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Contents

JANUARY 2015

The intersection of art, entertainment, culture, opinion and mad genius

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW YANNICK NÉZET-SÉGUIN | 22

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As the new Maestro of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin has made himself into one of classical music’s most forward-thinking, and yet grandly traditionalist, figures. Along with a steady diet of recorded works conducting internationally renowned performances of symphonies, recitals, and opera, the pretty-much-singularly-known Yannick—a modernist fond of Brahms, V-neck sweaters and turtle tattoos—hosts leadership posts with the Orchestre Métropolitain (Montréal), the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, and, since its 2012-2103 season, the Philadelphia Orchestra.

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ADVERTISING 800-354-8776

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EDITORIAL

COLUMNS 5 | CITY BEAT 5 | VALLEY BEAT 24 | JIM DELPINO 26 | SALLY FRIEDMAN

ART 6 | Lunch Break 8 | Portable Fire: A History of Match Safes 10 Damascene serpent motif combination cigarette case and match safe, c. 1885, G. S. & Eibar, by Plácido Zuloaga, Spain. Tinder cord holder with iron and gold. 3 3/4 x 2 1/2 inches. Photograph by George Gruel.

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A Most Violent Year.

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| William Glackens

FILM 12

| CINEMATTERS

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| KERESMAN ON FILM

32 | KERESMAN ON DISC Rocket 3 Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley Bonnie “Prince” Billy Jaki Byard Gene Clark Denny Zeitlin Trio

Executive Editor Trina McKenna

34 | NICK’S PICKS Joe Sample & NDR Bigband Delfeayo Marsalis Jason Yeager Trio Jimmy Green

Valley Beat Editor Geoff Gehman / geoffgehman@verizon.net

36 | JAZZ LIBRARY

Music Editors Nick Bewsey / nickbewsey@gmail.com Mark Keresman / shemp@hotmail.com Bob Perkins / bjazz5@aol.com Tom Wilk / tomwilk@rocketmail.com

David “Fathead” Newman

A Most Violent Year

The Imitation Game 16

| BAD MOVIE

18

| REEL NEWS The Two Faces of January Lucy The Drop Fury

DINING 39 | Black Powder Café & Wine Bar 40 | Karina’s Ristorante Italiano

Interstellar

42 | L. A. TIMES CROSSWORD 43 | AGENDA

ENTERTAINMENT 28 | THE LIST

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Designer Lauren Fiori Assistant Designer Kaitlyn Reed-Baker

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City Beat Editor Thom Nickels / thomnickels1@aol.com

Fine Arts Editors Edward Higgins Burton Wasserman

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Food Editor Robert Gordon / rgordon33@verizon.net

A. D. Amorosi / divaland@aol.com Robert Beck / robert@robertbeck.net Jack Byer / jackbyer@verizon.net Peter Croatto / petecroatto@yahoo.com James P. Delpino / JDelpino@aol.com Sally Friedman / pinegander@aol.com Geoff Gehman / geoffgehman@verizon.net George O.Miller / gomiller@travelsdujour.com R. Kurt Osenlund / rkurtosenlund@gmail.com Keith Uhlich / KeithUhlich@gmail.com

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MUSIC

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game.

DESIGN

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

ETCETERA

20 | FILM ROUNDUP The Duke of Burgundy Into the Woods Mommy Timbuktu

30 | SINGER / SONGWRITER Rob Lincoln Willie Nelson & Sister Bobbie Billy Boy Arnold Kelley Hunt John Flynn

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ON THE COVER: William Glackens, Cape Cod Pier, 1908. Oil on canvas. Gift of an Anonymous Donor. Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale, Nova Southeastern University. Page 10.

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City Beat

THOM NICKELS

Valley Beat

GEOFF GEHMAN

ThomNickels1@aol.com

geoffgehman@verizon.net.

Is Philadelphia the City of Kleptomaniacs? Consider historic Strawberry Mansion, which has seen a lot of foot traffic since 1789, when it was built by Judge William Lewis. Since 1930, The Committee of 1926 has safeguarded the Mansion’s antiques and fine art, including the collection of dolls from the 1926 Sesquecennitial. But where there are collectibles, there are thieves. During one Philadelphia Museum of Art-sponsored tour, an antique sugar snipper went missing from the dining room (some say this happened because the tour guide neglected to walk behind exiting visitors). On another tour, someone pocketed a sterling silver soup ladle after which the mansion got smart and fish-wired all the silverware to the dining room table. Earlier this year after a local preservation group held an event there, a number of items came up missing: a brass letter holder with a shell design that had been used as a paper towel holder in the bathroom, extra rolls of toilet paper and a bowl filled with artificial strawberries.

Is there a link between historic preservation, a love for old buildings and kleptomania?

Idan Raichel and Vieux Farka Toure want their music played forever in far-flung places— say, a church in Costa Rica. The part-time partners and full-time ambassadors continued their quest during a joyfully communal concert that turned Lehigh University’s Zoellner Arts Center into a sanctuary seemingly imported from the original Bethlehem.

Raichel, a song-writing pianist from Israel, and Toure, a genre-b(l)ending guitarist from Mali, specialized in songs that sparked and sparkled. Toure set the pace with pealing, peeling rhythms and strolling, scatting melodies. Raichel raised him with radiant fills, ribboning runs and spiky string plucking. Both men dovetailed with Yossi Fine, a threading, shredding bassist from Israel, and Mali calabash player Souleymane Kane, who stirred stirring patterns on a gourd between his legs.

It was a happy, harmonious happening. World jazz had a music-box tingle, hiphop had an Appalachian accent, and everyone tuned into uncommon frequencies. At one point Raichel thanked Toure for helping him to relax and truly enjoy shows. Toure’s role as onstage guru strengthens a bond begun by his late father, Ali, an African blues guitarist/activist who inspires Raichel to make meaningful music for church, synagogue and mosque.

Growing up in an Irish family is not for the weak of heart. In John Patrick Shanley’s Outside Mullingar at the Suzanne Roberts Theater we found ourselves in rural Ireland watching the Muldoons and Reillys duke it out. Shanley, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning author of 23 plays performed in 17 countries, grew up with a mother who claimed that she was “not affectionate.” (In interviews, Shanley often refers to his mother as “a pill”). Many of Shanley’s plays come from family experiences, most notably Doubt, inspired by a relative’s experience with a priest convicted of child molestation. Outside Mullingar is the story of a man and woman who need years of prep time before declaring their love for one another.

Slow recognition like this was evident when we attended a recent Irish-themed panel discussion at the Pennsylvania Historical Society. When many in the lecture hall grumbled because they couldn’t hear the panelists, rather than complain they left the hall early (and politely) for the post-talk reception. Perhaps shy Irish of this caliber need a high voltage shot of Jewish yenta forwardness, a Dame Edna shouting, “We can’t hear in the back! Speak up!”

When we met celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck several years ago in Atlantic City, there was so much fanfare you’d have thought that an ex-president was in the room. As fellow journalists clamored to devour Mr. Puck’s latest creation—Flat Iron Steak with Peppercorn Sauce and Blue Cheese Butter—we found little difference between Puck’s creation and a “normal” beef kabob found in many eateries. An equal comparison, in fact, might be how blogging has come to be seen as its own profession, on an equal par with serious journalism, rather than as a sideline or adjunct pursuit. The city’s celebrity diva chef of the moment is Jose Garces.

Garces has taken dining out to new heights: the prepaid, ticketed meal and beverage-pairing. We prefer red with meat, white with fowl or fish or, better yet, whatever is affordable. An ex-chef once gave us his reasons to be wary about artsy food presentations: “The fancier the dish, the more hands and fingers have prodded, massaged, sculpted, squished, felt up, poked holes in, infused or otherwise violated your dinner.”

Saxophone stars aligned on Nov. 15 in Easton, the Valley’s jazz capital. That night Dave Liebman, the renowned soprano player and Miles Davis alumnus, led his quintet in a remarkably intuitive, intelligent show at the Lafayette Jazz Bar. The musicians orbited like planets, with Liebman and flutist-saxophonist Matt Vashlishan circling their own visceral galaxy.

Four blocks east, alto man Gary Hassay, reed man Daniel Carter and bassist/reed man/percussionist William Parker performed free jazz that liberated the senses. They chased, crisscrossed and created chorales—rough, smooth, fluid, solid. They had the sort of snappy shorthand where finger snaps triggered a waltz. It was music for body, soul and solar system.

The fourth edition of InVision, the Valley-wide photography festival/feast, left me with three lingering after-images. The Banana Factory in Bethlehem hosted a poetic, poetically prosaic exhibit-competition of works by Pennsylvanians. Memorable pictures ranged from Dan Schroder’s claustrophobic view of a stripped car imprisoned in a garage, the sandy sheen on the hood almost a grimy grimace, to Henry Rowan’s graphic, calligraphic view of snow-dusted, inky trees and power lines as perfectly content cousins.

Strangers became kin in a collection of 1975-85 images by Philadelphians curated by Santa Bannon for her namesake gallery at the Banana Factory. Ed Eckstein’s gradually dramatic picture of an operation to separate Siamese twins fit nicely with Becky Young’s picture of redhaired twins sitting on a sofa, apparently joined at hip and shoulder. A portrait of a buxom burlesque performer gleefully shared a corner with portraits of a black-masked socialite and a bedouin biker. Bannon arranged an impressive library of catalogs and books, bridging her artists between the 20th and 21st centuries.

The SteelStacks lobby featured InVision’s visionary work: a house of glass lantern slides by sculptor Steve Tobin, who has cast everything from giant roots to African termite hills. The resident of rural Coopersburg transformed mundane subjects—gardens, paintings, vegetables, surgeries—into a stained-glass salon and a one-room school for exploring the universe.

Café Twelve’s new ownership has much of its old gay clientele going elsewhere. Maybe it’s the influx of those droll Drexel students who seem to be turning the place into a school cafeteria, or the “lap top” 12th Street gym bunnies who text for hours there that are chasing away the former occupants. ■

Last month I spent three days in Manhattan and the Bronx covering the 150th football game between Lafayette College and Lehigh University, my alma maters and my clients. Before the contest, which was held at a sold-out Yankee Stadium, I chatted with Joe Maddon, the new manager of the Chicago Cubs and Lafayette’s best-known living graduate. We rapped about our fellow college coach, our fondness for late ‘50s Chevys and musician Willie Forte, one of my interviewees and one of Maddon’s oldest friends.

In 1973 Forte had a life-changing experience in Maddon’s Dodge Dart. The former highschool football teammates were cruising their native Hazleton when Maddon popped in an eight-track cassette of the second album from a New Jersey musician he thought Forte would dig. Forte was hooked for good when he heard the first track, a switchblades-flashing, calliopecrashing, rambling rumble called “The E Street Shuffle” written by and starring—who else?— Bruce Springsteen.

Seven years later, Forte launched the B Street Band, the longest-running, most-heralded of Springsteen tribute groups. Maddon booked the B Streeters to entertain before several games played by his old team, the Tampa Bay Rays. It’s one of many funky trademarks of baseball’s coolest dude, along with hiring a female pitcher to throw batting practice and coaxing teammates to dress up for Halloween. ■

Thom Nickels is the author of Philadelphia Architecture, Tropic of Libra, Out in History and Spore, and the recipient of the 2005 Philadelphia AIA Lewis Mumford Architecture Journalism Award.

Geoff Gehman is the author of the memoir The Kingdom of the Kid: Growing Up in the Long-Lost Hamptons (SUNY Press).

We chatted with our friend Regina, who went to Greensgrow Farms in Fishtown to shop for a Christmas tree. Greensgrow started out as a simple lettuce farm but has since grown into a multi-tiered organic food and farm industry with “mobile markets,” a nursery, and gift shop with T-shirts. Traditional no-frills Lancaster County or even Iowa farming is lightyears away from Greensgrove’s “transubstantiated” world where farming is an Agri-religion with esoteric antecedents like medicinal herbs, cultish followers and hydroponic lettuce machines. “I always felt a lot of snobbery there,” Regina confesses. “Their Christmas trees were $45.00, which seemed unusually high to me but I thought, well, maybe they are hydrophonic miracle trees with medicinal benefits.” In the end, Regina went into Port Richmond and bought an even better, forest grown (traditional) tree for twenty-two dollars.

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A Thousand Words

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LUNCH BREAK

F THERE IS ONE thing that Jonesport has plenty of, it’s lobsters. You can find business being done harvesting seaweed, quahogs, fish and even worms in this northern Maine coastal town, but lobster is king. Nine million pounds of them came off the boats at Jonesport and Beal Island last year, a community of less than seven hundred households. The locals will make the point that those are two separate communities, but regardless that’s a lot of crustaceans and there’s no problem getting your hands on some. People walk around carrying them under their arms like firewood. They give you a free pound-and-a-halfer when you make a purchase at the hardware store and two when you return a library book.

The problem is, or I should say MY problem is, there are no restaurants in the area.

Sure, I could cook a lobster myself but I don’t have the aptitude necessary to boil things alive. I need my food pre-killed.

A Jonesport friend took pity and invited me to her family’s 4th of July gathering with the promise of a delicious lobster. When I arrived, everybody was eating lasagna. They cooked me a few soft-shells out of Downeast hospitality, but it was a holiday and they wanted something special for themselves.

I’m a sucker for Lobster rolls. A touch of mayonnaise, a little lettuce or celery, a lightly toasted split-top bun, a bottle of Moxie and I am a happy guy. When I’m in that mood I go to a take-out shack on Beal Island called the Bayview, which is located not far from one of the lobster pounds. Not only is the Bayview the best place to get lobster rolls on the island, it’s the only place to find food of any kind.

There’s no pretense at the Bayview. It’s a small, boxy building with an economical and practical efficiency. You might even consider its lack of style a style. It was originally towed to its location and has a wood lattice skirt to hide the wheels. Not classic New England architecture by any stretch, but not a blue tarp either. Call it Boatyard Bauhaus.

The last time I was waiting for them to make my lunch I heard the church bell peal from back on the mainland. I looked at my watch out of habit even though the ringing has nothing to do with time. It’s an electronic bell that was installed when the steeple had to be replaced and the system can’t handle the power fluctuations that occur at this end of the peninsula. It’s impossible to keep it set right. The bell tolled five times and my watch said 12:41. But the faux chime has a pleasant sound so folks just let it ring when it wants. It’s a nice surprise that way.

I was so enjoying the puff-ball clouds and the sounds and smells of the New England harbor life that I didn’t notice the large flop-eared hound shuffle up next to me until she gave a howl at the order window. I startled a bit and stepped aside. She did it again. The window slid open, the cook leaned out and said, “I got nothing for ya, Brandy,” and slid the window closed with that shhhUCK sound.

Brandy stared at the window for a minute then turned her head toward me. She bayed again. I shrugged my shoulders and said, “Sorry girl.” She glared. It was clear that I was one of those dim people from away, so she did it once more, this time with poorly concealed impatience. The window opened sharply and the cook yelled, “Brandy, get outa here!” Brandy cast daggers at him, then me, and trudged-off across the parking lot, miffed.

I watched her go to the house just down the dirt lane, put her front paws on the steps and yelp at the front door. A hand came out with something that she took with her mouth. A couple of chews and a gulp and then she continued toward the lobster pound, tail swaying behind, soliciting at each building along the way. She could get a route with the Post Office.

The pick-up window opened and a woman handed me the foam container holding my lobster roll. While I was reaching into my pocket for money I noticed a hand made display rack under the outside menu board. The pegs held earrings carved from wood to look like lobster buoys. A pair of Lobster buoy earrings is the last thing my wife would want. I bought a pair in her college colors. ■

Robert Beck maintains a gallery in Lambertville, NJ. robert@robertbeck.net.

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STORY AND PAINTING BY ROBERT BECK

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Fanciful leprechaun riding frog motif match safe, c.1900, USA. Enamel on sterling. 2 1/4 x 1 3/8 inches. Photograph by George Gruel

Art

G Portable Fire

A History of Match Safes

IVEN SUFFICIENT LEISURE TIME, humans inevitably turn to art. It may not be the kind of art that one imagines with an easel, paint, brush and canvas—it could well be decoration with expression on common, everyday objects, in this case, match safes.

Further, this blip in the art world can be definitively dated.

In England in 1828, John Walker developed a match that could be ignited by friction. A number of accidents later, a small box was invented to carry these matches. The first match safe has been dated to 1828, and the basis of an art form was born. And, as in every endeavor, there were those who did better than others. Paulding Farnham in America, and Lucien Falize in France working for Tiffany, soon rose to the top. By the 1900 Paris Exposition centering on decorative arts, the match safe found respect. By 1925, however, automatic lighters and matchbooks banished the match safe and left it the domain of collectors.

From 1885 to 1915 millions of match safes were manufactured and decorated, many by advertisers who gave them away as advertising collateral. Since this genre lived through a number of art movements, the match safe was created in any one of many different styles, such as Art Deco, Arts and Crafts, and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood—styles which are much favored by the Delaware Art Museum.

It comes as no surprise, then, that 400 match safes of all styles including some 60 that are extremely rare are now on display at the Museum through March 15. In essence, a match safe is about 2.5 inches long with a lid that opens, and a rough surface for striking a match.

The exhibit is in conjunction with the International Match Safe Association and Neil Shapiro, an expert in the field.

The match safes themselves are stunning: Brilliant colors, dazzling motifs, and clever adaptations mark them as exceptional. The subject matter ranges from animals and birds, fish and fowl, fishing and hunting, golf, patriotic symbols, cats and dogs, naughty pictures of naked ladies, gods and devils, notables such as U.S. Grant and George Washington. Not to be outdone there is also the personal match safe of Teddy Roosevelt. It’s sterling silver and made by Tiffany.

The collection includes some made with diamonds and other precious jewels; metals included gold, silver, brass, and gun metal. The

Edward Higgins is a member of The Association Internationale Des Critiques d’Art.

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EDWARD HIGGINS

White & black match safe, c.1900, Cartier, France. White and black enamel banding, crystal set in lid, diamond thumb tab, white dot edge design, and enamel on gold. 2 1/4 ◊ 1 5/8 inches. Photograph by George Gruel.

show also has safes of cork and ivory. Advertisers are also represented for their cleverness— there is a box made by Gillette to hold razors and when the razors ran out, the box could be used as a match safe.

All match safes are mechanical and have much the same infrastructure: a tension bar, hinge assembly, spring, and a rough surface to light the match. The similarity does not stop one from seeking a favorite. The displays are in waist-high cases, which allow the viewer to peer down and absorb the beauty. One favorite is a simple oyster, but made of sterling silver

by Gorham Manufacturing in 1890. One other is young lady holding a basket of fish and a fishing rod, and showing it to a Putti, a naked male baby angel. It was made in Europe around 1900 of enamel on sterling silver.

If all if this sounds rather sub-cultural, it’s alive and well and, in fact, the International Match Safe Association held its annual convention in Wilmington. It is probably more a generational thing. For many of those of a certain age the equivalent of the match safe might well be the Zippo. There are some decorated Zippos, but the classic stainless steel model with the satisfying open click and closing snap were all part of the smoking thing. In fact, the exhibition includes a match safe that models a green pack of Lucky Strikes, before Lucky Strike green went to war. ■ Delaware Art Museum, 2301 Kentmere Pkwy, Wilmington, DE (302) 571-9590. delart.org

Pill box-style match safe, c.1895, Fabergé, Russia. Blue guilloché enamel with tinder cord holder, gold rope cord bands, diamond thumb tab, gold, enamel, and diamonds. 1 7/8 x 1 3/4 inches. Photograph by George Gruel

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Art

BURTON WASSERMAN

WILLIAM

Glackens

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WILLIAM GLACKENS WAS PART of the vital 20th century critical American art movement called the Ashcan School. The name came from the way its members implemented a style that focused on rendering the scruffy urban scene, without allowing the harsh facts of life, introduced in their compositions, to deviate from the truth.

In due course, he tempered his approach to intense realism, with deft touches of emotional charm and pleasant color, borrowed from the French impressionists, whom he admired, especially Pierre August Renoir.

A superb solo exhibition of some of his best paintings and works on paper, borrowed from various distinguished public and private collections, is on view at the Barnes Foundation, 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. The show is scheduled to remain there until February 2, 2015.

Jointly organized by the esteemed art historian Avis Berman and the Barnes Foundation, this is the first significant overview of Glackens’ career since 1966. It covers a creative vision extending from the 1890s to the 1930s, offering evidence of his considerable expressive range and capacity for disciplined aesthetic depth.

Among the notable artworks in the show, one finds the exquisitely refined “Girl with an Apple,” his large “Family Group,” and the Renoir-influenced “Artist’s Daughter in a Chinese Costume.” Altogether, examples from each decade of his working life are included in the overall display. As such, they attest to his ability to handle the wide range of the human figure and many different locales with considerable skill and an especially lively sense of artistic spirit.

Margaret Zminda of the Barnes Foundation, has said, “It is well known that William Glackens helped ignite Albert Barnes’ passion for post-impressionist and modern art.” Over the years of their friendly contact, Dr. Barnes was a great supporter of Glackens as a successful, exhibiting painter.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Glackens received his principal art instruction at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. After completing his formal studies, he worked as a newspaper artist for the Philadelphia Press.

In time, he moved to New York and eventually came to considerable notice because he and his friends maintained an independent commitment to realism as an expressive focus and freedom from what they felt were outmoded attitudes toDr. Wasserman is a professor emeritus of Art at Rowan U. and a serious artist of long standing.

Street Cleaners, Washington Square, circa 1910. Oil on canvas. The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia and Merion, PA

ward certain traditional exhibition practices, sponsored by academic and professional art organizations.

Early in the 20th century, while on a trip to France, Glackens fulfilled a commission from Dr. Barnes to purchase some advanced examples of French art. He acquired 33 pieces by such figures as van Gogh, Cézanne, Renoir, Manet and Matisse. It was not long before these selections became the core of the new Barnes Collection, originally kept in Merion, PA. In 1916, Glackens undertook service as president of the newly formed Society of Independent Artists whose purpose was to provide broader opportunities for lesser known painters to show their work. Glackens continued to make visits to Europe to study examples of work by daring innovators who were exploring new ways of making art like Pablo Picasso and Marcel Duchamp, even though his own canvases came to be viewed by many as the work of an old-fashioned painter.

It was as president of the Society, that he voted with others on the jury of admissions to reject the well-known urinal sculpture by Duchamp, using the pseudonym R. Mutt, from admission to an exhibition. Interestingly, this decision was taken by members of an organization whose slogan was “No

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juries, no prizes!” Which goes to show that even the best-intentioned of people may be hoist by their own petard.

As a founding member of another organization, the Association of American Painters and Sculptors, Glackens was seriously involved with organizing the International Exhibition of Modern Art, more famously known as the Armory Show, held at New York City’s 69th Regiment Armory in 1913. It became a landmark event, introducing New Yorkers, at the time, to the latest developments in European and American contemporary art. Incidentally, Glackens was personally represented in the show by three of his pictures.

Glackens’ health declined in the late 1930s. While on a trip to visit his friend, the painter, Maurice Prendergast in Connecticut, he passed away rather suddenly, in 1938.

Today, examples of his oeuvre are included in many major museum collections, up and down the land. They include the Whitney, the Metropolitan and the Brooklyn in New York City and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D. C. As a recognized member of the historically significant Ashcan School, his works always do well in the marketplace, whenever they come up for sale, at auction. ■

Vaudeville Team, circa 1908-1909. Oil on canvas. London Family Collection. Private lender.

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Cinematters

PETE CROATTO

A Most Violent Year THE CHARACTERS IN J.C. Chandor’s A Most Violent Year reveal their true natures like poker players. They measure the odds, hide their tells, and hope for the best. The protagonist, businessman Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac), is playing for much higher stakes. I am not sure if Abel is the scrappy underdog or the most ruthless player at the table, which is one reason why I love A Most Violent Year. The movie thrives in the shadows of the soul.

It’s 1981 in New York City, statistically one of the most violent years in the metropolis’s history. Abel has just bought a gigantic facility from a group of Hasidic Jews, the kind of purchase that will elevate the family heating oil business to big-time status. It aligns perfectly with the plucky immigrant, American dream narrative. So does the isolated suburban palace Abel just bought for his family.

There are several issues with that happy narrative. Abel’s oil trucks are being hijacked, and the union wants to arm the drivers, a proposal he abhors. Thugs come to Abel’s front door, leaving behind a gun for the kids to find. The district attorney’s office is snooping around. These factors threaten to unravel Abel’s deal, which is not completely funded. There is only a backbreaking, non-refundable down payment and too much time for everything to unravel.

Abel plays the part of a legitimate businessman, with the camel hair overcoat and carefully coiffed hair. The diploma hangs on his office wall. There is a rough side to this trade— the shifty meetings in trailers; the dank offices; the barber-

shop hangout—but Abel operates as if he’s beyond that.

The pressure blows away every façade. Abel’s wife and colleague, Anna (a gloriously tomatoey Jessica Chastain), chastises her husband for playing pacifist. You need to protect our family, she says. “That’s what I’m doing,” he replies.

She is skeptical. After all, he’s not the one who just shot the deer they just ran over. Abel pondered and paused. Anna marched up and riddled the animal with bullets from her pocket-sized pistol. Later, she’s the one who confronts the ambitious assistant district attorney (David Oyelowo) who visits their home. “This was very disrespectful,” she says in a voice that’s between a hiss and a purr.

Chandor (Margin Call, All is Lost), directing from his own script, uses scenes as a map—and as a ruse. Watch the deer scene and you think Abel is a corporate dandy. The pieces fit, right down to the morning jogging. Then again, it’s not a jog so much as a cathartic sprint, one that takes Abel to what looks like Terry Malloy’s stomping grounds.

Someone with Anna’s street smarts—she knows the gun in the front yard had the safety on— wouldn’t marry Abel, let alone allow him to take over her father’s business. Abel’s salesmanship barely covers his ferocity. When he’s talking to new sales reps, Abel recites his core values. “You look up at them [the customer] and stare,” he says. “Stare longer than you should…You have to believe we are better—and we are.” To his banker: “I will control my own fate.”

As Abel’s universe crumbles, he resorts to survival

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mode: threatening competitors, chasing down goons for information, brokering deals with adversaries. He’s literally buying time. Abel is trying to secure the fate he wants, the one that owes nothing to a past featuring a close relationship with a jittery driver (Elyes Gabel) and at least one intentionally vague business transaction. But as Abel fights harder for his future, we see the person he has tried to hide: an alley cat who uses the cover of Forbes as a bathroom, not as a destination.

Isaac’s performance is terrific: you can practically hear the tortured whirring of Abel’s internal compass. And like Isaac’s best-known performances (Drive, Inside Llewyn Davis), he draws sympathy from a tortured soul. We buy that Abel’s greatest crime is his belief that he can change without the pesky interference of reality. In the movie’s last scene, he stands in the middle of his newly created world.

“There is always a most right path,” Abel says. That Chandor doesn’t tell us what it is—or where it ends—is the perfect answer to a movie that promises none. [R] ■

An ICON contributor since 2006, Pete Croatto has been writing about movies for 15 years. His work—which includes everything from personal essays to sports features to celebrity interviews— has appeared in The New York Times, Grantland, The Christian Science Monitor, Publishers Weekly, and Broadway.com.

Follow him on Twitter, @PeteCroatto.

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Keresman on Film

A

LAN TURING WAS IN some ways one of the fathers of the modern computer. Turing didn’t invent it because he foresaw a future wherein timesaving devices would crash on us every so often—necessity truly was the mother of invention. World War II had begun and Britain was under siege by Nazi Germany—as always, wars run on blood, gasoline, and messages. Anyone with a radio can hear a message broadcasted, but in wartime the messages—telling submarines where and when to attack, for example—are encrypted, broadcast in code. What if we could break the code, thought the British, the code named appropriately Enigma—forewarned is forearmed, and countless lives could be saved if an attack was expected or even thwarted. But Enigma was a tough nut to crack, and Brit military intelligence gathered mathematicians and assorted learned types and put them to the task. Along came Alan Turing—brilliant, imaginative, and sorely lacking in social skills, who postulated: If a machine could scramble the words of a message, another machine could unscramble them. Naturally, he encountered skepticism and his self-absorbed manner of interacting with fellow humans made him singularly disliked.

MARK KERESMAN

The Imitation Game Benedict Cumberbatch plays Turing and his performance is hauntingly brilliant. He plays Turing as a supercilious, humorless jerk, a brilliant and misunderstood scholar, and full of barely-hidden melancholy. Turing was gay at a time in history when being so would land one in prison, so he had to constantly hide who he was. Cumberbatch’s portrayal is full of contrasts and nuance—you find yourself disliking him, admiring him, and pitying him, sometimes all at once.

Keira Knightly is Joan Clark, who’s potentially an equal to Turing but she’s…a girl, initially not taken seriously because of her gender. Clark and Turing form at first an uneasy alliance, then a reluctant relationship—she has inklings that Turing is gay but likes him anyway, and Turing tries to conform to society’s expectations of men. And, while he’s not attracted to her sexually, he does truly care for her. Knightly’s Clark is sweet, spunky and smart but you can see her character chafing at the era’s expectations of women. Mark Strong is excellent as the emissary from MI6, Britain’s top secret espionage apparatus—he’s full of dark humor and subtle Machiavellian urgency. He realizes—and makes everyone else realize—that breaking this code could well mean the difference between defeat and victory for Britain.

Aside from some excellent acting, this film palpably con-

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veys the desperation of the times—brief but potent montages of the Nazis literally steamrollering over most of Europe, aircraft raining death on civilian targets, the wary resilience of the British people as they sip a pint one minute, then take to underground shelters the next—while aspects of their normal lives on the surface get pummeled into wreckage, soldiers with lost limbs disembark from trains.

The direction is straightforward—no arty or dramatic camerawork, just the basics, which evoke the no-nonsense, matter-of-fact style of old-school directors such as Robert Aldrich (The Dirty Dozen). The film is as much a bio of Turing as it is a war story, jumping back and forth between Turing’s young days in school (bullied by classmates), Turing during WWII, and then in post-war times, a lonely man trying to fit in to a world that is clearly not ready to accept him.

The Imitation Game is a gripping hunk of serious entertainment, well-paced and full of excellent acting, and shards and shades of the droll humor people exhibit when their backs are against the wall. ■ Mark Keresman also writes for SF Weekly, East Bay Express, Pittsburgh City Paper, Paste, Jazz Review, downBeat, and the Manhattan Resident.

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Bad Movie

O

LD STORY: MOTHER Earth is (finally) depleted.

Crops are drying up, there are food shortages, America and much of the world starts to resemble the Dust Bowl of the Depression days (the one in the 1930s, not the more shiny but recent ones). Matthew McConaughey is Cooper, a former astronaut who’s now a farmer, a single dad with an unbelievably adorable daughter. One day, in his trusty pickup truck, he brings down a drone plane (what it was doing there in the first place is not made clear) with a laptop, all while driving like a crazy man. This leads him to discover a top secret NASA base that has been working on Humanity’s Escape Clause: Let’s seek out new worlds to colonize as this one is getting used up right quick. Just by some coincidence, the NASA bigwigs, including scientist Professor Brand (Michael Caine), decide Cooper is the guy they need—what a coincidence! As no planets in our galaxy can really sustain human life, the scientists figure to send a spacecraft through a black hole. For the purposes of simplicity, let’s put it this way: A black hole is a “tear” in the fabric of space and time—a

MARK KERESMAN

Interstellar spacecraft will be able to skirt trillions of miles to reach new worlds, where the intrepid space-heads will send back a probe with the information as to which planet is good to go (to). Potentially exciting, right?

Potentially is right—while the story is not exactly a new one, it’s supposed to be given dramatic “heft” by the love of Cooper and daughter Murph as it’s stretched and tested through the decades of their being apart. One problem is the “characters” are paper-thin. McConaughey is your basic Midwestern Good Man/Salt of the Earth, Caine’s Professor Brand is the Noble Paternal Scientist, and Anne Hathaway’s astronaut—and at no point is she convincing as a scientist or pilot—pretty much looks as if she’s on the verge of tears the whole time. Matt Damon’s frozen astronaut is, well, stiff. I don’t recall a lot of the physics from my wee-lad sciencenerd days, but a lot of the astrophysics here is dodgy—I’m not saying science fiction movies have to be 100% accurate, but you must have some science to “ground” the proceedings. Also, at no point is it even hinted how, after the astronauts find inhabitable worlds how the Earth’s population is supposed to pack up and “relocate.” It’s also mentioned that some ETI (Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) is giving the science

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bigwigs a few clues and pointers to point them in the right direction. Hey, if these ETI hepcats are so smart, then why not show scientists how to heal and replenish our planet so that The Collective We wouldn’t have to leave in the first place. (Naw, that’d be too easy.) The star-jockeys are assisted by a robot that looks like a cross between a mausoleum slab and a pinwheel, and not only does it have a droll personality (how? why?) but it can walk on water (again, how?). Further, with all the technology at NASA’s disposal, why does Matt Damon’s chill-pop astro-guy pick a planet that’s mostly frozen? May as well stay on Earth and move to Greenland.

After a while the techno-babble gets to be numbing, as does the pace of the movie, which leaps off the screen like a glacier traveling south for the winter. Stuff happens for uncertain and convoluted reasons. Best of all (SPOILER ALERT) the astro-dad of the year ends up in a dimension behind the bookshelf in his house and tries to communicate to his daughter by making a watch tick Morse code. Uh-HUH…and then the whole save-the-world plan is revealed as a scam.

They why did everyone go through all this nonsense? Remember kids, that monster you think you hear in your closet? It might be Matthew McConaughey. ■

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Reel News

GEORGE OXFORD MILLER / REVIEWS OF RECENTLY RELEASED DVDS

Fury.

★=SKIP IT; ★★=MEDIOCRE; ★★★=GOOD; ★★★★=EXCELLENT; ★★★★★=CLASSIC

The Two Faces of January (2014) ★★★★ Cast: Oscar Isaac, Kirsten Dunst, Viggo Mortensen Genre: Suspense Based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith.

Rated PG-13 for some violence, language, smoking.

Running time 96 minutes.

Set in Greece and other gorgeous Mediterranean locations, this 1962 suspense saga follows the shenanigans of an American couple on vacation and a young American tour guide/con artist. Chester MacFarland (Mortensen) and his wife, Colette (Dunst) seem like innocent, all-American tourists until they meet Rydal (Isaac), a roughish tour guide. When MacFarland’s past intrudes on their holiday, the three cook up a scheme to save the day. Since they all have shady morals, we’re never sure who’s playing whom. The screenplay is based on a novel by Patricia Highsmith, who wrote Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train, and The Talented Mr. Ripley, so expect hidden agendas and plot twists galore.

Lucy (2014) ★★★ Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, Choi Min-sik Genre: Thriller Rated R Running time 88 minutes.

Without Scarlett Johansson, Lucy—the character (and the movie)—wouldn’t survive the first scene. Lucy is a mild-mannered student struggling in Taipei until she is accidentally dosed with a psychedelic drug that supercharges her mental powers.

Freeman conveniently steps in as a neuroscientist to explain that if humans could use more of their brain, we might evolve into a new species with unlimited powers. Mr. Jang (Choi Min-sik), the ultimate Korean gang lord who developed the drug, is more interested in dollars than evolution, and sends his drug mules off to Europe with the first shipment. Lucy, with her new powers, races off to intercept the drug and save civilization as we know it. Johansson aces the superhero role and turns a mindless action thriller into a surprisingly entertaining story.

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The Drop (2014) ★★★★ Cast: Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, James Gandolfini Genre: Crime thriller Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane.

Rated R Running time 107 minutes.

Bob (Hardy) is the kind of guy you soon forget. He’s the lonely bartender at Cousin Marv’s Bar, a ganged up drop where the Chechen mob runners deposit their day’s take until pick-up time. Marv (Gandolfini in his last role), who ran his own crew until the Chechens moved in, is mired about as deep in self pity as Bob. But both have an escape plan. Bob finds his when he rescues a pit bull puppy dumped in garbage can owned by Naomi (Rapace), another loser on the loose.

Marv’s plan is a little more dangerous. The story gradually reveals incriminating backstories and unexpected threats as the damaged souls try to connect and make a life. Like Lehane’s past adaptations (Gone Baby Gone, Shutter Island, Mystic River), this foreboding noir never leaves the shadows.

Fury (2014) ★★★★ Cast: Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Michael Peña Genre: WW II action drama Rated R for strong sequences of war violence, some grisly images, and language throughout.

Running time 135 minutes.

As a movie for a war-weary nation, Fury, the so-named tank and the movie, rolls over the classic war-hero fantasy and shows us the ugly reality. Don “Wardaddy” Collier (Pitt) has commanded his six-man Sherman tank crew throughout the war and survived the daily carnage when most others perished. Now the war is winding down, Allied victory is inevitable, but the slaughter must continue until the last battle. Bullet by bullet, bloody death, and dismembered corpses, the tank’s crew inflicts as much carnage as they receive. Inside their steel-clad womb, each man struggles to survive the horrors, both physical and psychological, that they create. Superb direction and acting combine to create one of the best war dramas of the generation. ■

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Film Roundup

KEITH UHLICH ★=SKIP IT; ★★=MEDIOCRE; ★★★=GOOD; ★★★★=EXCELLENT; ★★★★★=CLASSIC

Timbuktu

The Duke of Burgundy (Dir: Peter Strickland). Starring: Sidse Babett Knudsen, Chiara D’Anna, Monica Swinn, Fatma Mohamed. British director Strickland showed stunning command of cinematic technique in 2012’s Berberian Sound Studio, a riff on the Italian giallo genre where the terror was mostly implied. His sensual, subtly sinister latest is inspired by those ’60s and ’70s softcores helmed by everyone from high auteur Luis Buñuel (Belle de Jour) to sleazemeister Jess Franco (A Virgin Among the Living Dead). It’s an emotionally hefty tale of two women, living “somewhere in Europe,” involved in a loving sadomasochistic relationship that is slowly losing its spark. Day by day they go through a similar scripted master-servant ritual, with subtle variations that shift the power dynamics in striking ways.

As in Berberian, explicitness is eschewed for surreal suggestiveness; in this strange context, even the words “human toilet” conjure up the most romantic of images.

Your inhibitions will melt away. [NR] ★★★1/2

Timbuktu (Dir: Abderrahmane Sissako).

Starring: Ibrahim Ahmed, Abel Jafri, Toulou Kiki, Layla Walet Mohamed. Set in the West African state of Mali, this devastating feature from acclaimed director Sissako (Bamako) begins with a bloodcurdling scene in which a group of gun-toting jihadists chase down a gazelle. From there the groove gets more relaxed, if still subtly apprehensive as we come to know the residents of a small African community and the Islamic fundamentalists who rule them with an iron fist. The fragile peace between oppressor and oppressed slowly unravels after a fisherman kills a cow (property of a local shepherd) that gets caught in his nets. Violence results, though Sissako poetically contrasts the bloodshed with potent images of resistance: In one mortifying scene, the offscreen sounds of a married couple being stoned to death provide the rhythmic beat for a man doing a defiant dance. This isn’t an easy sit, in other words, but Sissako’s methods are admirable and, more importantly, immensely rewarding. [PG-13] ★★★1/2

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Mommy (Dir: Xavier Dolan). Starring: Anne Dorval, Antoine-Oliver Pilon, Suzanne Clément. Twenty-five-year-old Québécois multihyphenate Dolan keeps behind the camera for his hysterical, if still involving melodrama, which shared the jury prize at Cannes with eightysomething Jean-Luc Godard’s 3-D provocation Goodbye to Language. (Very strange bedfellows.) Anne Dorval stars as a trashy Canadian suburbanite who removes her troubled son (Antoine-Oliver Pilon) from an institution, occasioning many screaming fits and a number of emotional musical montages scored to ‘90s pop hits by Counting Crows, Oasis, and Céline Dion, among others. Suzanne Clément stars as a kindly neighbor who helps the duo try to achieve some balance, though tragedy is in the offing. The film is shot, for the most part, in a boxy 1:1 aspect ratio that resembles an Instagram image, lending the many tete-a-tetes a claustrophobic tenseness. This never rises above seeming like a sacrificial adolescent fantasy writ large, but Dolan’s way with actors keeps it consistently engaging. [R] ★★★

Into the Woods (Dir: Rob Marshall). Starring: Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, James Corden, Chris Pine, Johnny Depp. It’s taken years for Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s beloved musical to make it to the big screen. The good news is that it’s not the wash one would expect from dull as dishwater filmmaker Rob Marshall (who leeched Chicago and Nine of any onscreen pulse), but that’s mainly because he stays out of the way of Sondheim’s punny, profound lyrics and Lapine’s witty book. Greatness still eludes, largely because Meryl Streep, playing the haggard enchantress who sets this fractured fairy tale in motion, does too much ticheavy flailing, squelching the laugh lines and muting her character’s emotional arc. Fortunately, the rest of the cast give it their all; Captain Kirk himself, Chris Pine, is especially hilarious as the vain Prince Charming in “agony” over being rebuffed by Anna Kendrick’s Cinderella. [PG] ★★1/2 ■ Keith Uhlich is a critic and writer based in New York.

He is a member of the New York Film Critics Circle.

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Exclusive Interview

The

A. D. AMOROSI

Right Person at the Right Place at the Right Time

A

Philadelphia Orchestra’s new Maestro, Yannick Nézet-Séguin

AT THE CUSP OF turning 40, French Canadian pianist and conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin has made himself into one of classical music’s most forward-thinking, and yet grandly traditionalist, figures. Along with a steady diet of recorded works conducting internationally renowned performances of symphonies, recitals, and most fascinatingly, opera (his first time teaming earlier this year with Opera Philadelphia for Richard Straub’s Salome was a godsend), the pretty-much-singularlyknown Yannick—a modernist fond of Brahms, V-neck

“...Music should move everyone who wants to be moved. That doesn’t mean that everyone will like every concert, but they should at least feel wel-

That is the first condition, the first requirement, of making a concert a good experience, something that makes people feel emotion, electricity, passion.

come.

I’m here to give the Philadelphia Orchestra the right tools to express those things.” sweaters and turtle tattoos—hosts leadership posts with the Orchestre Métropolitain (Montréal), the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, and, since its 2012-2103 season, the Philadelphia Orchestra. Obviously, it’s that last gig that concerns us most, as our orchestra has gone through the headaches and inequities of money woes, something all orchestras everywhere will eventually have to deal with, if they’re not already. Yannick has made the most of his time here, in part because he’s made himself into a local by buying a property on Rittenhouse Square and settling in with his partner and

If A.D. Amorosi can’t be found writing features for ICON, the Philadelphia Inquirer or doing Icepacks, Icecubes and other stories for Philadelphia’s City Paper, he’s probably hitting restaurants like Stephen Starr’s or running his greyhound.

making him into a Philadelphian, too. “I like that I can walk through the Square and have someone yell out what they thought of last night’s performance,” he says funnily enough, not from his home, but rather Berlin where he is in rehearsal for a concert. For the 2014-2015 season, Yannick’s curatorial ideal has focused on something that he and the Philly Orchestra call the “40/40 Project”—40 pieces not heard in Philadelphia Orchestra’s subscription concerts within the last 40 years—in anticipation of the conductor’s 40th birthday on March 6, 2015. This includes everything from a tuba concerto, Reflections on the Mississippi, a re-thinking of Leonard Bernstein’s 1971 multi-genre Mass, the initiation of LiveNote™ Nights of three earlier-in-the-evening, shorter works where audience members can interact with the LiveNote app for mobile devices, and, of course, the legendary Academy of Music Anniversary Concert and Ball, now in its 158th year, and (on January 24) now with actor Al Pacino rather than its usual pop singers.

How did buying a property here make you more at one with this city?

It’s a natural process. Being that I was coming into Philly regularly and staying in various hotels…that was fun; it was discovery. Learn about your neighborhoods, the corners of the city. Now, living on the Square, I’m like anyone else who has a home near their workplace. I step into the street and there’s always “hello,” always talk of the previous concert and the next show. It’s symbolic on one hand, but it’s more. I feel the pulse of the people for whom I’m playing. I go to a restaurant, I get recognized. It’s fantastic—good for the orchestra as well as the audiences for whom we make music.

How would you describe the balancing act between the three cultural organizations for which you work?

It’s true that I am the chief of three families. The all have their own needs and demands. But what I feel is that as I have more weeks in Philadelphia than anywhere else, this is increasingly where I feel more at home in every way. The balance I find fascinating is that one always helps or informs the other. Working around the world helps me find solutions and ideas. It

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creates ways of seeing. I can apply one idea to another if need be. For Philadelphia specifically, it’s been helpful having my background and this baggage, my European life and my Canadian upbringing.

Are you saying that in part because you came to the Philadelphia Orchestra at its most fiscally challenging moment? And do you think you, or perhaps your presence, have changed matters for the better?

Yeah, well, something that can be said is that I was the right person at the right place at the right time. Of course, this type of situation happens with orchestras all over the world. Maybe Philly was hit first, but it will happen everywhere. Perhaps it is an examination of where we are at. What was a key element in fixing this is that we examined our connection to our own city. That connection could always be stronger, more meaningful, more welcoming to all audiences here. It’s something that I believe in my core—the music should move everyone who wants to be moved. That doesn’t mean that everyone will like every concert, but they should at least feel welcome. That is the first condition, the first requirement, of making a concert a good experience, something that makes people feel emotion, electricity, passion. I’m here to give the Philadelphia Orchestra the right tools to express those things. I’m here to get the full Orchestra, from the management to the musicians, to the place where we can convey that to the city for now and the years to come.

Before I talk about the specifics of what’s to come, how do you curate a season based upon your tastes—I know you like Brahms—and those possible commercial requirements of our orchestra?

My own tastes…they will happen even if I don’t think about it. Since a very young age, I’ve cultivated a broad repertoire and, therefore, my tastes are not limiting. How I curate starts with key elements that I’ve learned. For example, we had a series of chorale music that if you plan it, say four concerts over four years, you have a body of work. We plan collaborations, be it with

>

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About Life

A

JAMES P. DELPINO, MSS,MLSP,LCSW,BCD

Why Relationships End and What You Can Do About It: Part 1

S WE ALL KNOW it’s much easier to fall in love than it is to stay in love. What draws people together is not the same as what holds them together over time. People usually fall for each other because of personality, projection and chemistry.

Personality can be like a magnet that pulls someone to another. Bright, up beat, friendly and easy to be with personality traits are attractive to most people. Even people with a more laid back style take on more attractive personality traits when love and attraction take hold of them.

Personality traits are easy to modify and change. Coupled with chemistry of the psychological and neurological aspects, personalities naturally become more upbeat. Psychological chemistry always involves some degree of projection. In the throes of love it’s easy to assume and imagine the other person has all kinds of wonderful qualities.

We can actually experience these projections and imaginings as real because they often represent our deepest wishes, fantasies and desires. Neurology, we’ve learned, also plays a role in this process. When two people bond, the brain releases chemicals—vasopressen and oxytocin are bonding hormones that are released in everyday interpersonal interactions such as basic touch, hugs or even extended eye contact. These hormones are very powerful and influence thinking and feeling. Think of all the bonds that develop when some people just look at pictures or videos of a favorite actor/actress or pop star.

Reason and logic have little to do with falling in love for most people.

Love was never meant to be logical or rational.

In spite of all of these profound shifts inside, most relationships end anyway. Half of the marriages end in divorce. The average marriage now lasts about 5.5 years. These statistics do not include serious or committed relationships that are not marriages. When so many good and intelligent people are unable to maintain love over longer periods of time it suggests that keeping love alive may be one of the more difficult things to achieve in life. Certain very predictable things start to happen to most couples: 1) Neurology changes in the form of vasopressen and oxytocin levels declining naturally over the course of time; 2) People stop making the gestures and efforts they made when they first fell in love; 3) Character flaws begin to show up.

Neuroscience tells us that vasopressin and oxytocin spike and then decline to pre-relationship levels over a period of approximately two years. Without the assistance of these hormones, relationships become more challenging over time. The little everyday things that enhance and refresh relationships become less important and receive less attention. Perhaps Jim Delpino is a psychotherapist in private practice for over 33 years. Email: jdelpino@aol.com Phone: (215) 364-0139.

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the hugs, feelings and passions once shared between the couple become less frequent, less intense, and when they do occur it’s for shorter periods of time. Character flaws begin to replace positive projects. Not keeping and maintaining deals or understandings begin to chip away at trust and good faith. Certainly perfection is not the goal—however, continued lateness, lying, not following through on promises and the like further decrease the intimacy the couple first experienced. Imagine the disappointment experienced when someone begins to realize that all those imaginings and projections about the other are replaced with someone other than who they thought they had when they fell in love. Statements like “ You’re not the person I thought you were” and “ You’re not the person I married,” are examples of how this disappointment is often verbalized. Maybe that person never actually existed except in the mind of the person who imagined all those qualities were part of the package without verifying them. When both partners have this experience it can be devastating.

That character reveals itself over time is an old and true aphorism. Personality often disguises shortcomings. When a couple spends more time together, the underlying character becomes more evident. It’s like the difference between gold plated and solid gold.

In the jewelry store they both appear the same, but over time, as the gold plating wears off, a base metal underneath is exposed. If someone believes they purchased solid gold they surely would be disappointed at realizing the truth.

Some people experience this as being lied to or in some way defrauded. Perhaps because so many people feel unworthy of love—or fear they will lose the love they have or seek—they misrepresent themselves in the courtship phase.

And this is how over the passage of time love decreases, trust is injured, perceptions are shifted and intimacy is reduced.

This is what happens when a relationship rides the wave of influences—projections, personality and chemistry—in a passive way. Like plants and flowers, relationships require care and feeding. Without water, fertilizer and sun, plants fail to thrive. Without character, trust and intimacy, relationships fail to thrive. By improving character, becoming more trustworthy, working on intimacy and renewing love can deepen their roots, sprout new stalks and ascend to higher heights. This is how to thrive rather than survive and slowly descend into a declining orbit. These relationships are most often held together by fears of the unknown, loss and failure as the love recedes.

Being passive when these shifts away from closeness are realized, is a common error most couples make at this stage. They can become trapped in denial, anger, resentment and money issues. Instead of loving each other more and better over time, they learn to frustrate each other in a spirit of harmonious disenchantment. ■

Sally Friedman

O

N A RECENT DAY when I had an endless To Do list, one that begged for attention, I was...waiting. I had arrived for my 2:15 medical appointment at 2:10. Yes, not very early, but early enough. I had been asked archly whether I had my insurance cards. No welcome, no smile, just an outstretched hand to receive those sacred cards. And, oh yes, the co-pay.

‘Any changes?’ the gatekeeper asked without looking up.

Actually, plenty of them... More wrinkles. More worries. Less sleep. Too much work. A world still in chaos. But the guardian of the desk hadn’t meant that.

‘Any changes in your address or phone number?’ was her sole concern. And we still hadn’t had a moment of eye contact. Nor did we during my 80-minute wait (who’s counting?) to proceed from this—ahem—‘reception area’ to the coveted transition to an actual examination room. Welcome to modern life.

You see, I come with a history. I’m old enough to remember when civility was a way of life. And mind you, I’m not from an aristocratic or even vaguely privileged childhood. But still, I was taught to be respectful to my parents, polite to all older people like teachers, neighbors and surely anyone who had the title Dr. in front of his name. In return, I seem to remember that the grown-ups who populated my childhood community seemed to care about one another— and even about me.

The family doctor’s receptionist of my childhood was his wife, and she knew our names, and also the names of our pets and siblings. If one of us was very sick, there was a house call from Dr. S. He looked like Abraham Lincoln, came quickly, and never failed to promise me that the awful measles or chicken pox or mumps would go away, and that I’d be, in his corny words. ‘As good as new.’

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Such a far cry from today’s scene.

I finally did get into the inner sanctum. And I got my basic ten minutes from the super-specialist who barely spoke and certainly had no answers as to why an old shoulder injury had kicked in again. I was stunned. Despite our brilliant computers and awesome technology, we seem to do a lot more waiting, with a lot less grace at the end.

We wait in stores for someone to possibly turn and ask whether we need help.

We wait to plunk down unconscionable admissions to movie theaters where some of us are still startled by the vulgarity of what we see.

I, for one, am waiting for some other things. I wait to feel welcome at places where I spend my hard-earned money. When I pay for my groceries, wondering how I ever managed to spend so much, I would love the person racking up the total to smile, or even comment about the weather, rather than just demand ‘Credit or debit?’

Transactions these days are sterile. That person on the other side of the counter may as well be a machine, which is, of course, truly happening in the new wave of self-checkouts.

And still, with all the progress in stores as big as baseball fields, we wait. That recent visit to a doctor’s office was the perfect metaphor. The specialist had been planted at his computer telling it all about me, while I waited for a human connection. But the “me” sitting there? Basically ignored.

I dared to hope for a smile or a handshake. Neither came. I knew it was time to leave when he turned his back on me and picked up a new file. As I stumbled to my feet, I thought of all the things I wanted to say. My pause must have confused this automaton because he finally did address me—the me who humbly accepted the entire experience that passes these days as a medical appointment. ‘Sorry for the long wait,’ he finally muttered as I got to the door. And yes, I was sorry, too. But about so many more important things. ■

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The List : JANUARY 2&3 Gov’t Mule with Bill Evans Soulgrass Gov’t Mule have gone far beyond master guitarist Warren Haynes’ side-project from the Allman Brothers Band, specially considering that Gregg Allman ended his brosband last year. Now, Haynes is free to express the blues, the jams and his Southern rock lean without having worrying about getting back home. Tower Theater, 69th and Ludlow, Upper Darby, PA. 800-745-3000. www.Ticketmaster.com 6-17 Motown The Berry Gordy story—his label’s birth and rise as the sound of young black America, his affair with Diana Ross, his friendships and collaborations with Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye—is ripe material for the jukebox musical stage. Kimmel Center, 300 S. Broad St., Phila.

(215) 670-2300. kimmelcenter.org 10 Patton Oswalt The absurdist stand up comedian has, since his start, become somewhat of an authoritarian figure with age and the publication of the memoir-like Zombie Spaceship Wasteland. That’s cool, but then again, there was something overly clever and hokey about the manner in which that genuinely funny book played out. Here’s hoping the focused Silver Screen Fiend: Learning about Life from an Addiction to Film is sharper. Tower Theater, 69th and Ludlow, Upper Darby, PA. 800-7453000. Ticketmaster.com

17 Maceo Parker James Brown’s one-time saxophonist, funk man/jazz-bo Maceo Parker hits the hard

notes o his most recent album Soul Classics.

Kimmel Center, 300 S. Broad St., Phila.

(215) 670-2300. kimmelcenter.org 17 Chubby Checker 55th Anniversary of the Twist I bet you thought “The Twist” was older. Resorts Casino Hotel, 1133 Boardwalk, AC. (609) 344-6000. resortsac.com 18 Cameron Carpenter pipe organ rocker No one hard rocks the pipe organ like Carpenter. No. Literally. I checked. Kimmel Center, 300 S. Broad St., Phila. (215) 670-2300. kimmelcenter.org 23 Reverend Horton Heat, Robert Gordon, Dale Watson and Rosie Flores US grade Hell-billy, rockabilly, folk-billy, swing-billy, she-billy, all on one bill. TLA, 334 South Street, Phila. Ticketmaster.com 23 John Oliver Premium cable’s funniest, most British faux news program host brings his stand up schtick to the big stage. Tower Theater, 69th

A curated look at the month’s arts, entertainment, food and pop cultural events

23 Matt McAndrew By deadline time, it’s unknown if Philly’s one-time Trader Joe employee, singer-songwriter Matt McAndrew won or lost his slot on NBC’s The Voice. Who cares? He’s a winner with little girls and jealous boys. World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut Street, Phila.

(215) 222-1400. phillyworldcafelive.com 24 Jerry Blavat: Early Days of Rock & Roll The legendary Geator with the Heater welcomes soul singer Lloyd Price (who hasn’t played in Philly since the days of Pep’s) and “Duke of Earl” Gene Chandler (who never really played here, save for an appearance on Bandstand when it was taped here) to the Kimmel. Kimmel Center, 300 S. Broad St., Phila. (215) 670-2300. kimmelcenter.org 24 Billy Idol Yes, he’ll rebel yell. Yes, he’ll dance with himself. Yes, his eyes won’t have a face. And he’ll even perform new songs from Kings & Queens of the Underground. Tower Theater, 69th and Ludlow, Upper Darby, PA. 800-7453000. Ticketmaster.com 25 Jim Ross If you’ve been looking for a one-man theater show from wrestling commentator and ring announcer, this is for you. Trocadero Theatre, 1003 Arch St., Phila. thetroc.com 27 Lyle Lovett/Vince Gill Will Lovett do the Texan country twang? Will Gill move his Oklahoma hillbilly croon to the swing sound of big band like Lovett has for the past decade? Stay tuned. Keswick Theatre, 291 No. Keswick Ave., Glenside.

(215) 572-7650. keswicktheatre.com 29 Marky Ramone The last Ramone standing—not one of the original quartet, but they’re all dead—authors Punk Rock Blitzkrieg: My Life as a Ramone. Hey, if he can make a tomato sauce (yes!), he can write a book. Parkway Central Library, 1901 Vine St., Phila. (215) 686-5322.

10 Eric Bazillian/ Wesley Stace The occasional Hooter and the author/musician once known as John Wesley Harding do the singer-songwriter thing. Does Stace do “One of Us?” Will Bazillian read from Wonderkid? Tin Angel, 20 So. 2nd Street, Phila.

(215) 928-0978. tinangel.com 13 Sam Smith Britain’s new young soul cannibal with smooth grooves and a dynamic sense of song craft. Liacouras Center, N. Broad St..

(215) 204-2400.liacourascenter.com

A. D. AMOROSI

and Ludlow, Upper Darby, PA. 800-745-3000.

Ticketmaster.com

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29 Marilyn Manson Remember when you used to be scared of Marilyn Manson? Now, he’s just an overly made up skinny guy with a bad attitude toward organized religion. Electric Factory, 421 No. 7th St., Phila. (215) 627-1332. electriccompany.info

30 Erin McKeown The female Lyle Lovett if you think about it, as the folk songstress McKeown has lately gone the same swing jazzy route as Lyle has.

No idea where her sound will nestle at Tin Angel. 20 So. 2nd Street, Phila.

(215) 928-0978. tinangel.com 31 Sophie B. Hawkins American chanteuse Hawkins would probably like to still be your lover. Damn. Tin

Angel, 20 So. 2nd Street, Phila.

(215) 928-0978. tinangel.com 31 Sound of Phila: O’Jays, New Stylistics, The Delfonics ft. William Hart While it’s impressive to hear most of the original members of The O’Jays sing out, it’s worth the price of admission to check William Hart, a heavenly singer whose high voice is still as dreamy as it was when he first sang the silken soul “You are Everything” and “You Make Me Feel Brand New.” The Music Box at The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, One Borgata Way, AC. livenation.com 31 Lucy Hale Aria Montgomery from the ABC Family series Pretty Little Liars does a better job singing Christmas songs (“Mistletoe”) and

country music than she does acting. Trocadero Theatre, 1003 Arch St., Phila. thetroc.com.■

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Singer / Songwriter

TOM WILK

★=SKIP IT; ★★=MEDIOCRE; ★★★=GOOD; ★★★★=EXCELLENT; ★★★★★=CLASSIC

Rob Lincoln ★★★1/2 5 Cents a Song Self-released Rob Lincoln went more than the extra mile in recording 5 Cents a Song, his debut solo album. The South Jerseybased singer/songwriter features 300 songs that he wrote as part of a DVD that can be played on a computer or DVD player. A companion CD includes 23 songs that are a representative cross-section of his work.

5 Cents a Song also serves as a musical biography for Lincoln, who wrote or co-wrote all 300 songs between the ages of 15 and 46. The songs feature a diverse range of musical influences for the 55-year-old Lincoln, who plays guitar, bass, mandolin, harmonica and percussion, among other instruments/ “So Far Away From Home,” has a ‘60s folk/rock vibe, while “The 13th Floor” has a pedal-to-the-metal garage rock feel in its exploration of the afterlife. “All in One Day” acknowledges the Jefferson Airplane’s influence on his music.

“Telemarketer Blues” is a look at comic the frustration brought about by unwanted callers, while “Alfred Packer” offers Lincoln’s take on the infamous American cannibal of the 19th century.

Recorded primarily in Lincoln’s home studio in Mount Laurel, 5 Cents a Song reveals an artist who’s in it for the love of music. While Lincoln has billed the project as the longest debut album ever commercially released, 5 Cents a Song is more than a gimmick and stands on its considerable musical merits. The album includes the lyrics and chords of all 300 songs, alternate and live version of 42 songs and six songs. To order, visit cdbaby.com. 342 songs, 18 hours.

Willie Nelson and Sister Bobbie ★★★★ December Day – Willie’s Stash Vol. 1 Legacy Recordings Willie and Bobbie Nelson have a relationship that goes beyond being brother and sister. They grew up in Texas playing music together and Bobbie, 84, has been a charter member of Willie’s Family Band since its formation in 1973.

On December Day – Willie’s Stash Vol. 1, the two display a musical chemistry throughout the album. Bobbie’s piano underscores the romantic despair that the 81-yearold Willie brings to his reading of Irving Berlin’s “What’ll I Do” and the inherent joy in “Alexander’s Ragtime Band.” On Django Reinhardt’s instrumental “Nuages,” Willie’s guitar and Bobbie’s piano seem to engage in a musical dialogue.

“Mona Lisa,” popularized by Nat King Cole, gains an intimacy with its stripped-down arrangement. Al Jolson’s “The Anniversary Waltz,” is a straightforward declaration of love and shows the depth of the Nelsons’ musical roots.

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December Day also features Willie revisiting older songs, such as the bittersweet “Permanently Lonely” from 1963 and “Walkin’,” originally featured on his Phases and Stages album from 1974. Newer songs—“I Don’t Know Where I Am Today” and “America”—show he hasn’t lost his creative spark. 18 songs, 61 minutes.

Billy Boy Arnold ★★★ The Blues Soul of Billy Boy Arnold Stony Plain Records Billy Boy Arnold has been a part of the Chicago music scene since the 1950s when he began playing harmonica with Bo Diddley’s band. At 79, Arnold remains a vibrant instrumentalist and vocalist on The Blues Soul of Billy Boy Arnold.

Backed by guitarist Duke Robillard and his band, Arnold delivers a solid set of blues, soul and jazz that mixes his own songs with some well-chosen covers. Arnold opens the album with a frisky version of Mack Rice’s “Coal Man” that has echoes of “Soul Man,” the 1967 hit from Sam and Dave.

“I’d Rather Drink Muddy Water” is a classic blues that’s right in Arnold’s comfort zone.

Arnold ventures into jazz with the classic “St. James Infirmary” that opens with mournful harmonica lines that are reinforced by his wounded vocals. On “A Mother’s Prayer,” written by Joe Tex, Arnold delves into social commentary about inner-city children that just remains just as relevant more than 30 years after the soul singer’s death.

“Don’t Set Me Free” has echoes of classic Ray Charles, while Arnold captures the freewheeling spirit of Chuck Berry on “Nadine.” Of Arnold’s three originals, “What’s on the Menu, Mama” fares best with its mix of food and romantic metaphors. At more than six minutes, “Keep on Rubbing” could have used some tightening up. 14 songs, 60 minutes.

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Keresman on Disc Rocket 3 ★★★★1/2 Rocket 3 Self-released Some folks my age (aging hepcats walk amongst us—they sleep, we live) think “good” rock & roll is scarce. Au contraire.

Rocket 3 is a trio in the continuum of classic rockin’ sounds from the Pacific Northwest.

Like the best and the brightest of these— from the Sonics to The Fastbacks and Nir-

out of Nashville, but the Real Thing, the kind of stuff that got played on the radio until maybe 1978. Dobro and lap steel guitarist Rob Ickes is established in bluegrass circles and guitarist/singer Trey Hensley is a relative newcomer, but both mesh wonderfully on a program of rough-edges-intact country music (more Austin and Bakersfield than N’ville) with bluegrass undertones and even a touch of Western swing (country-jazz fusion). Hensley has a classic country voice rich with echoes of Marty Stewart, Hank Snow and (especially) Merle Haggard, and Ickes flashes crisp hot licks a-plenty. This is country the way it was meant to be: Crackling like a campfire, potent as a shot of whiskey. (13 tracks, 45 min.) compassrecords.com Singer/songwriter (also actor) Bonnie “Prince” Billy, a.k.a. William Oldham, is slightly more rock-oriented, but only everso-slightly. BPB’s style leans more to the plainspoken, folk-influenced country bal-

vana and beyond—R3 balance righteous aggression and bittersweet melodies, and speaking of which, melodies you’ll sing yourself hoarse on the way home, and a sweet ringing in your ears through ‘til the AM. Rocket 3’s modus operandi: Bash the eardrum, touch the heart, and give the frontal lobes a bit to savor—the way the best rock & roll is and always has been.

“Never Again” has guitar that shimmers like a summer sunset and drums cracking like thunderclaps. “Begin Again” is rich with the melodramatic grandeur of iconic 1960s girlgroup The Shangri-Las, the more recent raw-ish grandeur of The Shins, and the shining-like-chrome power chords of The Fastbacks and Cheap Trick. If you think great R&R is history, get off your can and get on the Rocket 3 rudder-stick. (13 songs, 46 min.) reverbnation.com/artist/ramune Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley ★★★★1/2 Before The Sun Goes Down Compass Bonnie “Prince” Billy ★★★★ A Singers Grave–A Sea of Tongues Drag City Here are two very different yet oddly similar (in spirit) releases of classic American roots music, country division. Not the “country” (note the quotes) product coming

shemp@hotmail.com

ladry of Billy Joe Shaver, Guy Clark, and Kris Kristofferson, tightly performed but certainly not slick, with frequent gospel overtones (the McCrary Sisters contribute glorious background voices). Oldham’s lyrics have a rare, almost painfully honest quality: A man with a powerful hunger vows to the heavens, “One day it’ll be quail and dumplings for me,” while some harrowing, minor-key fiddle (echoing Appalachian and Roma/Gypsy music) wails in the not-far dis-

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MARK KERESMAN ★=SKIP IT; ★★=MEDIOCRE; ★★★=GOOD; ★★★★=EXCELLENT; ★★★★★=CLASSIC

tance; elsewhere, “You are out of my mind and now so am I.” BPB has a sandy, brooding quality, but he’s not a doomsayer—at his darkest there are always glimmers of hope and resilience. Alternately lilting and arid electric, acoustic, and steel guitars, banjo, fiddle, keys, and soft drums carry his songs of quests with no end in sight. A Singers Grave is perfect wintertime music for reflection and brooding. (11 tracks, 41 min.) dragcity.com Jaki Byard ★★★★★ The Late Show: Live at the Keystone Korner Vol. 3 HighNote The late Jaki Byard (1922-1999) was a monster pianist, a virtual history of jazz piano that should’ve been known beyond the jazz aficionado zone. Byard’s inclusive approach spanned blues, boogie woogie,

Fats Waller stride, Thelonious Monk humor, Duke Ellington elegance, and Cecil Taylor spiky dissonance, with undertones of the European classical tradition. Byard played with Charles Mingus, R. Roland Kirk, and Maynard Ferguson, and among the betterknown students of Byard are Fred Hersch and Jason Moran. This solo live 1979 set features astounding technique—JB plays so many notes and jumps in and out of styles in a dazzling manner that’ll make you feel as if you’re hallucinating. Yet Byard does it with pointed but genial wit and (like the best jazz players) knows when to rein it in. If you think Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea are the cat’s pajama’s, this is a must. Truly. (16 tracks, 65 min.) jazzdepot.com Gene Clark ★★★★ Two Sides to Every Story High Noon Gene Clark (1944-1991) was a founding member of one of the 1960s most crucial bands, The Byrds. He was a fine singer and

excellent songwriter, one of the musical alchemists behind roots rock. When he left the band, for assorted reasons (he had a fear of flying, for one) his solo career never really made it. But Clark left a legacy of many excellent albums and his favorite was Two Sides…, released in 1977 to critical acclaim and commercial indifference. After many years in limbo, this gem is back and it couldn’t have come at a better time. This album now would have a shot in the marketplace; in ’77, when arena rock and disco ruled the charts and punk was rearing its surly head, it didn’t have a chance. (Clark was too shaggy and rockin’ for the mainstream country audience, too.) Backed by a cast that included Emmylou Harris, John Hartford, and fiddle ace Byron Berline, Clark crafted some personal songs (“Lonely Saturday” and “Past Addresses,” both inspired by his divorce) and covered James Talley’s harrowing tale of a dying coal miner, “Give My Love to Marie.” This set mixes old school country, storytelling folk, and mellow yet slightly funky rock—ahead of (and out of sync with) its time, Sides fits in well with such contemporary roots-rockers as The Jayhawks, Old 97s, Son Volt, and The Flatlanders, and from the country side, Vince Gill and Marty Stuart. (10 tracks, 44 min.) highnoonrecods.com Denny Zeitlin Trio ★★★★1/2 Stairway to the Stars Sunnyside Denny Zeitlin is a fantastic jazz pianist too few have heard of—mainly because he balances his musical career with being a practicing psychiatrist. (He was also one of the first jazz musicians to engage with synthesizers.) Stairway is a live set from 2001 featuring Dr. Z’s regular/ working trio, bassist Buster Williams and drummer Matt Wilson. At the risk of hyperbole, this offering from the DZ3 is excellent as usual— Zeitlin plays with the tender lyricism of Bill Evans and coolly oblique lyricism of Ornette Coleman. (Not that DZ “sounds like” OC, but they share an approach that’s sonically elastic. In other words, DZ3’s roses have thorns.) He’s got old-school balladry down but intersperses it with some genial curveballs. Williams is a master bassist, playing with the tenderness and detail of a guitarist or pianist, and while Wilson can thunder with the best of them, he’s the essence of subtlety here. Like Bill Evans’ trios, this is a full-service outfit—exemplary interplay abounds. (10 tracks, 67 min.) sunnysiderecords.com ■

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Nick’’s Picks Joe Sample & NDR Bigband ★★★★1/2 Children Of The Sun PRA Records Children Of The Sun, an impressionistic album about the early European slave trade on St. Croix, is the first posthumous release from the remarkably gifted composer and prolific keyboardist Joe Sample who passed away at 75 on September 12, 2014. Sample was a musician who successfully forged art with commerce throughout his storied career as a solo artist and with The Crusaders,

NICK BEWSEY

touch. For its serious subject matter, this is an unusually joyful album.

In addition to Sample on grand piano and Fender Rhodes, the copasetic rhythm section also spotlights bassist Ingmar Heller, an integral actor in conveying the soulful essence of Sample’s music. Each tune is pleasingly textured with layers of brass and rhythmic flow, smoothly navigated by conductor/arranger Jorg Achim Keller. The cover painting is by the late Geoffrey Holder.

Sample had an innate sense of harmonics and swing that he crafted into rapturous melodies—they were hip, crowd pleasing and always deeply felt. He lifted up contemporary jazz and never trafficked in the rhythmic monotony that dominates so many current smooth jazz recordings. Like all jazz greats whose time was cut short, the one-ofa-kind Joe Sample left the bandstand much too soon. (11 tracks; 63 minutes) Delfeayo Marsalis ★★★★ The Last Southern Gentlemen Troubadour Jass This superbly executed session from the most interesting Marsalis brother, Delfeayo,

and this collaboration with the Hamburg, Germany-based 17-member NDR Bigband will satisfy traditional jazz listeners with its bright and acrobatic charts as well as contemporary jazz fans that delight in Sample’s signature keyboard style.

Sample and the band come out swinging with a killer horn-centric and percussive riff on “I Wanna Go Home,” anchored by session drummer Steve Gadd whose tasty licks keep the groove churning. Another masterful Sample vamp fuels the burning, half-stepping vibe that weaves throughout the second tune, “Buttermilk Sky.” With charts that leave plenty of space for blistering horn solos highlighted by trombonist Nils Landgren (with whom Sample has previously collaborated), this is squarely Sample’s show rich with irresistibly jazzy hooks that typify his best songs. Notably, “Islands Of The Mind” and “Albatross Day” further illustrate his succinct piano style and graceful

Nick Bewsey has been writing about jazz for ICON since 2004 and is a member of The Jazz Journalists Assoc. He also paticipates in DownBeat’s Annual International Critics Poll.

is energized by the addition of three jazz masters—pianist and family patriarch Ellis Marsalis, bassist John Clayton and the drummer Marvin “Smitty” Smith. The record has a deep regional feel with zesty arrangements and a New Orleans vibe. As a trombonist and occasional leader (this is Marsalis’s fifth recording since 1993), he’s playing at the top of his game and the quartet has a relaxed urbane style fitting for performing blues, ballads and standards like “Autumn

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Leaves” and “I’m Confessin’.” However lovely and romantic these tunes are, it’s a routine record, meaning you’d have to seek out the leader’s earlier CDs to hear more spice and variety, but Marsalis does pack the exceptional title track with extra flavor—that infectious NOLA percussion, fat-toned bass notes and dazzling interplay between father and son is right on. Marsalis has played with his father before on disc, but never for a complete recording. It’s easy to dig their swinging version of “Sesame Street” and a snappy “If I Were A Bell,” too. Marsalis has been far busier as a producer than a musician, overseeing nearly 100 projects, and his intuition as a leader serves him well—his father’s solos on just about every tune give the album credible panache and sophistication. (13 tracks; 71 minutes) Jason Yeager Trio ★★★★ Affirmation Inner Circle On his impressive sophomore recording, the New York-based pianist enlists bassist Daniel Weller and drummer Matt Rousseau and a significant guest artist (saxophonist Noah Preminger) for a harmonically advanced yet tunefully engaging set of originals, and a beguiling interpretation of Lennon/McCartney’s “Julia” with a pretty vocal turn by Aubrey Johnson. Songs like “Achi” and the title track are artfully structured gems that mix chamber jazz lyricism with grounding improvisational flourishes.

Yeager builds tunes with layers that he peels back slowly, revealing sonic pleasures from his skillfully attuned trio. You can hear the influence of mentors like pianist Fred Hersch and Danilo Perez, storytellers who, like Yeager, give their music the essence of mysterious beauty. You can hear it on the soulful “Blues For Billy P” and wistful “Aurora.”

When the trio exercises their chops, the fleet tempo on “Stumblebop” and percussive time shifts on “Twelve Etude” are deftly effective as well, which makes Affirmation a polished and refined effort worth discovering. (12 tracks; 59 minutes) Jimmy Green ★★★★★ Beautiful Life Mack Avenue The first sound you hear on Beautiful Life is a home recording of Ana MarquezGreene singing “Saludos” at a Christmas celebration in Puerto Rico with her mother, Nelba, and her father, Jimmy, playing saxophone in the background, a year before her death at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. She was 6 years old.

That brief moment flows into a ravishing duet between the saxophonist and guitarist Pat Metheny that makes the beginning a musical celebration of the life of Ana. Greene is an established saxophonist on the New York and international scene, with a lyrical, earthy sound on the tenor or soprano sax, and his poetic playing style has an easy, natural flow.

Jimmy Green with daughter Ana.

Beautiful Life is an album of magnitude—of grief and healing—that features Greene collaborating with a core trio (pianist Renee Rosnes, bassist Christian McBride and Lewis Nash on drums) that weave soulful optimism into evocative originals like “Last Summer,” and the uplifting “Your Great Name.” Among many cameos, singer Javier Colon’s voice shines on the Wonder-like ballad “When I Come Home.”

Greene is an established saxophonist on the New York and international scene, with a lyrical, earthy sound on the tenor and soprano sax, and his poetic playing style has an easy, natural flow. Midway through this astonishing tribute, Greene duets with pianist Kenny Barron, his plaintive horn weaving notes around Barron's passages as they celebrate Ana's life on the album's best tune, “Where Is Love.” It's a high point that recalls the 1963 collaboration between John Coltrane and Duke Ellington. (10 tracks; 49 minutes) ■

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Kelley Hunt ★★★1/2 The Beautiful Bones 88 Records The Beautiful Bones, the sixth album from Kelley Hunt, provides a reminder of her dynamic range as a performer and songwriter. Hunt, who shifts between piano an acoustic guitar, is at home in a variety of styles—soul, blues, rock and country.

“This Time” gets the album off to a promising start with an up-tempo slice of soul about the need for self-empowerment. “Golden Hour” and “Release and Be Free” find Hunt adding to touch of gospel fervor to her sound, with vocal assistance from sisters Regina, Alfreda and Ann McCrary.

On “Let It Rain,” a country-styled ballad, Hunt’s expressive voice and piano take center stage on a plea for release. “When Love is at the Wheel” is both a celebration of romance and a song for the open road. Hunt bares her emotions on “I Want You There,” a declaration of love and support that recalls the work of Aretha Franklin, one of her musical influences.

“The Sweet Goodbye” caps off the album with a gospel piano introduction punctuated by a bluesy guitar lines from John Jackson as she bids farewell to old ways and heartaches in anticipation of a better future. 12 songs, 49 minutes.

John Flynn ★★★1/2 Poor Man’s Diamonds John Flynn/Flying Stone Music Group On Poor Man’s Diamonds, his 11th CD, John Flynn uses his songs to express the spectrum of human emotions.

“You Can’t Tell” is a strident rebuke to apathy in the wake of the massacre of 20 students in Sandy Hook, Conn., in 2012.

The Delaware-based musician calls out the names of the slain children in an angry song that recalls the protest songs of the early 1960s by Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs.

Flynn also finds reasons for optimism. “Malala,” with Kris Kristofferson on supporting vocals, is a song of hope about the Pakistani teen who won the Nobel Peace Prize for standing up to the Taliban. “Like Woody Done,” a tribute to Woody Guthrie on the centennial of his birth, points out the power of music in daily living.

Flynn displays his lighter side on the country/folk-styled “Bury Me with My Guitar,” a musician’s contemplation of the hereafter that is a companion piece to John Prine’s “Please Don’t Bury Me” in tone and spirit. “The Pennywhistle and the Rose,” is a more serious reflection on death, inspired by the passing of his mother.

“The Most You Can Do” caps off the album with a philosophical look at life and the hope that the pleasures balance out the pain. “The most you can ask is when push comes to shove is the sadness won’t be as deep as the love,” Flynn sings. 13 songs, 45 minutes. ■

Jazz Library

BOB PERKINS

DAVID “FATHEAD” NEWMAN

DAVID NEWMAN IS Later, there were stints CONSIDERED a fairly avwith a couple others erage name. But insert bands of note. One of the nickname “Fathead” the bands had a pianist between the first and last named Ray Charles. Newname, and there you have man and Charles became a memorable handle—esacquainted, and a few pecially when the person years after their first to whom the nickname meeting, Charles formed belongs, is an entertainer. a band and asked NewAn odd name is one way man to join him. The to get attention. union lasted from 1954 Musician David Newto 1964. man must have caught on In 1958, Newman to this early in his career recorded his first (and as a professional musisome say his best) album cian, and by keeping the under his own name: Fatderogatory but attentionhead: Ray Charles Prescatching name, he adents David “Fathead” vanced his career.

Newman. Ray played Newman can thank piano on the album, and his high school music it took off like a rocket. teacher for the name, One of the songs on the which was applied when disc, “Hard Times,” was the teacher caught him used as a theme song by pretending to read sheet more than a few disc music—with the page upjockeys across the nation. side down. Newman wasIt also became Newman’s n’t very good at reading signature song. music, but could execute The Ray Charles Band well, playing by ear. played great in any genre.

It’s not known if The band members, like Newman’s future success Newman and their multiDavid “Fathead” Newman, 2003. Photo: Dennis C. Owsley made the teacher eat his talented leader, contained words, but if he followed musicians who could play Newman’s career, the music of any stripe, and giver should have been as proud of its use as the receiver. compliment each category. When Newman left Charles’ band, David Newman enjoyed an outstanding career as a musi- he was quick to say that the experience of working with cian in great part because he learned to be versatile, playing Charles, was the single most important influence in his musiin many genres of music. He was at home playing R&B, cal development. blues, soul jazz, and straight ahead jazz. Along the way, he He went on to record 40 albums as a leader. Between became a multi-instrumentalist, and mastered the alto, his own recording, club and concert dates, he worked with tenor, baritone saxophones and flute. some of the top names in the music industry, including Newman was born and raised in Dallas, Texas and studAretha Franklin, B.B. King, Nat King Cole, and Donny Hathied piano and alto saxophone at Lincoln High School. He away, to name a few. also attended Jarvis Christian College for two years, but David “Fathead” Newman passed away January 20, 2009, dropped out because he wanted to play music full time. He in Kingston, New York, at age 75. Ironically, two other forbegan by joining a band headed by Buster Smith, a respectmer members of the Ray Charles Band during Newman’s ed alto sax player, who once had Charlie Parker as student. tenure—saxophonists Hank Crawford and Leroy “Hog” Cooper—also died in January of 2009. The coincidence prompted one jazz writer to observe that Ray Charles must have called a band rehearsal. Charles had passed on five Bob Perkins is a writer and host of an all-jazz radio program that airs on WRTI-FM 90.1, Mon-Thurs. 6 to 9pm & Sun., 9am–1pm. years earlier. ■

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<

22 / YANNICK NÉZET-SÉGUIN

visual artists, dancers or theater events. There are guest conductors with interesting pairings of composers—say Beethoven and Shostakovich. These become milestones.

And we program around those. My role is to go beyond my own program, to give ideas, to create temptations.

OK, January. The Academy Ball. Rather than deal with older pop singers as we have—Sting, Paul Simon, Rod Stewart—this year you’re going to be dealing with Al Pacino. I hear you laughing already. What is the challenge there?

Yeah. I’m laughing because it’s such a wonderful idea. It’s a different perspective, especially since this year we really wanted to focus truly on the Orchestra itself and its connection to the history of the building. We actually had that discussion with some of our patrons.

And they said “bring in Pacino”?

No. They wanted to focus on the sound and the history with a renowned host rather than a singer. When we approached Al Pacino, his answer was that, yes, he was excited by the prospects and that, yes, he even wanted to talk about his own connection with the Orchestra. That was amazing. Without giving away too much, he’s going to take a big part in the whole process. For me, it’s just a different way of collaborating, be it a soloist, a jazz player, a pop singer. That’s always about the music we’re making. This time, it’s about the preparation involved, the conversations prior to the Ball, and what will be the chemistry between us all on stage that night.

Let’s talk about the LiveNotes project. I know that part of it stems form wanting and maintaining a younger audience—which I applaud—but there is, for me, the question of watering down the repertoire and doing too much coddling.

I don’t try to reinvent the wheel. I think this is about cultivation, keeping this music alive, keeping this tradition alive. The Philadelphia Orchestra is playing music of many centuries and many traditions. There’s new music every year that is composed for that Orchestra—or we do music that we’ve never played before, music of what the 40/40 Project is about. LiveNotes and 40/40 is not about new versus old.

It’s a combination. The concert experience should also be tailored to various tastes and age groups. Not everyone wants to have the same experience. Why do we have to experience a concert only at 8:00?

In a way, you’re doing an On Demand version of the

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Orchestra, creating other suitable times.

Exactly. Sometimes, we’ll do the concerts later. The mobile app allows for flexibility and interaction. This is what this generation wants. I know that the criticism is easy, that the concert hall shouldn’t be a place in which you stop and play with your phone. But, yes, maybe for some people it is, and for some people it isn’t. Perhaps our idea can enhance the experience for a certain age group. So be it. We have to stop thinking that everything is mutually exclusive.

We want to be mindful of and target various audiences. Some concerts can be enjoyed traditionally and some through this new way—it’s like The Rite of Spring that we did unplugged and with acrobats. The experience was different. We’re in an experimental phase, and more often than not, the experiments are working.

I was thrilled to see you test the waters with Opera Philadelphia when you did Salome this year. I know how much of an opera enthusiast you are.

Can you say what your next collaboration might be? Are you planning something for 2015/16?

I was thrilled as well. We were all happy. We’re in constant conversation as to what comes next. Many ideas. The main season announcement of 2015/16 is not where we’ll see our follow-up. I can’t say that there will not be a collaboration, so perhaps I should shut up now. There will be more.

Definitely.

I know that come January you’ll be performing some of the Russians—a large part of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s sound. How are you maintaining the traditions, and how are you changing the legendary Philly sound in accordance with who you are?

It’s a huge question. That repertoire is, as you say, a famous part of that Philadelphia sound. There is a depth and richness in the intensity of that sound. The repertoire is achieved more naturally because of how the Orchestra, generation after generation, plays it with discipline and dedication to the whole, while finding the heart of each individual musician. It’s so blended, so pure, powerful and rich. What I’ve been allowing to happen to this sound, in encouraging ways, this generosity of playing is something regarding the diversity of colors in the Orchestra’s palette.

When we do some Bach or Haydn, for example, there might be a lightness of touch not there previously. When we come back to the Russians, we don’t forget that diversified palette and make it interact with that full-bodied sound. We can do that. ■

Dining

ROBERT GORDON

r.gordon33@verizon.net

black powder Café & Wine Bar BLACK POWDER TAVERN’S HIGHLY visible perch might tend to give a foodie pause—at least if coupled with some other data. BPT sits on an enviable patch of turf along

bustling Valley Forge Road. Furthermore, the 1746 structure boasts historical bona fides in a region that attracts plenty of tourists. That demographic tends to sublimate fine dining to a day of sightseeing. I’ve lived that compromise myself, particularly when sightseeing with our kids. Nearby business parks provide BPT with a ready pool of white-collar 20- and 30-somethings for lunch and happy hour—a market BPK’s predecessor, J.B. Winberie, seemed to target exclusively.

Packaged together, those factors tend to suppress the need for quality dining.

BPT is resisting the temptation to complacency. The menu scores with hefty, full-meal salads; nice vegetarian selections; an impressive slate of bar noshes executed with finesse—and a surprisingly good roster of small plates.

To be sure, you’ll find plenty of the familiar bar noshes de rigeur for the Happy Hour multitude, well attired and cheery, that swoops in at day’s end. However, even munchies as universal as chicken tostada and nachos do not

go untended by the kitchen. The house-made sauces are lively, not bland or boring. Nor are the brews on an extensive list of national and international craft beers in draught and bottles. “Oddities,” as the menu terms them, like cider augment the choices.

But it’s the surprising number of items that stretch the menu beyond the standard that impresses me. Superbly tender calamari perked with a trio of jaunty house-made dipping sauces: a garlicky-citrusy gremolata, a smoldering sriracha aïoli, and a sweet-spicy tamarind. Ditto for pork “wings” [I’ll pass on the “when pigs fly” joke]. The vivacious interplay of hoisin Shandong sauce, puckery vinegar sauce and pork makes the dish take flight [couldn’t resist].

I was prepared to dismiss Cheesy Devils on Horseback as a “cheesy” historical contrivance. Typically, dishes sporting such names are belly-fillers recklessly cobbled together.

BPT’s dish shows uncommon finesse. The bacon wrap is mercifully devoid of excessive grease. It’s also properly proportioned with the other ingredients. Unlike too many other versions, it is not an overpowering, greasy salt lick that smothers the taste of the date whose taste is annihilated furthered by an oozing, oversized slab of Kraft cheese crammed inside. Instead, Gorgonzola cheese accords the space necessary for the date to sing out and give the BPT recipe a scintilla of sophistication rarely found at popular taverns.

Served in a cast-iron pan, Melted Cambozola oozes flavor, mating with a hearty caramelized crew of mushrooms and onions. Deviled Eggs, sprinkled with Hungarian paprika, are stuffed with Ducktrap smoked trout. Shishito Peppers, a vegetable that has gained regional traction in many upscale eateries, is another menu star. The shishito variety brings an added dimension. About one pepper in ten is fiery. It’s a game of pepper roulette. You never know which one is hot until you swallow it down.

Polenta Fries are cornmeal treats clad with Reggiano and panko and sided with spicy harissa sauce. Grilled Salmon Salad brims with field greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, scallions, red onions, and peppers that poise over a lengthy slice of soy-glazed grilled salmon dressed with sesame Dijon dressing with plum-chili sauce. For vegetarians, there’s a tasty Black Bean Vegetarian Burger that stuffs the bun with roasted vegetables, Portobello, Pepper Jack, and chipotle mayo.

A re-sawn oak bar, along with re-sawn oak flooring and tabletops impart colonial sheen. But it’s the cheery, energetic service and tasty dishes within BPT’s walls that welcomes all but complacency. ■ Black Powder Tavern Café & Wine Bar, 1164 Valley Forge Road, Wayne, PA (610) 293-9333. blackpowdertavern.com

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Dining

ROBERT GORDON

r.gordon33@verizon.net

KARINA’S RISTORANTE ITALIANO A GENTLE SOUL LIKE Chef Rosa Alejandrina Uzhca is right at home in her little kitchen along Third Street’s restaurantrich slice of relative serenity. Her homey cooking of Ecuadorian and Italian standards is a restorative respite from the clamor of nearby South Street. There’s nothing nouvelle or newfangled. There’s no push on the envelope. The hallmark is the homespun, humble devotion infused into everything that emerges from the kitchen.

What I like about Karina’s fare is the wholesome flavor that perks so many of the dishes—an unmistakable characteristic in salads like Ensalada Marinera (a Peruvian couple’s dance), which crams more clams, shrimp, mussels, and calamari into any salad bowl within memory. But it’s the accompanying variegated mix of juicy tomatoes, crunchy, diced onions, celery, and purple onions topped in citrusy dressing that wins me over. Months ago, I enjoyed a memorable summer salad. Thin slices of fresh peaches and pears clad the slopes of a huge mound of mixed greens and prosciutto studded with anchovies. The mélange, topped with crumbles of goat cheese and sparked with vinaigrette, typifies the lively combinations in Karina’s salads. It also makes me yearn for summer’s return.

Not as satisfying were Bolitas de Mozzarella. The salinity of over-salted Porcini Mushroom Sauce was notched up further by anchovies and stifled the taste of the rolled Mozzarella and Prosciutto.

In contrast, Paella Balenciana, cobbled delectably from shrimp, mussels, calamari, clams, lobster, and chicken, is stellar. The rice is tasty, although, as the classic demands, it could use a bit more paprika.

Notwithstanding, the portion size is ultra-generous and the ingredients are fresh and flavorful. With Salmone alla Griglia, salmon emerges from the grill remarkably succulent. The serving is huge. The salmon, which nestles against a fluffy grove of baby greens, spans the entire large plate. The kaleidoscopic topping—a colorful array of diced scallions, tomatoes, capers, and green olives drizzled with extra virgin olive oil tinged with lemon juice—is a delight to the eyes as well as the tastebuds. A mammoth mound of puerco [pork] stuffed with prosciutto, spinach, melted cheese is served with rich gravy and sided with crisp haricots verts, julienned carrots, and potatoes. It exemplifies the kind of nourishing, uncomplicated warmth in Karina’s fine, folksy fare.

The Italian menu at Karina’s owes to Chef Rosa’s kitchen training and upbringing. Italian cuisine is popular in her native Ecuador. She grew up eating and preparing it. It’s also a touchstone for many of the locals in Karina’s new South Philly location. Accordingly, you’ll find menu sections titled “Vitello,” “Pollami,” “Pesce,” and “Pasta.”

Pasta is a treat. Squid ink tagliatelle is served in a lush, rich Pomodoro sauce with heady Italian aroma and essence. Malfato Alla Coatro Formachos boast soft delicate texture.

Fettuccine alla Pecora is homemade pasta in a savory lamb ragu that blankets tender morsels of lamb in swirls of spicy tomato sauce.

Dolci (desserts) offer a trio of Italian standards: tartufo—the popular Italian ice-cream treat, tiramisu, and cannoli. A different Dolci del Giorno is available daily. If it’s available, don’t pass up the Pera Al Vino Rojo—a pear poached in red wine, which closes dinner on a nicely nuanced dulcet note.

Karina’s is housed in a modest, tiny storefront on 3rd Street. Tables are set with white-linen. The décor is minimalist and comforting. A file of suspended lanterns traverse and illuminate the length of a single dining room. Framed art hangs on each side of the room. The atmosphere is soothing and settling. Service is cheery. But the main attraction is the food, which is prepared with the kind of care only a doting Ecuadorian madre can muster. ■ Karina’s Ristorante Italiano, 617 S 3rd St., Philadelphia. (215) 218-0455 40 ■ I C O N ■ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 5 ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

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HOTEL Modern Cuisine h Classic Comfort Corner of Swan & Main Lambertville, NJ 609-397-3552 W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 5 ■ I C O N ■ 41

The Los Angeles Times SUNDAY CROSSWORD PUZZLE

CLORINATION

T C S

By Meryl Jackson Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 5 8 13 19 20 21 22 23 26 27 28 29 31 33 35 36 41 45 47 48 49 50 52 54 55 58 62 63 65 66 68 70 72 75 77 79 80 82 85 86 87 88 90 91 93 97 100 101 103

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Yacht spot 1983 title character who sings “Where Is It Written?” “... ain’t quite as dumb as __”: “How Long” lyric Now Pro __ Island east of Manila First century Roman emperor Assure satisfaction?

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Rodent control brand Olds models “Beats me” “The Path to Love” author Chopra Taint Actress Samantha Mythical eagle-lion hybrid Supporting words Rimsky-Korsakov’s “__ d’Or” Chelsea’s __ Square, fashionable shopping area Gideon Fell’s creator Loot from a shamrock heist?

Madre’s milk Storm dir.

Onslaught Adams of “Octopussy” Knight in a sitcom “Toodles” Reunion attendee “Octopussy,” e.g.

Body of rules Moviehouse that always cuts to the chase?

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43 Game with 80 balls 44 WWII weapon 45 Rash cause, perhaps 46 Author of epistolas 48 Fire inspirers 51 Score notation for two singers 53 Uncommon blood type, for short 56 Goof

57 59 60 61 62 64 67 69 71 73 74 76 78 80 81 83 84 87 89 92 94 95 96 98 99 101 102 104 107 108

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“Live Young Forever” author Jack Counts on Lift When to start driving?

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Agenda ART EXHIBITS THRU 1/11 Christopher Kennedy & Richard Sherman, A Separate View. Red Filter Gallery Fine Art Gallery, 74 Bridge Street, Lambertville, NJ 08530. Open Tues.-Sun., 12-5.

347-244-9758. redfiltergallery.com THRU 1/15 From Houdini to Hugo: The Art of Brian Selznick. Delaware Art Museum, 2301 Kentmere Pkway, Wilmington, DE. 302-571-9590. delart.org THRU 1/18 Henrique Oliveira: Adenocalcinoma Poliresidual. Arthur Ross Gallery, 220 S. 34th St., Philadelphia.

ArthurRossGallery.com. 215-8982083 THRU 1/25 Robert Indiana, A-Z. Guided tours every Friday at 1 pm and Sunday at 2 pm. Visit our website to learn about upcoming lectures, programs, events and more. Allentown Art Museum of the Lehigh Valley, 31 North Fifth St., Allentown, PA. AllentownArtMuseum.org THRU 1/31 Our Winter Exhibition continues with landscapes of Winter in the Country. Beautiful Bucks County and surroundings depicted in Oil, Watercolor and Pastel by Dot Bunn, Barbara Sesta, Michael Filipiak, Bradley Hendershot, Katharine Krieg, Steve Zazenski, Dean Thomas, Susan Blubaugh and Brad Lethaby. A large selection of still life by master painter Frank Arcuri is also on view. Patricia Hutton Galleries, 47 West State St., Doylestown, PA 18901. 215-3481728. PatriciaHuttonGalleries.com THRU 2/8 Starstruck: The Fine Art of Photography. Michener Art Museum, 138 S. Pine St., Doylestown. 215-3409800. michenerartmuseum.org 1/9-3/1 Winter Time Exhibit. The Quiet Life Gallery, 17 So. Main St., Lambertville, NJ. 609-397-0880. Quietlifegallery.com 1/13-3/8 Select Photographers, Looking Back. Red Filter Gallery Fine Art Gallery, 74 Bridge Street, Lambertville, NJ 08530. Open TuesSun12-5. 347-244-9758. redfiltergallery.com

THEATER & DANCE 1/17 The Mikado with the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players, Albert Bergeret conducting. 8pm, Allentown Symphony Orchestra Pops Concert, Diane Wittry Music Director. Miller Symphony Hall, 23 N. 6th St., Allentown, PA. 610-432-6715. millersymphonyhall.org 1/25 Ivy & Bean The Musical, Family Series, Live Musical Theatre the Whole Family will Enjoy. Mischief and laughter at every turn, along with lessons to be learned about family, friendship and love. 1pm, Miller Symphony Hall, 23 N. 6th St., Allentown, PA. 610-432-6715.

MillerSymphonyHall.org 1/30 Gloriously Broadway, Sister Act, 7:30 PM. State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton, PA. 610252-3132, 1-800-999-State.

Statetheatre.org 1/31 Koresh Dance Company. 8pm, Miller Symphony Hall, 23 N. 6th St., Allentown, PA. 610-432-6715.

MillerSymphonyHall.org 2/5-2/7 Master Choreographers. Works by Charlotte Boye-Christensen, Corrie Franz Cowart, Heidi Cruz-Austin, Karen Dearhorn, Jessica Lang, Dorrell Martin, Shelley Oliver and Jeffrey Peterson. Muhlenberg College of Theatre & Dance, 2400 Chew St., Allentown.

484-664-3333.

Muhlenberg.edu/theatredance 2/17 Pullitzer Prize Winner David Mamet’s, A Life In The Theatre. 7 PM., State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton, PA. 610-252-3132, 1-800-999-State. Statetheatre.org 2/18-3/1 Dancing at Lughnasa, by Brian Friel and directed by Dennis Razze. Act 1 Performing Arts, Labuda Center for the Performing Arts. DeSales University, 2755 Station Ave., Center Valley, PA. 610-282-3192. Desales.edu/act1 2/20 Steve Lippia’s Centennial Sinatra, 100th Year Birthday Celebration.

7:30 PM., State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton, PA. 610252-3132. Statetheatre.org

DINNER & MUSIC Every Monday, Live guitar with Barry Peterson, 7-10. Karla’s, 5 W. Mechanic St., New Hope. 215-8622612. karlasnewhope.com Thursday & Friday nights: DeAnna’s Restaurant, 54 N. Franklin St., Lambertville, NJ. LIVE JAZZ. 609-3978957. deannasrestaurant.com.

Thurs.-Sat., Dinner and a Show at SteelStacks, Bethlehem. 5-10. Table service, valet parking. artsquest.org CONCERTS 1/11 Panoply Books & T Penn Present: Esoteric Music Night, 4pm. Twilight Memories of the Three Suns (Va).

Jordan Krall with Human Adult Band, The Wasp. Free. Panoply Books, 46 N. Union St, Lambertville, NJ. 609-397-1145. panoplybooks.com 1/11 Cathedral Arts presents the Touring Choir of the Lehigh Valley Charter School for the Performing Arts, David MacBeth, conductor. 4:00 PM, Cathedral Church of the Nativity, 321 Wyandotte St., Bethlehem, PA. 610-865-0727 x 303. nativitycathedral.org 1/16 Expansions: The Dave Liebman Group. Jazz Upstairs, a jazz cabaret. 7:30pm, doors open at 7:00, Allentown Symphony Orchestra Pops Concert, Diane Wittry Music Director. Miller Symphony Hall, 23 N. 6th St., Allentown, PA. 610-432-6715. MillerSymphonyHall.org 1/17 Buddy, The Buddy Holly Story. Now in its 25th amazing year, “The World’s Most Successful Rock ‘n’ Roll Musical” tells the story of the brief yet spectacular career. Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA. Free parking attached to center. 610-758-2787.

Zoellnerartscenter.org 1/25 Cathedral Arts presents Organ Birthday Recital, Stephen Williams, organist. 4:00 PM, suggested donation $10. Cathedral Church of the Nativity, 321 Wyandotte St., Bethlehem, PA. 610-865-0727, ext.

303. Nativitycathedral.org

1/25 Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra presents Winter Vivaldi Chamber Ensemble. Delightful Baroque music performed by principal instrumentalists of the Sinfonia and guest pianist Father Sean Brett Duggan. 3pm, Wesley Church, 2540 Center St., Bethlehem, PA. 610-434-7811. Buy tickets at LVArtstBoxOffice.org. PASinfonia.org 2/6 The Austrialian Bee Gees Show, A true retrospective of their 40 year history. 7:30 PM., State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton, PA. 610-252-3132, 1-800-999-State.

Statetheatre.org

1/9

ANA POPOVIC

1/10

PHILADELPHIA FUNK AUTHORITY

1/16

BOOGIE WONDER BAND

1/17

KEVIN GRIFFIN

1/24

SOUPER BOWL VI

1/29

LITTLE RIVER BAND

1/30

THE AMISH OUTLAWS

2/5-15 TONY N’ TINA’S WEDDING 2/8

2/8 Family Concert, Dancing with Bach and Vivaldi, For everything there is a season… Join The Bach Choir, Bach Festival Orchestra, and young artists as they explore the seasons in music, dance and the visual arts. 3pm, The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA. For information, 888-743-3100, ext.

10 or 15. BACH.org 2/13 A Night In Old New Orleans, Orange Kellin & the New Orleans Serenaders featuring Vernel Bagneris. 7:30 PM., State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton, PA. 610252-3132, 1-800-999-State.

Statetheatre.org KESWICK THEATRE Keswick Theatre 291 Keswick Ave., Glenside keswicktheatre.com 1/24

BLUE SUEDE SHOES Mike Albert/Scot Bruce

1/27

VINCE GILL & LYLE LOVETT

1/31

JACK HANNA’S INTO THE WOODS LIVE

2/4

JAMIE CULLUM

2/5

JASON ISBELL

2/6

THE SPINNERS

2/7

WHO’S BAD Tribute/Michael Jackson MUSIKFEST CAFÉ 101 Founders Way Bethlehem, PA 610-332-1300. artsquest.org

1/3

GIRL SCOUT COOKIE CRUNCH

2/20

BROTHER JOSCEPHUS & THE LOVE REVOLUTION 2/26

JAMES COTTON

2/27

TAB BENOIT

2/28

THE FABULOUS GREASEBAND

3/5

JOAN OSBORNE EVENTS & FESTIVALS

2/6-2/7 SnowBlast Winter Arts Festival brought to you by the Emmaus Arts Commission. Artist demonstrations, art show and sale, kick-off evening event with ice bar, outdoor games and music. Free. www.emmausarts.org.

BOOK READINGS & POETRY READINGS 12/13 Panoply Books Reading Series: Poet Kasey Jueds., 6pm. Kasey Jueds will read from her first collection, Keeper, winner of 2012 Agnes Lynch Starrett Prize from the University of Pittsburgh Press. Free.

Panoply Books, 46 N. Union St, Lambertville, NJ. 609-397-1145.

Panoplybooks.com 12/14 Devastation on the Delaware Discussion & Signing with author Mary Shafer. 2 pm, The Book Garden, 28 Bridge St., Frenchtown, NJ. 908-996-2022. Bookgarden.biz

STRAWBERRY FIELDS

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Carol C. Dorey Real Estate, Inc. Specialists in High-Value Property www.doreyrealestate.com (610) 346-8800

ESSENCE OF ELEGANCE

SWEEPING VIEWS

Prominently positioned on 5 acres, enveloped by mature trees, manicured lawns & perennial gardens, there are lovely outdoor living spaces of covered & screened porches, stone patios & private vistas all overlooking a pool, pond, spa, hot tub, and tennis court… in a bucolic setting of natural beauty that will take your breath away. The timeless design features a wealth of custom details in 8,716 square feet, with 6 BRs, au pair suite, and spaces of grand proportions that invite one to entertain. $2,650,000

History dating back to the 1700s swirl through stone and antique wood to marry with state-of-the-art amenities. From the stone floored foyer, a feeling of warmth, and prescient vision create a unique welcoming space. The living room with original random width pine flrs, repurposed barn wood from 1850 and floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace, opens to the sunroom and sun-kissed views. Enjoy a panorama of beauty as the sun dances on the pool, the sky opens up beyond and tree tops bend in the wind… all from the sunroom that opens to the quite of the woods. $750,000

MINUTES FROM SAUCON VALLEY Rarely does a home of this caliber become available for purchase. The design and execution are unquestionably beyond compare. The owners are asking to pass along their dream home to a new owner who will share in their experiences. Come enjoy the ambiance….come be a part of the Upper Bucks County environs….adrift in the magic, warmed by sunsets and the beauty of these surroundings. 8 acres, 4 bedrooms, fabulous appointments, incredible privacy. $1,650,000

BETHLEHEM CONDO

STUNNING SUNSETS

MOVE-IN READY

The views of south mountain change with the seasons while the streets of historic Bethlehem are timeless. The living room has oversized windows, custom bookcases, window seats, an ornamental fireplace and 11 ft ceilings with deep moldings. Slate and glass tile in the bathroom with a frameless glass-walled shower and a porcelain soaking tub. A grand hall foyer, generous bedrooms and a custom-finished storage area complete a perfect blend that has made a restored manse with roots in the early history of Bethlehem, a much sought after destination. $389,000

This impressive estate home delivers commanding views, outdoor amenities and comfortable living in one of the Lehigh Valley’s most desirable neighborhoods. A dramatic twostory living room anchored by a magnificent stone fireplace. Oak floors and cabinetry are warming themes throughout the property. The 1st fl master bedroom suite is lavish… warm your feet on radiant heated floors in the master bath. An office with a coffered ceiling and cherry built-ins is on the way upstairs where 3 additional bedrooms, a theatre room and an office with a balcony complete the second floor. $945,000

Located in the convenience of north Bethlehem, with all the beauty of a great town and all the privacy of a neighborhood. This home is beautifully maintained, is ready to surprise the most discriminating buyers. Old world craftsmanship and sunwashed hardwood and parquet floors invites one to linger inside and out. Family room, modern kitchen, and 2 stone fireplaces plus expansive gardens, enclosed porch and large patio let you know this is a special home. Three bedrooms and 2 full baths accommodate your family’s needs. $305,000

CLOSE TO EVERYTHING

NATURAL SANCTUARY

FABULOUS CREEK VIEWS

This custom home has appointments requisite for the best in today’s quality construction. The home boasts 4 BRs and 3.5 baths. The backyard has been designed for family fun, landscaped with boulder walls and offering the space for a future pool. A wraparound, covered porch and patio are the perfect places to entertain while watching the ever-changing seasonal color displays. A world apart, yet close to everything that Saucon Valley has to offer, these breathtaking, long-distance views are a fabulous way to begin and end each day. $869,000

This historic Bucks County home on 9+ acres offers a sanctuary for wildlife, woodlands and a stream. There are 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, oak and pine floors, bible cupboard and a stone fireplace that make up the character of this home.

While there is a detached two-car garage/barn with heat and a spacious second story studio, you’ll want to spend most of the time outdoors enjoying the glorious surroundings. Set in a sun-filled clearing, the home and inground pool are surrounded by sweeping pines and venerable hardwoods. $399,000

Positioned along a quiet country road on 11 picturesque acres, this exceptional stucco-on-stone farmhouse dates to 1842 and has been beautifully maintained and updated. Two walk-in fireplaces, rich pumpkin pine floors and deep window sills accent the spacious rooms. Modern comforts include zoned heating, central air conditioning, a main level laundry room, and an incredible family room with screened deck. The inviting grounds are buffered by the breathtaking Fry’s Run and invite one to meander to the charming settler’s cottage, smokehouse, brick oven pavilion and bank barn. $675,000 M AY 2 0 0 9

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