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Contents
FEBRUARY 2015
The intersection of art, entertainment, culture, opinion and mad genius
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
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Paul Strand, Women of Santa Ana, Lake Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, 1933
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With Gotti Rules: The Story of John Alite, Junior Gotti, and the Demise of the American Mafia, Philadelphia author George Anastasia does what he’s done best since his time reporting on mob crime for the Philadelphia Inquirer: get to the heart, blood, marrow and guts of the matter bluntly, yet with the passion its subjects conjure. As he’s done with Philly’s menacing Scarfo family (Blood and Honor), The Last Gangster (NJ capo Robert Previte), even The Summer Wind (murdering Thomas Capano), Anastasia finds focus throughout Gotti Rules in a central Shakespearean character— the brutal Alite, John Gotti Jr.’s longtime pal and protector—and presents how one man savagely seeks revenge against others.
COLUMNS 5 | CITY BEAT 5 | VALLEY BEAT 24 | JIM DELPINO
6 | Exhibitions 7 | Wet Christmas
32 | KERESMAN ON DISC Awa Sangho Richard Pinhas/Oren Ambarchi E. Sharp/M. Gibbs/L. Niggli Hypercolor Tesla Manaf Paul Shapiro Bud Powell 34 | JAZZ LIBRARY Art Blakey
8 | Paul Strand: The Mexican Portfolio 10
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| CINEMATTERS American Sniper | KERESMAN ON FILM Blackhat
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| BAD MOVIE Taken 3
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| The Artist’s Garden
FILM
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American Sniper.
| REEL NEWS The Homesman Force Majeure Dear White People Rosewater
35 | NICK’S PICKS Aaron Goldberg Red Garland Trio The Michael Blum Quartet
DINING 36 | The Twisted Tail 38 | Vecchia Osteria
ETCETERA 41
| AGENDA
42 | L. A. TIMES CROSSWORD
20 | FILM ROUNDUP American Sniper Amour Fou Blackhat Maps to the Stars
ENTERTAINMENT
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ON THE COVER: Author George Anastasia. Page 22.
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Valley Beat Editor Geoff Gehman / geoffgehman@verizon.net Fine Arts Editors Edward Higgins Burton Wasserman Music Editors Nick Bewsey / nickbewsey@gmail.com Mark Keresman / shemp@hotmail.com Bob Perkins / bjazz5@aol.com Tom Wilk / tomwilk@rocketmail.com Food Editor Robert Gordon / rgordon33@verizon.net
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS 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 30 | SINGER / SONGWRITER Anne McCue Gretchen Peters Louise Goffin Jim White vs. Packway Handle Band Don Heffington
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Maria Oakey Dewing (1845-1927), A Bed of Poppies, 1909, Oil on canvas, 25 1/8 x 30 1/8 in. Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA, Gift of anonymous donor, 1931.2
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A Philly.com article on the “man bun” got us pondering famous hair bun styles in history. Ballerina buns, Emily Dickinson’s schoolmarm look, Princess Leia’s French rolls, or messy buns with chopstick antennae. Most of the man buns we’ve seen have been on male model types who have little to lose by going ugly. The man bun is really a contrived look on a par with women who dye their hair blue. The rugged PECO worker or neighborhood FIOS installer would never think of doing his hair up like a French maid. Should this cosmetic blight be allowed to continue? Might we suggest fashionista vigilante action—perhaps gangs with hair scissors to send these knots flying?
I pretty much lost my taste for Christmas songs in December 2001, when I finished ten years of reviewing over 400 holiday CDs, stopping before my brain became fruitcake. Some of my taste returned in December 2014, when I watched Darlene Love steer a Lehigh University show like a hemi-powered sleigh ride of gleeful tidings. Love, 73, unleashed the towering, tunneling, torrid voice that blasted the ’60s Wall of Sound built by Phil Spector, the mad mason of pop-rock mini-operas about hemi-hormoned teens. She sounded sassy and sultry in “He’s a Rebel,” an ear- and eye-opener for Bette Midler, who said so as she introduced Love into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A Marvin Gaye medley summoned her more agile, soulful sides, while Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me” made her a gospel chanteuse. Love made her bones as a backup singer for everyone from Elvis Presley to Luther Vandross. She told her inspiring story of fame, betrayal, obscurity and high-heeled glory in 20 Feet from Stardom, the Oscar-winning documentary about other important, largely overlooked backups. At Lehigh she showered love on her three backups by letting them sing one number alone and letting Milton Vann solo in a shimmering, shivering “O Holy Night.” The harmony vocalists later joined Love in a levitating version of Bishop Walter Hawkins’ “Marvelous,” where they siphoned the spirit of the Staple Singers. Love performed her calling card, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home”), the night after she performed it for the 28th and final time for retiring talk-show host David Letterman, who hates pretty much every Christmas tune except Love’s. I would have preferred Robbie Robertson’s “Christmas Must Be Tonight,” which appears on her CD It’s Christmas of Course. Wondrously rousing and tenderly wise, a sort of Staple Singers-meets-The Band summit, it topped the 4,000-odd Christmas songs I reviewed for The Morning Call in Allentown. In fact, it’s one of the few holiday tunes that doesn’t give me that fruitcake clog-and-fog.
One good job deserves another. This seems to be the philosophy of PGW’s VP of Marketing and Communications Doug Oliver, who wants to be mayor. The sharply dressed “go to” smiley executive says he’s “ready to be a consensus builder.” His photo and logo, DO2015, has the pitch perfect ring of Nordstrom’s gift wrapping, but is there anything inside the box? Running for mayor, it seems, is all about product. Lynne Abraham’s product is her legacy as former DA. The other contenders—Anthony “Tony” Williams, Nelson Diaz, Ken Trujillo, Milton Street (and possibly) Alan Butkovitz—make us think of cold oatmeal sans cinnamon. It doesn’t help the city that Terry Gillen had to drop out of the race due to a lack of funds, while lesser lights like Milton Street continue to be bankrolled. Was Joan of Arc burned at the stake only to be stolen from the Divine Lorraine Hotel? For some time now we’ve been hearing stories of how developers shell out cash to neighborhood youths to get them to climb to the roofs of old buildings and dismantle prized features. The gold Joan statue that used to grace the portal above the Lorraine’s front door was not a work of art like sculptor Emmanuel Fremiet’s Joan on the Parkway, but it was stunning enough. It can still be seen in old renderings and photographs of the place. The Lorraine’s Joan disappeared sometime in the late 1990s. Has Latimer Street’s Pen and Pencil Club become the Mutter Museum of journalism? While it’s true you won’t find the skulls of Damon Runyan, Red Smith or George M. Cohan behind any glass containers there, you will encounter a bevy of talkers who have opinions on everything. While deadline-conscious journalists cannot afford too many till-the-weehours boozy nights, just-got-off-work restaurant workers and other nocturnal party animals can. The expansion of P&P’s membership in recent years to include everyone but journalists has caused one observer to write, “This place is a monument to the cigar-chomping, typewriter-banging old-school newspaperman who hardly exists anymore (outside of Hollywood).” We tend to think that when theme bars like P&P reach comfortable status quo institutionalization (a place where politicians hold court and participate in panel discussions), it’s really time for adventurous journalists to look for a living museum. We celebrated with Paul Stinke when the former Reading Terminal Market head announced himself a candidate for City Council. Stinke’s impressive resume includes a stint as Finance Director of the Central Philadelphia Development Corporation. His family was on hand for the festivities. The 6’4” Stinke towers over nearly everyone he meets, including his small statured older brother who introduced Paul after Rep Brian Sims’ rousing opening speech. If we could make suggestions for Paul’s campaign, they’d go something like this: Up the amp in your public talks. It’s okay to show some passion and to let your voice rise and fall like ocean waves meeting the shore. (2) If you really want a seat on City Council, you first have to win the hearts and minds of Mr. and Mrs. Philly Joe Average, so go light on ideological references to LGBT activists outside the mainstream. The Body of an American at the Wilma had us coasting in confused boredom for the first 25 minutes, but when the play picked up we were on the edge of our seats as much as we were when we saw Gone Girl at the Roxy. Our wish was to let Blanka Zizka know how much we enjoyed the performance, but we were told she was in Chile for a theater conference. The same Wilma official told us that Blanka really didn’t want to go to Chile because she likes opening nights; but in the end the offer proved too enticing. The Body of an American is an intense, often uncomfortable look at what war can do to the human psyche. The drama also inspired the Wilma’s large stable of (cliquish) twenty-something actors to break out into frenzied whirling dervish dancing toward the end of the reception. ■
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.
I fare-thee-welled the old year at the Mauch Chunk Opera House in Jim Thorpe, where the B Street Band, the oldest Bruce Springsteen tribute group, gigged with guest drummer Vini “Mad Dog” Lopez, who helped make Springsteen’s first two albums merry-go-rounds buzzsawing boardwalks in outer space. Lopez was the third member of Springsteen’s E Street Band to play with the B Streeters, joining the late saxophonist Clarence Clemons and bassist Garry Tallent, Lopez’s high-school mate. He ramped up “Blinded by the Light,” “Rosalita” and other ’70s tunes he helped mint with florid backbeats, foaming fills and slashing accents. His non-percussive gestures were almost as animated as his talking cymbals. He mimed Springsteen’s crazy-salad rhymes with his face, mouthed along with lead singer Glenn Stuart, and shouted the echo phrases of “Spirit in the Night” into Stuart’s microphone. Lopez played tambourine and harmonized on Springsteen songs he didn’t record, including “Jungleland” and “Born to Run.” He was quite a sight to see, a pony-tailed gypsy spirit in the night. I welcomed the new year in the Hotel Bethlehem’s Tap Room, where Dave Roper began his 56th year as the Lehigh Valley’s most familiar, favorite jazz pianist. Flanked by a bassist and a drummer, the Bethlehem native played ballads and boogies with an elegant fire, an easy zest. He sounded so comfortable, so deep in the pocket, he could have been meditating. Mild-mannered and modest with his mouth, Roper is sly and spry with his hands and feet. He took Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” through five grooves, including big band and minuet. He seamlessly segued from a swatch of “The Entertainer”—a response to my request for some Scott Joplin--to a double-time “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” as fleet as a dragonfly skimming a pond. Every number featured Roper’s intelligent, intuitive sense of structure and space. No matter how fast the pace, he never seemed to hurry; the melody stayed creased no matter how wrinkled the rhythm. It’s one of his canny, uncanny ways of keeping listeners listening, no matter how noisy the nest. Roper cultivated crowds at the King George Inn in Allentown, a long-closed roost. For 15 years he performed two or three times a week, from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. On weekdays he taught English at Emmaus High School, where he coached Scholastic Scrimmage teams to seven state championships. He’s in his 11th year at the Hotel B, where he plays first Thursdays and last Sundays. His standards range from “Georgia on My Mind” to “Satin Doll,” “Mack the Knife” to “MacArthur Park.” Be sure to ask for his “I’ll Be Seeing You” kissed by Chopin and Ravel; it’s a killer diller. ■ Geoff Gehman is the author of the memoir The Kingdom of the Kid: Growing Up in the Long-Lost Hamptons (SUNY Press).
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Exhibitions
Patternbreak #2
Barry Moser, Salomé Kisses the Head of Iokanaan, 2011 Little Dreams Paperboat and Bird Art Shoppe 21 Risler Street (route 29) Stockton, NJ 609-397-2121 paperboatandbird.com Through February 28 Trish Ramsay’s latest work explores the push and pull of figural, spatial and relational states of being. Using beeswax and mixed media, she works within a shallow pictorial space building up, carving away, layering, and imbedding color, line, and imagery. While doing research in Japan, Trish became enamored with the evocative simplicity of Japanese textile design. These textiles have influenced Folding Forms, a series of encaustic work referencing the limited depth of field and treatment of space found in various painted and stenciled silks. Breaking with the hard geometry of Folding Forms, the series Silent Partners and Pattern Break build upon this language and spatial handling. Themes that circulate in this work explore metaphors of her daily life: solitude, symbiosis, entanglement, flexibility and gratitude. Trish is an instructor of Design at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX, where she lives with her husband and daughter. She received her BFA from University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA, and MFA from Syracuse University.
Folding Forms Series.
Oscar Wilde’s Salomé: Illustrating Death and Desire Delaware Art Museum 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington, DE 302-571-9590 delart.org February 7-May 10
Inna Race, The Boy with a Pipe
Carnevale di Philadelphie E-Moderne Gallerie 116 Arch Street, Philadelphia 267-927-2123 e-modernegallerie.com January 31 to March 1 Opening reception January 31, 6:00 p.m. The exhibition focuses on historical decorative elements of fantasy, beauty and romance, perfect for the season of Carnevale and Valentines Day. Vasil Anastasov, an artist from Sofia, Bulgaria, creates works reminiscent of historic motifs of European decorative fresco and works infused with traditional Japanese and Euro-Hans influences. His approach is true to traditional technique while also dramatic with a modern interpretation. Inna Race is an intriguing artist from Minsk, Belarus (the homeland of Marc Chagall). Her work in mixed media has a very sensual and dramatic aura. Using live, nude models as canvasses, Inna creates masterpieces with body paint. Other artists have used this approach in the past, but few attempted to resurrect classic works as living, breathing masterpieces. Inna's work emphasizes the beauty and uniqueness of the human body: a true masterpiece, reborn.
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Oscar Wilde (1854 – 1900) was an Irish writer and poet who became one of London’s most popular playwrights in the early 1890s. The Delaware Art Museum presents the complete sets of the first and the most recent illustrations inspired by Wilde’s infamous play, Salomé (1893). Wilde’s retelling of the biblical story has been a source of inspiration for artists since its publication. Oscar Wilde’s Salomé: Illustrating Death and Desire features 36 original works, including lithographs by Aubrey Vincent Beardsley (1872 – 1898) and engravings by Barry Moser (b. 1940). Written in French by Wilde, and translated into English by Alfred Douglas, Salomé was banned in London in 1893 and was not performed until three years later in Paris. In one act, the tragedy tells the story of Salomé, stepdaughter of King Herod of Judea. Salomé takes a perverse fancy for John the Baptist, and is insulted when he spurns her affections. She seeks revenge by requesting his head on a silver platter in return for dancing the seductive dance of the seven veils for Herod. The 1893 publication attracted a growing curiosity among the public, including that of the controversial artist and illustrator Aubrey Beardsley (1872 –1898). He created black and white lithographs to illustrate the tale, with emphasis on the decadent and the erotic subject matter. For instance, Beardsley’s “The Climax,” illustrating Salomé’s euphoric interaction with the head of John the Baptist, captures both the horror of the physical beheading and the decadence of Salomé’s obsession. All of Beardsley’s lithographs for the first fully illustrated edition of the play will be on display in the exhibition. Engravings by Barry Moser illustrating the most recent publication (2011) will be accompanied by Joseph Donohue’s translation of the original French play. Moser’s sensual engravings provide a strong visual interpretation of the drama for the modern age. Salomé’s eroticism, conveyed in Moser’s Salomé dances the dance of the seven veils, and her cold-hearted embrace of John the Baptist’s severed head illustrate the dark tone of the tale.
A Thousand Words
STORY AND PAINTING BY ROBERT BECK
Wet Christmas A SOFT DRIZZLE FALLS over the Upper West Side the day before Christmas. There aren’t many people out on the streets this wet and raw last afternoon. The places along Columbus Avenue where you can buy trees and wreaths have been picked over. Crowds have thinned. Most residents have their preparations in place and are settling down at home. The city takes on a glum temperament in the rain. Distances compress in the opaque light. Puddles form at crosswalks precisely where the curbs are cut down, forcing anyone with rolling bags, regular shoes or small dogs to find a long way around. Cars, trucks and busses shush by, wipers flapping, tires splashing. There are none of those moments of color and joy that call out when sunlight dazzles a bright dress or store window. On this rainy Christmas Eve in Manhattan the midway of lights and carols unwinds its last hours with diminished fanfare. In the older residential sections you find a lot of ironwork: railings, street lamps and signs, gratings and fences. Newspaper boxes, bicycles, even flower pots are secured with steel chains. They all wear highlights that glimmer in droplet skirts. Slick surfaces reflect the bleak sky and surrounding structures. Pictures within pictures emerge from a limitless palette of grays. Cabs disappear when the weather goes bad, but so do most tourists. You might have to walk farther but it’s easier to do it without having to deal with clots of people on the sidewalk experiencing life through their iPads. This lack of congestion in foul weather doesn’t apply to places of pilgrimage in New York. Manhattan is a Mecca for people from around the world, of all stripes and for all reasons (such as photographing squirrels…what’s with that?), and visitors will brave all manner of hardship in the journey to their personal religious destination. The most notable of these on the Upper West Side is the Dakota. If you ask New York tourists the old party question, Stones or Beatles, the answer definitely will be Beatles, even though the group broke up 45 years ago and even though there have Robert Beck maintains a gallery in Lambertville, NJ. robert@robertbeck.net.
been many superstar musicians prior and since. The only other performer in the same popularity league is Sinatra, but the Fab Four has all of them covered judging by sidewalk vendors. That said, it’s really about John. On any day of the year people from Omaha, Oslo, and Osaka huddle against the elements to be in proximity of where John was shot and to purchase flowers they can place on the “Imagine” mosaic across the street in Central Park. They take pictures of themselves in front of the Dakota and sitting on the memorial as proof positive that the quest has been met. Many bring children to inculcate in the rites of worship. There are always hundreds of people just standing there, regardless of the conditions. A dozen blocks down Central Park West, in the middle of the sidewalk at an intersection, is a fairly new black shoe. The Lone Shoe Phenomena is not unique to New York. It can be observed in towns and cities all across America—one shoe, lying stranded on the asphalt or to the side of the road. I’ve seen LSP in Africa and Europe, and I believe it’s universal. Anthropologists have yet to agree on where the shoes come from, but it is widely thought they are the reincarnation of socks. It’s easy to see how gloves and knit hats can fall out of a pocket, or how a sweater can drop from around a waist without someone being aware of it, but it’s more difficult to shed a shoe and not know. It would be like suddenly finding yourself without your pants on a cold day—although I have come across a pair abandoned on the street more than once. Samaritans sometimes stick an odd glove on a fence or branch in hope of catching the attention of the owner. There’s not much you can do with pants. Like most stray objects, they end up ground to a colorless, matted clump in the gutter to be absorbed by the sweeper. The rain-soaked shoe sits far enough from the park wall that it isn’t the concern of the groundskeepers. It doesn’t quite fit into anyone’s specific responsibility. There is always the hope that left where it is the shoe might be retrieved by its hobbling owner, and one small Manhattan story will find a happy resolution, so people walk past it in the rain on Christmas Eve with that thought in mind, if they think about it at all. ■
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Art
P Paul Strand, Church Gateway, Hildago, 1933, photogravure, lent by the Syracuse University Art Galleries. ©Aperture Foundation Inc., Paul Strand Archive
Paul Strand
Paul Strand, Girl and child, Toluca de Lerdo, 1933 photogravure, lent by the Syracuse University Art Galleries. ©Aperture Foundation Inc., Paul Strand Archive
The Mexico Portfolio
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EDWARD HIGGINS
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PAUL STRAND, ONE OF this country’s most outstanding artists of the 20th century, had a modern eye and used an ancient camera. He was a passionate man of causes—yet never a joiner—and he never blinked from taking photographs, never compromised his principles despite the costs. His was a universal view and his photographic essay on Mexico is currently on display at the Arthur Ross Gallery of the University of Pennsylvania. The exhibition is due to run through March 29. The exhibition, Paul Strand: The Mexican Portfolio is a traveling show put together by Syracuse University. It is comprised of 20 images from 1932-33, a dozen images from artists of the Taller de Gráfica Popular (People’s Graphic Workshop), and nine images by Manuel Alvarez Bravo, a Strand contemporary. Strand was born in 1890 of Bohemian parents in 1890. His social sensibilities were undoubtedly enhanced by his study under Lewis Hines, a noted photographer whose somber view of the urban poor and the conditions they lived under were to be followed by Strand. He became associated with a modernist group of photographers and artists in New York’s 291 Gallery. That group included Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O’Keeffe. He began to see his camera as a tool for social improvement and was one of the founders with Berenice Abbott of the Photo League, a group devoted to using their talents for social betterment. In addition to photography, Strand was also interested in film and made several movies, one in 1921 with Charles Sheeler, the Pennsylvania painter and photographer. He was also involved in left wing politics, had a progressive labor interest and had a number of friends who were members of the Communist Party. Frontier Films, a company he was involved with was listed by the U.S. Attorney’s office as subversive. In 1932, Strand was invited to Mexico by Carlos Chavez, director of the Fine Arts Department of the Secretariat of Public Education to document the Mexican landscape and its people subsequent to the revolution. It was an odd choice given Strand’s progressiveness and the life of the Mexican people under the authoritarian regime of General Calles. The answer was in Stand’s straightforward photography, which showed the people as directly as he had portrayed the urban poor in Five Points, the heart of the immigrant slums on the Lower East Side. The prints at the Arthur Ross Gallery show were chosen by Strand himself. After the war, the political climate in the United States was too much for Strand—he was a friend of Alger Hiss—and he left the country for France and spent the rest of his life photographing the rest of the world. That work included France, Outer Hebrides, Italy, and Ghana. He would never return to the United States. Many of Strand’s subjects never knew their photographs were being taken. His use of a trick technique to snap the image was controversial then as it is now. Nevertheless, the work is direct, non-compromising, and apparently sincere. However, it leads many scholars to wonder whether the camera could be further manipulated, and if the camera could, in fact, lie. Still, Strand’s work was widely exhibited, and he found an even wider audience in a number of books that he published. Manuel Alvarez Bravo was born in Mexico City in 1902. He is considered one of Mexico’s premier artists. The selection of his works is from the University’s permanent collection. The silver gelatin prints are in the surrealist mode and very bright. Bravo followed Tina Mondotti as a premier Mexican art photographer, and when she was exiled due to her political beliefs, she gave Bravo her camera. The Taller de Gráfico Popular, a printmakers’ collective, was founded by American ex-patriot Pablo O’Higgins and others in 1937 to encourage the use of art in the advancement of social ideals. The works in that section are somewhat later than the others, and were donated to the museum of the Portenar family whose donated prints were the subject of an earlier show. The exhibition is rich in history and the gallery has scheduled a number of public programs, including a lecture on March 4 by Amanda Bock, a curator of photography at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, on the Strand portfolio. ■
Edward Higgins is a member of The Association Internationale Des Critiques d’Art. W W W. FA 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 ■ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 ■ I C O N ■ 9
Art
Charles Courtney Curran (1861-1942), A Breezy Day, 1887, Oil on canvas, 11 15/16 x 20 in. Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Henry D. Gilpin Fund, 1899.1
The Artist’s Garden
BURTON WASSERMAN
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IMPRESSIONISM, AMERICA’S FAVORITE STYLE of serious painting, was born in France. It took root in daringly unusual explorations of the appearance of light and color in nature, carried on by such artists as Claude Monet, August Renoir and Edgar Degas. Their pictures were informal, frequently, out of doors renderings of the French countryside. At first, the artists who worked in the new mode met with considerable resistance from collectors. However, by and by, their approach to interpreting reality, came to be widely accepted and imitated. Apparently, impressionist art was initially very unpopular because it looked so unfamiliar to people accustomed to thinking of fine art only as tightly rigid representations of subject matter, made slowly, along lines of traditional practice, established during the time of the
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Dr. Wasserman is a professor emeritus of Art at Rowan U. and a serious artist of long standing.
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Cinematters
American Sniper
PETE CROATTO
WITH AMERICAN SNIPER, I braced for viewing by obligation. Oscar nominations illuminate movies you need to see, but also break your heart. Clint Eastwood directing and the Best Picture nomination brought me to this despair. Eastwood, that paragon of stoic manliness, would direct a thick piece of jingoistic solemnness smothered in macho patriotism for gullible Oscar voters. Eastwood favors obviousness as a director and revels in being a right-wing grump. Remember Mystic River, Gran Torino, and his “speech” at the 2012 Republican National Convention. This was going to get ugly. It did not. Ever. American Sniper, adapted from Chris Kyle’s memoir, struck me silent. Eastwood doesn’t condemn or celebrate the war in the Middle East or Kyle, who killed at least 160 people as a Navy SEAL sniper in Iraq. Eastwood tells a personal story of the classic American soldier struggling to play that role. The movie breaks your heart, puts it back together again, and repeats the process. Kyle (Bradley Cooper) is 30 when he enlists. HIs reasons are noble albeit misguided: outrage over Americans dying in a Middle East skirmish. I did not pick up the specifics, but it’s unimportant. Kyle has found a purpose. Life as a Texas cowboy is unrewarding, as evidenced by the dozen or so beer bottles on the coffee table as he and his brother watch TV. He endures the punishment of SEAL training and emerges as a sniper. It isn’t a job as much as it is a part of his soul. Kyle meets the sexy and salty Taya (Sienna Miller) at a bar. She initially calls his pursuit self-centered. He sternly, but politely, cuts her off. I’m laying down my life for this country; nice to meet you. She apologizes; he stays. Eventually, they marry and start life as adults. “You’ve got it all figured out, don’t you?” Taya asks Chris. He’s found the right path, much like a gifted college senior who
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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
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DIRECTOR MICHAEL MANN HAS helmed some very fine movies, perhaps the best of which is Heat (1995), in which we see that police and criminals can be two sides of the same coin. Both sides have family, victories, failures, loneliness, vulnerabilities; each side sees what it does as “work” and both leave wreckage in their respective wakes. The cyber-thriller Blackhat will likely not be seen as a great addition to Mann’s catalog. In fact, Blackhat perpetrates the worst crime a film can commit—it’s dull. The setup: Because of a computer failure, a power plant in China is nearly destroyed and several people are killed. In Chicago, someone via computer manipulated the price of soy making someone very rich. The authorities of both countries notice similarities between the two events and decide cooperation is needed. Chinese official Dawai (Leehom Wang) suggests that his college roommate, Hathaway (Chris Hemsworth), doing a long prison stretch for cyber-crimes, be furloughed to solve the mystery. Naturally, the Chinese and American officials distrust each other as much as Hathway and Dawai trust each other, and before you known it (and for almost no reason at all except…) Hathaway and Dawai’s sister Lien (the lovely and understated Wei Tang) fall into bed and in love (…except that someone figured we needed a ro-
MARK KERESMAN
Blackhat mance shoehorned into the movie’s plot). By way of cyberdetective work, the good guys find the bad guys and lots of uninspired gunplay happens. There is a showdown with villains so generic that the lead villain looks like an extra in a Jimmy Buffett video…in fact, like a combined Rupert Murdock with a bloated Warren Buffett, and we’ve got our Dr. Evil. The jailbird gets redemption of sorts, finds love, and bleeps off to parts unknown. First off, this movie looks ugly—it’s shot not on film, but digitally, so it looks flat and drab throughout. Hemsworth’s accent is a little shaky—why not simply have him be an Australian who was schooled in the USA. No character is given much to work with—I know it’s a plot-driven story but these characters are ciphers. Viola Davis plays the standard-issue no-nonsense FBI agent balancing her stodgy superiors and a prisoner-trying-to-play-hero. Each government has a person in a suit yelling into a phone to unseen persons (presumably in suits), “Don’t trust them!” Hey, aren’t the USA and China serious partners in international finance nowadays, politics notwithstanding? Serious gun- and knife-play happen in crowded situations and few seem to notice. Not to stereotype the computer hackers of the world—I’m sure there are some that look like Hemsworth—but not only is Hathaway skilled
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in computer technology but he’s an excellent shot and quite good at hand-to-hand combat. Though to be fair, time in prison—not a country-club prison, btw—would tend to make one “good” as a necessity—one very good scene has Hathaway fighting in a manner that would find James Bond saying, “That’s not cricket.” Yet, in the manner of too many movies these days, fight scenes are shot with shaky hand-held cameras and cut so rapidly it’s difficult to see (or care) whose ass is getting kicked. Also, can we say enough with micro-filmed scenes of electrons and gigabytes of info zooming through wires and boards? Most important, the pacing is off—very off. I kept fighting the urge to rest my eyes during this movie. If you subtracted the contrived romance and shaky-cam moments, this movie would be 40 minutes long. I like Mann’s work—check out his earlier underrated Thief (1981) that features an actual (as in good performance from Jim Belushi) but this is a dud. I’d like to see the hackers and renegade film editors of the world to take Blackhat and Taken 3 and edit them together into one good film. ■ 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
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TAKEN—THE FIRST TWO at any rate—were/are in the seemingly endless line of movies that play out like this: A top-shelf covert government operative/spy/mercenary/professional assassin is trying to lead a “normal life.” Someone from his past enters the picture to get revenge or force him “back to work” or someone that knows nothing of his caliber tilts with him…and there is bloody hell to pay because said normal-wannabe/reluctant hero has a skill set that makes James Bond look like Barney Fife. While this is all very predictable it can sometimes be great fun if handled properly. But Taken 3 is garbage, a cheesy cash-in on the two previous movies and a quick paycheck for leading man Liam Neeson, who if he’s not careful could become a parody of himself a la Nic “If the check clears I’ll be in it” Cage. In the first two installments, someone from the family of government-wonder-man Brtan Mills’ family is, well, taken by the Forces of Evil. In Taken 3, no one is “taken”—but the life of Mills’ ex-wife Lenore (the lovely and underused Famke Janssen) is, well, taken by bad people and Mills is framed for the crime. With shocking ease, Mills evades the police. Constable Dotzler (Forest Whitaker) has many conversations with Mills by phone—can you see this coming?—“Turn your-
MARK KERESMAN
Taken 3 self in.” To which Mills’ reply might have been: “No, my only chance of clearing my name and finding the killer is to run away from and beat up cops and cause traffic accidents.” Getting help from a few of his fellow ex-shadow agents, Mills goes after the villains, nearly all of whom have hokey Russian accents. Does he find the people responsible and kill them? What do you think? The depressing thing about this movie is not its predictability, but rather the sloppy, who-gives-a-shit way in which hack director Oliver Megaton presents it. Fight scenes are shot in such a rapid-cut, shaky-camera manner that it’s hard to see who is doing what to whom. Bullets fly and there’s virtually no blood to be seen. Lenore is murdered by having her throat cut and it looks like someone drew a crayon across her throat. When Mills finds her, he tries to revive her by gently slapping the inside of her wrist and saying “come on, live,” as if he were reading it on a teleprompter for the first time. Dotzler finds bagels at the scene of the crime—could be evidence, right? So naturally he eats one. Mills breaks law after law and then the requisite happy ending (come on, you knew there was gonna be one), he doesn’t have to answer for a single one: Assault police officers? Steal cars? Cause massive free-
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way pile-ups? Hey, no problem, since you’re innocent we’ll just call it square. Also, Mills is virtually immortal and impervious to serious harm. Neeson at 62 effortlessly outruns a police officer in his twenties? And how does he get out of a car that’s being pushed over a cliff? Why does said car explode as if it were carrying a case of explosives in the trunk? Who knows, he and it just do, and walks (Mills, not the car) away like nothing happens. Russian mobsters armed with automatic weapons cannot hit a target a few yards in front of them… and why always Russian mobsters? OK, I can hear some of you now—“It’s an ACTION movie, not a Terrence Mallick snooze-a-thon!” Yeah, but a movie’s got to make some sense—and if it doesn’t, at least make it entertaining. Many James Bond movies throw logic out the window, but they could be great fun. The dialogue in Taken 3 sounds as if it were written by a 9th grader, the acting is mostly indifferent/lousy, and the usually fine Neeson looks as if he’s on autopilot throughout. If you, Dear Reader, are under 23 and haven’t seen many movies, Taken 3 might give you some thrills—otherwise, you’re much better off renting The Rock or Diamonds Are Forever or even, dare I say, Con Air. ■
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Reel News
GEORGE OXFORD MILLER / REVIEWS OF RECENTLY RELEASED DVDS ★=SKIP IT; ★★=MEDIOCRE; ★★★=GOOD; ★★★★=EXCELLENT; ★★★★★=CLASSIC
Rosewater.
The Homesman (2014) ★★★★ Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Hilary Swank Genre: Western drama Rated R Tommy Lee Jones has created an unforgettable, classic western, but not in the genre of John Wayne that glorified the Old West. The frontier was brutal, especially on women. Many didn’t survive, and many who did suffered mental breakdowns. This tragedy traces the saga of Mary Bee Cuddy (Swank), a pioneer woman tasked with transporting three deranged farm wives from Nebraska Territory to civilization in Iowa. She sets out on the mythical hero’s journey with the women chained in a cage. Along the way she encounters a derelict crook named Briggs (Jones) left to die by hanging. She rescues him and hopes he will rescue her. Swank perfectly captures the desperation of a woman determined to deliver her demented cargo and Jones epitomizes a hopelessly dishonorable man seeking redemption. Expect a ruthlessly honest slice of frontier reality where desperation, and brutality were everyday occurrences, not a Hollywood fantasy with a happy ending
Force Majeure (2014) ★★★★ Cast: Johannes Bah Kuhnke, Lisa L. Kongsli Genre: Drama Rated R In Swedish with English subtitles. This is a disaster movie. But the natural disaster doesn’t kill anyone, it’s the psychological disaster afterward that wreaks havoc. A Swedish couple and their two children set off to the French Alps for a ski vacation. The first day on the slopes is perfect, but the rugged, postcard-perfect mountains seem to hint that nature offers no guarantees—a single unexpected event can change your life forever. On the second day, a massive avalanche thunders down the mountain while the family eats lunch on the resort deck. When it appears certain to smash into the lodge, the father (Kuhnke) bolts from the table, leaving his family to their fate. The avalanche stops just short of disaster and the lunch resumes, but irreparable damage is done. Can the wife (Kongsli) ever forgive the self-centered cowardice of her husband? Of course, the husband has his own version. The storyline presents both viewpoints equally, so we can’t really judge or take sides.
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Dear White People (2014) ★★★★ Cast: Tessa Thompson, Tyler James Williams Genre: Comedy, satire Rating R In this hyper-sensitized era, a comedy about institutionalized racism may seem inappropriate. Yet the dominate attitudes of this “era” began with slavery and still divide our nation. Director Justin Simien dives in with a tidal-wave splash that addresses the cultural rift playing out in the streets with violence. But he strikes back with satire, a tactic that opens minds and changes attitudes with the powerful weapon of humor. The cultural commentary is set on a fictitious Ivy League campus peopled with Sam (Thompson), a biracial female deejay who hosts the campus radio show Dear White People; Coco, a Black woman from the ghetto who embraces white culture; and Lionel (Williams), a gay Black who upsets everyone’s stereotype. To up the comedy/drama ante, we get interracial dating, identity issues, militancy, condescending attitudes. The comedy reaches critical mass when the school humor magazine hosts a Halloween rap party with the theme “unleash your inner Negro.”
Rosewater (2014) ★★★★ Cast: Gael Garcia Bernal, Kim Bodnia Genre: Drama Written and directed by Jon Stewart Based on a memoir by Maziar Bahari and Aimee Molloy. Rated R In 2009, Maziar Bahari, an Iranian-born journalist for Newsweek who lived in London, was arrested in Iran while covering the presidential elections and the abortive “Green Revolution.” Bahari was held for three months and tortured before an international campaign led by his wife led to his release. Before his arrest, he gave a tongue-in-cheek interview to Jason Jones of the Comedy Channel’s The Daily Show, known for its biting political satire. Jon Stewart, the show’s host, feels deeply committed to journalists’ roles in political reporting, especially for freedom movements around the world. He turned Bahari’s memoir into a feature film staring the Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal. Filmed in Jordan, the film captures the exuberance of the young revolutionists and the gritty reality of the police state’s brutal response to dissidents. ■
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Film Roundup
KEITH UHLICH
Maps to the Stars.
★=SKIP IT; ★★=MEDIOCRE; ★★★=GOOD; ★★★★=EXCELLENT; ★★★★★=CLASSIC
American Sniper (Dir. Clint Eastwood). Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller. It’s Academy Awards month, and among the movies competing for the coveted gold statuette is Clint Eastwood’s gripping, if ideologically muddled true-life drama about the deadliest sniper in American military history. Best actor nominee Bradley Cooper is excellent as Chris Kyle, a tough, taciturn man’s man who feels the call of duty after 9/11 and embarks on four eventful tours of duty through Iraq. The film is at its best in the combat zone, which Eastwood treats like the sprawling set of one of his own Westerns, complete with a spectral antagonist nicknamed The Butcher (Mido Hamada). On the homefront, where Kyle deals with PTSD and a spouse (a wasted Sienna Miller) increasingly agitated by her husband’s remoteness, Eastwood is on much shakier ground. And not just because of the conspicuous rubber baby (there’s your supporting actor winner!) Cooper has to hold in several scenes. [R] ★★1/2 Amour Fou (Dir. Jessica Hausner). Starring: Christian Friedel, Birte Schnoeink. The ill-
fated romance between the depressive German author Heinrich von Kleist and his terminally ill lover Henriette Vogel is a fascinating subject for dramatization, and the talented Austrian director Jessica Hausner (Lourdes) more than does the tale justice in her latest feature. With her painterly eye for décor and preference for eerily rock-steady compositions, Hausner makes the world of the Romantic Era German aristocracy feel horror-movie claustrophobic. At the center of it all are Heinrich and Henriette (the superb Christian Friedel and Birte Schnoeink), whose emotional and physical well-being plummets as their shared passion grows deeper. In this context, love is a malady that can only be cured by death, and it’s to Hausner’s credit that she keeps the characters’ downward spiral of a journey so consistently and so strangely alluring. [UR] ★★★★ Blackhat (Dir: Michael Mann). Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Viola Davis, Wei Tang. A great Asgardian warrior trades in his oversize hammer for a PC keyboard in Michael Mann’s terrific, sadly underappreciated cyberthriller.
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Chris “Thor” Hemsworth stars as Nick Hathaway, hacker extraordinaire, who’s serving a prison sentence for his virtual transgressions. He’s soon recruited to a covert government task force that’s out to stop a mysterious computer jock waging a global digital terrorism campaign—a stock market crash here, a nuclear power disaster there, with something much more destructive on the horizon. Hathaway falls hard for one of the team members, Chinese operative Chen Lien (Wei Tang), and runs afoul of the bi-national squad’s leader (Viola Davis). Yet the beauty of the movie isn’t in its plot mechanics (in Mann’s recent work, he’s shown an increased disinterest in straight-laced narrative drive) so much as its mesmeric visuals and rhythms. No Hollywood filmmaker is making as inspired a use of digital cameras as Mann, and few can touch him when it comes to making a movie that feels like a direct download from the id. [R] ★★★★1/2
Williams, Evan Bird. It has all the makings of a masterpiece—David Cronenberg taking on the excesses of Hollywood with his typically mordant eye. But Maps to the Stars is one of the great Canadian filmmaker’s rare misfires, done in by a script written by Bruce Wagner that is scattershot and simplistic. (The Harvey Weinstein skewering certainly would have landed better in the Shakespeare in Love era.) Cronenberg’s icy visual sense still captivates—a nice contrast to the land of sun and palm trees—and Julianne Moore certainly entertains as a queen bitch movie star whose career is careening downward. Unfortunately there’s a lot of pseudo-mystical persiflage involving a burn-victim personal assistant (Mia Wasikowska), a spoiled child actor (Evan Bird) and a head-up-their-own-asses married couple (John Cusack, Olivia Williams) that just doesn’t land, in large part because it seems birthed from the mind of a satirist about a decade behind the times. [R] ★★1/2 ■
Maps to the Stars (Dir: David Cronenberg). Starring: Julianne Moore, Mia Wasikowska, Robert Pattinson, John Cusack, Olivia
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
George Anastasia’s Rules of the (Mob) Game WITH GOTTI RULES: THE Story of John Alite, Junior Gotti, and the Demise of the American Mafia, Philadelphia author George Anastasia does what he’s done best since his time reporting on mob crime for the Philadelphia Inquirer: get to the heart, blood, marrow and guts of the matter bluntly, yet with the passion its subjects conjure. As he’s done with Philly’s menacing Scarfo family (Blood and Honor), The Last Gangster (NJ capo Robert Previte), even The Summer Wind (murdering Thomas Capano), Anastasia finds focus throughout Gotti Rules in a central Shakespearean character—the brutal
things due to staff reductions and lack of resources. What do you like about BigTrial.net outside of the immediacy? And writing with lawyers as sponsors? BigTrial offers the chance to be more subjective in writing a story. Both Ralph [Cipriano] and I try to present fair reports, but there’s the ability to roll your eyes and to be somewhat opinionated. I like that, and would never have that opportunity writing a straight news story. Jim Beasley [of the Besley Firm] has been great as a sponsor. He’s never edited anything I’ve written and has never tried to influence the coverage or the writing. It’s probably one of the best freelance gigs going.
I think what struck me as I got to know Alite was his attitude about life. He went on the run and genuinely enjoyed being in other countries and learning different languages, meeting different people. I don’t know too many mobsters that could have done that. Guys in Philly used to run to the shore or the Poconos to hide out.
Alite, John Gotti Jr.’s longtime pal and protector—and presents how one man savagely seeks revenge against others. Alite and Anastasia roll through John Gotti Sr.’s “Rules of Leadership” along with other rare FBI files with the vocal inflections of every wise guy and the eloquence of a Barrymore. Such deceits—the time Alite spent in Brazilian prison, the Gambino family’s attempts at killing Gotti Jr., the lies told by Gotti Jr.—give Anastasia’s book the weight of heavy precious metal. Now gone from the Inquirer and writing mostly for BigTrial.net, Anastasia has a dozen projects going at once, while never letting go the gauntlet of mob activity, from Manhattan to Miami. Do you miss your regular beat at the Inquirer? No, because my last couple of years there I was pulled off my coverage fairly regularly to cover other
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.
What about Joey Merlino as Floridian maître de and his current jail time: is he a for-real restauranteur? Is he being railroaded for talking to someone he shouldn’t have? Would you eat at his place? Joey Merlino is a restaurateur in much the same way he was a Passyunk Avenue cigar and coffee shop owner. No matter what he does, Joey will always just be Joey. And there’s a certain charm to that, even though it drives the feds crazy. He’s been jailed because he violated the terms of his probation. It was fairly straightforward. He knew he couldn’t be with Johnny Ciancaglini, but he was. The fact that he said he “forgot” to report it strains credulity. As for his restaurant, I’d eat there, absolutely. Early reviews are good. What’s going on with the mob documentary that you did with Tigre Hill? He said it was nearly finished last time I spoke with him, and that he was writing his Cecil B. Moore film. Tigre has been working on the project for a long time, but the only thing I’ve seen is the sizzle reel. If and when he has a completed documentary, I assume he’d let me take a look at it. He’s an artist and moves at his own pace and in his own way. I don’t think deadlines have much meaning for him. Your other big book this year—hopefully this year— is The Last Meal with Angelo Lutz. I’ve heard you say that mob guys like to talk because they’re looking to tweak the cops. Why does he like to talk? Angelo likes to talk the same way we all like to breathe. It’s part of his makeup. It has nothing to do with being, or having been, a mob associate. It’s just who he is. I once referred to him as a classic South Philadelphia raconteur. I think that still applies.
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What did Lutz talk to you about to get the ball rolling on favorite mob capos’ last suppers? And does this all translate into a working publishable thing? We hope to call the book a “culinary memoir” which will give Angelo a chance to talk about his life and the people he’s known and set that against historic hits in restaurants and the recipes for what the mobsters were eating when they were killed. There is no publisher or release date as yet. When does a guy, a story or a thing become worth a book in your eyes, say the tale of the Gottis from John Alite’s perspective? Alite was a major player in the Gotti underworld and then a key—although not an entirely successful one— witness for the government. He played on a big stage and he had a fascinating life. Those are the things that made his story book-worthy, I believe. You say Alite is fascinating, and that alone is enough for me—but just digging a little further, why? What really—beyond his “resume”—made him worth tucking into, as a man? Certainly, all of your books reveal/revel in the guts, meat and bones of who they are deep down. I think what struck me as I got to know Alite was his attitude about life. He went on the run and genuinely enjoyed being in other countries and learning different languages, meeting different people. I don’t know too many mobsters that could have done that. Guys in Philly used to run to the shore or the Poconos to hide out. Those places were the edges of their universe. Alite had
A. D. AMOROSI
a broader, more cosmopolitan view of life and I liked that. That gave his story a different dimension and I think it said a lot about him as a person. It’s part of the book’s lore, but how exactly did you and Alite come in contact with each other in the first place, and when/how did that eventually translate into a series of sessions—how many across how long of a time—for the purpose of a book? Alite contacted me. He knew of me from the time he spent in the Philadelphia-South Jersey area. He had had a book deal fall apart. It was a first-person proposal and with the Son of Sam Law it didn’t fly. We met over coffee at the Marlton Diner, hit it off and I agreed to put a pitch together, a third-person narrative with him as the primary source and the main character. Under the law, he has no financial interest in the book. He basically said he wanted his complete story told. We would meet weekly over the course of about eight months, always at the diner. The waitresses got to know us. We always sat in a back booth with John facing the door so he could see everyone who came in. Never had a problem. In between sessions there would be phone calls, emails, texts. He reviewed most chapters as they were being written. How much did you know about Alite—his time in Albania, his life in Brazilian prisons—before you hooked up? I knew about Alite’s role in New York and about the time he spent in this area. I didn’t know much about his life on the run or his time in the prisons in Brazil. I think those are fascinating parts of a backstory and help make the book more than just a typical wiseguy tome. At least I hope so. How does he compare as a storyteller and as an esteemed—or un-esteemed—figure within mob circles? As a storyteller, he was great. No bullshit. And he never tried to sugarcoat anything. Very self-effacing. He also had a good understanding of human nature and it was clear that he had thought for a long time about the things he wanted to say. I would say he, Ron Previte and Nick Caramandi were the three best at telling their stories. That being said, each had their own style. Caramandi never stopped being the con man that he was. Previte was resourceful and constantly shaking his head over the things he did, as if he still found some of it hard to believe. Like Alite, he was not bullshit and was self-effacing. In that sense, Alite was a little bit of a younger version of Big Ron. Both Alite and Previte have been vilified by their former mob associates. But as I wrote at the end of Gotti’s Rules, Alite knows who he is when he looks in the mirror and he’s okay with that. That’s a good test for everyone, no matter what their profession. My dad used to tell me, you gotta like
So do you think Gotti was a coward who never really got how being a mobster worked as the NY Daily News surmised? I think Gotti was not unlike the sons of other prominent individuals who inherit rather than earn a place in an institution. Some guys can make that work, others can’t. Gotti Jr., from Alite’s perspective, was form over substance.
who you see when you look in the mirror and you can’t bullshit that guy looking back at you. Did it matter to you that Alite wanted more than anything to exact revenge against Gotti Jr—just fuck him over— or was his information so compelling it had to be told? Alite started out hellbent on putting Junior in his place. By the end of the process he had mellowed and said he just wanted the story told in greater detail than news reports were able to provide during the trial. I think what I saw in his story was a chance to deconstruct the Gotti myth and the myth of the Mafia as some noble, honorable society. That’s what I tried to use Alite’s story to do. Some of his stories were just compelling, though, and I think they help make the book work. What did you think when you first spied the FBI document about Gotti Jr. trying to cooperate with the government? Was this a mob equivalent to the Holy Grail, second on to the Gotti Family Handbook of protocols? Is this the sort of gold you look for, the hard proof beyond the chatter? The Gotti proffer session had been written about by Jerry Capeci in 2006. I mention this in the book. But Junior, through his lawyer, was able to spin what really happened. No one had ever seen the full 302 memo. The 302 is what it is. Readers can draw their own conclusions. I don’t think you can read it and come away without believing that he was prepared to give some stuff up. That’s what cooperators do. The fact that a deal was never struck is immaterial. Maybe he changed his mind. Maybe the Feds thought he was too big a fish to cut a deal with. Or maybe the Feds, as Alite suspects, decided he wasn’t being totally honest. The point it, Gotti Jr. really has no right to call anyone a rat because he clearly tried to go there himself. I’m not trying to be macho about this. I don’t know what I would do in that situation. None of us knows how we’d react to the prospect of doing real jail time until we actually have to face that possibility.
Not like you never wrote about the NYC mob before, but has the Philly mob damn near exhausted itself of material? Hell, how close is NYC to that same fate? I don’t think there’s another book about the Philadelphia mob. It’s played out. New York, on the other hand, is the center of the universe in many ways. There are five families and several hundred mob members and associates, so there are more stories, more characters and ways to build a narrative. My favorite book of yours is The Summer Wind, thoroughly and completely different than most of your pack. Of the books you’ve written, which is your favorite and why? And what about another work not yours? Of the books I’ve done I think The Summer Wind is special. Maybe because it’s the only non-mob book. But I think it says a lot about the human condition and also about America at the end of the 20th century. I guess I started to enjoy reading when I was around 12. Read sports books and then James Bond and spy stuff and I especially liked the swashbuckler books. My favorite was probably Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini. I thought he was Italian but he’s actually British. Set against the backdrop of the French revolution, it pokes fun at pretense and authority. The book has what I think is the best opening line ever: “He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad.” I don’t know how much you wish to give away but do you know what topic or who you’ll tackle for a next book? I believe that you’re correct in regard to the Philly mob versus the NYC mob. I don’t know what the next book is. I’ve thought about doing something on the drug underworld using the Kaboni Savage and Ace Capone stories that I reported on while at The Inquirer. This would be a harder sell to publishers whose primary frame of reference is New York, but I think Savage and Capone say a lot about what all cities are going through and why. Just between us, you like writing about crime—ever do anything criminal? Nah. I’m just a sideline observer. ■
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About Life
JAMES P. DELPINO, MSS,MLSP,LCSW,BCD
Why Relationships End and What You Can Do About It: Part II
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WHEN THINGS ARE ON the rocks for a couple, the In the course of fixing a damaged relationship there will most essential first step is to try to rebond with one another. be the inevitable disagreements. These are to be expected Creating the connection again can start with some easy and it’s important for the couple to not let themselves be measures. Just looking into each other's eyes begins a series discouraged when this happens. Growth is not always a of chemical and emotional reactions that create and enstraight-line process—it can more resemble a process of two hance the conditions for reconnecting. Consider basic steps forward and one step back. When the fights and distouch, hugging and non-sexual massages to promote closeagreements arise, it’s most helpful to record them. This alness. Just these simple steps, especially if repeated twice or lows for the couple to play back a recording of their interacmore daily, can start to effect change. Try to remember that tions in conflict. It solves the old problem of who said what, small changes can make big differences over time. as well as when and how it was said. An interesting phenomThe essence of couplehood are those moments of ena occurs a good deal of the time when couples tape their shared delight. Try to create positive experiences together disagreements—they often take more care to communicate whether alone or with friends or family. For some couples, going to where they had their first date, best meal or favorite vacation remind them of the positive side of their history together. Planing an evening of romance, for those open to it, can also lead to rebonding. When times are heavy, a bit of comic relief can also be helpful. Consider watching favorite comedy movies together or even going to a comedy club. Some good laughs together help to dissolve tensions, stressors and anxiety. Making a mutual commitment to grow brings all sorts of advantages that favor reconnecting and rebonding. There are numerous ways to spark the growth process in each individual as well as in the couple. There are countless books available on the subject of relationship repair. One helpful method is to take turns reading the book aloud to each other. Another helpful method is to read the book separately and use different color highlighters to underscore parts that could be helpful A brokenhearted Humphrey Bogart in a scene from Casablanca. in promoting closeness and connection. Consider things like couples counseling or couples therapy as a path to closeness. There are couple's workshops, better, because they know they’re being taped. Either way, seminars and retreats which may be helpful to attend. Finddiscovering how they trigger each other into negative ing a common spiritual approach has also shown to be a words, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors—or they deepen successful way of transforming damaged couple dynamics. the level of the communication—the couple benefits. To be clear, recording a fight or disagreement involves putting the recorder in plain view so that both partners are aware the process is being recorded. Recording without mutual knowlJim Delpino is a psychotherapist in private practice for over 33 years. Email: jdelpino@aol.com Phone: (215) 364-0139. edge is sneaky and can disrupt the healing process by dam-
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aging trust. It’s also not legal to do so in many states. One of the very best tips for improving communication is to adopt the rule of saying two positive things for every negative utterance. This method stops endless and unrestricted negativity from prevailing. Equally as important is that it forces partners to identify those things which they really like or love in each other. An important tip for this process is to avoid using the word but. Consider these two following examples: You know I love you and most of the time you are nice to be with, but I don’t like it when you get angry with me; You know I love you and most of the time you’re nice to be with and I don't like it when you get angry with me. The word but serves to invalidate the two positives and puts emphasis on the negative part of the statement, whereas the word and joins the positives to the negative and helps to emphasize that there is more positive than negative. It’s more important to validate than to invalidate the value of the other person. Many people struggle with the feeling of needing to be right. This is a classic defense. The use of defenses does the opposite of generating bonding and closeness by misdirecting or pushing the other person away. To move ahead in a positive direction each partner should adopt the principle that it’s better to get along than to be right. Being right is a small prize compared to the price it may exact over time. When promoting harmony is the goal, the rightest right is that the couple is experiencing less conflict and tension and more closeness and joy. When there is less conflict and more harmony, a couple creates conditions to grow and move ahead in a deeper and more synchronous manner. While this last item may seem obvious, try not to use the words or expressions that can make another person feel hurt. When someone is hurt, the most common reaction is to become defensive. The face of defensiveness manifest as attacking, blaming, withdrawing, needing to be right, flooding with information, yelling or projecting. Witnessing or experiencing any of these common faces of defensiveness is a sure sign that a person is feeling hurt. ■
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Sally Friedman
The fantasy vs the Real Stuff SO HERE IT IS again, Valentine’s season. And here we are, presumably all wildly romantic lovers who have perfect lives and relationships, just like in those magazine ads. We’re all thin, fit and deliriously happy. Perhaps, in the spirit of the season, your lover will whisk you off to Paris, or send dozens of roses on a whim. Of course, something is wrong with this picture…and those of us in real, honest-to-goodness and tested relationships know it. The longer we’ve been in those relationships, the better we understand what it really takes to define love. And it’s not giddy whirls around a ballroom floor while you’re wearing something slinky and black, and he’s looking sensational in his tuxedo because he has those washboard abs. My own definition of love plays out very differently. It has to do with how veteran lovers understand that life is tough, even mean, and that it also can get tedious and scary. Those are the times when you need somebody to say “Everything’s going to be okay,” not necessarily because he really believes it, but because he knows it will somehow make you feel better. Love means putting up with the cold sores, the cold feet, the cold house that never seems to heat evenly, and the chill in the air when it’s trash day and nobody remembered to put those cans out.
If you’ve been with somebody long enough, and you’ve been lucky enough, you’ll understand that nobody gives you any guarantees, and that there will be rough sailing some of the time. Maybe even a lot of the time. Kids frustrate us, bosses anger us, neighbors are sometimes noisy, cars break down, appliances fail. There’s not always perfect harmony about why he keeps putting off the promised basement clean-up and why you still leave your sweater hanging over the arm of the kitchen chair in that way that drives him crazy. You unfortunately threw out the last bank statement thinking it was just an empty envelope. He accidentally broke your great-grandmother’s wine glass pulling it out of the dishwasher where it shouldn’t have been in the first place. The mood is not mellow. But this is the real stuff. The universals. So forget those couples you think you know well who seem as perfect as those in the magazine ads. Don’t believe it. When you’re not looking, they’re not always smiling either. They, too, worry about bills, the bad news from the plumber, the squabbles with family, and the huge one— health. They, too, have to do battle with insurance companies, car mechanics and the guy who lets his dog run loose on their lawn. They, too, have to sweat out the results of the high-tech medical tests that don’t necessarily bring good news.
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But if you’re very lucky in this world—if you’ve found a life companion who actually worries when it’s raining hard and you’re out on the road, or who understands when you’re in a funk, and tries to cheer you up, even if it’s with a corny joke you've heard too many times—count yourself among the very fortunate. There’s been grace in your life if you’ve had somebody to hold you close when you lost someone you loved, and couldn’t stop crying. As relentlessly as love makes demands, it also pays extraordinary dividends to those of us who refuse to give up on it. We even hang in there through the sentences that begin with the tender words, “For crying out loud!” Let me assure you that this Valentine's Day, my husband and I are not going to be in some chic club. Nor are we going to be off to some Caribbean island drinking pina coladas. More likely, we’ll be doing a two-step around the kitchen as he cuts the tomatoes for the salad and I pull the meatloaf out of the oven. Later, it’ll be Alex Trebeck, Jeopardy, and then dozing off surrounded by yesterday’s newspapers. But boy, does that sound terrific in a world in which what really counts is love. The steady, sheltering kind. The kind that endures and offers a safe haven. And in this Valentine’s season, I really hope you have that. ■
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The List : FEBRUARY 4 Philadelphia Phenomena If Philly had three improvisational musicians whose work went beyond the definition of jazz (as undefinable as that is), saxophonist/flautist/poet Elliott Levin, bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma and drummer Calvin Weston would be those guys. These cats have known each other forever and it shows. (Rotunda) 5 Corey Harris Imagine if critically-acclaimed new guitarist Gary Clark Jr. was humble, had never had been haunted by the ghost of Hendrix, and loved his acoustic guitar as much as he does his mother: he’d be rootsy blues man Corey Harris. (Twisted Tail)
around since the days of fronting The Gap Band. He’s no less gutsy, growly or rough hewn when it comes to funked-up R&B. (Boardwalk Hall)
12 Craig Ferguson The scatological, one-time stoner comic (and full time Scot) has gone from stand up to being David Letterman’s follow up to hosting a game show. What kind-of trajectory is that? (Merriam)
17 Ropeadope’s Fresh Cut Orchestra Three first-rate Philly jazz-bos - bassist Jason Fraticelli, trumpeter Josh Lawrence and drummer Anwar Marshall – sound off a mix of Latin, funk and Post-Bop from their debut album, From The Vine. (World Café Live)
12 Hoots and Hellmouth Philly’s most restless-
6 The Wonder Years These area hardcore ly rustic outfit embrace the holiday of l’amour once more. (Tin Angel) 13 Million Dollar Quartet For one night only, relive the real or imagined Sun Studio session with Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and the just-ascending king, Elvis Presley, while producer Sam Phillips looks on in amazement. (Zoellner Arts Center)
7 His Name is Alive For 25 years, this man and his ensemble have been the very soul of slow moving, gauzy, gothic 4 AD-label style effusion and enervation. Why stop now? (Johnny Brenda’s) 7 Red Baraat The most ethno of ethno-centric rock-jazz acts returns with new Baltic-inspired music. (Ardmore Music Hall) 8 Parquet Courts Spin magazine called Parquet Courts the “band of 2014.” You should listen to their oblong, lo-fi adventuresome pop (albums such as Nausea and Sunbathing Animal) and decide for yourself. (First Unitarian Church) 10 Marshall Allen The late Sun Ra’s longtime friend, music director and saxophonist cele-
A curated look at the month’s arts, entertainment, food and pop cultural events
brates his boss’ 100th birthday as well as his own 90th anniversary on planet Earth with frenetic avant-garde jazz that would make his pal proud. (The Fire)
6 Dave Attell The Comedy Underground with Dave Attell is a mean and musty place, and Attell is one of the most foul mouthed comedians around. Good. (Valley Forge Casino Resort Music Fair)
punk kids really have been wonderful for years now. (Union Transfer)
A. D. AMOROSI
13 Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings Nu-soul’s most powerful singer and a band worthy of James Brown hit Center City hard. (Merriam) 13 Marc Anthony Salsa music’s tiniest sex symbol embraces life after J-Lo and sings his Latin heart out. (Boardwalk Hall) 13 50 Cent Don’t feel bad if you don’t know what hip hop’s one-time street king has been up to since “In the Club.” Few of us do. (Electric Factory)
18 Chris Brown with Trey Songz Things could get downright violent with your under any sort of sheet with Chris Brown. Maybe creamy nu-soul singer Trey Songz could calm things down a bit. (Wells Fargo) 18-22 The Miss Firecracker Contest Beth Henley’s Southern Gothic comic theatrical about small town Mississippi’s most Star Spangled actress is still a favorite amongst actresses looking for a hot monologue. (Muhlenberg College)
22 Chris Robinson Brotherhood If you’ve been paying attention, this swaggering, onetime Black Crowes frontman has been throwing shade to the rest of his jam-rootsrocking Crowe brethren (including actual brother Rich Robinson) and commanding an over-abundance of the band’s continuing royalties and such. So much so, the younger Robinson claims that the Black Crowes is over. What will Chris do? Make music that sounds just like his old band, which is fine, I suppose. (TLA) 24 Ariel Pink On 2014’s Pom Pom, avant-pop’s most magnetic new singer/lyricist embraces a rich bold confidence in his work AND brings on the late Kim Fowley – Hollywood’s eeriest eccentric to help write songs, as if he needed aid being creepy. (Union Transfer) 25 Bettye Lavette You might now know rawknuckled R&B elder Lavette as you do
19 DRGN King If Philadelphia was looking for its own dance-y LCD Soundsystem, they’ve found it in DRGN King. (Johnny Brenda’s) 19-3/1 True West Sam Shepard’s diabolically funny play about disintegrating male values, wild brotherhood and Hollywood unfolds with the help of the Allentown Public Theatre Company. (Touchstone Theatre) 19-21 Disco Biscuits Ever since leaving the University of Pennsylvania, this jam band has been expanding their sonic palate to include varying shades of shadowy, danceable electronic music. Plus, they’re goofy as all-get-out. (Electric Factory) 20 St. James and The Apostles Young men from Philly making old music touching upon the blues, garage psychedelia, and sinewy organ jazz. (North Star Bar)
14 The Districts If you don’t know about Philly’s crankiest young rockers, this record release party for their debut major label album should offer a handsome lesson. (Union Transfer)
20 Helmet In the ‘90s, these guys were set to become post-rock’s iciest guitar gods. Where’d they disappear to? You ask them. (Boot & Saddle)
14 Charlie Wilson/Joe Uncle Charlie has been
21 Sturgill Simpson This young man is quickly
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becoming known for making adventurously atmospheric country music with stirring, literate lyrics. (TLA)
Aretha, Tina or Gladys. What’s wrong with you? (World Café Live) 27 Aesop Rock If you like your righteously told raps and haunted hip hop at odd angles, Aesop Rock is for you. (Union Transfer) 28 Sleater-Kinney Post-punk’s winsome, winning trio return from a decade-plus sabbatical and pick up where they left off. And no, don’t bother Carrie Brownstein with Portlandia jokes or your favorite routines. (Union Transfer) ■
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Singer / Songwriter
TOM WILK
★=SKIP IT; ★★=MEDIOCRE; ★★★=GOOD; ★★★★=EXCELLENT; ★★★★★=CLASSIC
Anne McCue ★★★★ Blue Sky Thinkin’ Flying Machine Records On Blue Sky Thinkin’, Anne McCue draws inspiration from performers and songwriters who thrived before the era of rock ‘n’ roll to create one of her strongest studio albums to date. McCue, who wrote or co-wrote 11 of the album’s songs, demonstrates a talent for songwriting that recalls the work of Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer.
Anne McCue
“Things You Left Out in the Rain” captures the end of a love affair, accentuated by a weeping horn arrangement featuring trombonist John Hinchey. “Spring Cleaning in the Wintertime” is a bluesy lament that spotlights McCue’s crisp guitar work. McCue is joined by Dave Alvin for a sparkling duet on “Devil in the Middle,” which evokes the spirit of Cab Calloway. Alvin’s low vocal register plays off nicely against McCue’s higher range. “Little White Cat,” which McCue says she wrote as a response to Howlin’ Wolf ’s “Ain’t Superstitious,” is as an effective blend of blues and rockabilly. “Save a Life,” which spotlights the double bass work of Dave Pomeroy, finds McCue paying tribute vocally to Peggy Lee. The optimistic title track finds McCue in an upbeat mood as she delivers a number that could have come from the Doris Day songbook. 12 songs, 39 minutes Gretchen Peters ★★★★ Blackbirds Scarlet Letter Records Gretchen Peters has written hits for Martina McBride (“In-
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dependence Day”) and Faith Hill (“The Secret of Life”), but the Nashville-based singer/songwriter may be the best performer of her own material. Blackbirds, her latest studio CD, reveals the depth of her songwriting abilities and her vocal skills. “When All You Got is a Hammer” is a gritty sketch of a veteran struggling to adopt to life on the home front and the collateral damage his family sustains. It’s a song that rings true in the aftermath of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. On the title track, Peters and co-writer Ben Glover craft a murder ballad with overtones of film noir enlivened by a mysterious guitar line that recalls classic Neil Young. Peters shows the diversity of her songwriting with the wistful “When You Comin’ Home,” a tale of a couple trying to reconnect that Peters performs as a duet with Jimmy LaFave. “The House on Auburn Street” is quiet reflection on her life growing up in Pelham, New York, and how the truth can lie beneath the surface. On the emotionally wrenching “Black Ribbons,” Peters sings of a fisherman burying his wife after losing everything in the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. It’s a riveting song that captures his pain and shows why Peters remains a first-rate storyteller who uses her characters to offer insights into modern life. 12 songs, 49 minutes Louise Goffin ★★★1/2 Appleonfire Majority of One Records As the daughter of Carole King and songwriter Gerry Goffin, Louise Goffin was a natural to enter the music business. Appleonfire, a title derived from the axiom that the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree, finds her paying tribute to her father who died last year; he co-wrote such hits as “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” and “Up on the Roof ” with her mother. “Take a Giant Step,” written by Goffin’s parents and released by the Monkees as the flip side of their first single, gets an overhaul. The tune is slowed down and becomes a sonic balm for a wounded heart as Goffin and Jakob Dylan perform it together. “I’m Not Rich, but I’m Not Poor,” which Goffin cowrote with her father, has the classic feel of the early ’70s singer/songwriter era that was defined by King’s Tapestry album. “Everything You Need” features Goffin’s gospel-styled piano to deliver an uplifting message of support. Singer/songwriter Joseph Arthur joins Goffin for a heartfelt duet on “If I’m Late,” a lesser-known King/Goffin track that their daughter uncovered. “Higher Than Low,” which Goffin wrote herself, is a slow, bluesy umber about the need to overcome hard times and emerge stronger as a result. “It’s Not the Spotlight” serves as a reminder to savor the important things in life. 6 songs, 26 minutes Jim White vs. The Packway Handle Band ★★★1/2 Take It Like A Man Yep Roc At first glance, Jim White vs. The Packway Handle Band sounds like a pair of adversaries squaring off on the field of athletic competition. After listening to Take It Like a Man, it’s evident they are collaborators, rather than competitors, in a fruitful creative venture. It’s a true collaboration as
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Keresman on Disc Awa Sangho ★★★★★ Ala Ta Motema From the West African nation of Mali comes Awa Sangho, who’s sung with a who’swho of contemporary African music: Salif Keita, Manu Dibango, and Habibe Koite, as well as American jazz pianist Marc Cary. She’s got a cream cheese-sumptuous, smooth, husky voice (think Nina Simone) and the musical accompaniment is ebullient and mostly acoustic—guitar, violin, kora (a lute-like stringed instrument), and assorted percussion. It’s modern African music that’s not been compromised by commercial concessions nor is it sternly purist. Ala Ta, her debut, manages to be lively and soothing simultaneously, her voice richly expressive with melisma (singing a syllable while moving through different notes, common in some Middle Eastern and North African music) for dramatic effect, but she never over uses it. Simply joyous and beautiful, proof of the (dare I say) spiritual power of music. (13 tracks, 49 min.) motema.com Richard Pinhas/Oren Ambarchi ★★★★ Tikkun Cuneiform Elliott Sharp/Melvin Gibbs/Lucas Niggli ★★★
Crossing the Waters Intakt Here are two sets in which improvisation rather than composition is the guiding force—though not improvisation in the jazz sense. Rather than taking a melody as a point of departure, these gents just have it and let the chips fall where they may. To some, either/both will sound chaotic, to others, full of unfettered inspiration. Guitarist Richard Pinhas is something of a legend in the French progressive rock scene, his slightly Robert Fripp-like guitar style a nexus for aggressive but cerebral rock aesthetics and the avantgarde. Tikkun (a Hebrew word meaning to fix or rectify) finds Pinhas interacting with avant/improv six-stringer Oren Ambarchi for intense waves/washes of drone-like sound and fury, evoking the Zen-like minimalism of iconic Krautrockers Neu (and offspring such as Stereolab) and the overdrive-rush of The Velvet Underground and descendents The Feelies and Spacemen 3. Melodies in any conventional sense? Not here, but if you want to imagine amphetamine-fueled relaxation or four-wheel drive Zen, this is the place. (four tracks, 111 minutes) cuneiformrecords.com
shemp@hotmail.com
MARK KERESMAN ★=SKIP IT; ★★=MEDIOCRE; ★★★=GOOD; ★★★★=EXCELLENT; ★★★★★=CLASSIC
combo playing a strip joint on the wrong side of town, 1950s R&B, and surf-rock. One might think Shapiro is a musical jokester slinging frivolous sounds—not even close. The musicianship is aces high—it’s just that Shapiro and company want to show you a good time…mixing assorted genres with Hebraic/Middle Eastern melodies and motifs for a swingin’ Passover seder that transcends all knowing. Ribot is his usual jagged, jolly self, playing riffs that could cut you if you got too close. If you need fun music driven by serious suss, this is it. (9 tracks, 49 min.) tzadik.com
Also a guitarist, Elliott Sharp is hard to categorize—he has a blues band, Terraplane; he’s composed classical/notated works for string quartets, rocks out occasionally, and engages in free improvisation. Crossing The Waters is the latter—with bassist Melvin Gibbs (Rollins Band, Harriet Tubman) and Swiss drummer Lucas Niggli, E# (as he is sometimes credited) engage his jamming not unlike Jimi Hendrix at his free-est. While “non-composed,” each brings an approach that imparts structure: Gibbs’ bass throbs passionately; Sharp sizzles (a searing use of sustain) with strong undertones of blues; and Niggli is all over the drum kit, crashing both delicately and stormily. While there are passages of water-treading, this lot pumps wired energy into the old g/b/d format—if Hendrix had lived (he was exploring jazz and was scheduled to record with Gil Evans’ Orchestra a week after the date of his death) he might’ve been making noises not unlike those heard here. (seven tracks, 56 min.) intaktrec.ch Hypercolor
Hypercolor ★★★★ Hypercolor Tzadik Tesla Manaf ★★★★ Tesla Manaf Moonjune Every now ‘n’ again a combo/disc comes along that flouts convention and category the way Bill Maher flouts, well, nearly everything. Hypercolor is a NYC-based trio: guitarist Eyal Maoz; bassist James Ilgenfritz, and drummer Lukas Ligeti—all hail from backgrounds in which genres such as jazz, rock, classical, folk and pop music from assorted nations, and freely improvised conflagrations are mixed, mis-matched, and creatively bent to suit themselves (and presumably the most eclectic of listeners). Israeli stringbender Maoz plays with with the facility of a jazz player and the snarl of a rocker (think of six-stringers like Nels Cline, Elliott Sharp, and yes, Jimi Hendrix); Ilgenfritz is lithe, pliant, and throbbing, and Ligeti is a force of nature, stormy and crackling yet supportive and punctuating. While Hypercolor the album doesn’t quite capture the oomph and abandon of the live performances, Hypercolor the band is essential listening for those craving thoughtful yet invigorating gtr/b/d-based noise—but make no mistake, this is not an amelodic assault. Hypercolor is tight, forceful, no extraneous notes, and plenty of focus on the final product (subtlety, yes; wank, no). (10 tracks, 50 min.) tzadik.com From the same neighborhood but a different block is Indonesian guitarist Tesla
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Manaf (acoustic & electric). With a style descended from such string-wizards as Django Reinhardt and Pat Metheny, Manaf takes the smoother aspects of post-1990 fusion and infuses then with the dry-as-a-martini cool mid/late-‘50s jazz (think Paul Desmond and especially Jimmy Giuffre), Indonesian folk sounds (the cyclic, metallic sounds of Balinese gamelan), the mellow earthiness of Kenny Burrell and the impishness of Frank Zappa. Truth be told, portions of this two-albums-on-one-CD set evokes (without imitating) the more playful, less sardonic side of Zappa’s jazz-oriented instrumental works. (When he wanted to, he composed some pretty melodies.) Manaf has a creative hand in a velvet glove approach to fusion jazz, recalling the chill eclecticism of Oregon and the genial melodiousness of Chick Corea… both fascinating and easy-on-the-ear. (14 tracks, 79 min.) moonjune.com Paul Shapiro ★★★★ Shofarot Verses Tzadik Saxophonist Paul Shapiro (tenor, alto, soprano) has whipped up a neo-classic hunk of sax du noir. Shapiro plays with a big, robust tone recalling blues and jazz sax-demigods Houston Person, David “Fathead” Newman, and King Curtis (with a touch of Coltrane here ‘n’ there). Accompanied by bass, drums, and guitar (the great super-eclectic Marc Ribot), Shapiro evokes mystery movie by (Henry) Marcini soundtracks, a nightclub
Bud Powell ★★★★ Live at the Blue Note Café Paris 1961 ESP-Disk Tony Scott ★★★★1/2 Lost Tapes: Germany 1957 Asia 1962 Jazzhaus Calling all jazz-heads and bop addicts: Here are two gifts that keep on giving—a collection of some of the real (as in literally) gone daddies of the art of jazz, heard in live and hitherto unreleased live contexts: Bud Powell, who in the development of bebop was arguably to the piano what Charlie Parker was to the saxophone, and Tony Scott, one of the few to play bebop on clarinet and went on to be a pioneer in what today is known as world music (or world fusion, a comingling of jazz and ethnic sounds). Live captures Powell at the twilight of his career but he’s in fine form here. He swings like nobody’s business and as two extra added attractions, the drummer is fellow bop innovator Kenny Clarke (one of the few drummers to dislike long drum solos, btw) and tenor sax ace Zoot Sims, one of the greatest acolytes of Lester Young (silky-smooth yet with punch) to ever pick up a horn. The program is all familiar standards, but they’re performed with plenty of spunk and succinctness. (11 tracks, 69 min.) espdisk.com Perhaps the clarinet was seen as a relic of the Swing era—few modernist seem to have embraced it. But if you’ve never heard the blues on clarinet, you must hear how Scott navigates the standards “Moonlight in Vermont” and “The Man I Love”—his bluesy ballad playing should be taught in schools, in regard to saying a lot with the least amount of notes. But he can and does wail like a mofo a la Charlie Parker on “Lover Come Back to Me.” Scott is accompanied by European cats unknown to this writer but credit themselves admirably. No exotica here, but some swell swingin’ sounds by a fellow that deserves to be heard by new generations. (11 tracks, 69 min.) arthaus-musik.com/jazzhaus ■
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Jazz Library
Art Blakey ART BLAKEY WAS TO the small band what Duke Ellington was to the big band, meaning that over the years Blakey’s small groups—like Ellington’s big bands—produced a great number of jazz artists, many of whom became jazz legends. On the flip side is the fact that many of Ellington’s sidemen remained in his band for decades. Blakey, however, was like a mother bird in that when he thought a band member had been around long enough, he would let them know it was time to leave the nest and fly on their own. He remarked to an audience one night long ago, “I’m gonna stay with the youngsters, but when these get too old, I’ll get some other ones…” 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.
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BOB PERKINS
Running down the list of Blakey’s Jazz Messenger alums is an eye-popper. Even those who believe they’re aware of the stream of Blakey sidemen admit, when taking a second look, they’d forgotten to include more than a few of the jazz greats and near-greats who helped shape the band and make it one of the best in the annals of modern jazz. Blakey was behind it all, literally. It was he who propelled the band by operating with great power and authority from his perch behind the drum-kit. Saxophonist Benny Golson, who wrote several jazz standards while with the Messengers, mentioned to me that Blakey warned him that on up-tempo material, to get out of the way when he finished a sax solo, because he’d be right behind him with a strong statement on the drums—a suggestion Golson said he soon came to obey, after being figuratively run over time and again by Blakey’s muscular drum signatures. When in action, Blakey was one of the most photogenic of all jazz artists, pictured almost always with mouth agape, revealing his signature overbite which came to be as strongly related to his identity as the upturned trumpet was to Dizzy Gillespie, and the pork-pie hat to Lester Young. Art Blakey was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and began piano lessons at an early age; by his midteens he was leading a band. While playing a long engagement at a club in his native city which was run by a pretty tough man who packed a gun, Blakey was ordered to stop playing piano because there was a new kid the owner wanted to try out. The new kid was Errol Garner. Blakey was ordered to switch to the drums—and the rest, as the saying goes, is history. Following stints in the bands of Mary Lou Williams, Fletcher Henderson, and Billy Eckstine, Blakey went on to a stellar career as a drummer/bandleader and discoverer and nurturer of talent. As leader of the Jazz Messengers, his Philadelphia hires alone were astounding: Pianists Sam Dockery and Bobby Timmons; bassists Spanky De Brest, Charles Fambrough, Reggie Workman, Wilber Ware, and Jymie Merritt; horn men Lee Morgan, Benny Golson and Robin Eubanks. Blakey also acquired the likes of Wynton Marsalis, Keith Jarrett, Clifford Brown and, over time, a corps of other youngsters—some of them becoming more renowned than their boss. The Blakey philosophy was “Music is a talent, but it’s a loan, just for a little while in life. Nature takes its course and the talent will be removed from you and handed over to someone else. The talent belongs to the people, and if you don’t play, and just go for the money, you’re going to lose your talent.” Blakey led the Jazz Messengers from the mid-1950s until his death in 1990 at age 71. Before departing, he presided over one of the finest, busiest, and most popular small groups in the history of modern jazz; his evolving small bands produced a huge discography. One of my Jazz Messenger CD favorites is Moanin’, borrowed from the title of the Bobby Timmons jazz standard. The selection is included in the disc and at the piano is its author. ■
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Nick’’s Picks Aaron Goldberg ★★★★1/2 The Now Sunnyside Pianist Aaron Goldberg is a consistently nuanced player who can find a vein of swing in nearly every composition he plays, which gives his trio recording, The Now, a leg up on the competition. A tremendous improviser, Goldberg has crafted an accessible album of songs with smooth curves and sharp corners.
The album demonstrates Goldberg’s heady romanticism, culled from his favorite Brazilian love songs, along with wonderfully obscure jazz tracks by Charlie Parker and Warne Marsh and his own compelling, introspective originals. His extraordinary collaborators for the past sixteen years, bassist Rueben Rogers and drummer/percussionist Eric Harland, are exquisitely tuned to the pianist’s range and depth of feeling. The trio leads with “Trocando Em Miudos,” a heartfelt tune by Chico Buarque (a much beloved Brazilian poet, lyricist and singer) with a lush, bittersweet melody that’s high-
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.
NICK BEWSEY
lighted by Harland’s subtle plays on the snare. The fast turns that outline the Parker tune (“Perhaps”) is a dazzler, where Goldberg plays the theme slightly faster with one hand and slower with the other, the trio underscoring its meter with deft improvisation. Tunes by Djavan and Toninho Horta keep the band in the southern hemisphere with modern, earthy arrangements. Like a gust of wind, Goldberg fits more notes into the speedball tempo of “Background Music,” the most energetic track off The Now. It’s the odd tune out and not indicative of the recording, but it stands out as a thrilling high-wire act combining technical fireworks with a giddy display of Goldberg’s virtuosity. A reunion takes place on “One Life,” the closer and a highly personal Goldberg original where guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel sits in. Goldberg was Rosenwinkel’s former pianist (The Remedy: Live at the Village Vanguard), and the trio’s interplay, paired with the guitarist’s ethereal playing, gives the track a futuristic patina that unfolds like a dreamlike story. (10 tracks; 53 minutes) Red Garland Trio ★★★★★ Swingin’ on the Korner: Live at Keystone Korner Elemental Pianist Red Garland was an integral member of the Miles Davis Quintet and a key collaborator with John Coltrane and Coleman Hawkins, at a time when those leaders were swelling in popularity during the late 50s and early 60s. A player in the hard bop style, Garland also led his own bands mostly for the Prestige and Galaxy labels until he passed away in 1983, with many of his recordings still available. He was a master of swing and lyricism, and his solos and records remain as influential as ever with today’s up and coming jazz musicians. Yet, curiously, Garland’s fame and status as a top-tier pianist was never as fully appreciated as peers like Nat Cole or Ahmad Jamal—both stylistic contemporaries back in the day. Swingin’ on the Korner is one of those jazz time machine discoveries, a previously unreleased live date from December 1977, recorded at the Keystone Korner club in San Francisco. It’s a two-CD release (or as a three-LP audiophile vinyl package) with the renowned drummer Philly Joe Jones and bassist Leroy Vinnegar that has been remastered and near magically brought back to listenable form from the club’s original soundboard tapes – cassette tapes, if you can believe that. It’s a generous package with cool photography, copious liner notes and insightful interviews and essays from Nat Hentoff, Ira Gitler, Kenny Washington and others in a well-produced 44-page included booklet. However, the music is where it’s at. This was at a time when Tin Pan Alley tunes, Broadway stuff, “On Green Dolphin Street,” “Autumn Leaves,” and songs by Cole Porter (“Love For Sale”) are shuffled freely within the set list with jazz standards by Monk (“Straight No Chaser”) and Milt Jackson (“Bags’ Groove”). This music is what people wanted to hear back then and what guys like Garland played so well; the inclusion of “Billy Boy (which Garland practically owned) is a highlight. The time of year gives Garland permission to add his take on Mel Torme’s “The Christmas Song,” but the flow is tight so you’ll be thinking jazz instead
of snowflakes. It’s easy to hear that Garland and his trio are intimately connected to the material, playing with rhythmic swing and smooth harmonics against hard beats and sweet melodies. It’s been over 30 years since he passed away. A monster release like Swingin on the Korner serves to give him the props he fully deserves—and makes a perfect starting point to meet Red Garland. (Disc One, 8 tracks; 59 minutes The Michael Blum Quartet ★★★★ Initiation self-produced The up-and-coming Michael Blum makes an impressive and vital debut with Initiation, and a persuasive case for straight-ahead guitar jazz. Forgetting for a moment that this precocious 20-year-old New Hampshire native has forged an accessible modern sound with a rooted connection to jazz masters like Kenny Burrell, Barney Kessel and early George
Benson, Blum embraces an intimacy with his material and dispatches a thoughtful set list with the surprising sureness of a more experienced musician. With chops and good taste, the guitarist delivers a buttery version of “Stella By Starlight” and a bluesy, soulful read of Thad Jones’ lovely ballad “A Child Is Born,” two standards that his quartet refreshes through sparkling arrangements tailor-made for Blum’s clean, round tone. That comfortable sound is a Gibson L-5 Studio guitar, Blum’s axe of choice and the classic instrument played by his musical heroes. Credit producer, bassist and Blum’s teacher, Jim Stinnett for sustaining a warm vibe that gives the band, including pianist Brad Smith and drummer Dom Moio plenty of opportunity to cook and swing on a diverse set of tunes (highlighted by the record’s best track, “Castle Rock”). Enthusiastically recommended, this first album by the melodically gifted Blum will leave you swooning. (Amazon, iTunes) (10 tracks; 64 minutes)/Disc Two, 8 tracks; 71 minutes) ■
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Dining
ROBERT GORDON
r.gordon33@verizon.net
the twisted tail TAKE A PERSONABLE BRIT’S passion for bourbon and the blues, blend some Bourbon Street insouciance with British pub vivacity, then add a talented, young NYC chef—and you have The Twisted Tail, a pub in Head House Square ready-made to warm Philly’s winter-bitten soul. The Twisted Tail’s owner, British import George Reilly, always dug the blues. That’s why elbow-benders at the bar and diners alike savor fine Philly musical performers every night except Monday. National acts entertain as well. And on Sundays, you can bring your own axe and mount the stage yourself during the 5 to 9 blues jam. As for city Bourbon fanciers, there’s a Bourbon Club designed to explore the elixir’s nuanced charms. But what keeps notching up The Twisted Tail’s reputation is, not surprisingly, its food. The Twisted Tail’s fare is bona fide cuisine. It’s a pub where you can dine—a phenomenon that’s quietly taking over the city. Many pubs and taverns are no longer mere watering holes where slinging out bar noshes plays second fiddle to selling suds. Maurice Chevalier once said, “I never eat when I can dine.” The Twisted Tail and some other pubs now allow Philly foodies to partake nightly at such pubs without needing to take out a second mortgage to dine at our town’s more pricy, ballyhooed tables. Chef Leo Forneas, a CIA grad, tends The Twisted Tail’s menu. Leo is the former executive chef at Sampan. Leo’s CV also includes stints in NYC at Stephen Starr’s Buddakan and Aquavit. Addressing the owner’s fancy, Leo has researched and perfected a number of down home, southern dishes, cobbling together an affordable, coherent charcoal grill-based menu that’s supplemented with classy upgrades. The menu categories suggest an eclectic cuisine: Charcoal Grill, Appetizers, Entrées, To Share, Domestic Artisanal Cheese, and Aged Country Hams. Good stuff all, yet I’m most impressed at the down home, Dixie-inspired treats like corn bread—buttery, crumbly with a honey-glazed top. In fact, their corn bread just might be Philly’s finest. Southern fried chicken is clad with spunky rosemary-honey glaze. Poking out of a Twisted Tail paper bag, the chicken vies for space with large-cut sweet potato fries. Another entrée, Florida Shrimp bolstered with local grits from Doylestown’s Castle Valley Mill, is fine comfort food. There are a number of other choices in addition to the southern dishes. Chicken Liver Mousse, served with jiggling aspic, cornichons and Concord grapes would please Gallic bec fins and Burrata Salad demonstrates how much the fare exceeds standard pub food. A disc of pumpkin with a large concentric circle carved out is poised on its side and filled with a huge white raft of Mizuna. The presentation of Braised Short Ribs is spectacular: Shoring up a bed of Brussels sprouts, a streak of coconut/squash matches the color of the egg yolk poised over the tender slab of meat. The Harvest Veggie Burger is a treat. Grilled flatbread folds over diced yellow squash, zucchini and caramelized onions that are cocooned in wafers of eggplant. The ensemble is grilled and topped with a creamy gingered goat cheese and mizuna. Other dishes with similar swagger are Smoked Duck Hearts, Chorizo Sausage Taco, Lab Meatballs, Wagyu Beef Tartare, and Yellow Tail Ceviche. With apologies to the Big Easy’s celebrated Café du Monde (where my wife and I have greeted more than a few dawns), The Twisted Tail’s beignets have the most soul. Five sugar-coated spheres stuff a fancy paper bag sided with a bowl of lush caramel dipping sauce. But I can forego such menu temptations. I’m happy to munch on some of the dozen-and-a-half domestic artisanal cheeses or dive into Crawfish Mac ‘n Cheese while sipping some bourbon and listening to some kick-ass blues. They say there ain’t no cure for the summertime blues. But for chasing Philly’s wintertime blues, the Twisted Tail does the trick. ■ The Twisted Tail, 509 So. 2nd St., Philadelphia. (215) 558-2471 thetwistedtail.com
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Dining
ROBERT GORDON
r.gordon33@verizon.net
VECCHIA OSTERIA THERE’S A REASON VECCHIA Osteria ranks #1 on Yelp’s listing of restaurants in the Newtown area. Credit “Italian soul”—bona fide “Italian soul”—Billy Joel’s “bottle of red, bottle of white”-Italian soul. Newtown loves scenes from this Italian restaurant. Archetypal red-and-white checkered cloths brighten the tables. The welcome is as warm as a Tuscan summer breeze. Make that breeze Neapolitan. Naples was the birthplace of Paquale Salino, chef-owner of Vecchia Osteria with his wife Anna. The friendly ambiance and love of food that abides in this eatery recalls scenes from my own youth. I used to love visiting the homes of my Italian schoolmates. I swooned over the aromas wafting from the bottomless pot of “gravy” (or as we Irish kids called it, “sauce”) simmering on the oven. It was impossible to exit the house without Mrs. Celli or Mrs. Lagomarsino offering some pasta or a pizzelle. Hungry or not, they were offers I couldn’t refuse. Vecchia Osteria’s décor beams innocent warmth. Paintings and photos scuffle for space on the mustard-colored walls and the ceilings. Unframed canvases hover overhead along with a wine-bottle chandelier. The ambiance admirably captures the sights, sounds, and smells—the feel of homey osterias my wife and I love so much in Italy. As Pasquale points out, Vecchia Osteria’s recipes trace back to the Old World. The emphasis at this Newtown BYOB is on tradition. In terms of cuisine, fancy and fanciful give way to fresh and bountiful. Wholesome recipes are fussed over to ensure that whatever gets delivered to your table pleases each individual palate. The classic menu lists: Antipasti, Insalate, Pasta, Pollo, Pesce, and Zuppa. The antipasti selections include familiar appelations like the Caprese with tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, basil and kalamata olives and Rustico Napoletano where Parmesan, reggiano, sharp provolone, and ricotta team with prosciutto, soppressata and olives in a bed of arugula. The Vecchia Osteria formula for Long Hot Peppers rivals Bacco’s in North Wales, which is the gold standard for the dish in Montgomery and Bucks County. Fried, stuffed zucchini flowers with Parmesan shavings are hearty but a bit heavily clad to let the full taste and texture of the delicate zucchini flowers ring in full measure. Do try Pasquale’s Salad—a savory mixture of marinated yellow fin tuna, red onions, green olives, cherry peppers, and cherry tomatoes atop mixed greens splashed in virgin olive oil and vinegar. Pastas are buoyantly tasty. Spaghetti con Clams brims with clams along with tasty mussels. You have a choice of red or white sauce. I prefer the red where the rich, thick sauce is bolstered with pieces of fresh crab. Salmon and Tilapia, always on the menu, are supplemented by daily market specials like whole branzino, which I enjoyed on a latesummer visit. The glistening white meat lit up each savory forkful. Drizzled with fresh lemon, the tilapia was prepared with housemade aioli, and paired with kale providing a textural and taste counterbalance to the sweetness of the branzino. The warmth of Vecchia Osteria with the unpretentious dazzle of its wall and ceiling coverings and cheerful service makes for a winning dining experience. Alfresco dining in warm weather heightens the experience. An old tree towers upward in the center of the courtyard. Lanterns and twinkling lights lend a mood both serene and festive. Pork shank cacciatore over parpadella Vecchia Osteria is a labor of love for the entire Palino family. You’ll find Pasquale’s wife, son, and daughter as warm and accommodating as Pasquale. And the family Palino would be hurt if I didn’t include the rest of their family: the guests at Vecchia Osteria. As the Palinos say: “We bring that from Italy. When you come in the door, you’re family.” ■ Vecchia Osteria, 20 Richboro Road, Newtown, PA (215) 860-7774 38 ■ I C O N ■ F E B R 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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12 / AMERICAN SNIPER
has a job lined up without any awareness of the reality ahead. The idealism ends when Kyle’s first kills are a mother and her son smuggling an explosive device, which gives him instant respect that rapidly festers. Eastwood and writer Jason Hall increase Kyle’s misery bit by excruciating bit. We hardly see it coming. In sniper training, Kyle and the other cadets are told that squeezing the trigger should be as natural as breathing. And that ease—Kyle is a natural with a rifle; his crew calls him “Legend”—comes with a twisted perception. The tours pass. Life goes on at home—marriage, kids, the usual responsibilities—but for Kyle the depths of hell is home. He knows who he is: a savior, the sheepdog his father urged him to be. It’s all glory, no reflection. Back home—or our version of it—Kyle gets jumpy at the sound of drills and construction noises. He watches footage of his rival sniper (a legendary contract man name Mustafa) instead of celebrating Christmas with his wife and newborn son. A trip to the mall is deemed worthless with a war going on. There’s a great scene when Taya and Chris drive home, and we see a white van approach from behind. We sense Chris summoning wartime instincts, and feel the disappointed relief when the van passes on the left. Kyle is only in control in an uncontrollable environment. Is he really? Eastwood doesn’t give us a clear picture of what Kyle battles in Iraq. We see snippets of Mustafa jumping between rooftops and hastily leaving his apartment. But he’s barely identifiable, so we can’t consider him a real foe. Forget about camaraderie. In Kyle’s four tours, his friends come—and many go in flag-draped caskets. Perspective changes. The enemies change. (During his last tour, Kyle identifies the target as Mustafa. Call him whatever you want, the commanding officer replies.) War does not support the personal. We hope Kyle realizes that before he comes home in a box, and that is thanks to Cooper. He doesn’t isolate us with his anguish. The focal point of his jagged, crackling (and Oscar-nominated) performance here is his stare, especially when he’s in the suburbs. His blue eyes are pried wide open beholding a future of normalcy he cannot comprehend. He embodies the two sides of Kyle that Eastwood and Hall express. One is emboldened by purpose. The other barely exists. Cooper portrays both sides with a scary fluency. Miller, the erstwhile model, gives an equally powerful performance. It’s sturdy and compassionate and possesses not a hint of glamour. Her work is a perfect complement to Cooper’s intense brooding. He’s pushing away. She’s pulling in. “Get back to us,” she begs him. This is a jumping off point for the actress, who convincingly went blue-collar in Foxcatcher. American Sniper gives her a bigger forum, and she takes full advantage of it. Both actors turn American Sniper into a personal story, and Hall’s screenplay is a constant asset. The movie versions of Chris and Taya sound like people, both trying to find their place in worlds neither understand. “There’s a stranger in my bedroom,” Taya coos to Chris his first night back from his first tour. How Eastwood, Hall, (another nominee) and his leads show the meaning behind those words makes American Sniper Oscar-worthy—for all the right reasons. [R] ■
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30 / SINGER / SONGWRITER
singer/songwriter White and the bluegrass-rooted Packway Handle Band alternate songs on the album. White’s “Smack Dab in the Middle of a Tornado” starts off slowly but grows in intensity to become a whirlwind of sounds. “Not a Song,” penned by Packway mandolinist Michael Paynter, matches a swinging, upbeat melody with a downcast lyric that makes for an effective contrast. White’s “Jim 3:16” offers his nontraditional views on spirituality. “A bar is just a church where they serve beer,” he sings. A barstool serves as a pew and pretzels are communion. White puts a bluegrass spin on “Wordmule Revisited,” a song from his first solo album that enjoyed a new wave of interest after being featured on the TV series Breaking Bad. “Sorrows Shine” marks a return to the traditional bluegrass sounds and reveals White’s serious side. Take It Like A Man should leave fans of White and the Packway Handle Band waiting for a sequel. 11 songs, 37 minutes Don Heffington ★★★ Gloryland self-released Don Heffington has an impressive resume as a longtime drummer. He was a founding member of Lone Justice and has kept time for a wide range of musicians, including Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, and Rickie Lee Jones. Heffington goes from sideman to front man with some unexpected results on Gloryland, focusing more on soundscapes than traditional songs. “Flying Over Falstaff ” starts off the album with a recitation of Dylanesque lyrics over distorted guitar. Heffington and multi-instrumentalist David Vaught create a catchy sonic mix with tuba and guitar on “Generator.” On “That’s Hollywood,” Heffington offers a look at the seamier side of the film/television capital. “You can laugh at fate but you dare not taunt it,” he advises. It’s a line that could have come out of a Raymond Chandler story. Heffington relishes the freedom of being a solo artist and experimenting with sound. “Time to Drink Whisky” has the feel of a film soundtrack while the synthesizer blips of “Ave. C” echo Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The hardboiled “Crablice and Quaaludes” is probably the closest to a traditional song. “Put a Kiss and a Tear in Yr. Letter” teams Heffington’s music with a poem by Allen Ginsberg, one of his poetic influences. Heffington has acknowledged Gloryland “is an unconventional and somewhat abstract recording which you will either love or hate.” It’s designed for listeners willing to take a chance. 10 songs 34 minutes ■ 40 ■ I C O N ■ F E B R 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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10 / THE ARTIST’S GARDEN
renaissance. By contrast, the impressionists had to paint quickly because changes in light and atmosphere transformed their perceptions of the colors they saw when they were initially attracted to a given scene. This resulted in a whole new type of image on the surface of their paintings. Currently, art devotees in the Delaware Valley will surely be pleased to learn an exhibition titled The Artist’s Garden: American Impressionism and The Garden Movement will soon be on view in center city Philadelphia at the Museum of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. It is scheduled to remain in place from February 13 to May 24, 2015. Among the notable American impressionist painters represented in the installation, there are: William Merritt Chase, Daniel Garber, Childe Hassam, and John H. Twachtman. The exhibition also offers various items that help explain the growth of gardening as a popular middle-class leisure pursuit at the turn of the 20th century. An especially interesting artwork, the painting, Promenade by Maurice Prendergast, is a handsome two by three foot canvas, picturing a group of figures, situated in a wooded park-like setting. The light and range of color variations treated in the composition add up to a sweeping vista of chromatic splendor and balanced order. Meadow Flowers (Golden Rod and Wild Aster,) is a masterful arrangement of brilliant sunlight illuminating an expansive spread of pale blooms, all rendered in brushstrokes that are alive with fluid grace and a lively sense of rhythm. The painting, by John Twachtman, is on loan from the Brooklyn Museum in New York City. By contrast, the exhibition also features several pictures by the artist that are stark snow scapes, frigid with winter coolness. One of them, a gift to the Museum from the late Vivian and Meyer Potamkin, is an especially notable piece of work. Ironically, Twachtman’s lack of considerable success in the marketplace, contributed to his artistic independence and esthetic integrity. Phlox, by Hugh Breckenridge was done in pastel chalk, unlike oil paints, the preferred medium for most of the selections on display. Its shimmering presence is a magnificent symphony in sight rather than sound. The intense interplay of pink, blue, green and white work to marvelous advantage as an arrangement of harmonious notes that never become tiresome and are very elegantly balanced, like figures in a ballet performance. Childe Hassam was a major personality in the evolution of American impressionism though his only really significant contact with the original French movement took place when he had occasion to take over Renoir’s former studio and found several oil sketches, left over by the former owner. Hassam’s painting, titled In the Garden, included in the show set up in Philadelphia, offers a figure of a woman in a white dress, surrounded by a stunning group of flowering plants in her garden. It is on loan from the Smithsonian Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C. America’s most talented impressionist, Mary Cassatt, was born in Pennsylvania, but lived most of her mature professional life in France. Edgar Degas invited her to show with the original impressionists and while living in France, she was represented commercially by their devoted dealer, Paul Durand-Ruel. In the exhibition currently on view at the Museum of the Academy, her original, multicolor graphic print, titled Gathering Fruit, is on display. A composition of several figures at work in an outdoors scene, it is on loan from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The bold design of Japanese woodblock prints, popular in France during the late 19th century, was a source of considerable influence on the evolution of Cassatt’s creative vision, especially in the area of original printmaking. Surely, the ultimate value of the overall installation is the realization that the language of impressionism aids spectators in seeking art experience supported by optical authenticity, natural enchantment and aesthetic insights rich with a wide variety of profoundly significant meaning. Besides the artworks in two dimensions, the show also offers interesting pieces of sculpture, stained glass and printed items concerned with the practice of gardening by horticultural hobbyists. After the show closes at the Museum of the Academy of the Fine Arts, it is scheduled to also be seen at the following venues: The Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, Virginia, The Reynolda House Museum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and The Huntington Library, Art Collection and Botanical Gardens of San Marino, California. ■
Agenda ART EXHIBITS THRU 2/8 Starstruck: The Fine Art of Photography. Michener Art Museum, 138 S. Pine St., Doylestown. 215-3409800. michenerartmuseum.org THRU 2/22 Anthony Viscardi: Prints of Darkness. Shadow Cast Impressions. Viscardi seeks to liberate architecture from the practical constraints of building through exploring the phenomenon of shadow. Williams Center Gallery, Lafayette College Art Galleries, 317 Hamilton St., Easton, PA. 610-330-5361. http://galleries.lafayette.edu, artgallery@lafayette.edu THRU 2/28 Little Dreams, by Trish Ramsay. Ramsay’s latest work explores the push and pull of figural, spatial and relational states of being. Paperboat and Bird Art Shoppe, 21 Risler St. (Rte. 29), Stockton, NJ. 609397-2121. Paperboatandbird.com THRU 2/28 Holly Trostle Brigham: Seven. Philadelphia based, Brigham is a figurative painter who creates mythical allegories of contemporary and historical subjects, portraying women as strong, self-possessed, and even godly. Grossman Gallery, Lafayette College Art Galleries, 243 North Third St., Easton, PA. 610330-5361. galleries.lafayette.edu THRU 3/1 Wintertime Exhibit. The Quiet Life Gallery, 17 So. Main St., Lambertville, NJ. 609-397-0880. Quietlifegallery.com THRU 4/12 Interventions in Printmaking: Three Generations of AfricanAmerican Women. Artists from the US and African diaspora who have brokered new approaches to printmaking while addressing issues of identity and politics. Allentown Art Museum, 31 N. Fifth St., Allentown. AllentownArtMuseum.org 2/19-3/19 Don Ahn, the private collection. Dongkuk Ahn was a South Korean artist whose work currently hangs in the Museum Of Modern Art, NYC. Freedom Art & Music, 29 Race St., Frenchtown, NJ. 908872-2272. freedomartandmusic.com DANCE 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. 484-6643333. Muhlenberg.edu/theatredance
event parking. 610-758-2787. Zoellnerartscenter.org
3/13-3/15 Dance Ensemble Concert. Act 1 Performing Arts, Labuda Center for the Performing Arts. DeSales University, 2755 Station Ave., Center Valley, PA. 610-282-3192. Desales.edu/act1
3/21 Rossini’s La Donna Del Lago, Met Opera, Live On Screen. Miller Symphony Hall, 23 N. 6th St., Allentown. 610-432-6715. MillerSymphonyHall.org
3/14 & 3/15 Tangos & Dances, with a sizzling tango performance by Meredith Klein and Andres Amarilla. Sat., 8 PM, Sun., 3 PM. Allentown Symphony Orchestra, Diane Wittry, Music Director. Miller Symphony Hall, 23 N. 6th St., Allentown. 610432-6715. MillerSymphonyHall.org THEATER 2/18-2/22 The Miss Firecracker Contest. Small town southern comedy by Beth Henley, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Crimes of the Heart. Directed by Francine Roussel. Muhlenberg College of Theatre & Dance, 2400 Chew St., Allentown. 484-664-3333. Muhlenberg.edu/theatredance
2/21 Tchaikovsky’s Lolanta, Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle. Met Opera, Live On Screen, Miller Symphony Hall, 23 N. 6th St., Allentown. 610432-6715. MillerSymphonyHall.org
3/22 Rumpelstiltskin, Live Musical Theatre. Miller Symphony Hall, 23 N. 6th St., Allentown, PA. 610-4326715. MillerSymphonyHall.org
2/27 Red Hot Chilli Pipers. It’s Bagpipes. It’s Rock. It’s Bagrock! Special guest Liberty HS Grenadiers. 7:30 P.M., State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton, PA. 610252-3132. Statetheatre.org 3/5 An evening with Jesse Cook, One of the best rumba-flamenco players in the world. 8 PM, State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton. 610252-3132. Statetheatre.org 3/20 Peggy King & The All-Star Jazz Trio. 7:30 P.M., doors open at 7:00 P.M. Jazz Upstairs, a Jazz Cabaret at Miller Symphony Hall. 23 N. 6th St., Allentown. 610-432-6715. MillerSymphonyHall.org KESWICK THEATRE Keswick Theatre 291 Keswick Ave., Glenside keswicktheatre.com
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
2/4
JAMIE CULLUM WXPN Welcomes Interlude The Jazz Tour
2/5
JASON ISBELL WXPN Welcomes Damien Jurado
2/6
THE SPINNERS An Evening of the Classic Motown Hits you Know & Love
CONCERTS 2/7
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 2/19-3/1 True West by Pulitzer Prize-winner Sam Shepard. Powerful portrait of two estranged brothers brought together like opposing magnets. Produced by Allentown Public Theatre at Touchstone Theatre, 321 E. 4th St., Bethlehem. 610-867-1689. touchstone.org / allentownpublictheatre.com 2/21 Frogz, A Family-Friendly Show! 4 P.M., Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA. Free
2/4 Cathedral Arts Presents Basic’lly Bach at the Cathedral. First Wednesdays, 12:10 P.M. Mostly Bach, Mostly Organ. Cathedral Church of the Nativity, 321 Wyandotte St., Bethlehem. 610-8650727 x 303. Nativitycathedral.org 2/13 Million Dollar Quartet. 7:30 P.M., Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA. Free event parking attached to center. 610758-2787. Zoellnerartscenter.org
WHO’S BAD Tribute/Michael Jackson
2/13
ABBA-THE CONCERT
2/14
ROBERT IRVINE
2/21
THE MAVERICKS
2/26
BRETT SCALLIONS UNPLUGGED From FUEL to THE DOORS: Roots, Rock & Whiskey Talk
2/27
THE MUSICAL BOX Performs FOXTROT
2/20 Simon Mulligan Trio, 7:30 P.M., doors open at 7 P.M. Jazz Upstairs, a Jazz Cabaret at Miller Symphony Hall. 23 N. 6th St., Allentown, PA. 610-432-6715. MillerSymphonyHall.org
2/28
THE MUSICAL BOX Performs Performs SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND
2/22 Orquesta Sinfónica Del Estado De México, Concierto De Aranjuez. 3 P.M., Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA. Free event parking. 610-758-2787. Zoellnerartscenter.org
3/1
THE SING-OFF LIVE
3/7
ONE NIGHT OF QUEEN
3/8
WOMEN OF IRELAND MUSIKFEST CAFÉ 101 Founders Way Bethlehem, PA 610-332-1300. artsquest.org
2/5-14 TONY ‘N TINA’S WEDDING 2/6
ADAM AHUJA
2/7
ACOUSTIC BITE TRIO
2/12
TWO LAUGH MINIMUM: NICK VATTEROTT
2/13
BLUE JERSEY BAND
2/14
HOT CLUB OF PHILA.
2/19
THE IMPROV COMEDY POWER HOUR
2/14
HOT CLUB OF PHILA.
2/19
TWO LAUGH MINIMUM: BUDDY FITZPATRICK
2/20
MANDUDEBRO
2/20
BROTHER JOCEPHUS & LOVE REVOLUTION
2/20
REED KENDALL
2/21
ANDREA PAIS
2/26
JAMES COTTON
2/27
TAB BENOIT
2/27
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
2/28
FABULOUS GREASEBAND
3/5
JOAN OSBORNE
3/5
THE IMPROV COMEDY POWER HOUR
3/6
THE SKLAR BROTHERS
3/6
THE SKLAR BROTHERS EVENTS & FESTIVALS
2/24 Tinicum Art and Science, an innovative mindfulness based high school, will be hosting an Open House from 9 to 6. 85 Sherman Rd., Ottsville, PA. 610-847-6980. tinicumartandscience.org BOOK READINGS & POETRY READINGS 2/21 Panoply Books Reading Series: Be My Poetry Valentine: Love Poems by Poets We Love. 6 p.m., group poetry reading with over a dozen diverse poets from the Panoply community who will read love poems. Free. Panoply Books, 46 N. Union St, Lambertville. 609-397-1145. Panoplybooks.com
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The Los Angeles Times SUNDAY CROSSWORD PUZZLE
MOVIE TRAILERS By Marti Duguay-Carpenter Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 6 13 19 20 21 22 24 26 27 28 29 30 32 35 36 39 44 46 47 48 49 52 54 56 61 62 63 64 65 67 68 70 73 74 76 77 78 79 80 86 87 88 89 92 93 95 96 102 103 104
“Shucks!” Alley roamers Relatives of bolts Contemporary of Burns Central __ Red choice Movie about a second-place swordsman? Went around Fifth-century invader As above, in footnotes Logan of “60 Minutes” Con opening It might include problems Syria’s most populous city Stupefyin’ Jones creator Rocks, maybe Movie about a case of brilliance? “Finale Ultimo” chorus in “The Sound of Music” Dire destiny Actress Vardalos Mudville dud Per se Cocktail word for “strained” “12 Angry Men” actor Cobb Movie about a morning mixer? Rembrandt van __ One who gives a hoot Some “MIB” characters Prefix with metric Guns 1977 Steely Dan album Fisher daughter on “Six Feet Under” Eur. peak on the Decade Volcanoes list Slammer Milkweed features 911 responder, for short Game-winning line Austrian article Bard’s preposition Movie about remedial grammar? River islets Steps in for One might get a return Pre-Little League game “Selena” star, to fans Ton Paper or plastic alternative Movie about a gabfest getting out of hand? Agree silently Solo often in Italian It had a big part in “The Ten Com-
105 107 108 109 113 117 119 122 123 124 125 126 127
mandments” Tater Denver winter hrs. Big do Popular tablet Blows Naval attire Movie about a Brownie coming of age? Laid-back Like the Empire State Building Helped by the jet stream, as a flight ATM part “Ah, it’s clear now!” Inscribed pillar
DOWN 1 Group whose logo looks the same in a mirror 2 Shoemaker’s strip 3 Flying pest 4 Call the whole thing off 5 Lace hole 6 Start of ancient Troy? 7 Upscale hotel chain 8 Heal 9 First Nations tribe 10 Aviator 11 Horned Frogs’ sch. 12 Flower in trees? 13 Pickle 14 Laundry brand 15 Pro __ 16 The Gay ’90s, e.g. 17 Messy-meal handouts 18 Church feature 23 Impetuous 25 Grumpy companion 28 Evian Championship co-sanctioning org. 31 CNN founder Turner 33 Godiva competitor 34 “Giant Brain” introduced in 1946 35 Key of 20 Haydn symphonies 36 Caught 37 Plum position 38 Baja city 40 Put (away), as money 41 Bojangles, e.g. 42 “Sorry, can’t stop to chat” 43 Whizzes 45 Hero 50 Gator relative 51 Computer company co-founder Bill 53 Braying beast 54 Sheen
55 Piano keys not played in a 35Down scale 57 Los __ 58 A bad one can raise one’s score 59 Trust 60 Put off by 66 Showed disdain 69 Hairy sitcom cousin 70 Airy dessert 71 Bottom lines 72 Hold ’em opener 75 Colleague of Thomas 77 O’er and o’er 81 Brickmaking tool 82 Lecture sites 83 Paris’ __ des Beaux-Arts 84 Doesn’t allow to gather dust 85 Otolaryngology doc 89 Lady’s friend 90 Stool, often 91 Inflame 92 Patron saint of lost causes 94 “America’s Dairyland”: Abbr. 97 Washday challenge 98 Outdo 99 Superdome team 100 GM subsidiary 101 Drinks on a 90-Down 106 Old Venetian coin 108 Mustang that just arrived 110 Mani go-with 111 A long time
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112 Rollers for high rollers 114 Tiny sweater? 115 Eponymous 18th-century agriculturist Jethro __ 116 Eye sore 118 Animation still
119 Lively 120 Vein contents 121 Anagram of 120-Down
Answer to January’s puzzle, CLORINATION
Carol C. Dorey Real Estate, Inc. Specialists in High-Value Property www.doreyrealestate.com (610) 346-8800
EXQUISITE ESTATE HOME
DREAM HOME
EQUESTRIAN PROPERTY
This unparalleled residence is set on private grounds in a superb Lehigh Valley neighborhood. Barrington Manor exudes timeless style with a full brick exterior, gated entrance and 16,000+ sqft of living space. Lustrous wood floors, and solid wood doors accent the rooms, large and gracious in scale. There are 5 en suite bedrooms, a kitchen with antique Verde marble counter tops and breakfast room with an octagonal ceiling, and a LL with indoor lap pool, fitness room, home theatre and full kitchen. This home also boasts an outdoor pool, 8-car garages, apartment, and easy access to NYC and Philly. $2,990,000
Deer Run sits on 1.8 acres in an unparalleled location, standing among some of the Lehigh Valley’s most noteworthy homes. This exceptional home is the very definition of quality, designed for entertaining as well as family living with attention given to architectural detail, custom woodworking, cabinetry, windows, garden doors and skylights. The 2-story entrance foyer foretells the generosity of space, with a floor plan that boasts cathedral, tray and coffered ceilings, dual staircases, 2 fireplaces and floors of marble and wood with custom inlays. Including the finished lower level, there are 7,500+ sqft of living space. $995,000
True to its history, the interior boasts rich random width flrs, open beamed ceilings, a butterfly staircase, deep windows and a magnificent walk-in fireplace. Inspired by the home’s 1848 character, the recently remodeled kitchen has maple cabinets, stainless appliances, granite counters and adds architectural interest. A 1st fl bedroom and bath, with a private porch, 3 additional bedrooms, 2 fireplaces, and 2 family rooms offer plenty of room for family and friends. This is also a premier equestrian estate with a lighted outdoor ring and a lighted, indoor riding arena with a tack room. $1,250,000
EVERGREEN PLACE
PRIVATE LANE
ULTIMATE RETREAT
Tucked away on a cul-de-sac in a prime Bethlehem location, this 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath property is set in a neighborhood of custom built homes. Buffered by a private yard and wooded hillside, the floor plan boasts an impressive 2-story foyer with turned staircase, oversized windows and a neutral décor. A sparkling kitchen with granite counters, double oven and center island opens to a spacious eat-in area and great room with soaring ceiling, gas fireplace and gallery of windows providing lovely views. Close proximity to parks, golf courses, and commuter routes adds to the home’s timeless appeal. $479,000
At the end of a private lane in the quiet Bucks County countryside stands Fox Run Farm, amply sized as a sophisticated full-time residence or an ideal weekend getaway from city life. The stone farmhouse has been beautifully reproduced with extraordinary attention to period details including random width oak floors, beamed ceilings, wood-burning fireplaces and exposed stone and beadboard walls. A recently constructed sunroom stands adjacent to a gourmet kitchen and a sumptuous master bedroom suite offers a faux fireplace, soaking tub and roomy walk-in closets. A multi-level bank barn serves as a charming guest house. $869,000
When home is a soothing retreat set into the woods but close to everything, and the first floor master with a spa bath is a vacation while the memories to be made in family spaces enrich ever minute spent there. This contemporary home can be the one floor living that makes life convenient, yet has the extra benefit of a finished walkout lower level. The 13+ acre parcel also has a large insulated barn/garage with ceilings high enough to accommodate both a lift and numerous cars and has electric, heat and an alarm system. 2550crestlinedrive.com $725,000
EXCEPTIONAL FARMHOUSE
HISTORIC BETHLEHEM
ELEGANT BRICK HOME
Rarely are historic structures preserved as well as those at Fry’s Run. This 11acre property originally served as a miller’s homestead and retains a lovely main house with two walk-in fireplaces, pumpkin pine floors, pie stairs and deep window sills. Modern integrations include an eat-in kitchen with walls of windows and a third fireplace, a family room with unforgettable views of the babbling creek, and a master’s suite with private rooftop deck. A charming settler’s cottage, smokehouse, brick oven pavilion and barn have all been proudly standing for more than 170 years. $640,000
Much care has been taken with the restoration of this beautiful residence. Walls were removed to open up both the kitchen and the master suite. The new blends seamlessly with period details, with a Moravian tile floor in the study and handmade tiles around the fireplace. By the kitchen is a wood oven imported from Tuscany. Outside a lovely garden and patio has a water feature originally built in the 1930s as a child's swimming pool. This home is in the National Register of Historic Places and has been featured on many historic tours and venues. $749,900
Classic proportions and careful design have created a residence that lives simply, elegantly and delivers so much more. The full brick structure with oversized windows is in the sought after Pointe North area on a treed lot adjoining conserved wooded acreage. Hardwood and terra cotta tiled floors on the first level are warmed by the sunshine streaming through oversized casement windows. A classic butler’s pantry bridges the formal dining room to the well-designed kitchen with 42" cabinets, granite counters and updated appliances. The breakfast room is just off the raised patio and the family room has wooded views. $449,000
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Carol C. Dorey Real Estate, Inc. Specialists in High-Value Property www.doreyrealestate.com (610) 346-8800
SPECTACULAR CREEK SETTING
HISTORIC BETHLEHEM
UNPARALLELED BEAUTY
Notable for its excellent Bethlehem location, Biery’s Bridge Road leads to this 1810 Georgian-style home flanked by brick walkways, white picket fencing and magnificent views of the Monocacy Creek on nearly 6 acres. Rooms are large in scale with nine foot ceilings, birch floors, and prominently placed windows to take in the spectacular natural surroundings. Stylish bathrooms and spacious bedrooms are found on the second floor and include a sumptuous master bedroom suite with walk through closet, lavish bath, fireplace and exercise room. $1,200,000
Settled in the heart of historic Bethlehem, one of the “great houses” of this sought after neighborhood, offering the best of many worlds to the next discerning owner. Set on nearly ½ acre of maturely-landscaped in town grounds, this elegant yet comfortable home was renovated from top to bottom with meticulous care to retain the beauty of its origins and to move into the 21st century. Beveled glass doors are the segue from a spacious high-ceilinged living room to a terra cotta floored sunroom complete with fireplace. $1,150,000
Minutes to I-78, St. Luke’s and Lehigh Valley Hospitals, and Saucon Valley Country Club, this well-designed home offers a private setting with towering trees and lovely views. Brimming with striking amenities, the four bedroom home has three full baths, lustrous cherry floors and ceramic floors with radiant heat. Custom cherry cabinets, stainless appliances and a curved breakfast bar highlight the gleaming, gourmet kitchen. Entertaining options flow to the outdoors where a heated swimming pool is the sparkling focal point. $665,000
DESIGNED FOR ENTERTAINING
A PIECE OF HISTORY
HISTORIC BROWNSTONE
Stunning views of distant mountains and rolling hills make an unforgettable first impression at Brighton Court. A 2.28 acre cul-de-sac setting with pool, patios and shade trees frame the attractive home. The kitchen, breakfast area, family room and first floor master bedroom suite share a vantage point overlooking the private backyard. Second floor includes 3 BRs and a bonus room above the 3-car garage. The finished LL is an amazing entertaining area with full bar, fireplace, billiards/game room, and an incredible home theatre to accommodate a crowd. $755,000
Complementing the magic of this historical setting are mature hedgerows, shade trees, gardens and a formal, walled garden with fountain and stone terrace, all on 2+ acres. Attention to detail and care in craftsmanship is apparent throughout. The living room boasts crown moldings, chair rail and a formal fireplace with paneled surround. In addition to the 1st floor sunroom, dining room and kitchen with butler’s pantry, is an in-law suite. A master bedroom ste and attached office with fireplace and 3 additional bedrooms complete the 2nd fl. Three-car garage with a bonus room/studio. $935,000
Step into a world of polished woods, glistening Eastlake hardware, oversize windows with wavy glass panes and 10 foot ceilings. The 9 foot vestibule door has the original glue glass – a fairy dusting of frost sends a shimmer of light down the classic entrance hall. The original curved banister send sinuous turns all the way to the third floor. Historic Bethlehem, with all its beauty, is a perfect walking town and the cozy comforts of this Eastlake Victorian, with its attention to detail and wonderful light, create the perfect spot to call home. $400,000
RICH WITH HISTORY
HISTORY AND CONVENIENCE
WELLINGTON TERRACE
Set on a half acre in the quaint village of Springtown, this collection of buildings includes the 1785 settler’s cottage and the main house and barn built 100 yrs later. A water wheel and spring remain where a brook trout hatchery stood in the early 20th century. The residence boasts exposed stone and brick walls, deepsilled windows, wood floors and built-in cabinetry in many rooms. The kitchen is modern with a cathedral ceiling, and the LL is partially finished with space for an office or playroom. There are 4 BRs, including one on the main level. $329,000
Minutes from Lehigh Valley Hospital and I-78 combines with the fine craftsmanship and significance of a 19th century home and stone bank barn on 4+ acres in the East Penn school district. The Jacob Marck Homestead preserves original details evident in the wood-burning fireplaces, random width pine floors, deep silled windows, bull’s eye glass and Mercer tiles found in the main house. The Pennsylvania bank barn has ample storage for recreational vehicles and is outfitted with heat, electric and water. A pool, pool house with changing areas, and a delightful guest cottage make entertaining a pleasure. $649,000
A picturesque cul-de-sac is the setting for this classic Brookhaven built home. The brick exterior has timeless curb appeal and is framed by tall evergreens and mature shade trees on a lush half acre. Well cared for wood floors, crown and dentil moldings, beadboard wainscoting and pocket doors accent gracious rooms, including formal living and dining rooms and an updated kitchen with cherry cabinetry, walk-in pantry and breakfast area. There are 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, and a finished lower level with kitchenette, office and recreation room. $425,000
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