Brilliant Thoughts

Big Moves

by Ashleigh Brilliant

Crossing oceans has been a feature of my family background. My mother’s parents, a poor English couple, started the trend by moving from London to Toronto, where my mother was born (one of five) and grew up as Amelia Adler (quite a good-looking girl, if the photos are any indication). Ocean travel was then still only by ship, and a ship took Amelia, when in her 20s, over to England to visit some of her relatives who had not emigrated. There she met a young British bureaucrat named Victor Brilliant, who fell in love with her, and induced her not only to marry, but to settle with him an ocean voyage away from what she would always consider her “home.”

For a few peaceful years (the early 1930s), they lived a conventional suburban life, having two children – me and, two years later, my sister, Myrna. When I was 5, Amelia took both her children back across the ocean on what was planned to be a short trip to see her family in Toronto. This turned out to be one of the biggest moves of our lives. Everything was changed by a gentleman named Hitler. The onset of what became the Second World War made it too dangerous for ocean crossings. We stayed in Toronto for two years.

Then it was my father who made the next big move – though he almost didn’t survive the attempt. Hoping to rejoin us, he was on a British merchant ship at the height of what was called the Battle of the Atlantic. It was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine. Most of the people aboard got off in time. So, our family was reunited, but this meant another big move, from Toronto to Washington, D.C., where my father was stationed.

Five years later came more moving. The war was over, and we had to go back to an England I could hardly remember. But I remembered America very well, and took the first opportunity, after going up through school and college in London, to come back. It was California that particularly attracted me, and at the end of this move, I settled for a while in Los Angeles.

Most of my moves were then on the West Coast, with what appears to have been a final one to the resort town of Santa Barbara.

But in the meantime, there began for me a whole new series of moves, of the type we call “Travel,” or, more vulgarly, “Tourism.” Here the essential difference is that, instead of finishing up in a place called “Somewhere Else,” you find yourself (in the words of a well-known song about California) “Right Back Where I Started From.” Some of these outings, however, were on so grand a scale that they almost qualify as veritable Big Moves. There were, for example, two occasions – of 3½ months each – on which I sailed (as a teacher) entirely around the world on board a large cruise ship which had been converted into a “floating university.”

Then there were some fantastic (in the sense of fantasy-fulfilling) journeys I made with my wife, Dorothy. One included going overland all the way across Australia. Another had us crossing the widest part of South America as the midpoint of a three-month jaunt from San Francisco to Cape Town, South Africa.

But there are other big moves we make in our lives, besides the geographical ones. One such move can, for many of us, be a change of “faith.” I was born into a moderately Jewish family, attended Hebrew School, and had a Bar Mitzvah. And, at my parents’ insistence, both of the women with whom I was ever seriously involved (one of whom I actually married) were officially converted to Judaism. Yet I am now, and for most of my life have been, a total non-believer; not only having no religion, but not really believing in anything at all.

I have also had a big change of careers. I started out as a teacher (in, of all places, Hollywood High School), but soon realized that, for me, the job must be at a higher level. After four years spent getting a UC Berkeley Ph.D., my first full-time college teaching role was my last. I somehow wound up as perhaps the world’s only professional writer of epigrams. So, finally, here’s one on big moves: doesn’t matter who’s singing. If you’re dancing and you are looking at each move, Chubby’s there. I haven’t left the dance floor young.

No journey is ever complete until you come home again, or until some new place becomes home.

Q. Why do you think you’re not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? I mean, Hank Ballard got inducted back in 1990.

A. They must have a good reason, but I’m singing (“The Twist”) the No. 1 song of all time, which is in the HOF. But I don’t care about that. I’m coming to Santa Barbara and if you are looking for an oldies show, stay home. You’re coming to see an icon, a legend, a man that changed the whole music industry, and it’s still changed because of Chubby. Disco is Chubby Checker. When you throw your hands in the air and wave like you just don’t care, you’re doing Chubby Checker and the Fly. Do I do new songs in my shows? Hershey doesn’t need a new Hershey bar, ‘cause everybody’s still eating (the original). How do you do better than the No. 1 song of all time?

Q. I have to tell you that I think it’s kind of cool that you still have that brashness and confidence you talked about having at five years old even now, literally 75 years later.

A. Every time I play on the stage, my dream is renewed because that’s all I ever wanted to do. You just hold onto that, and the light is always shining.

Sounds Around Town: Live Music for the Ages

If you have the inclination and the stamina, you can catch live performances from some of the oldest members of the musical community and several of its youngest on a single Saturday this weekend. The Prime Time Band , a group of amateur musicians whose ages span from 40 to 90-plus but definitely skews toward the higher number, actually serves as an entry point to music making for mature adults as part of its mission. The other half is providing free concerts for the community. PTB’s Spring Concert, under the direction of Westmont alum Dr. Paul Mori , takes place at a new location of Elings Performing Arts Center at Dos Pueblos High School at 2 pm on Sunday, May 21. The “America’s Musical Landscape” theme encompasses Broadway favorites, a medley of John Williams ’ film scores, a salute to Benny Goodman, and hit tunes from The Mamas & The Papas. Details at www.ptband.org.

At the other end of the age spectrum, AHA!’s annual Sing it Out! lights up the Lobero Theatre at 6 pm, an uplifting performance by 11 teens and one AHA! staff member that serves as the culmination of a transformative 14-week process of courageous self-discovery and overcoming individual challenges. The daring dozen take to the stage to “sing their hearts open,” each offering lead vocals backed by a live band loaded with local luminaries. Proceeds from the concert support the nonprofit’s work in the Santa Barbara community. Tickets at www.lobero.org/events/aha-sing-it-out-4.

Ashleigh Brilliant born England 1933, came to California in 1955, to Santa Barbara in 1973, to the Montecito Journal in 2016. Best-known for his illustrated epigrams, called “Pot-Shots,” now a series of 10,000. email: ashleigh@west. net. web: www.ash leighbrilliant.com.

Arts Alive: Westmont, Waterhouse, and Walking Tour

Local artists are the focus of “Mixed Up,” the new exhibit at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. The annual Tri-County Juried Exhibition was curated this year by Rae Dunn , popular Bay Area-based ceramic artist, designer, author, and illustrator most recognized for her line of household wares, who will also display a small exhibition of her own work in the downstairs space below the museum. “Mixed Up” makes its debut on Thursday, May 18, with a free opening reception from 4 to 6 pm, with the announcement of award winners at 5:15 pm.

All the pieces in the exhibition, which runs through June 17, are for sale, with 30 percent of the purchase price benefiting the museum. Details at www. westmont. edu/museum or (805) 565-6162.

Friday, May 19, brings the monthly art walk at the La Cumbre Center for Creative Arts – which has more or less taken over the activity from the Funk Zone after the departure of The Arts Fund Gallery during the pandemic. Plan to visit each of the galleries from 5 to 8 pm for curated art works and, often, artists on hand to discuss their pieces, plus wine, beer, and snacks as well as live music, participatory craft tables and community art installations in the middle of the common area. Call (805) 6876458 or visit www.shoplacumbre.com/Directory/Details/727958.

The Waterhouse Gallery’s Montecito location at 1187 Coast Village Road celebrates the opening of an exhibition of new works from two local artists on Saturday, May 20. Both Rick J. Delanty , whose acrylic and oil paintings include depictions of Casa del Herrero, Miramar Beach, and the entrance to the Four Seasons Biltmore, and Ray Hunter , whose watercolors include scenes of the Goleta Slough, Leadbetter Beach and the Arlington tower, will be on hand for the 3 to 6 pm artists reception. Visit www.waterhousegallery.com/events or call (805) 886-2988.

Mental Wellness Center’s 27th annual Arts Faire has a new name after more than a quarter-century. Reimagined as Artful Minds, the festival will take place outside from 11 am to 3 pm on Saturday, May 20, on the beachfront opposite Chase Palm Park. The event showcases the creative work of more than 60 local artists who are living with mental illness, covering a variety of visual and craft mediums including painting, drawing, jewelry and sculpture. Many of the exhibitors first discovered their talents as participants in Mental Wellness Center’s Fellowship Club, where peer educators and an art specialist help them explore their emotions through self-expression. Artful Minds provides an outlet for those living with mental health challenges to celebrate their creativity and be recognized for their talents in a safe, supportive space. In addition to the artwork, the event also features food trucks offering lunch options, coffees, and smoothies. Visit https://mentalwellnesscenter.org.

Focus on Fiesta

Despite its official title, Old Spanish Days is making it abundantly clear this year that it’s not an organization firmly attached to being stuck in its old ways. Not only did Fiesta, one of the area’s most popular and long-standing cultural festivals, earlier announce that it had chosen a male as Spirit of Fiesta for the first time in history (Jack Harwood, who we profiled last week in this space), but has also selected an elder of the local Chumash community as the Fiesta Parade grand marshal.

Ernestine Ygnacio-De Soto, whose ancestors have been a part of the Santa Barbara community for generations, was named to occupy the prominent position in this year’s El Desfile Histórico (Historical Parade) as it travels along Cabrillo Boulevard (a new route necessitated by the proscenium dining spaces on State Street), where it will pass her ancestral village, Syuxtun (also known as Ambassador Park), once one of the largest Chumash villages on the South Coast.

The selection honors local history, culture, and traditions beyond the Spanish/ Mexican heritage that traditionally forms the focus of Fiesta, and honors the Chumash for their multi-generational contributions toward building the Santa Barbara community. Ygnacio-De Soto’s great, great grandmother, Maria Ygnacia, was the last survivor of those born at Syuxtun, while her mother Mary Yee is regarded as the last native speaker of the Chumash language.

Serving as the Fiesta Parade grand marshal – where she will ride in a historic horse and carriage with other family members on Friday, Aug. 4 – won’t be Ernestine Ygnacio-De Soto’s first foray into the “entertainment” world in front of a large local audience, as the Chumash elder appeared onstage at the Granada last fall as part of the multimedia premiere of Santa Barbara composer Cody Westheimer’s Wisdom of the Water, Earth, Sky with the Santa Barbara Symphony.

Cheers to Water Recycling: Turning Wastewater into Beer

After years of drought, water recycling is a pressing issue in California. In effect, one water-recycling company is looking to raise awareness about the possibilities of water reuse. With the help of Devil’s Canyon Brewing Company, Epic Cleantec created a beer made from greywater recycled from a San Francisco apartment building. The result is the Epic OneWater Brew, a beer that is reportedly delicious!

The goal of the project is to spark conversations and interest in water recycling, which has become necessary in California. Although it’s not available for sale, the beer showcases the untapped potential of water reuse. The current commercial regulations on recycled drinking water are strict, but with more innovation and collaboration, there are possibilities for the future.

But how does beer made from wastewater taste? Drinkers who were initially skeptical were pleasantly surprised by its crisp and drinkable taste, with no notes of shower or laundry.

The recent downpours across California haven’t eliminated the need for water recycling projects.

The process of turning greywater into drinking water is not technologically challenging. However, the real challenge is making sure that the regulators are on the same page in terms of public health. While there are plans to turn greywater into potable products and sell them, the priority is to ensure that water recycling projects are safe and compliant.

Epic Cleantec is working to tackle the issue of water scarcity in other ways as well. The company is running the first approved greywater recycling system in San Francisco, where buildings erected after Jan. 1, 2022, are required to install onsite water reuse systems. Epic’s system at Fifteen Fifty, the 40-story apartment building in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood, is built to recycle 7,500 gallons a day, or 2.5 million gallons a year.

The recent downpours across California haven’t eliminated the need for water recycling projects. As we move further into the 21st century, it’s essential to recognize that relying on whether it rains to know if we’ll have enough water for our communities is a problem.

So, even though beer made from wastewater might sound strange, it’s demonstrating a potential step toward a more sustainable future. It’s an engaging and fun way to start conversations on water recycling and the untapped potential of water reuse. With more companies like Epic Cleantec working to recycle greywater, we can tackle water scarcity, pint by pint.

Steven Libowitz has covered a plethora of topics for the Journal since 1997, and now leads our extensive arts and entertainment coverage

North America on theology and literature. His books include Word in the Wilderness, Faith, Hope and Poetry: Theology and the Poetic Imagination and Mariner: A Voyage with Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Erin Meyer, author of The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business is a professor of management practice at INSEAD Business School, based in Paris. She co-authored the book No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention , which became a New York Times best seller in October 2020.

Schloss directs the Center of Faith, Ethics and Life Sciences and is T.B. Walker professor in the natural and behavioral sciences at Westmont. He is internationally known for his scholarship on interactions between evolutionary theory and religious faith, examining whether humans are naturally wired for faith.

The annual conference, which began in 2015, has also featured keynote speakers Doris Kearns Goodwin, Geoffrey Moore, and Jon Meacham

College Choir

Travels to Tokyo for an International Tour

Following Commencement, the Westmont College Choir and Chamber Singers took off on a nine-day tour to Tokyo, Japan — the first international choir tour since the COVID-19 pandemic. Led by Daniel Gee ’13, director of choral activities, the choir's itinerary includes joint concerts with Japanese collegiate ensembles, including those from Waseda University and the Tokyo College of Music, as well as performances at Tokyo Union Church, Tokyo Christian University, and the Christian Academy of Japan.

As part of its tour repertoire, the choir will perform pieces by Japanese composers such as Ko Matsushita, Maki Ueda, and Takatomi Nobunaga, as well as what Gee describes as “a multifaceted representation of American choral music.” This mix of pieces ranges from Western Classical, the Black American spiritual, and gospel tradition, and Latin American traditions.

Many of this year’s seniors on the tour experienced their first year in College Choir in 2020-21, when Gee joined the faculty. It was a challenging start to his time at Westmont due to COVID-19 restrictions. These students first rehearsed with him by