and unidentifiable sounds with various distortions, doublings and other disturbances done to Dara Kiely’s voice. Overall, it’s a pretty ugly record, and one I keep going back to. Meanwhile, back in the States, Rebecca ValerianoFlores has put out her first recorded document in quite a while and it’s quite a surprise. Her assertive, throaty voice pushed the brash Chicago punk band Negative Scanner, who aren’t officially defunct but presumably the doctoral program in the Loyola University Chi cago’s philosophy department has been

keeping her busy. She was outspoken about sexual harassment and abuse in the garage/punk/indie scenes in the past, and it’s that forthrightness that gives immediacy to her storytelling on the 22 minutes of her download EP The Silence of Memory (American Dream Records). Drawing on what are convincing as actual memories from her childhood in the Philippines and later years in California and Chicago, Valeriano-Flores delivers a trio of stories touching on death, domestic abuse and recovery. Her voice is calm, but the tales speak of horrors that hover between dream states and the supernatural. The gentle accompani ment of electric guitar, played by Theo Katsaounis (Joan of Arc, Aitis Band), lulls you into a vulnerable state where the dramatic climax is reality.

that had fallen to disrepair. The sound is heavily processed, but reedy tones and clicking keys still seep through. If Sunn O))) is the moon, øjeRum is the breaking dawn. On the same day that Cathedral came out, (Oct. 14), the Lithuanian imprint Amulet of Tears put out his Butterfly Tongues More An cient Than Flowers (limited edition vinyl and download, also under the øjeRum nom de plume). It’s more melodic and beat oriented, although not terribly so, and at about half the length makes for a nice respite after the time-slowing 70 minutes of Cathedral. Both are stream ing in full on Bandcamp and will warm, slightly, your winter days.

The philosophy of modern snark.

male-dominated lot, but Cher, Rose mary Clooney, Judy Garland and Nina Simone do find places in Dylan’s court. It might not convince anyone already unconvinced that he deserved that Nobel Prize for Literature he barely seemed to want, but it’s enormously fun.

Ancient churches and butterfly beats.

Somewhere in Copenhagen, and somewhere deep in the annals where doom becomes dark ambient and winds toward new age meditation, lies the ambient experimentalist øjeRum. He (he being Paw Grabowski) has recorded under various alterations of the pen name for 15 years now, and with the new Reversed Cathedral (CD and download from the fine German label Cyclic Law) has come upon something mysterious and beauti ful. The only instrument used on the 12 tracks is an antique harmonium

Early excerpts of Bob Dylan’s 350page breakdown of the last century of western songcraft read like an attack from on high of those who dare do what he’s better at. Writing about the Who’s “My Generation,” the bard ac cused writer Pete Townsend, or singer Roger Daltrey, or the song’s unnamed protagonist, or all of them, of being “in an exclusive club, and you’re advertising yourself. You’re blabbing about your age group, of which you’re a high-ranking member. You can’t conceal your conceit, and you’re snobbish and snooty about it.” He goes on, and on, but thankfully The Philosophy of Modern Song (Simon & Schuster) is generally more generous than all that. In the best moments, as in the chapters on the Temptations’ “Ball of Confusion” and Ray Charles’ “You Don’t Know Me,” Dylan composes prose poems around the lyrics. There’s fresh takes on the Fugs, the Grate ful Dead and Elvis Costello, musings on halls of fame and a perhaps surpris ing defense of polygamy (for both men and women). Needless to say, there are also discoveries to be made and new appreciations to be found (Jimmy Wages, Johnnie Taylor and Johnnie and Jack, to pick from the J’s). It’s a pretty

Quinn on Books

The Ghost of Christmas (Books) Past Review of A New York Christmas: Ho-Ho-Ho at Gothamtide!, by

Sibyl McCormac Groff

Review by Michael Quinn

Like the Ghost of Christmas Past in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, I’m taking you back in time. Come. Hold my hand. No need to be afraid. We’re flying out your apartment window, and heading toward Manhattan.

Look at all those people down there. So much hustle and bustle. Why, it’s Christmastime! There’s the tree in Rockefeller Center. How small it looks from up here. And even smaller, like a tiny red dot, is the four-foot-nine-inch woman in the red coat standing next to it. That’s Sibyl McCormac Groff. She goes by many other names—the Elf, Queen Santa, the Lady in Red—but given her love of Christmas and the city, the most apt name of all is the Spir ited New Yorker. Her book, A New York Christmas: Ho-Ho-Ho at Gothamtide!, is her love letter to both the holiday and the place we all call home. If you missed this gem when it came out in 2017, there’s no time like the present to take a closer look.

This “wee portable booklet” is bursting with the tour guide and cultural historian’s recommendations, remembrances, and photos of the best places to see trees, hear music, window shop, stroll through outdoor markets, and eat holiday fare. Lest we start to feel overwhelmed, “only the most important buildings and things get a lot of detail,” she assures us.

You don’t have to believe in anything to enjoy what the city serves up this time of year, McCormac Groff reasons. In fact, she coined the season “Gothamtide” in order to “reflect the commonalities of the diverse secular, vernacular, and universal aspects of holidays from different countries and religions.” Rooted in pagan tradi tions (a celebration of the return of the sun after the long, dark days leading up to the winter solstice), Christmas is, more than anything else, a mood.

That Christmas spirit is captured famously in Dickens’ most well-known story. While A Christmas Carol moves us on an emotional level, it also reminds us of our responsibility to the people around us, especially the less fortunate. McCormac Groff’s hero is another social reformer, Jacob Riis, who put up the first public Christmas tree in Madison Square Park in 1912 so that everyone could enjoy it. McCormac Groff fell in love with the city when she first visited from upstate as a child. She stayed at the Plaza, and knew herself to be at the very center of the world, a bit like the lucky little girl in Kay Thompson’s Eloise. McCormac Groff grew up to be her own New York character: a beloved Rockefeller Center tour guide, carrying a giant candy cane like a staff, leading flocks of tourists to admire the world’s most famous Christmas tree (“My tree, as I call it”): always a Norwe gian spruce, at least 65 feet tall, and usually between 50 and 100 years old.

To avoid the crowds at the tree lighting, she suggests using the International Building on Fifth Avenue as a shortcut. And if you go by Radio City Music Hall early in the morning, you just might catch a glimpse of the camels from the “Christmas Spectacular” out for their morning constitutional. A deep admirer of architecture, McCormac Groff also recommends Radio City as a great place to see Art Deco interiors—especially the downstairs men’s room!

From the most-popular to the little-known, there’s something for everyone on McCormac Groff’s list of recommendations, whether it’s watching the giant bal loons get inflated the night before the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, admiring the windows at Bergdorf Goodman (“the crowds are pushy, so do come early in the morning or later in the evening”), listening to the boys’ choir at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue (“the music is spectacular and the boys are my size”), taking in the one-man version of A Christmas Carol at the Merchant’s House Museum on East Fourth Street, or admiring an autographed copy of that book at the Mor gan Library and Museum.

Now that A New York Christmas is a few years old, some of the listings are un derstandably out-of-date (R.I.P. Barneys department store). Even so, it still holds up as a fantastic, singular guide. This would truly make a great gift. The design is beautiful (instead of a bulleted list with plain old black dots, McCormac Groff uses green trees and red stockings), the writing is charming, and the knowledge runs deep. This little lady has a big holiday spirit. It’s never too late to let yourself be moved by it. Start by ordering a copy of A New York Christmas

Jazz by Grella

The Year’s Best Recorded Jazz,

by George Grella

Just in time for your shopping lists, and just before you might, I hope, have some time off and can spend some of your evenings these dark days listening to fine music, here are my choices for the best jazz albums of 2022. I make this list because I think lists are useful, and year-end ones help focus the mind both because December 31 is a convenient cutoff date (though this list is being written a month prior) and, again, because there’s the possibilities of those elusive windows of free time.

These choices are personal, of course, and I know from talking with other critics and also the represen tatives for some artists and labels that some of my choices are idiosyncratic. I wouldn’t have it any other way, but keep that in mind if you’re trying to gauge my taste against what yours might be. I can be harsh or kind in unexpected ways, but that’s not because I have any preconceived idea of how an album, or jazz in general, should be. I take things on their own terms, and that means an album where the musi cians, for example, just want to play the shit out of standards, and do so, is to me a great album, while another that is organized around a high concept, something political or thematic, say, and that sounds great and has great playing but doesn’t convey the concept, is a failure. One of those examples meets the goals it set out, the other doesn’t, and that’s the main thing, issues of style and personal pleasure are secondary.

That explains my first choice, and to my ears it is the clear best jazz album of 2022, and that’s because the musicians meet their goals at a high level: Home from Song Yo Jeon and Vincius Gomes. The playing on it is exceptional, full of imagination, style, and vital ity, and considering that the only two instruments are voice and acoustic guitar, the variety of musical structures and ideas is remarkable. It’s also—and this is extremely important—a great album. That is, is is put together as a complete unit meant to be listened through from beginning to end, the sequencing is excellent and an important part of why it works so well. Of the 10 tracks, there is only one with lyr ics, and that is placed in the sequence in such a way that the beauty and emotional impact are profound, really hitting in the gut and filling you with poignant sensations. It’s a tour de force.

And so, here are my top 10 new jazz releases of 2022:

1. Song Yo Jeon/Vincius Gomes, Home (Green leaf)

2. Fred Moten/Brandon López/Gerald Cleaver, Eponymous (Reading Group)

3. Moor Mother, Jazz Codes (Anti- Records)

4. Gordon Grdina/Mark Helias/Matthew Shipp, Pathways (Attaboygirl Records)

5. Miguel Zénon, Música de las Américas (Miel Music)

6. Louis Moutin/Jowee Omicil/François Mou tin, M.O.M (Larborie Jazz)

7. Matt Ulery, Become Giant (Wool Gathering Records)

8. Timuçin Şahin’s Flow State, Funk Poems for ‘Bird’ (New Focus Recordings)

9. Carlo Mombelli, Lullaby for Planet Earth (Clap Your Hands)

10. Bennie Maupin & Adam Rudolph, Symphonic Tone Poem for Brother Yusef (Strut)

This list, and the albums not on it, hint at something that might be on the verge of becoming a trend, which is the revival of jazz and poetry. The second

and third albums are based around the poetry of Fred Moten and Moor Mother, respectively (and another 2022 album from Heroes Are Gang Leaders, LeAu toRoiBiography on 577 Records, is based around the work of Amiri Baraka, née LeRoi Jones, and features the poetry of Thomas Sayers Ellis and Bonita Lee Penn). These come after the great 2021 release, Fugi tive Equationfrom poet Nathaniel Mackey and The Creaking Breeze Ensemble. Considering the quality and power of all these albums, this is a welcome sign. Along with new albums, there was a near-glut of reissues and archival recordings, all of them notable and a few of them important in the sense of filling in a previously incomplete picture or revealing some thing that had previously been obscured or, seeming ly, lost to time. The banner example is Revelations: The Complete ORTF 1970 Foundation Maeght Recordings (Elemental Music) because it fills in the still incom plete picture of Ayler. The saxophonist early and mysterious death came at a point when his music was still in transition from its own roots to some thing that we will never know, but the feeling from this live set is that he was at the cusp of a marvelous, uplifting brightness.

That being said, after listening to it extensively and writing about it, it’s not my personal favorite reissue of the year—although it is excellent and important and should be in your library, you free jazz fan you. Mixing together a balance of pleasure and enlighten ment, here are my own favorite reissues or archival recordings of 2022.

1. William Parker, Universal Tonality (AUM Fidelity)

2. The Pyramids, AOMAWA: The 1970s Recordings

3. Classic Black & White Jazz Sessions (Mosaic)

Most of these albums should be easy to find, and many of them are available at Bandcamp, even as just digital downloads if you are like me and have limited space and need to be very careful about adding more objects. Some, not all, are on LP, so check your local record ship. Some of the imports may take a little more tracking down, like M.O.M. or Lullaby for Planet Earth, and the first place I always check is im portcds.com, which I recommend for its good prices, just as long as you don’t mind some slower shipping. Note that Mosaic is mail-order only, mosaicrecords. com.

Most of these albums, except for the Mosaic set, are also available on streaming services, if you use those. Perhaps you’d like to audition them before buying, and that’s cool, I do the same. I find a good rule of thumb is that if I like an album enough to stream it twice, it’s time to buy if I want to hear it at least once more. That’s a great way to keep artists in grocery money.

And remember, live jazz is back in New York City, and if you want to spend your free time in the presence of some fabulous musicians, there’s a Countdown 2023 John Coltrane Festival running at Smoke, starting December 20 and hitting vari ous dates into January, and featuring musicians like George Coleman, Melissa Aldana, Steve Turre, and Jeremy Pelt. And set your holiday money aside for the Winter Jazz Festival, which looks to be coming back in a big way, live, in January. Just wear a mask when you go out, the musicians will appreciate that. Best for holidays, see you in the new year.

George's Number 1 - Song Yo Jeon/Vincius Gomes

Marie's Craft Corner

At this time of the year, it seems like delivery boxes are arriving faster than we can recycle them. Set a box aside to create a dollhouse for a child in your life, or for your self! The size of the box will determine who can occupy it — smaller boxes work well for dollhouse figurines, but you can also use these same instructions to make a larger home for Barbies. In fact, there’s no reason any type of stuffed animal or action figure can’t move in, too. Use your imagination!

by Marie Heuston

on the side that is facing you.

Cut off three smaller flaps from your box. Using the hobby knife, cut off the top flap of the box that is open to you and the two shorter flaps from the inside back of the box. The one flap that has been left in place will become the front yard of your dollhouse; the three flaps you removed will be used to create a second floor and furniture.

Install a second floor in your house. Take two of the three flaps you just removed. Lay one flat and cut the other one into two pieces. Bend the two shorter pieces in half and glue them in place on each side of the longer flap. If using a glue stick, reinforce the edges with packing tape. Turn over the long piece and glue the shorter pieces to the interior sides of the box creating two equal floors, again secur ing the edges with packing tape unless you are using a hot-glue gun.

shapes, as shown, and notch the top of the three smallest ones. Insert the notches into the open strips to construct a chair and a bed. Paint the furniture or cover with craft paper or felt.

to cut around the shutters and door so they could open and close. You might also choose to cut out windows and doors altogether so you can see inside the house. Whatever you choose to do, I hope you enjoy this craft. Happy Holidays!

What You’ll Need. In addition to a rectangular delivery box, you’ll need a variety of decorative papers such as construction paper, gift wrap or craft felt, hobby knife (adult supervision required), scissors, glue stick or hotglue gun, packing tape, ruler, pencil, paint and paintbrush. Old magazines for collage details can be a fun option as well.

Stand the box up vertically. Place the box on a surface so it stands up verti cally. Leave the back side of the box taped shut and open out all four edges

Make a chair and bed out of the third cardboard flap. Refer to the example photo and use your ruler and pencil to trace five smaller shapes. Use the hobby knife to cut out the shapes. Cut small strips out of two of the larger

Decorate the inside of your house. Using paint, decorative paper or craft felt, cover the interior walls and floors any way you like! (Note: If you are using acrylic paint, be sure to cover surfaces and wear a smock or clothes you don’t mind getting paint on.) Look through old magazines for images of windows or small works of art and glue them to the walls. Position the furniture you built or add any other toy furniture you may have.

Adorn the outside of your house. Similar to the interior of your house, you can personalize the exterior any way you like. You might choose traditional colors or wild patterns. I chose red construction paper walls, black construction paper cornice, and blue and green construction paper for door and shutters. Once the paper was glued in place, I used the hobby knife