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Contents 10
MAY 2015
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS
WHY GOD WON’T GO AWAY | 24 Does spirituality reside in the brain? Dr. Andrew Newberg, Director of Research at the Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University and Hospital in Philadelphia, has opened a new field of study: the relationship between the brain and religious experience called Neurotheology.
5 | CITY BEAT 5 | VALLEY BEAT 26 | JIM DELPINO
ART 6 | The Snow Goose Gallery
Philadelphia Sketch Club Paperboat and Bird Art Shoppe 7 | Menagerie 8 | Elizabeth Catlett 10 | Ed Vatza
Edith Bouvier Beale (Little Edie).
FILM 12 | CINEMATTERS
32 | KERESMAN ON DISC
David Berkman Rob Reich The Grip Weeds The Cash Box Kings Pow Wows 34 | NICK’S PICKS
Joanna Pascale Ben Williams Joe Alterman E. J. Strickland 35 | SINGER / SONGWRITER
The Nighthawks Shelby Lynne The Kennedys Dion Jerry Lawson
Albert Maysles’ Iris and Grey Gardens
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14 | KERESMAN ON FILM
Child 44 16 | BAD MOVIE
While We’re Young 18 | REEL NEWS
Dior and I. Photo: CIM Productions.
Mr. Turner Girlhood Winter Sleep Black Sea
DINING 38 | The Bar at the Swan Hotel 40 | Marrakesh
ETCETERA 42 | L. A. TIMES CROSSWORD 43 | AGENDA
20 | FILM ROUNDUP
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Dior and I Far From the Madding Crowd Far From Men It Follows
www.icondv.com President/Publisher Trina McKenna trina@icondv.com Assistant Raina Filipiak to the Publisher filipiakr@comcast.net
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Designer Lauren Fiori Assistant Designer Kaitlyn Reed-Baker CITY BEAT Thom Nickels / thomnickels1@aol.com VALLEY BEAT Geoff Gehman / geoffgehman@verizon.net FINE ARTS Edward Higgins Burton Wasserman MUSIC Nick Bewsey / nickbewsey@gmail.com Mark Keresman / shemp@hotmail.com Bob Perkins / bjazz5@aol.com Tom Wilk / tomwilk@rocketmail.com FOOD 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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28 | THE LIST
30 | A Good Time for the Bad Old Blues
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COLUMNS
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The intersection of art, entertainment, culture, opinion and mad genius
Filling the hunger since 1992
TODD RUNDGREN | 22 Between solo projects and touring with Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band, the hard-driving and provocative Rundgren, a native of Upper Darby, discusses his 25th album, Global, a collaborative foray into electronica, lyrics, his sardonic views on religion, and people who use religion to further their own agenda.
Ed Vatza, Larry, 2013, archival pigment print, 16” x 24” printed on 22” x 30” Moab Entrada Rag Natural 300
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Copyright 2015 Prime Time Publishing Co., Inc.
ON THE COVER: Global album cover. Page 22.
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City Beat
THOM NICKELS
ThomNickels1@aol.com
We spoke with Lenny Bazemore, Manayunk’s unofficial mayor, about his gallery on Main Street, and whether being a businessman has affected his own work as an artist. Lenny told us that the gallery has allowed him to expand his skills to use design as a medium in addition to his painting, sculpting, drawing and photography. “Having the gallery gives me tremendous joy in helping other artists promote their work,” he says. “My focus on developing the gallery and working with other artists diverted my attention away from my own art. Now that I have a full-time salesperson, I intend to devote more time to my own artistic endeavors.” Lenny sees The Bazemore as a “peaceful space where all people can come and experience diverse forms of art.” But while The Bazemore seems to have it all, what about longevity in a world where galleries close so often? The answer may have something to do with ownership. “Owning the building,” Lenny says, “has helped us have a more sustainable business model.” Lenny’s new endeavor, an organic juicery and café called The Juice Merchant, opens this month. “We’ll serve juices, smoothies, salads, soups, sandwiches, wraps, hummus and specialty deserts. Our mission is to provide organic, healthy food options that are affordable. The team will be led by our head chef and manager Monica Sellecchia, who is a holistic foods chef trained at the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City. Her speciality is in all-natural, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free eating.” At UArts’ Art Unleashed 2015 we hung out with E-Moderne Gallerie’s Edward Fong who told us he needed to escape the bands of artists tracking him down for exhibition space. Fong joined us in a nook near the kitchen where the food servers congregated. He told us he was looking forward to E-Moderne’s world-class Haiti exhibit in September, but expressed reservations about why Philadelphians buy the kind of art they do. International art doesArtist Nathan DiStefano, exhibiting at E-Moderne n’t go over big in Philly, he said; what sells Gallery through May 10. in Berlin or Paris stays unsold in Philly, but put up a casual art show and these popular pieces fly off the wall. “I don’t understand it,” he mused, just as another artist drew him out of hiding. What to say to this fine man from China besides hang in there, baby? Will “Don’t flee to New York yet, Ed!” work? The National LGBT 50th Anniversary Celebration will culminate with a Constitution Center exhibit (Speaking Out For Equality), panel discussions and festivities, from July 2-5 near Independence Hall. The movement’s come a long way since the 1970s when protestors shouted down passage of the city’s first Gay Rights Bill. We find it strange that most of the panelists like Bishop Gene Robinson, Judy Shepard, Marc Stein, Eliza Byard, Michael Long and Eric Marcus are out-of-towners. They may be substantive voices, but a “localized” event of this magnitude should employ a few locally based historians, activists and writers. When Philly.com ran a story about a protest at a college lecture because of that lecturer’s views on rape, we wondered why the protestors were angry. Left out of the report was a crucial element: what were the lecturer’s views that made her so controversial? How could any reporter miss such a thing? The reader finished the story not knowing what made the protesters angry. We also have problems with what passes as “breaking news” these days. Do we really need to know about every high school teacher who has a love affair with one of his or her older students? Are these stories on a par with the latest ISIS attacks? Journalism has yet to find a respectable middle ground when it comes to this topic. We headed over to the All That’s Jazz Art in City Hall exhibit to find more than a hundred people gobbling up chicken gumbo and boxed wine. This was Philadelphia at its grassroots finest. Curated by Richard J. Watson, we were delighted when the dead poet Allen Ginsberg “returned” in the form of a Philly artist, Alan Ginsburg, with his “java Jive,” a coffee table sculpture, and a charcoal drawing, “The Piano Movers,” inspired by a crowded, impromptu happening in a performing space. ■ ERRATA: City Council At-Large candidate Paul Steinke’s name was incorrectly spelled in the April issue.
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.
Valley Beat
GEOFF GEHMAN
geoffgehman@verizon.net.
Poetry is “basically an imaginative form of hedonism,” Billy Collins told me in September 2001, two months after he became U.S. poet laureate and a week before the 9/11 terrorist attacks made him a literary lightning rod. “The pleasure is following a notion, and watching it develop, and not knowing where it’s going to go.” Collins practiced his philosophy during a reading at Lehigh University, shooting the cosmos with pure pleasure. In one poem he played himself, an only child who finds a surrogate sister in the nurse who tended his dying parents. In another poem he became a dog scolding its owner for lacking godly graces like “animal grace.” In “Cheerios” he pondered the wonders of being slightly older than miniature inner tubes of cereal. Every line was grounded and elevated by Collins’ keen, even-keeled delivery. He never raised his voice to press a point; he didn’t need to polish an image to make it shine Even his haikus had the whispering music of sea shells. The reading was sparked by wry asides. Collins praised Howard Nemerov, a fellow former poet laureate, for inventing “azaleate”—to bask in the beauty of azaleas, preferably in bloom. A Q&A was spiced by his practical, transcendental reason for revising lightly. Composing a poem in mostly one sitting, he believes, helps readers think they’re traveling along in one setting, which makes them feel less like voyeurs and more like roommates. Joan Osborne’s show at the Musikfest Café in Bethlehem packed plenty of powerful poetic punch. Aided considerably by keyboardist Keith Cotton, the singer-songwriter offered a graceful, gritty blend of R&B, gospel and jazz. Together, they created a kind of roadhouse church. Osborne sounded remarkably passionate and poised whether she was singing the Grateful Dead’s “Brokedown Palace,” a weeping-willow lullaby, or the greasy blues “Shake Your Hips,” where she played a female Muddy Waters. A yearning, burning “This Is Where We Start” allowed her to siphon Van Morrison’s slippery soul. An achingly wistful “God Bless the Child” allowed her to bless Billie Holiday’s centennial and the song itself, which helped launch her career after an open-mic performance. Cotton sounded remarkably feathery and funky whether he was wailing on an acoustic piano or wah-wahing on an electric keyboard. His tender harmonies ennobled “What If God Was One of Us”; his banging, spread-eagled chords turned “Shake Your Hips” into a steamy, smiling Billy Preston jam. The Concord Chamber Singers wrapped up their 48th season with a dyed-in-thewool, deeply satisfying Americana concert at the Ice House in Bethlehem, a barn-like space steeped in Americana. Conducted by artistic director Jennifer Kelly, who wore cowboy boots, the choir began the evening with lovely, lyrical renditions of American chorales and spirituals, including Aaron Copland’s arrangement of the Shaker song “Simple Gifts.” Louie Setzer and the Appalachian Boys followed with hearty, nimble bluegrass takes on eternal verities: a loyal woman, a reliable dog, dad’s faithful fiddle. Playing in a semi-circle, they were charged by Setzer’s craggy, crackling singing. He sold songs with the yelping of a squaredance caller and the yipping of an auctioneer. Joined by four instrumentalists, the choir closed the show with Carol Barnett’s lovely, lyrical “The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass.” The two groups interpreted everything from a jazzy Kyrie in English to a pretty country waltz with beautiful assurance. Several solo singers became angels of assurance, with one female vocalist invoking God as He and She. Luke Wynne made his bones as a photographer of film celebrities, shooting on sets for movie studios and in homes for New West magazine. The Easton resident’s latest project is a celebration of the diverse treatments, tools and talismans of visual artists from the greater Lehigh Valley. Exhibited through May 24 at the Banana Factory in Bethlehem, these 70 portraits are carefully, vividly composed works of art about the art of work. All of Wynne’s people seem centered, even when they’re off-center. Standing to the left of frame, Thom Cooney Crawford somehow resembles a sea-captain narrator, his tidal-wavy hair somehow mimicking the gyroscopic top of one of his totemic sculptures. Standing behind one of his abstract paintings, with only head and hands exposed, Emil Lukas seems to grow from a glowing galactic womb. Wynne uses elements to suggest elemental characters. Veiled by pipe smoke, Josh Finck’s face nearly imitates the nearby mask of a Mexican wrestler. Painterly lighting on Isadore LaDuca’s face not only places him inside one of his mysterious mosaic paintings, it makes him a refugee from an Andrew Wyeth portrait. And Val Bertoia seems perfectly content, as if he’s driving, in front of an Edsel. ■ 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
Maria Kurtzman, “Winter Quadriptych.” First Place Best in Show. Rosalind Pierson (UK), “Autumn, River Dart,” watercolor 3” x 4”
The Art of the Miniature XXIII The Snow Goose Gallery 470 Main St., Bethlehem, PA (610) 974-9099 thesnowgoosegallery.com Tues-Fri 10-5:30; Sat 10-5; Sun 11-4 May 3- June 14 Exhibition will also be online beginning May 2 The 89 artists in this show represent 27 states, as well as England, Wales, Australia, Germany and Israel, and work in a variety of media. This year's artists: Beverly Abbott, Carol Andre, James Andrews, Christine Bass, Judith Edgington Bayes, Rita Beckford, Brenda Berdnik, Jan Borgner, Tim Bowers, Anita Boyers, Camille Boyers, (the late) Jean Boyers, Susan Brooke, Elizabeth Brown, Jean Cook, Carolyn Councell, Anita Cox, Debi Davis, Viviane de Kosinksy, David Drummond, Paul Eaton, Elizabeth Eckert, Alan Farrell, Barbara Felisky, Wyn Foland, Barbara Freeman, Tykie Ganz, Patricia Getha, Bob Gherardi, George Gonzalez, Robert Grant, June Grey, Elaine Hahn, Jennifer Robb Hall, Diana Harvey, Richard William Haynes, Mimi Hegler, Denise HorneKaplan, Luann Houser, Joan Humble, Kimberly Jansen, Mary Jansen, Judith Johnson, Debra Keirce, Martha Sheets Knight, Janet Laird- Lagassee, Judy Lalingo, Rebecca Latham, Carol Lopez, Gerald Lubeck, Deborah Maklowski, Karla Mann, Helen Mathyssen- Dobbins, Victor Mordasov, Brenda Morgan, Linda Morgan, Jeanette Mullane, Melissa Miller Nece, C. Pamela Palco, Rosalind Pierson, Kathy Pollak, Lynn Ponto- Peterson, Genevieve Roberts, Carol Rockwell, Linda Rossin, Doug Roy, Ann Ruppert, Judy Schrader, Mary Serfass, Elinor Sethman, Nancy Shelly, Rachelle Siegrist, Wes Siegrist, James Smith, Karin Snoots, Narissa Steel, Nancy Still, Elaine Sweiry, Shirley Tabler, Elaine Thomas, Dana Lee Thompson, Laura Von Stetina, Lynn Wade, Sue Wall, Akiko Watanabe, Lauri Waterfield- Callison, David Weston, Marion Winter, Hanna Woodring.
John Humble (Australia), “The Hazards and Coles Bay,” oil on polymin, 2" x 6 1/4"
152nd Annual Small Oils Exhibition Philadelphia Sketch Club 235 South Camac Street, Philadelphia, PA sketchclub.org Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun 1-5 Through May 9 Over 180 paintings will be on view in the historic setting of America's oldest artists club. Originally, the show was founded so artists could display a number of small examples of their works with the hope that a patron would order a larger painting. Also on display are historic items from the Club’s permanent collection such as Thomas Anshutz’s 44 portraits of Club members from the 1890s. The exhibition is also unique in that it offers a medal to the best in show that was designed by Dr. R. Tait McKenzie, a noted sculptor and physician who developed many of the principles of physical therapy.
Charles Newman, “Singer 201.” Second Award.
Meg Wolensky, "Christening." Third Place Award
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“Mr. Buttons: Concerto in D Minor”
Melissa Mytty “Dots and Drops” Paperboat and Bird Art Shoppe 21 Risler Street (route 29), Stockton, NJ (609) 397-2121 paperboatandbird.com Through June 30 The ceramic vessel has been Melissa Mytty’s focus, experimenting with each vessel’s silhouette and surface as inspiration, intrigued by combinations of patterning such as the play of polka dots juxtaposed by prints reminiscent of elegance and formality. The vessel becomes a canvas for adornment in form and surface, manipulating proportions and function while fashioning “outfits” suitable for various occasions. “I love the fantastical vision of flowers dripping down a human torso translated to the body of the vessel, or the play of polka-dotted pajamas next to gold jewels and the dialog therein,” says Melissa. Relying on the glazes for moments of the unexpected that occur in the firing, Melissa may add “buttons” to a piece, thinking of them as the jewelry of the form while painting on gold luster “freckles” or “fireworks” to add a touch of glam. Each piece develops its own persona and style as it comes to fruition. Melissa Mytty, born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit, received her BFA in ceramics from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, MI and her MFA in ceramics from Cranbrook Academy of Art. She often injects elements from her own interests in food, travel, patterning, and fashion into her work. At times her work is boisterous, colorful, heavily patterned and over the top, and others are quiet and contemplative utilizing a monochromatic color pallet. Mytty has exhibited nationally and is currently working out of her studio in Philadelphia.
A Thousand Words
STORY AND PAINTING BY ROBERT BECK
Menagerie CENTRAL PARK IS LEASH-FREE every morning between seven and nine o’clock, and it becomes one of the most joyous places on earth for dogs. Breeds of all shapes and sizes bound across the landscape, cavorting, chasing, and sniffing. There’s not much barking or aggressive behavior beyond the normal establishing dominance and things rarely get snarly— the order works itself out quickly and everyone goes on their way. Occasionally you run into someone who can’t face the fact that their dog doesn’t have the temperament to be off-leash, but those people are quickly shunned. I’ve never seen a dog get hurt. For Jack, the morning walk is all about the ball. I have one of those flickers that look like long, plastic ice cream scoops and can send tennis balls a remarkable distance. Jack takes off after it like a missile. He is a master of the graceful, athletic, high-altitude catch. If the ball ricochets off his mouth or a tree he will twist in mid-air and grab it again before either it or he hits the ground. I have seen Jack face down a rocket line drive and throw his paw out at the last instant to deflect it into his mouth. Really. I call him Mickey Mays. When he makes a particularly spectacular grab he runs back to me, wedges between my legs, and I scratch his butt with the flicker. Then he drops the ball and takes the field again. It doesn’t matter what the weather is or how many times we have done it already, he’s game.
Robert Beck maintains a gallery in Lambertville, NJ. robert@robertbeck.net.
People in the city welcome this opportunity to let their dogs stretch their legs, get a workout, and interact with other dogs. Well, not all the owners. Some have what you might call a personal relationship with their pet that doesn’t include other dogs or even other people. They pretty much keep to themselves. The weather had turned for the better and the temperature was reaching into the 50s when I ran across a lady sitting on the bench in the hallway near the elevator. She wore boots, a scarf and a heavy coat, and she cradled a plastic tote bag between her ankles. Sprigs of gray hair stuck out of her knit cap. Lying on his back beside her on the bench was a tiny black and white dog with bulging eyes and wispy hair, staring at me and shaking. The lady was putting him into his thick winter coat for his walk. He didn’t yap or whine as little nervous dogs often do, and he didn’t squirm while she fumbled to engage the zipper running along his belly. He just kept his eyes fixed on mine, and shook. The lady maintained a steady, one-sided conversation with him in that ookey-pookey language that many pet owners use. I don’t talk to Jack that way, preferring an instructive, camp-counselor tone with a little beer-buddy thrown in. She went on with her singsong monologue fiddling with the zipper, sliding the dog around the flat surface in his teal, quilted puffy-coat with stylish collar. He remained motionless and resigned, but whichever way she spun him his head swiveled to keep me in sight. The elevator was leaving the 18th floor. I stood with my hands in my jacket pockets, waiting. “What’s your dog’s name?“ I asked. She didn’t look up. Her answer was lost in layers of thick fabric, but it sounded like “Cutesie Poo.” The dog’s eyebrows arched. “It’s gotten a lot warmer outside,” I said, glancing at the numbers over the elevator door. It was almost here. The dog’s shaking eased a bit and he looked at her with anticipation. “He’s always cold,” she said, wiggling his paw. Cutesie Poo’s eyes went vacant. “Were going for a nice little walkie, and when we come back we’ll have a bath,” she cooed at him, tapping his tummy with her finger on the last word. His lids drooped and he started trembling again. “We have a bath every day,” she said with pride, running the zipper up to his chin and giving him a little shake. I briefly thought about the “we” part and then wiped it from my mind. The dog’s feet barely stuck out of the coat and the collar kept him from moving his head. He looked like an hors d’oeuvre. The elevator door opened and I turned to get in. The dog’s eyes, wide and pleading, followed me. I heard a faint whimper. “He’s very clean,” she beamed. ■ 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 ■ M AY 2 0 1 5 ■ I C O N ■ 7
Art
EDWARD HIGGINS
Art for Social Justice
ELIZABETH CATLETT WAS A woman with a clear vision which guided her art throughout her long life. Elizabeth Catlett: Art for Social Justice is currently on view at the LaSalle University Art Museum through June 5 and its title is fully supported by the work. Her art is all the more striking as she is both a superb craftswoman and a talented artist. Her sense of the injustices of the world is reflected in most of her art, and it appears as fresh as the time it was created. Catlett was born in 1915 to middle-class parents in Washington, DC. Her grandparents had been slaves. She graduated from Howard University with a degree in art in 1935, and then went to the University of Iowa where she studied with Grant Wood, and received an MFA in sculpture in 1940. She then taught art at Dillard University in New Orleans and did further studies at the Art Institute of Chicago. She met and married Charles White, another artist, and moved to New York where they were part of the Harlem Renaissance. She taught at the Washington Carver School for two years. A scholarship from the Julius Rosenwald Fellowship allowed her to travel and study in Mexico in 1946. After a brief visit back to the United States to end her marriage, she returned to Mexico where she lived for the rest of her life. In Mexico, Catlett found a group of kindred spirits—artists who believed in social justice and that their art should serve its cause. She joined the Taller Grafica Popular (People’s Graphic Workshop or TGP) and would become one of their most famous artists. At the time, Mexico was a center for leftist art and the murals of Diego Rivera and others were believed to be among the most popular and most democratic of art forms. Social Realism was the dominant art movement at the time. In terms of the American art scene, this was the time in New York when, as one critic put it, “...the Abstract Expressionist gang were getting drunk in the Cedar Tavern and dripping paint onto canvas lain like a rug on the floor.” Setting the context for the Catlett show, LaSalle has also installed a series of prints from TGP’s more prominent members. These include Pablo Estaban O’Higgins (born Paul Higgins Stevenson), an American and co-founder of the Taller; Francisco Mora, later to marry Catlett; Alberto Beltrán; and Fernandez Castro Pacheco, among others. Theirs was a shared mission and vision that the poor, the working class, the indentured, and the peasant, be treated with dignity, respect and fairness. O’Higgins is represented by a portrait of a brickmaker, Mora is shown with an image of a silver mine worker, and Pacheco by a market scene. Many of Catlett’s images are of women, linocuts of mother and child, peasant women carrying loads of produce, or famous women from American history, including Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth. They are part of the first series of prints Catlett created at the TGP called “I am a Negro Woman.” She also exhibited in the United States, but it was a 1971 exhibition at the Studio Museum of Harlem that raised her fame. She was attuned to the civil rights movement, and in 1969 made a lithograph which is also in the show called “Black is Beautiful,” in homage to the Black Panthers. In 1972, in a foreshadowing of the present, she created an untitled print of two police officers restraining a black youth. Catlett’s life in Mexico was quite successful. She re-married and had three sons, worked with the TGP and was the first woman professor in the sculpture department of Mexico City’s National Autonomous University. She eventually became the department’s chair. The exhibition shows works from the University’s permanent collection, and loans from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the Sragow Gallery of New York, and Hampton University Museum in Virginia. The TGP show is a complete set of 12 images from an edition of 250 published by the Associated American Artists in New York in 1946. ■
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La Salle University Art Museum, 1900 W. Olney Ave., Philadelphia, PA (215) 951-1000 lasalle.edu/museum El Derecho al Pan (The Right to Eat), 1954, 15 5/8” x 11 7/8”, Lithograph, Collection of La Salle University Art Museum, Art © Catlett Mora Family Trust/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
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Edward Higgins is a member of The Association Internationale Des Critiques d’Art.
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Art
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BURTON WASSERMAN
Carol, 2014, archival pigment print, 16” x 24” printed on 22” x 30” Moab Entrada Rag Natural 300. Copyright Ed Vatza Photography LLC 2014
Ed Vatza
THE FIRST TIME YOU come into contact with the street people portraits of Edward Vatza, they may seem to be a bit too simplistic to be taken seriously. But, give them more time. Somehow, they get hold of your attention. And then, as you burrow down, deeper into what they have to offer, they will project insights you didn’t see at first glance. As they grow on you, you’ll come to realize they aren’t just superficial snapshots. I think the main focus of his street people images is summed up well by the descriptive phrase he coined for the individuals he portrays: alone among millions. They explore this notion with considerable thoroughness in pictures that are objective, yet deeply personal and quietly sympathetic. Carefully studying his work, you find yourself discovering assertive arrangements of visual form, rich with sensitive relationships of tone, volume, pattern and texture, all soundly interwoven with each other. They also engage your capacity for response on levels of awareness lodged within you, inside the spaces where your deepest sinews and nerve endings are critically connected. Currently, an assortment of these slice-of-life-closeups of people, encountered on the streets of lower Manhattan, make up a lively installation, on view in the Pfundt Gallery of the Michener Museum of Art in Doylestown, PA. The closing date for the show is July 5. Alive with human compassion, it’s an exhibition pulsing with heartfelt feeling and profound understanding. Without question, the photographs have something to say that transcends the obvious and the incidental, but it takes time for this fact to register internally. Without doubt, they are pictures that deserve a spectator’s patience in order to fully experience what they have to offer. By searching for these essentials, a visitor is able to identify with the deep and far-reaching factors that make the artworks come alive. It is very clear that the photographer brings both a keen awareness for pictorial composition to his work and an ability to inspire psychological trust in his subjects. Because he is able to do this, he creates a genuinely comfortable conversational setting, a zone in which they feel secure and free to willingly talk with him, honestly, about their lives and the hard times they have endured. For example, when he made contact with the woman called Carol, it was a bitter cold, late fall morning. He gave her some money to 10 ■ I C O N ■ M A 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
buy food and talked with her at length in a warm coffee shop where she found a degree of relief from her troubles and the aches and pains imposed on her and her loneliness by the severe weather. The picture speaks most compellingly of her experience and all the other poor souls whose lives have been blighted by similar circumstances. The photograph titled “Michael” pictures a former 9/11 first responder who became ill as a result of participating in the rescue activities associated with that tragic catastrophe. He has been denied disability status. In due course, he also lost his job, his home and his wife. In spite of these events, he manages to maintain a positive outlook and is convinced he will eventually win his plea for disability. Because Vatza is able to engage his subjects in friendly discussion, he generates a fascinating interplay of details which unfold tales that would remain unstated but for his humanity, curiosity and concern. By this process, he successfully addresses ordinary everyday details of significant life experience that might otherwise be left unarticulated and forgotten. One looks in vain at his oeuvre for photographs of affluent people in fashionable dress and luxurious surroundings. Instead, his pictures of the street people call to mind some of the great novels of Dreiser, Farrell and Steinbeck whose creative efforts frequently dealt with the struggle for survival by people living within the bounds of an uncaring and often hostile society. The potential of photography for structuring powerful expressive images is raised to an exceptionally high level of accomplishment in the examples Vatza has brought to fulfillment. With his sharply pointed images, he demonstrates how the universal human capacity for seeing truth is available to all people blessed with the gift of vision. The forms, so amply evident in his photographs, are out there, waiting to be observed by anyone willing to make the effort to take them in by exercising their sense of sight. Finally, credit is especially well deserved by Lisa Tremper Hanover, the director of the Michener Museum, who served as curator for shaping this eloquently expressive undertaking. ■
Dr. Wasserman is a professor emeritus of Art at Rowan U. and a serious artist of long standing.
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Cinematters
PETE CROATTO
Albert Maysles’ Iris and Grey Gardens THERE’S A SCENE IN Noah Baumbach’s While We’re Young where a young, aspiring documentarian (Adam Driver) asks his mentor (Ben Stiller) how he staged a shot in a non-fiction film. It’s one in a series of jabs in the caustic, funny movie: too many documentary filmmakers make their movies about themselves. I thought of that exchange as I got acquainted with Albert Maysles’ work. The filmmaker, who directed such classic films as Gimme Shelter and Grey Gardens with his late brother, David, died in early March. Over the course of a week, I saw four of his films for the first time, and the experience represents why I love movies. Every so often, you’ll encounter a director who rattles your insides. Two of Maysles’ movies arrive in Philadelphia this month: a new 2K digital print of 1975’s Grey Gardens (PG, May 1) and his second-to-last film, Iris (PG-13, May 15). Both represent Maysles’ observational, gimmickfree style at its best: you wonder how something so simple is so powerful. The camera runs and you’re left to make the verdict. He doesn’t intrude with his thoughts or commentary—that’s the job of those in front of the camera. Consequently, you are immersed in an unvarnished life. Sometimes it’s good; sometimes, not so much. Either way, it feels true. We’re given very little context in the beginning
> Iris Apfel. Photo by Bruce Weber.
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Edith Bouvier Beale (Little Edie).
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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Look ‘round the interweb and you’ll find nearly every society on Earth produces serial killers—the trouble is, in some countries, the official “line” is that Our Great Nation don’t have, uh, such things. In the Workers’ Paradise that was Russia (then the USSR) during the regime of Stalin, murder was thought to be a disease of the decadent Capitalist West. So when a child is found dead, the MGB—a police unit—goes out of its way to say the lad died of a terrible accident even though there are somewhat obvious signs of homicide. Tom Hardy (Bane in the last Batman movie) is Leo, a WWII war hero turned cop of sorts. These cops attend to crimes that might attract our Secret Service or FBI—traitors, spies, and such. Leo is called upon to denounce a suspicious lady who happens to be his wife (Noomi Rapace). Leo looks for evidence, tells his superiors she’s innocent, but they want her to take the fall anyway. Leo balks. He’s demoted and sent to work in a drab, small-ish industrial town. But when Leo sees another child-murder with similar aspects, he refuses to keep silent, figuring quite rightly this is no coincidence, but a pattern and the
MARK KERESMAN
Child 44 killer won’t stop. He enlists the aid of his new boss, General Nesterov (an excellent Gary Oldman), a jaded, don’tmake-waves type who’s eventually moved by the notion that his children might be in danger. (One murdered child was found in the the very same wooded area his children walk to and from school.) The General uses his clout to get a hold of police reports from Moscow and other areas in which dead kids have, uh, turned up. Together, the General and Leo ascertain that a grand total of 44 youths have expired under gruesome circumstances. So Leo, his wife, and General Gary work to solve crimes in a society that won’t even acknowledge they even happened—a hunt-for-serial-killer tale with an odd (for Western viewers, at least) twist. The good: Tom Hardy is compelling as a hard-headed loyal-to-the-regime cop but with a moral compass, an urge to do the right thing while surrounded by cold-blooded bureaucratic types and Stalinist yes-men. (For younger readers, one could get jailed—or killed—by Uncle Joe’s rule for simply expressing the “wrong” opinion. Stalin makes the hard-assed Putin look like the mayor of Hooter-
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ville.) Oldman is fine as a guy desperate to hold on to what little power he has (big cop in a little pond) but has a conscience lurking within. Rapace is very good as the beleaguered, weary but very intelligent gal who’s trying to survive in a hellish environ with a man she’s [SLIGHT SPOILER] not all that crazy about. The not-so-good: The pacing is slow. I’m not expecting an episode of Hawaii Five-0, but I felt as if I was living in Russia for a while. I know Russia was then indeed a grim and oppressed place, but didn’t the sun ever shine there, even under Stalin? The cinematography is consistently drab, almost sepia-like—which is good for conveying the gloom and oppression of the time—but is everything under-lit in Russia? The few action scenes are shot with that annoying shaky-cam, so it’s almost impossible to see who’s doing what to whom. With a 137-minute running time, a good half-hour could’ve been cut from it. ■ 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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oah Baumbach wants to be Woody Allen, so it seems. His characters are mostly white—as in this New York-set film, even though the city’s the most multicultural place on Earth. You wouldn’t know that from an Allen or Baumbach film. Josh (Ben Stiller) and Cornelia (Naomi Watts) are a 40-something, childless couple in a rut. The spark has slipped from their marriage. Josh is a filmmaker who’s been working on the same documentary for ten years. They meet a 20-something couple, Jamie (Adam Driver) and Darby (Amanda Seyfried), footloose and fancy-free hipsters too good to be true. They have the verve and enthusiasm that Josh and Cornelia lost a while back, and they spend lots of time together. The older couple gets sucked into the young folks’ orbit, which naturally leads to lots of predictably adorable culture-clashing, fish-outof-water behavior, not to mention mate-swapping. Jamie
MARK KERESMAN
While We’re Young is an aspiring filmmaker and gives Josh the inspiration to finish his doc, which is a good thing…to a point. Jamie is not exactly what he seems to be. The problem here is that these are not people— they’re movie characters. Stereotypes abound: The responsible, upwardly-mobile 40-somethings; the oh-soquirky hipsters; Darby, the loveable hippie dingbat much like the main character in Baumbach’s Frances Ha; the wise old man (Cornelia’s father, a famous filmmaker played by Charles Grodin); Cornelia goes to a hip hop dance class and is bewildered, as if no one over 40 knows what hip hop is...or likes it. While he’s got a gift for comedy, Ben Stiller is not a good dramatic actor—his facial expressions don’t change whether he’s soul-searching, or looking for the car keys. Stiller looks like he’s acting all the time. After a bit, the movie paints Jamie as the villain— and he is a manipulative phony, to be sure—and Josh as the reluctant hero who exposes him. But Jamie is just a younger version of Josh—albeit with a Machiavellian
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streak; they’re both full of arty and political pretentions, but Jamie is willing to play fast and loose with “the truth” to make a point (and an entertaining point, at that). Josh thinks his documentary will show people “how power works in this country”…or something. To make his point, he films a pedantic, wheezing old Leftist/Liberal/radical type whose charisma makes Noam Chomsky seem like George Carlin. Documentaries are often presumed to be fair and honest, but as Hunter S. Thompson claimed, no “reportage” can ever be truly objective. The film ends with the disenchanted older couple going back to their lives apart from the youths. Josh tells Cornelia, “Jamie isn’t evil, he’s just young”—as Baumbach pins Jamie’s duplicitous behavior on his youth. But the coldly calculated con-job that Jamie pulls is chilling. If he was 17, maybe I could buy it. Baumbach’s characters are two-dimensional. He should do like Uncle Woody: Make them funny…really funny, so at least we can laugh instead of groan. ■
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Reel News
GEORGE OXFORD MILLER / REVIEWS OF RECENTLY RELEASED DVDS
Mr. Turner
★=SKIP IT; ★★=MEDIOCRE; ★★★=GOOD; ★★★★=EXCELLENT; ★★★★★=CLASSIC
Mr. Turner (2014) ★★★★★ Cast: Timothy Spall, Paul Jesson Genre: Historical bio-drama Rated R for sex, adult themes. Art serves many purposes, one being to open our eyes to the beauty around us, especially in dark times of despair and social upheaval. Such was England in the early 1800s when slavery and industrial serfdom locked the masses into grim, inhumane conditions. Yet, the beauty and raw power of nature, not the unremitting poverty, suffering, and injustice, inspired the romanticist landscape painter J. M. W. Turner. Director Mike Leigh digs deep into the personal events and 19th century mores that shaped Turner and inspired his brilliantly illuminated canvases that seem to steal the light straight from the sky. But most of all, Timothy Spall’s immersive acting brings Turner to life as an iconoclastic genius as complex and controversial as the storm-tossed scenes he loved to paint. Girlhood (2014) ★★★★ Cast: Karidja Touré, Assa Sylla Genre: Drama
No MPAA rating. French with English subtitles. This powerful coming-of-age story chronicles the brave struggle of a marginalized French teen to discover her true self in a world that too often objectifies, controls, and demeans girls. Sixteen-year-old Marieme (Touré) quickly learns that to survive sometimes you need a little help from your friends. Alone and disillusioned, battered by her domineering brother, and her dreams of going to academic high school dashed, she joins a three-girl gang led by charismatic Lady (Sylla). The power of sisterhood nurtures, protects, and empowers her in ways she never imagined. For the first time she is free to develop a more mature identity, discover the power of self-assertion, and experience the joy of peer acceptance and companionship. The transformation is deeply intimate and not always rosy, but the “band of girls” gives Marieme a solid first step toward whatever life may bring. Winter Sleep (2014) ★★★★ Cast: Haluk Bilginer, Melisa Sözen
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Genre: Drama Based on short stories by Anton Checkov. Not rated: some language and violence. Awards: Cannes Palme d’Or In Turkish with English subtitles. This three-hour, 16-minute epic doesn’t sidestep the conflicts arising from the culture and traditions in a small village in Turkey. An ageing theater actor Aydin (Bilginer), inherits a hotel in a remote area where wild horses race across the steppes and people live in rooms carved in cliffs. He settles in, but his condescending attitude doesn’t ingratiate him with his neighbors. Instead of retreating to a cave to contemplate life and write his memoirs, he must deal with the villagers’ entrenched moral codes and attitudes, not to mention tensions with his beautiful young wife and divorced sister who lives with them. We follow the deconstruction of Aydin’s carefully constructed, sophisticated, intellectual façade to reveal his pompous, mean-spirited, insecure nature. The self-deluded narcissist has a hibernating heart that, more true to life than to Hollywood, can’t break the “winter sleep” of his soul.
Black Sea (2015) ★★★ Cast: Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn Genre: Thriller Rated R for language throughout, some graphic images and violence. Laid-off from his long-time marine-salvage job and divorced by his wife, sad-sack Scottish Capt. Robinson (Law) needs a plan to jump start, or better yet, buy back his life. Given the opportunity to reactivate a moth-balled WW-II submarine and search for sunken treasure, he assembles a “dirtydozen” crew. So, what do you get when you promise a volatile cadre of miscreant sailors equal shares if they recover $40 million in Nazi gold? They may squabble like middle-school kids, but they know enough math to figure that fewer survivors means more loot per man. Though filled with submarine clichés and cutout characters, the story’s dazzling action sequences and plot twists rev up the tension as they dive, or sink, into the abyss. Despite a leaking sub awash with murderous intensions, Capt. Robinson’s dominating presence holds the nefarious crew together—until it doesn’t. ■
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Film Roundup
KEITH UHLICH
Dior and I.
★=SKIP IT; ★★=MEDIOCRE; ★★★=GOOD; ★★★★=EXCELLENT; ★★★★★=CLASSIC
Dior and I (Dir. Frédéric Cheng). Documentarian Frédéric Cheng takes a fascinating and engrossing look at the inner workings of the Christian Dior fashion house, following the luxury-wear company’s newest hire, Raf Simons, as he prepares his first haute couture line. (On a punishing eight-week schedule, no less.) Clothes may make the man, but it takes more than one guy with a vision to create a wardrobe from scratch. Cheng takes us deep inside the Dior atelier, profiling the many colorful characters whose unsung efforts go into making this iconic brand. It all builds to a dazzling finale at a Parisian mansion turned catwalk that’s been decorated with floor-toceiling floral arrangements. Everyone from Anna Wintour to Jennifer Lawrence (not to mention a hilariously disheveled Harvey Weinstein) show up to witness the fruits of Simons’ and his crew’s labors. It feels like we have a front row seat to the spectacle. Documentary. [N/R] ★★★★ Far From the Madding Crowd (Dir: Thomas Vinterberg). Starring: Carey Mulligan, Tom Sturridge, Michael Sheen. The scenery is lush and the starlet beguiling in The Celebration director Thomas Vinterberg’s brisk adaptation of the classic Thomas Hardy novel. Carey Mulligan confidently steps into the shoes of Bathsheba Everdene, a headstrong woman in Victorian England who juggles the affection of three men—a tormented soldier (Tom Sturridge), a down-on-his-luck shepherd (Matthias Schoe-
narts), and a wealthy milquetoast (Michael Sheen)—after she inherits a family farm. The twists and turns this love quadrangle takes feel rushed-through, like a seasons-long soap opera condensed into just under two hours. (By contrast, the Julie Christie-Terence Stamp version from 1967 ran to nearly three.) But Mulligan looks spectacular wandering through the sun-dappled English countryside, and brings a pathos and romanticism to the project that counterbalances Vinterberg’s hurried approach. [PG-13] ★★★ Far From Men (Dir. David Oelhoffen). Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Reda Kateb. After wandering through the Argentinean flatlands in Lisandro Alonso’s Jauja, Viggo Mortensen takes another lengthy, though not as leisurely stroll in David Oelhoffen’s riveting adventure film. The former Aragorn plays a rural schoolteacher living in Algeria at the height of the 1954-1962 War of Independence. One day, locals bring a captured dissident (Reda Kateb) to his doorstep and he’s tasked with escorting the man across the desert to authorities. The duo strikes up a tentative friendship during the journey, and also find themselves at the mercy of soldiers on both sides of the conflict. Oelhoffen seems equally inspired by Beckett plays and B-movie westerns, finding the existential absurdity in his characters’ plights (and often filming them in stark contrast to the craggy landscapes) while delighting in such oater-film staples as a saloon stopover and a close-
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quarters shootout. It’s a strange brew, but often a profound one. [N/R] ★★★★ It Follows (Dir: David Robert Mitchell). Starring: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist. No sooner has carefree suburban teenager Jay (Maika Monroe) lost her virginity than she discovers that her deflowering comes with a curse. A slow-trotting demon that can take any human form now follows her everywhere. If it catches her, she dies. As he did in his 2010 debut The Myth of the American Sleepover, writer-director David Robert Mitchell uses this premise to explore the trials of young adulthood—the awkward crushes, the lazy afternoon get-togethers, the aimlessness of adolescent existence. There just happens to be a monster involved. His compositional eye is impeccable (every time an out-of-focus figure walks through the background your pulse quickens) and his cast is uniformly appealing. He’s less certain with some of the story’s metaphorical implications, which tend toward the reactionary: Is the villain an STD made flesh? And why does the film occasionally play like an anti-sex PSA in disguise? The muddled allegory does in some way complement the emotional turmoil of the juvenile protagonists. Neither the movie nor the characters can quite express themselves coherently. [R] ★★★1/2 ■ Keith Uhlich is a critic and writer based in New York. He is a member of the New York Film Critics Circle.
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Feature
A. D. AMOROSI
TODD RUNDGREN Stays Local, Goes Global SEVERAL YEARS AGO, I engaged Todd Rundgren in a conversation about his past. Not just his musical ages which itself is rich with Tin Pan blue-eyed soul masterpieces (Something/Anything?), then-confusingnow-engrossing EDM avatars such as A Wizard, A True Star and productions for the likes of Meat Loaf, the Tubes, XTC, Tame Impala and Patti Smith. This chat was personal and reached into his start; the days with Woody’s Truck Stop (“electric blues in coffeehouses didn’t always go over big,” he said) and his psychedelic garage band the Nazz—his time in Upper Darby and Center City Philadelphia. He recalled getting on the El at 69th Street Station just to “...be downtown. Eventually I wound up living at 13th and Spruce sharing a basement apartment,” he said. “It was really an alternative community when I got to Philly. Now,
we’re all driven by the same things whether we believe in religion or not—hunger, fear, desire, the fact that “…the bottom line is
we’re corporeal, the fact that we’re in a body, that we’re simultaneously in and outside of our bodies. I happen to know the difference between what I deeply believe—scientific realties, things that have been proven or that we can assume to be proven—and that ‘consensus reality’ that drives man to religion.” our old haunts have disappeared. There are no more places such as Artists Hut or Second Fret—places where we’d play or see other people play. But I still get back to Philly and before I leave have to stop at Little Pete’s on 17th Street so I can get my scrapple and eggs.” Fast forward to earlier this year, and all we can talk about is Rundgren’s 25th solo album, Global, and its connection to A Wizard, A True Star (“I kept hearing how that early album was so influential and figured, well, how could we update that sound, that vibe, for modern ears”). Then, there’s his even newer electronic trio with Emil Nikolaisen and Hans-Peter Lindstrøm and its icier soul (yet lyrically spiritual) take on Rundgren’s past discretions with Runddans. And, of course, there’s his time with the Ringo Starr All-Starr Band and the Beatles’ drummer’s newest album Postcards from Paradise to which Rundgren contributed a song. While Rundgren returns to his native Upper Darby with Starr at the Tower Theatre on October 30, Runt (his nickname and album title) goes solo and stays Global this month at Havana in New Hope, PA and Wilmington DE’s World Café Live at the Queen, respectively, May 13 and May 16. I only wish that when I asked him what he thought about Little Pete’s 17th Street diner closing to become the cornerstone of yet another condo-complex in Philly that we hadn’t gone off topic. Talking about Global and Ruddans, Rundgren reveals two sides of
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.
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the same coin. “The Norwegian Project, as I like to call it, has been going on for three years and running,” says Rundgren of his work with Hans-Peter Lindstrøm, an ambient-electro producer and remixer for the likes of LCD Soundsystem, Roxy Music, Franz Ferdinand and Best Coast. Oddly enough, Lindstrøm contacted Rundgren for a remix of one of his songs, “Quiet Place,” and the pair met when Todd was lecturing about sound design in Oslo, Norway. “I listened to what they were doing and liked it Then, I started singing, which was fine—but I think I wanted to become more integral to the process, so we evolved into, not so much a super group but this rather genuine three-way collaboration.” Like other remix and collaborative productions that Rundgren, 65, has taken on lately (Tame Impala, the Roots), he calls his recent spate of EDM-based work “something that the kids like,” an acknowledged inspiration to their own output. “My albums, especially A Wizard, A True Star, break rules. Kids like rule-breaking,” he says with a laugh. On Global, his new album, Rundgren may host performers such as vocalist Jill Sobule, saxophonist Bobby Strickland and longtime bassist/singer Kasim Sulton, but the playing and the process is all his. That means Global is a space-age R&B album full of lush instrumentation, rubbery rhythms, Rundgren’s elastic soul vocals and enough jibes and jabs at false gods (“I think my position on modern religion has been pretty clear for ages,” he says of his sardonic, angry outlook) and good guys while remaining upbeat. “I’m trying to not point so many fingers on this one and the last one,” Rundgren claims, relating to State (of 2013) and Global. On a song such as “This Island Earth,” he points out that if “...we don’t rise, we will fall,” a note of personal protest and forward-looking futurism that is as nice as Rundgren can be at this point. “It’s hard for me to be a cheerleader, so this is as rah rah as I can take it,” he laughs. Going backward for a moment, despite the good cheer(ing), it’s a song such as “Holy Land” on Global that best defines what Rundgren does as a lyricist in regard to social protest and tearing down the walls of THEM vs. US. Ask him if he remembers the moment that he turned off to religion (rather than God) and he makes his stand clear: “It’s not even so much religion as it is the people who push its agenda. I’m a sociologist and anthropologist in a way. The source of my inspiration when I write is that I’m trying to figure out the motivation of why people do what they do. For a lot of people, religion is the great excuse for what they do. People believe in what they do because they’re frightened, they want the aggrandizement or the personal satisfaction that comes with that—the basic animal motivations that people enoble with religion philosophy and stuff like that. But, the bottom line is we’re all driven by the same things whether we believe in religion or not—hunger, fear, desire, the fact that we’re corporeal, the fact that we’re in a body, that we’re simultaneously in and outside of our bodies. I happen to know the difference between what I deeply believe—scientific realties, things that have been proven or that we can assume to be proven—and that ‘consensus reality’ that drives man to religion. So, ultimately, I don’t want to put religion down. I want to put people down.” Hey, that doesn’t sound very cheerleader-y. “No, I just want people to break out of this belief system where they are tied to what someone else told them without question. Sometimes people are junkies for religion just as they would be junkies for heroin. You are your own reality.” ■
Daryl Hall and Todd Rundgren. Photo: ©Esoteric Recordings 2015.
Todd Rundgren. Photo: ©Esoteric Recordings 2015.
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Feature
JACK BYER
WHY GOD WON’T GO AWAY
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Neurotheology. What the #$*! Is That? Dr. Andrew Newberg, is a Neurotheologist and author of Why God Won’t Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief, The Mystical Mind: Probing the Biology of Religious Experience, and Born to Believe: God, Science, and the Origins of Ordinary and Extraordinary Beliefs. A national figure, he has appeared on Good Morning America, Nightline, CNN, and ABC’s World News Tonight as well as the films What the Bleep Do We Know, Down the Rabbit Hole, Awake, and Religulous.
BILL MAHER IN HIS film, Religulous, believed its meaning was close to what he’d always “known”: “ Religion is a neurological disorder.” For others, with an animus for anything prefixed with “neuro,” it was just another pseudoscience. But to Dr. Andrew Newberg, whose book, Principles of Neurotheology, defines the terms and sets the agenda for this nascent field, it is the study of the fascinating relationship between the universal spiritual urge and the intricate workings of the human brain.
Joan of Arc may have had TLE [temporal lobe epilepsy] or some other neural quirks, leaving them obsessed with matters of the spirit. The correlation is highly controversial. Clearly, there is relationship between different pathologies and unusual spiritual experiences. Temporal lobe epilepsy, schizophrenia, mania, are all associated with hyper-religiosity or unusual spiritual experiences. That is a piece of the puzzle. But we have to be cautious about saying that everybody who has had a spiritual experience is suffering from
bled by the way the media reduces serious research in such a fashion. Reducing Dr. Dean Hamer’s research to his having found a “God gene” is another example. On an NBC Nightly News segment, “Prayers’ Effect on Health,” you spoke of the well-proven health benefits of prayer while Dr. Richard Sloan, author of Blind Faith: Unholy Alliance of Religion and Medicine said there were no proven effects. Are there or aren’t there? There is no evidence that prayer is going to eliminate
It’s conceiveable that with the research we are doing that we might be able to understand the true nature of consciousness.…And that’s really the paradigm shift. If there really is something that goes beyond that biological piece—a consciousness which gives sense to everything including the brain itself—then that would be extraordinarily dramatic. Newberg’s research explores what brain scans tell us about the relationship between spirituality and health and how prayer and other spiritual practices like meditation affect brain activity. It also compares the brain scans of different individuals to discern the differing ways they conceptualize God. For Newberg, few things seem more persistent and fundamental to the study of ourselves than human spirituality. At his office at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, where he is Director of Research at the Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine, Andy and I spoke about the controversies surrounding his work and the benefits it may provide. Is religion a neurological disorder? Some neuroscientists appear to pathologize religious revelations. They suggest that Elijah, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, Virgin Mary, Mohammad, St Paul, St Teresa of Avila, Joseph Smith,
While Jack Byer brings to interviews and reviews an extensive background in the Arts, he also brings the soul of a romantic who loves to dance and is seldom seen without his signature Basque beret.
seizures or schizophrenia. If we say that anyone who hears a voice is psychotic, we then instantly label a person who says “I heard the voice of God” as psychotic. And just because I have brain scans doesn’t mean I can reduce these mystical experiences to what is going on in the cerebral blood flow. Some one should tell this to Dr. Michael Persinger, who argues that so-called “visitor experiences”—the closeness of God, visitations of angels, and muses and aliens can be evoked by targeting the temporal lobes with a weak magnetic field. He uses a ‘God-helmet,’ jury-rigged with electromagnets, to help people find God. A colleague of his now sells “Shakti Spiritual Technology for Altered States, Meditation and Mood Enhancement.” Do claims like this and for programs in neurosculpting, brain training and mental fitness give the field bad name? I’m concerned when people make recommendations and commercialize devices and practices based on data that isn’t really there. I heard about [The Real Exorcist] on British TV that claimed to be a serious investigation of what happens inside the brain during exorcism and cited “a new field of research called Neurotheology.” I’m trou-
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cancer. However, a fairly large number of studies that have looked at prayer, meditation, and spirituality as a way of coping with difficult situations, have shown a reduction in measures of anxiety and depression. But I do agree that there is no clear data about the effects of praying for someone to get better. Some studies of intercessory prayer have shown a statistical improvement in some people, and a lot have not. There has been a strong backlash to the intrusion of Neuroscience into a number of disciplines. There’s now Neuroaesthetics, Neuroethics, Neurolaw, Neuroanatomy, Neuroeconomics. And recently, the Commander of American Special Operations forces in the Middle East wants to enlist neuroscience to battle ISIS? So soon we’ll be adding Neurodefense to what one headline writer named this surge of “neuromania.” The backlash is probably stronger than it needs to be, but I can understand why. People are facing neuroscientists who claim we now understand love and we un-
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Erika Rachel, “Red Cover Up,” 24 x 36 at Freedom Art & Music
ALCHEMY CLOTHING Celebrate Spring with name brand apparel at affordable prices including Wind River, No Blu, Nic and Zoe, Bryn Walker, Nataya, Georgina Estefania, Art of Cloth and Lee Anderson. Dress to impress or make a special purchase for Mom this Mother’s Day. Unique clothing, jewelry, handbags, scarves, and more will enhance your figure, as well as your wardrobe. Most of the clothing is made in the U.S.A. Gift cards available. FREEDOM ART & MUSIC Fine art meets bohemian. Come and find inspiration among the eclectic works of over 25 local artists. Mediums include photo, oil, acrylic, woodwork, jewelry and more. Visit freedomartandmusic.com for a full list of events that include artist openings, yoga and painting classes, plus live music events. Come in and see art, beauty and passion converge as one. JASPER AND JUNE Give Mom a unique, meaningful gift this Mother’s Day. Jasper and June is a “Giving Boutique” where every purchase gives back and supports positive global change. Empower HIV positive women in Ethiopia. Restore hope for victims of trafficking in India. Everything we carry DOES GOOD. OLIVE WITH A TWIST Celebrate Mom in May. Pamper Mom this Mother’s Day with LibbyBNatural organic skin care gift sets or choose a gift basket from our wide selection, all containing the most popular balsamic & oils. Now tasting Lemongrass, Bergamot Orange, Honey Ginger and Raspberry Reserve balsamic vinegars. SUNBEAM TOYS Unique quality toys, games, puzzles, kites, and baby gifts. Friendly service and free gift-wrapping makes shopping here easy and fun. As the only independent toy store in Hunterdon County, we strive to offer something fun for everyone. Many of our toys are made in the US and Europe. Open 7 days a week. Come play today.
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About Life
JAMES P. DELPINO, MSS,MLSP,LCSW,BCD
The 3 Basic Fears FEAR IS ONE OF the three universal emotions; the other two are sadness and love. Like the three primary colors that are the basis for all colors, all other feelings are an admixture of these three basic emotions. It’s believed by many that all infants are born with a fear of falling. After a child is born there are three fears—infantile terrors which form part of the core of the Self: abandonment, engulfment and annihilation. The infantile terror known as annihilation occurs when there is serious abuse to a baby or child. Abuse can be physical, emotional, sexual, or a combination of these
three. The fear of annihilation is an experience of imminent destruction of the mind and/or body. Even as adults, people who have annihilative terror tend to fall apart at the least sign of conflict and/or aggression. Even if the aggression or conflict is perceived the reaction is extreme. The extremity of the reaction is an indicator of how profound the terror is for that person. Since not all traumas are alike in their intensity, frequency and duration, the display of the annihilative reaction can range greatly. In adults who have experienced trauma during their adult years, the same reactions are often observed. This fear can be so devastating that some people are barely able to function. In more serious cases, people become psychotic and are unable to distinguish their fears from reality. People with this terror often avoid real or perceived conflicts and often speak about falling to pieces when even small, everyday conflicts occur. Abandonment terrors are probably the most common among people in general. As with all the basic terrors, abandonment can be experienced as mild, moderate and severe. In the most serious cases of abandonment a child loses one or both parents due to illness, death or desertion. This kind of deep damage is often experienced throughout the course of life as a fear of people leaving. It’s not hard to imagine how this can wreak havoc on relations with friends, family and especially intimate relationships. It sometimes manifests as a continual need for reassurance and approval, while at other times it’s displayed through extreme jealousy. There are many faces to aban-
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donment and a common face is often seen in abusive/controlling relationships. In some couples a small difference in opinion can trigger the fear that the other is abandoning the relationship. The smallest space or time away from each other can manifest as abandonment. Sadly, clinging or controlling behaviors often push people away. This, of course, feeds the fear of abandonment even more. Clinically, it’s thought that a person with severe abandonment terror(s) needs to develop the capacity to internalize the care, concern and love offered by others. The third in the triad of terrors is the fear of engulfment. Engulfment terrors often result from smothering or over-controlling parental styles. For example, often parents with abandonment fears tend to overwhelm the child with contact and have great difficulties letting go in ways appropriate to the child’s age. When a child is overwhelmed by contact and the need to withdraw for time to process the situation is repressed, it often results in fears of being “too” close for comfort. In essence, the fear of engulfment is a fear of losing oneself in relationships since being close in their experience has been suffocating. As adults they often feel the need for space or time alone to settle down the fears. Since all fears can be triggered by real or perceived events, a person who suffers with engulfment fears often experiences typical relationship needs as a way of being taken over or used by other people. Not all those who seek solitude have engulfment terror(s). Artists, musicians and writers, for example, often need to cultivate solitude to focus on their creative processes. People with engulfment terror can often present with a history of “abandoning relationships” because of a fear of getting close. It frequently manifests as a mistrust of the partner’s motives or that the partner is too intrusive or controlling. When people are not conscious of their own fears it’s easy to distort experiences and develop deep beliefs about what is happening. In the context of relationships, partners often trigger the core terrors in each other without realizing it. Communication difficulties are often driven by infantile terrors. Abandonment is the most common fear because we all have to give up the closeness with our parents in order to grow and develop into full adulthood. When one spouse claims she or he is not listened to by the other spouse, what appears on the surface is poor communication. However, on the deeper level, not being heard can feel like being left alone. If the pattern persists over years, partners can come to believe they have no access to each other because “she is shut down” and “he has his walls up.” These dynamics apply equally to unmarried, married, and same-sex couples, as we are all more human than we are anything else. ■
Jim Delpino is a psychotherapist in private practice for over 33 years. jdelpino@aol.com Phone: (215) 364-0139.
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The List : MAY 6 – The Metropolitan Opera (Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown) The Metropolitan Opera in HD, Encore: Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci.
A. D. AMOROSI
A curated look at the month’s arts, entertainment, food and pop cultural events
10 – Ciara (Keswick) Hip hop pop’s too-often ignored most sinewy vocalist shares an intimate showcase with her fans.
7-10 – Alkaline Trio (TLA) Call them math rock with heart. Call them indie with prog complexity. Just call them.
15 – Brad Paisley with Justin Moore and Mickey Guyton (Susquehanna Bank Center) Country picker Paisley is more sarcastic a lyricist / singer than he makes out to be. 15 – Faith No More (Electric Factory) Mike Patton’s famed metal-funk weirdos return after nearly 25 years away. Welcome them with open arms.
7 – Landreth Bros (Milkboy) These guys are way too young and cute to sing the blues. Ahhhh, but they do so anyway. 8 – Brian McKnight (Keswick) McKnight is one of grown-and-sexy soul’s most elastic and mature singers. Why don’t more people know this?
10 – The Roches (World Café Live) Whichever of the three charming sisters choose to do their quirky folk for this gig is OK by me.
8 – Fishbone (Ardmore Music Hall) Ska punk’s black rock avatars—led still by ever-energetic Angelo Moore—take no prisoners when they play live. 9 – The Replacements (FP) The once-drunk wild men of sardonic, fast and furious pub rock sobered up, but they still play messy and loose. Good on them.
11 – John Cooper Clarke (World Café Live) The white British Saul Williams
16 – Piano Grandeur (Christ Lutheran Church, Allentown) Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra Haydn, Bartok, Chopin.
12 – Radiator Hospital/Fred Thomas (Hazzard Hall) Fred Thomas is like way early mangy folksy Beck only way more psychedelic.
17 – Wister Quartet with Marcantonio (Foy Hall, Moravian College Church & Main, Bethlehem) Chamber Music Society of Bethlehem
13 – Ministry with Laibach (TLA) This is the sound of devil loving industrial rock circa 1989. Enter at your peril and don’t forget your leather cowboy hat.
May 17 – The Who and Joan Jett (Wells Fargo Center) No new bosses here. Just the old ones rocking out with hard grand passion. Plus they made it until they got old.
13 – Scott Bradlee & Postmodern Jukebox (Troc) It takes a big (bald) man (in a clown suit) to do mod hits using old doo wop and big band sounds. Smashing.
18 – Buffy Saint Marie (World Café Live) Your indigenous folk-loving grandparents love her. 19 – Primal Scream (TLA) Britain’s elastic plastic fantastic psychedelic soul act return.
9 – The music of Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington (Kimmel) America’s true first classical music—cosmopolitan big band jazz at its most elegant—played by a full orchestra. I could cry just thinking about it.
26 – Vince Gill & Lyle Lovett (Keswick) Two cosmopolitan country folk cranks hanging out with funny stories, funnier songs and wry expressions.
9 – Gino Vanelli (Keswick) I know he still does massively synthetic and epically grand pop. But does he have that mane of hair?
29 – Darius Rucker with Brett Eldredge, A Thousand Horses and Brothers Osborne (Magic Mountain) Just because he doesn’t go by Hootie doesn’t make this Blowfish any more tolerable, cozy country sounds or not.
9 – Mothers Day show with Isley Bros, Babyface, Fantassia, Eric Benet (Boardwalk Hall) It’s worth the drive to Atlantic City to see this most romantically soulful show coursing through several generations of caramel smooth R&B. 10 – Saul Williams (Ardmore Music Hall) The black American John Cooper Clarke.
18 – Nico & Vinz (TLA) Your funny-hat-wearing kids like them.
14 – David Torn (Ars Nova at the Art Alliance) Prog jazz’s most atmospheric guitarist makes merry and morose noise.
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30 – The Roots Picnic (Festival Pier) The Tonight Show Band and Philly’s finest take on a new iteration of their annual pre-summer attraction with three stages, The Weeknd, King Britt, Erykah Badu, A$AP Rocky, Afrika Bambaataa, Hudson Mohawke, DJ Windows 98 (Win Butler of Arcade Fire), Donn T and more. ■
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music
A. D. AMOROSI
A Good Time for the
Bad Old Blues Being born under a bad sign, as Albert King once sang, certainly augurs that the blues are sure to follow. Unlike the rest of that song, the luck isn’t so bad—at least not for blues audiences.
Portrait in New York, in Lead Belly's final days, 1948-49. Photo: Dr Richard S. Blache
Huddie Ledbetter (Lead Belly) and Martha Promise Ledbetter, Wilton, Connecticut, February 1935
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THOUGH THERE’S MANY A blues or R&B aficionado who applaud its more commercial, more memorably melodic first (1959- 1968) and second volumes (1968-1971), The Complete Stax/Volt Soul Singles Vol. 3 (Concord, 10 CDs, 213 songs, 1972–1975) is a raw power joy to behold. Maybe there are nods to disco that sound as if the artists are trying too hard, but hard work never killed anyone, and the flickering funk of the Dramatics’ latter 70s output sounds sweet here. Where deep blues are concerned, lions in winter like Johnnie Taylor (“Try Me Tonight,” “We’re Getting Careless with Our Love”), Albert King (“I’m Doing Fine,” “Playing on Me”), Little Milton (“Behind Closed Doors) and the gospeltinged Staple Singers (“I Got To Be Myself ”) prove how sharp their teeth are. Lesser knowns like Shirley Brown (“It’s Worth a Whippin’”), Frederick Knight (“Trouble”) and Ernie Hines (“What Would I Do”) do likewise and this box is well worth investigating. Then there’s Lead Belly: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection of 5 CDs and 108 tracks capturing the dirt down, up and right, hollering blues of Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter, the tasteful gentleman behind legendary moments of rural and urban folk such as “The Midnight Special,“ “Goodnight Irene,” “ Go Down, Old Hannah,” the chain-rattling, convict song cover of “Rock Island Line” and more. The dignified blues singer-songwriter (he looked natty in his bow tie) that Kurt Cobain considered his greatest inspiration (and who secretly wanted to be a cowboy film star) receives the full treatment with this package. There are rare photos, radio programs recorded for WNYC in 1941 that get their first airing here, and a 140-page, large format (12x12) book with crisply informative essays. The WNYC Folk Songs of America CD sounds as if Lead Belly’s brute force is being transmitted, not so much from another time (that was the year of infamy according to Franklin Delano Roosevelt), but rather another planet, because hearing “Grey Goose,” “Boll Weevil,” “Yellow Gal,” “Ha-Ha This a Way” and “Leaving Blues” all in a row is its own brand of incendiary fireside chat. Mostly though. It’s having all the classics in one place that’s the best reason to buy Lead Belly: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection. In one song after another, he tackles social consciousness (“The Bourgeois Blues”), yearning emotionalism (“Almost Day”), all around rambling (“Sail On, Little Girl,” “Easy Rider,” “Alabama Bound”), sex (“Black Girl”) like a man unbound and unwound. That free but searing sensation is surely aided by the knowledge that he was brought to New York City by folklorist John Lomax after Ledbetter served time in jail for attempted murder. Brave and bold stuff this. ■
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Keresman on Disc
MARK KERESMAN ★=SKIP IT; ★★=MEDIOCRE; ★★★=GOOD; ★★★★=EXCELLENT; ★★★★★=CLASSIC
David Berkman ★★★★ Old Friends and New Friends Palmetto Cleveland rocks, but swings as well—take pianist David Berkman. He’s pounded the keys for Cecil McBee, Tom Harrell, and Jane Monheit, among others, and estab-
any), as this carry-able keyboard, this squeezebox, has been associated with polka, Tex-Mex, and other exotica— but how many jazz accordionists can you name? Here’s one: Rob Reich (also a pianist), who swings like he’s at the Village Vanguard on “How Now,” helped in no small way by the woody tones of clarinetist Ben Goldberg and Eric Garland’s snappy drums. Elsewhere, these lads fashion urbane chamber jazz that may transport you to Paris in the ‘20s, North Beach in the late ‘50s, a Woody Allen movie, or Argentina whenever. (12 tracks, 55 min.) bengoldberg.net/bag_production The Grip Weeds How I Won the War ★★★★1/2 Jem Recordings Some people, once past age 30 or so, tend to think there’s very little notable rock music since [insert idealized era here]. The problem is: There’s LOTS of fine rock & roll out there but mainstream/commercial radio is unlikely to play it. New Jersey’s Grip Weeds reach into a par-
lished himself as a leader. Not only is he an ace at the acoustic keyboard, but he’s becoming quite the composer and arranger as well. Old Friends features a slightly unusual grouping: three saxophonists, piano, bass (the dandy Linda Oh), and drums (the great Brian Blade, who’s played with Wayne Shorter and Joni Mitchell). Berkman has a style that evokes the graceful, expressive, and economical lyricism of Bill Evans and Fred Hersch and the surging power-bop of Larry Willis and John Hicks. Despite the three saxes, there’s little big band-like sax section stuff—Berkman’s sextet (and one trio track) has the intimacy of a chamber music group, with the saxes providing plenty of contrast, sometimes light, pliant, and intertwining around each other like wisps of smoke, other times full-bodied and swinging like Rollins and Stitt. (Berkman played with Stitt in his Cleveland days.) There’s nothing earthshaking here, just some original and winning modjazz, full of both sophistication and gusto. (9 tracks, 50 min.) palmetto-records.com Rob Reich ★★★★ Shadowbox BAG Production Say “accordion” to most and notice their reaction (if
shemp@hotmail.com
ticular era of the 1960s for inspiration—when bands such as The Beatles, Small Faces, Who, Cream (the first album), and Jefferson Airplane played concise and rousing rock & roll songs, but with a progressive and/or psychedelic edge yet minus any of the tedious excesses to follow (interminable instrumental solos). “Lead Me to It” tears from the speakers/headphones like a cross between Syd Bar-
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rett-era Pink Floyd and The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me.” “See Yourself ” combines the dreaminess of the Fab Four’s psychedelic period and the volatile dynamics of the Who at their 1972 prime. The Grip Weeds’ vocals are urgent and harmonious, the songs packed with memorable moments…and the title and cover art refer to the obscure 1967 movie starring John Lennon. This platter is, dare I say, virtually essential. (17 tracks, 50 min.) jemrecordings.com The Cash Box Kings ★★★★1/2 Holding Court Blind Pig Unless you’re a history student/nerd you might not know how important the Chicago blues sound is to music history. Other styles influenced the blues and rock performers of the 1960s and ‘70s (and beyond) but the raw, electric, sharp-edged Chicago style as exemplified by Muddy Waters, Little Walter, and Sonny Boy Williamson exerted perhaps the biggest influence on The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, etc. on the British side of the pond and on Dylan, Paul Butterfield, and Mike Bloomfield on our side. The Windy City combo Cash Box Kings specialize in the Chicago style—terse, razor-sharp guitar glistening in the moonlight/bar light, confident and soulful singing, stark simple drums, and serrated harmonica playing. But these lads aren’t stuck in the past—“Download Blues” is about a contemporary musician’s curse and “I Miss You Miss Anne” has sly vocal harmonies echoing the classic R&B/soul of The Dells and The Impressions. Further, CBK has a less-is-more approach (no finger-exercise solos), not too polished but never “raw” for its own sake, the songs dispense with my-baby-done-left-me clichés, and there’s a touch of rockabilly in the guitar playing. Old-school blues devotees and fans of the bluesier side of Americana (Jack White, Los Lobos, Heavy Trash) can agree on this one. (13 tracks, 48 min.) blindpigrecords.com Pow Wows Broken Curses ★★★★1/2 Get Hip Canada, our neighbor to the north, has contributed to all things cultural in a big way: Neil Young, Oscar Peterson, and William Shatner to name but three. Add to that list Pow Wows, a Toronto combo that both maintains and enriches the tradition of raw rock & roll: The Kinks 19641966; The Sonics; The Standells; The Buzzcocks; and The Ramones. It’s all here—fuzzed guitars, monolithic beats, insolent (but with a wink) vocals, memorable melodic hooks, and urgent, get-me-to-the-world-on-time tempos. But raw doesn’t equal sloppy—this lot play tight as a drumhead. Pow Wows play the living heck out of The Equals’ obscure mod/psych-rocker “I Can See But You Don’t Know”—that alone is worth the price of admission. Yet these guys aren’t throwbacks—the winsome-yet-driving “Traces” has an interesting ebb-and-flow structure, alternating winsome, thrash, stomp, and a bit of psychedelia. These lads don’t just live the good lessons of rock & roll, they put their own spin on it. (10 tracks, 30 min.) gethip.com ■
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Nick’’s Picks Joanna Pascale ★★★★ Wildflower Stiletto Listening to Joanna Pascale sing is like getting a big hug. Her voice is warm, wise and easy to love. The Philly native has put out fine solo albums previously, but nothing like Wildflower, a deeply felt record that freely mixes pop tunes, blues and outlier standards. Running through the set list, her influences are quick to spot — from J.J. Johnson (“Lament”) to Ray Charles (“Drown In My Own Tears”) and Shirley Horn. In fact, her band’s tight, deli-
cious groove on the shimmering opener, “Forget me,” sets a seductive mood and you can imagine Pascale cozying up to the mic, confident as all get out. She spins the lyric with Horn-like shading and a swinging tempo that makes you want to dance. It’s the start to a great listening experience produced by pianist and longtime Pascale friend, Orrin Evans. Certainly, with any vocal recording the heavy lift is pairing the right tunes with a great interpreter, and Pascale’s choices effectively do that by hitting emotional touchstones on every track. While the core trio features Evans, bassist Vicente Archer and drummer Obed Calvaire, the singer imports ace guest talent like Christian McBride and Cyrus Chestnut, who shake up a saucy “Do It Again” and later with the extraordinary harmonica player, Gregoire Maret, on a delightful “Overjoyed.” Pascale’s singing is the stuff of dreams, whether on the achingly
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
★=SKIP IT; ★★=MEDIOCRE; ★★★=GOOD; ★★★★=EXCELLENT; ★★★★★=CLASSIC
beautiful “I Wanna Be Loved” or the reliably uplifting “Ill Remember You,” where she shines with halogen brightness. (11 tracks; 62 minutes) Ben Williams ★★★★1/2 Coming of Age Concord It was easy to see why Ben Williams debut, State Of Art (Concord, 2011), made such a splash. It had a deserved buzz around a rising talent, and remains a primer for how to make a modern jazz record. Since then, besides heavy side gigging and touring with his Sound Effect band (Christian Sands, Marcus Strickland, Matthew Stevens and John Davis), the 30-year-old Williams had a key role in Pat Metheny’s Unity Group—the band played over 150 shows internationally in 2013. That’s a lot of experience in a compressed time frame, so it’s not surpris-
ing his follow up, Coming Of Age, is a rush of pleasure from beginning to end. The highly disciplined Williams, a Julliard graduate and winner of the 2009 Monk Institute Competition, weds fresh jazz to pop and R&B on seriously engaging tunes that hum and heave from his nimble bass whether he’s on acoustic or electric. The record is backboned by tracks that electrify (“Strength and Beauty”) and groove (“Half Steppin’”) and his vocal collaborations with soul singer Goapele (“Voice Of Freedom”) and a reprise of a track called “Toy Soldiers” with Washington, DC, rap/spo-
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ken word artist W. Ellington Felton, satisfy the de rigueur groove revivalism and album’s crossover appeal. Instrumentals like “Black Villain Music” and the sweet gloss of strings and muted trumpet by guest Christian Scott on “Lost And Found” will satisfy on multiple spins, but it’s the keyed up guitar solos, funky electric piano, sonorous sax and wicked beats that give Coming Of Age it’s morethan-just-jazz appeal. It’s a contagious hang, fueled by virtuosity and vision along with Williams’ canny sense of music making. (11 tracks; 67 minutes) Joe Alterman ★★★★ Georgia Sunset independent release Pianist Joe Alterman is a preternaturally gifted musician who, at 26, seems to have absorbed the soulful style of Ahmad Jamal and Ramsey Lewis without impinging on his own tasteful straight-ahead arrangements of easy listening standards. On his sophomore release, Georgia Sunset, he’s a polished pro—turning melodic chestnuts and post-bop standards into feel-good, finger-snapping winners. Produced by and featuring his mentor saxophonist Houston Person (with Gregory Hutchinson on drums and Rueben Rogers on bass), Alterman smoothly swings through “Blue Moon,” “Hard Times,” and a Motown gem, “For Once In My Life.” He takes a couple of impressive solo turns (“How Deep Is Your Love,” among them) and offers up one original (the title track) that’s a soulful twist on “Canadian Sunset,” which highlights the pianist’s sensitivity, disarming technique and most of all, unpretentious charm. (12 tracks; 57 minutes) E. J. Strickland ★★★★ The Undying Spirit Strick Music E.J. Strickland is an artist with a clear and sensible vision: that a drummer-led jazz record should give listeners an opportunity to get their groove on. The all-original program on his The Undying Spirit isn’t infused with long, indulgent percussion solos—snuff out any recollection you have about drumming from the movie Whiplash—because Strickland has a gratifying knack for hip melodies and a soulful strut that clicks frequently on this highly listenable album. The date leads with a groove tune called “Ride,” a track with a memorable theme and an arrangement that salutes the gifts of his tremendous quintet—brother Marcus Strickland on tenor, Jaleel Shaw on alto, phenom bassist Linda Oh and the accomplished Venezuelan pianist Luis Perdomo. As a group, they ground the drummer’s music. On tunes like “Transcendence” (a tribute to Nelson Mandela) and “For My Home Folks,” the music has a beating heart, literally and figuratively. The songs are pleasantly long and Strickland’s charts give his band the freedom to exercise with harmonics and rhythms, stretching solos and phrases for maximum feeling. You get a sense there’s a lot of love here—all the tunes relate to Strickland’s life, brother, friends, family and his greatest love of all (“for SC”). A striking record by a remarkable musician, Strickland brings all his game to The Undying Spirit. (10 tracks; 70 minutes) ■
Singer / Songwriter
TOM WILK ★=SKIP IT; ★★=MEDIOCRE; ★★★=GOOD; ★★★★=EXCELLENT; ★★★★★=CLASSIC
The Nighthawks ★★★ Back Porch Party EllerSoul Records
The Kennedys ★★★★ West The Kennedys LLC
Dion ★★★1/2 Recorded Live at the Bitter End, August 1971 Omnivore Recordings
On Back Porch Party, the Nighthawks opt to go unplugged. The decision to record the CD live and acoustic in the studio gives the music an easygoing, more intimate sound, akin to hearing a performance in a living room or a back porch. Fueled by Mark Wenner’s harmonica and Paul Bell’s guitar, “Rock This House” gets the album off to a spirited start while also paying tribute to bluesman Jimmy Rogers, one of the band’s musical inspirations. On “Walkin’ After Midnight,” Patsy Cline’s country classic is transformed into a bluesy shuffle. It’s an arrangement that shows the durability of a timeless song. With Willie Dixon’s “Tiger in Your Tank,” the Nighthawks lock into a groove and don’t let go in a celebration of automotive similes for love. The rhythm section of bassist Johnny Castle and drummer Mark Stutso is spotlighted on a gritty, jazz/gospel version of Tom Waits’ “Down in the Hole,” the song used in HBO’s The Wire. The Nighthawks also feature a selection of original songs. “Jana Lea” evokes the spirt of ‘50s rock ‘n’ roll, while “Hey Miss Hey” is a mix of Little Richard-style exuberance vocally and rockabilly enthusiasm instrumentally. Back Porch Party serves up a tasty smorgasbord of American music styles. 12 songs, 44 minutes. The Nighthawks will perform at the Tin Angel, 20 S. 2nd St., Philadelphia, on May 15 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20. Visit www.tinangel.com for more information.
Pete and Maura Kennedy are celebrating 20 years of making music by looking ahead, not back. West, a joint album by the Kennedys, will be followed by solo albums by each artist later this year. West is that rare CD, an album that will lift a listener’s spirit with a baker dozen’s worth of songs that crisscross the musical spectrum. To borrow a baseball term, the Pete
As lead singer of Dion and the Belmonts and as a solo artist, Dion DiMucci enjoyed a series of doo-wop-flavored hits from 1958 to 1963. Starting in the mid-1960s, Dion began to incorporate more blues and folk sounds into his music and playing live with just his acoustic guitar for accompaniment. Recorded Live at the Bitter End, August 1971 offers a snapshot of Dion performing before a hometown New York audience. He starts off with a tentative version of Bob Dylan’s “Mama, You’ve Been on My Mind” but quickly finds his footing for a first-rate set. Dion delivers a bittersweet reading of Dylan’s “One Too Many Mornings” with a vocal that splits the difference between regret and wistfulness. Dion pays tribute to his contemporaries with heartfelt versions of Leonard Cohen’s “Sisters of Mercy” and the Beatles’ “Blackbird.” On Chuck Berry’s “Too Much Monkey Business,” Dion adds a verse about the then-ongoing “Vietnam War.” With “Sunshine Lady” and “Your Own Backyard,” Dion shows his own strengths as a songwriter. The latter is an unflinching account of his battles with drug addictions. He also reworks some of his own biggest hits, offering a slowed-down, bluesy version of “The Wanderer” and a nod to his doo-wop past with a zesty “Ruby Baby.” Recorded Live at the Bitter End, August 1971 shows Dion moving on to a second act of a musical career that has now spanned more than half a century. 17 songs, 56 minutes
Shelby Lynne ★★★1/2 I Can’t Imagine Rounder Records
Jerry Lawson ★★★1/2 Just a Mortal Man Red Beet Records
I Can’t Imagine, Shelby Lynne’s first full-length studio CD in four years, finds the singer working in multiple genres of music but staying true to herself. The spare arrangement of “Paper Van Gogh” allows plenty of room for her expressive vocals. On “Back Door Front Porch,” Lynne’s phrasing recalls that of a jazz singer. Her languid vocals allow the words of the title to float in the mix, like a flag fluttering in the breeze. “Sold The Devil (Sunshine),” is a soul-flavored ballad that acknowledges her Southern roots. A Neil Young-styled electric guitar allows “Down Here” to build in intensity to full-tilt rocker. “Love is Strong,” one of two songs Lynne co-wrote with Ron Sexsmith, allows her to alternate between slow and fast vocal passages. “Son of a Gun,” is a sketch of a migrant worker trying to get by during the Great Depression. Other songs were inspired by her own life. “Following You” is based on a memory of her father hunting squirrels; the title track grew out of her move to California. It’s a melodic song enhanced by Ben Peeler’s pedal steel guitar that seems to bring the album full circle. 10 songs, 41 minutes
At 71, Jerry Lawson, longtime lead singer for the peerless a cappella group the Persuasions, has stepped out on his own for his first solo album. Just a Mortal Man serves as a reminder of the power of his vocal artistry with a mix of newer songs and tributes to his vocal inspirations. Lawson delivers a soothing version of Paul Simon’s “Peace Like a River” with gospel overtones. “Time and Water,” one of four songs co-written by producer Eric Brace, features a country-flavored contemplation of love. “Wine,” by Peter Cooper, is a cautionary blues tales handled adeptly by Lawson: “Wine don’t make me richer/It just leads me astray.” Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter collaborates with Lawson on “Woman in White,” which features Jim Lauderdale on vocals. “Never Been to Memphis” shows Lawson’s ability to handle up-tempo material, with Jen Gunderman contributing some rollicking piano work. “I’m Just a Mortal Man” finds Lawson honoring the memory of former Temptations singer David Ruffin with an understated soulful reading. “Members Only,” has Lawson doing the same for Bobby Blue Bland, one of his influences as a singer. The CD wraps up with an intimate, acoustic version of “I’ll Come Running Back to You,” a 1958 hit by Sam Cooke. Recorded in concert, it makes the case that Lawson should consider a live CD for his next recording. 13 songs, 48 minutes ■
tomwilk@rocketmail.com
and Maura Kennedy hit the sweet spot with this collection. Bolstered by the couple’s harmonies, the title track is a celebration of the open road and calls to mind the work of Woody Guthrie and Willie Nelson in heeding the call of the wild. The hypnotic “Signs” echoes a similar theme of seeking out open spaces, as Maura sings: “I’m trading tires for boots/Tar for boots and leaves and roots.” The open-hearted “Locket” is an emotional descendant of Buddy Holly’s “Words of Love” with a glockenspiel interlude that’s similar to the one Holly used with celeste on “Everyday.” The freewheeling folk of “Bodhisattva Blues” mixes Doc Watson with a side of spontaneity. With “The Queen of Hollywood High,” Maura teams with John Stewart’s backing band to pull one of the late California songwriter’s tunes out of the shadows. The release of West also coincides with the Kennedys’ 20th wedding anniversary this years. The CD’s last two songs, “Perfect Love” and “Good Better Best” speak to that milestone, while recalling the Byrds and Everly Brothers, respectively. 13 songs, 41 minutes
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24 / DR. ANDREW NEWBERG
derstand this and we understand that. And it’s much more complex. Neurotheology, for example, doesn’t get rid of theology; it doesn’t change the doctrines of a tradition. It brings a new perspective that may be beneficial. It may add to how we understand what we do in prayer, how we think about God. It’s another voice in the discussion. I’m getting all these brain scans of people praying and meditating and having these profound experiences, but I want to know how these people really think
It’s conceiveable that with the research we are doing that we might be able to understand the true nature of consciousness. Whether it really is just biological—the brain actually producing the experience—or is there something that goes beyond the biological—the “brain going along for the ride.” And that’s really the paradigm shift. If there really is something that goes beyond that biological piece—a consciousness which gives sense to everything including the brain itself—then that would be extraordi-
ers—science is being used to reinforce an atheist agenda? After all, if they can explain religious experience purely as an artifact of the brain as they try to do, God and religion are meaningless. It’s sometimes hard for me to read their books because they’re trying to be scientific, but yet they keep making comments about religion. Why is that really relevant. Let’s just talk about the science and then we can decide where religion fits in. Evolutionary biologists explain religion as an adaptive trait driven by natural selection. Their explanations seem purely speculative. It’s for that reason that I’ve steered away from that discussion. They’re interesting arguments, but it’s very hard to prove. You wind up with a bunch of reasonable arguments that will be pretty difficult to get data on. Besides, reducing faith to the lowest common denominator of genetic survival is pretty reductive. You gave a paper at the Spirituality Research Symposia at the University of Pennsylvania on “The aging brain and spiritual capacity.” Is there hope for those with “senior moments”? You claim that just twelve minutes of meditation per day may slow down the aging process. We had people who had never done meditation do Kriya Yoga, which is a twelve-minute a day practice, for eight weeks; we scanned them initially and scanned them at the end. We found statistically significant increases in brain function, improvements in memory and reductions in stress and feelings of anxiety and depression. The memory loss you see as people get older can be improved if they do even a simple practice like that. Studies have looked at the telemeers that are on the end of the DNA, which are believed to be part of the aging process as they break down. But when people engage in these types of stress reducing practices, the telemeers actually get longer.
Dr. Andrew Newberg.
and feel about these experiences. If I don’t know what that is, how do I know what I’m even looking at when it comes to the brain itself? Are there measurable changes in a person’s brain that could help us understand transcendental experiences? Brain scans show that people who are in a deeply meditative or prayerful state have a very substantial decrease of activity in the part of the brain which normally helps create a sense of oneself and a sense of orientation in space and time. As you progressively block activity in that area, you block your ability to establish your sense of self as distinguished from the rest of the world, producing a sense of deep connectedness or “oneness” with the rest of the universe. One of great questions in neuroscience is whether mind or consciousness is fundamentally different from the neurological processes of the brain. If they are different, science itself is in for a great paradigm shift. Absolutely. After all, it basically comes down to how do we understand the human person. How do we understand the brain? How do we understand consciousness?
narily dramatic. The physical world then would not be the ultimate reality. The mind would be everywhere, not just in the brain. There would be consciousness in every cell, and in the cosmos itself. I agree with that possibility. Obviously, we don’t know. But all these possibilities are certainly on the table. Religion and spirituality have a very spongy relationship. The identifier SBNR (“Spiritual But Not Religious”) is growing in popularity and is viewed as a threatening trend to traditional religion. We need to understand what that means. It’s important to know what people mean when they say they don’t believe. People just don’t like the word “God.” They don’t want to say that they believe in “God” because they feel the word has been co-opted by religion and its dogmas. But it may be, in fact, that they do believe in God if they’re on a spiritual path and can accept “God” as a default word for the transcendence they seek. Do you think in some cases—I’m thinking of Mathew Alper, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, among oth-
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Yoga as practiced by so many people today seems strictly focused on the body, but it was originally meant to be a means of connecting with God. In many ways, yogis recognized long before Western neuroscience, what we now call “neuroplasticity.” Kriya Yoga could literally rewire your brain. It’s not just about the body. The Dalai Lama was invited to speak at the annual Society for Neuroscience meeting in 2005. A few hundred members petitioned to have the invitation rescinded. They felt a religious leader had no place at a scientific meeting. Have things changed much in the scientific community? The attitude is now much more favorable to this kind of research. When we published our first meditation study back in the ‘90s, only one other paper had been done. Now close to a hundred research articles have specifically looked at the brain and meditation, and many other studies have looked at meditation and health, and spirituality and health. And more and more medical schools have programs in meditation or Mindfulness. When physicians experience it for themselves, it’s no longer just this wacko sort of stuff.
< The Dalai Lama’s interest in the relation between brain and spiritual traditions led to the creation of the Mind and Life Institute. He launched the sub-discipline of “contemplative neuroscience” and invited science to study brain activity of highly experienced meditators—defined as having more than 10,000 hours of practice. What has come of that project? It has led to additional papers and data, exploring in more detail how these practices affect the brain. They’ve been studying the most highly proficient practitioners in the world. Here at Jefferson’s Mindfulness Institute, we’ve been teaching meditation to thousands of people who are not devoting 10-20,000 hours of their life to meditation and for whom it’s not necessarily part of their spiritual tradition. They are clearly benefiting from all of meditation’s stress reducing effects. You titled one of your books Why God Won’t Go Away: How God Changes Your Brain. It seems to suggest Divine agency. Are you using science to prove God’s existence? Maybe you missed the double meaning. How God Changes Your Brain could mean God changing your brain, but it could also mean how your beliefs in God change your brain. I think we were pretty up front about that. If a nun says she was in God’s presence, I can do a brain scan that tells me what happened in her brain when she says “in God’s presence.” It doesn’t prove that God was in the room; it doesn’t prove that God wasn’t in the room. The fact that spiritual experience can be associated with distinct neural activity does not necessarily mean that such experiences are mere neurological illusions. Neuroscience is not coming in and saying we’re going to explain away religion. And I would not like to think it is religion co-opting science to prove itself. It should be a field of scholarship that is open to both sides and integrates both sides.
12 / IRIS AND GREY GARDENS
of Grey Gardens. We see a giant hole in the wall, newspaper clippings, and posh East Hampton, NY residences followed by a house where hope died long ago. And then we meet its residents: elderly Edith “Big Edie” Bouvier Beale and her middle-aged daughter, “Little Edie,” cousins of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Living alone in this gigantic, dilapidated house, mother and daughter unravel over 94 minutes. The camera keeps rolling. The cacophony of two bickering women—unwilling to move beyond their past glories and salvage their crumbling present—is the soundtrack. There’s nothing else needed. It’s a stunning look at the psychic toll denial can take. Little Edie, in her 50s, still thinks she can be a star in New York. The final shot of her dancing in a barren downstairs room—the bannister in the foreground serving as ersatz cell bars—is heartbreaking.
How did you get attracted to this field? You must have had some personal experiences that primed you for this work. I always wanted to be a doctor, but didn’t realize I could combine that with my interest in searching for answers to metaphysical questions. As far back as I can remember, I would ask my dad if there is a God. And if there is, why do all these different religions have their own books, and prayers and rituals? I imagined what an alien coming down to Earth would make of these differences and how he would decide what we believed. It was confusing to me how people who are all looking at the same world come away with such different perspectives on religion. I came to realize that how we understood truth had to do with our perceptions of reality and that our brain was an important part of that process. You faced these questions in a very intense way as a teenager. Yes. I dated a girl whose family were born-again Christians. It was my first encounter with devoutly religious people who strongly disagreed with my perspective on faith. They were always pleasant to me, but they were quite clear that I had deeply sinned by not turning to Jesus. And because of this I was going to Hell. It’s tough being a teenager, but this was too much. I didn’t like the thought of going to Hell, but at the same time, their beliefs challenged me to evaluate my own beliefs vigorously. Thirty years later, this episode still resonates with me. You’ve never been comfortable with the term Neurotheology. A problem, I’d think, for someone who is arguably the public face of the field. I don’t know what the best term is. I know I started to talk about the term in the early ‘90s. I tried to avoid using it in my articles and books, but it seems it wouldn’t go away. People kind of gravitated to it. So for better or worse, it seems to be the term that’s sticking. Certainly the media won’t let it go away. It’s good branding. It’s a catchy phrase. Gets more public attention and academic references—as does anything with “neuro” attached it. Were you aware of these things when you considered names for the field? [Laughter] Not so much in the context of branding. I guess theology is more of a specific discipline, but there are no terms that have no baggage. “Neuroreligion” seems a little truncated. I actually like “Neurospirituality,” but the term “Neurotheology” just seemed to be sticking a little bit more. But my greatest concern has always been the lack of clarity about what Neurotheology is and what it should try to do as a field. I’ve tried to address that issue in my book Principles of Neurotheology. In the not too distant future the entirety of our experience might be manipulated through the brain by psychopharmacology or some other targeted stimulation based on your mapping. Will we be made happier, healthier, more spiritual, less violent? Or are we facing the dystopia of Huxley’s Brave New World or Anthony Burgess’ Clockwork Orange? It could go either way. But I’m an optimist. There’s a spiritual part of our brain, and it can make us something better than we are. It can help us transcend ourselves. We’re all connected to each other and to the universe in a fundamental way. That’s as good an explanation for spirituality as there is and as good a reason for hope as I know. ■
Big Edie and Little Edie.
Maysles treats his subjects without reverence, which may explain why Paul McCartney keeps introducing him as he promotes The Concert for New York City in The Love We Make. That attitude also allows us to appreciate the subjects beyond labels. Even though Iris relies on outside interviews to fill in the gaps, Maysles takes his time introducing his subject. But we are drawn to Iris Apfel, a revered interior designer and fashion icon, at once: the mound of bracelets; the confident posture; the bright eyes behind black-rimmed glasses the size of wagon wheels. She is somebody, and the joy is discovering that Apfel is the genuine article in a world that peddles fantasy. She’s just as happy making her husband—and Maysles—a cup of tea as she is hobnobbing with the fashionistas. We see Iris haggle for bracelets in Harlem and go to a swap meet in Florida, where she searches for goods within spitting distance of X-rated videos. She’s a self-made woman continually remaking herself into her own original creation. There’s no guile to Apfel, which makes her an ideal subject for Maysles. (When she appears on the Home Shopping Network, Apfel’s genuine nature glows as the host robotically prattles on.) She talks confidently. Ninety years of living will do that. “I don’t like pretty,” says Apfel. Why? Once the looks of the pretty girls faded, they weren’t interesting anymore. That quote could also apply to Albert Maysles, who died at age 88. His films weren’t pretty per se, but they were always interesting. ■
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Dining
ROBERT GORDON
r.gordon33@verizon.net
The Bar at the Swan Hotel THE SWAN HOTEL CASTS an irrepressible spell. I can’t resist it. I admit it. There’s a sort of whisk-away whimsy in the air that morphs quick stops at the Swan into long, pleasant evenings. I could blame the unique décor (more on that later) that coaxes the utmost of ambiance out of this historic building. Honestly, I can’t liken the vibe at the Swan Bar to any other bar-haven-retreat I’ve visited. It’s a place suited equally to pensive solitary reflection and good-friends conviviality in a place where art and history commingle. And like any masterpiece of art, no matter how often I visit, I find something new in the décor to feed my curiosity. In recent columns, I’ve noted that many bars are shedding that categorization, finding the bar moniker a corral too confining. No, the Swan Bar isn’t surfing that trendy
fy as a minor miracle in any other place. Grilled white pizza is piled with toppings like pulled pork, sun-dried tomatoes, and Italian sausage and onion. The crisped bread is sturdy yet tender. Try the Mashed Potato and Onion Pizza. It’s a Lambertville icon and it’s delicious. Mashed potatoes on pizza? Once I was a doubter. No longer. Whenever it’s available, my can’t-resist dish is Pork Terrine—a half-dozen gherkins and huge dollop of grainy mustard moderate its richness. Onion chutney brightens silky smooth, moderately spiced Chicken Liver Paté, which is served with the same crispy, crusty garlic-soaked Italian bread and grainy mustard. The menu always has the same general structure, but dishes tend to rotate through
wave. It set itself apart from the rest long ago with its moody, ubiquitous kitsch, filmnoir illumination, and world-class paintings—with an abiding mystique that oozes from the wood floor to the curio-stuffed rafters. Did I mention that when you’re seated in the Bar, the creators of that world-class art may be chilling only a few feet away from you. The Swan Bar is a cherished haunt for New Hope’s renowned art community. You’ll find that the clientele here is delightfully eclectic and sophisticated. Then there’s the food. Chef Chris Connor has owned and operated both the Swan Bar and the attached Anton’s at the Swan for more than a dozen years. Anton’s ambiance rivals that of the Swan Bar for enchantment. But I’ll save Anton’s for another column. What is important, however, is that you can order from either the Swan Bar menu or Anton’s. When I’m at the Bar, though, I prefer its menu. The Bar menu has no jaded bar noshes. Only two Bar-menu items could be classified as ubiquitous bar fare. But neither can be dismissed. The Bar’s Grilled Sirloin Hamburger rivals the finest of that genre—as fine as any I wolfed down during Philly’s recent hamburger mania (a trendy obsession that seems to have fizzled substantially). Chef Connor can dial up the succulence in a beef patty with the best of Philly’s masters. And, as my companion noted, when you order the burger rare-to-medium-rare, you get it rare-to-medium-rare—not rare, not medium, just perfect, which would quali-
a medley of house favorites. An individual dish may disappear temporarily and then cycle back. The Chef tosses in new recipes and ideas, but only if they’ve been vetted and OK’ed by hard-core regulars. Parsnip Soup is lush, yet mellow. Duck, prepared in a variety of ways, is always on the menu in some form. This winter I enjoyed a cassoulet jammed with a soulful mélange of tender duck, bolstered by slices of piquant sausage and bacon crisps. A more recent version plates about nine slices of duck breast, each girdled with fat and poised against a mound of mashed potatoes. A sautéed vegetable medley filled the rest of the plate. Roasted Asparagus spears bask in perfect Risotto with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Every dessert is priced at $9—don’t leave without it. Pear Tarte Tatin typifies the kind of upscale preparation not usually found in a bar. This version matches any served in our region’s finest white-linen French restaurants. The long-running popularity of White Chocolate Raspberry Crème Brûlée and NY Cheesecake speaks for itself, but my new favorite is spunky, punchy Chipotle Chocolate Cake buttressed with coconut ice cream. That dish has me under its spell. But then casting spells is routine in this bar. ■
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The Bar at the Swan Hotel, 43 So. Main St, Lambertville, NJ (609) 397-1960 antonsat-the-swan.com/index.xhtml
S WA N
HOTEL Modern Cuisine h Classic Comfort Corner of Swan & Main Lambertville, NJ 609-397-3552
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Dining
ROBERT GORDON
r.gordon33@verizon.net
MARRAKESH OK, IT’S HOKEY. BUT it happens every time I amble down Leithgow Street’s narrow corridor and enter Marrakesh. Involuntarily, reflexively, Al Stewart’s “Year of the Cat” pops into my head. And stays. After all, Marrakesh’s interior is pure exotica with décor and ambiance that virtually put you in Morocco. Marrakesh seldom advertises. Nonetheless, they’ve thrived in Philly’s competitive dining scene living under the radar for 35 years. Philadelphiarestaurants.com subscribers vote Marrakesh the number one restaurant in Philly. That’s hyperbolic and overstated, but contributors to Yelp, Google, Travelocity and other popular social-media sites shed similar high praise. Spice Marrakesh’s winsome ambiance with accommodating, friendly service, an unparalleled bounty of food, seven different servings per meal, a stunningly low price, and fare that, while not gourmet, intrigues and satisfies—and the high ratings become understandable. Inside Marrakesh, guests immerse themselves in a veritable palace-scape bedecked with imported rugs and vibrantly colored pillows. Guests descend into the main dining room where a sunken center aisle runs between two long parallel rows of divans hugging opposite walls. Diners lounge on the divans, which are covered with soft, colorful, goldstitched rugs and piled with huge plush, brightly embroidered pillows. A massive circular golden tray stands in front of each divan. Together, the array of trays forms a glittering outline of the central sunken runway. There are no dining utensils. Guests eat in the traditional way, with their hands, just as Moroccans do. Before the meal begins, the server brings hot towels to cleanse the hands, a protocol he repeats throughout the seven-course meal. Be aware that the seven courses are not meted out in the French style. They’re huge. There are three courses of entrées, and each course qualifies as a full meal. Advice: Arrive hungry and be prepared to doggy-bag a substantial portion of your meal. The first entrée offers choices such as Chicken with Lemon and Olive, Rabbit with Prunes, Spicy Chicken in Cumin Sauce, Chicken with Eggs and Parsley Sauce, or Chicken with Dates. Vegans/ vegetarians, take note: these bright recipes keep their mojo with or without the meat. Meat, rather than occupying the centric, irreplaceable position it does in American cuisine, is one ingredient among many in most Moroccan dishes. Meat can be substituted without sacrificing the essence of the dish. Choices for the second entrée include Marinated Berber Beef Shish Kebab, Tajine of Lamb with Almonds & Honey, and Lamb with Chick Peas. My vegetarian wife substituted Spinach in phyllo dough—a dish similar to spanakopita, which turned out satisfying, though under-spiced. The third and final entrée is vegetarian: the Grand Atlas, which is a collage of fresh green vegetables and a fistful of chickpeas to complement a gigantic mound of raisin-studded couscous. An orchard-full of fresh fruits—apples, grapes, oranges, and others—arrives at the table before the final course— Baklava. Honey moistens divinely light phyllo dough without dousing it into soggy surrender (the bane of inferior versions). A chorus of pistachios rounds out the baklava’s texture and taste to perfection. Pistachios, incidentally, were dubbed the “Queen’s Food” eons ago when the Queen of Sheba went nuts over them, so to speak. The bar operation is not Marrakesh’s main focus, but they do stock enough liquor to make most mixed drinks and aperitifs. There is an adequate stock of beers and wines, including labels from Morocco, California, and France. As a beneficent gesture, Marrakesh lets guests bring their own wine and charges no corkage fee. That’s quite a benefit in view of Marrakesh’s low dinner prices. The seven-course meal, including gratuity and tax runs about $35. Marrakesh, however, accepts only cash. The owners also own a Marrakesh in Washington DC. I might head down there this election season to clear “Year of the Cat” from my head. How does “Year of the Snake” go? ■ Marrakesh, 517 So. Leithgow St, Philadelphia (215) 925-5929 Marrakesheastcoast.com 40 ■ I C O N ■ M A 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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The Los Angeles Times SUNDAY CROSSWORD PUZZLE
L-IMINATED By Melanie Miller Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
1 5 9 13
19 20 21 22 23 26 27 28 30 31 34 37 38 39 40 42 45 46 48 49 50 52 54 59 60 63 64 66 67 68 70 72 74 75 77 81 83 84 86 89 91 92 94 95 96
ACROSS Padlock part Boldly forward Yrs. before college Only major league team without a no-hitter to its credit Polynesian getaway Small number Aslan of Narnia, e.g. Parthenon dedicatee Comment after a big raise? Range ropes Mosaic part Didn’t let go of Takes the wrong way? Scholarly piece Assign Express sorrow Garden annoyance Dark clouds, perhaps Prison canary? Faux furs left out in the cold? Row Recess retort Cargo unit “Pshaw!” Dwindle Start of many a tribute Pertinent Greenhouse gas regulator: Abbr. Chicago athlete in Denver? Pad Satisfied, as a debt Yucatán native Arrived suddenly Bit of kelp, say Come down hard Asian cuisine Do a farming job Uncouth Field scurrier One hoping to find a school Skylark sound Gem named for a dinosaur? Life Physically aware Fathered Unprocessed information Hatch, e.g.: Abbr. Helena-to-Lincoln dir. Islamic official
98 Rural roadside stops 99 Fair-haired castaway? 105 Don Ho’s instrument 106 Doctor’s order 107 Bonnie Raitt, for one 108 Gathering that may involve a wagon 109 Calls for 111 So last week 112 Captures 113 Sea raptors 115 Computer output device 118 Food label reader, perhaps 120 Running buddy’s question? 126 Preposterous, as an idea 127 Shipbuilding tool 128 Little red schoolhouse lady 129 Steady 130 Brahms’ symphonies, e.g. 131 Tenderfoot 132 Shampoo additive 133 Covered the gray, say
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DOWN Like some wings Warm-bath reaction Yachting pronoun Out-of-style Boy Scout shelters Gently touches Little newts Zaps Dancer’s move FDR was one Moment of dishonesty Protest on the road Cricket, for one Bowlful next to the chips Put away Hindu duty Seized again Allow Gets boldly forward with “... sadness comes __ me”: Longfellow Baby moose Factory-built home Western chasers Energize Green Giant deal? Former Sandinista leader Like the Cheshire Cat’s grin Send forth 2001 French romantic comedy Tracked winter vehicle
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Wild Trick reaction Bart Simpson, e.g. Reduce in intensity Quite hefty Slacks for the boardroom? 57 Jim Davis canine 58 Summon, with “for” 61 Buildup of fluid 62 Tip a tam 65 British noblemen 67 Standout 68 97-Down pair, frequently 69 Passed-down learning 71 Smidgen 73 Inuit wear 76 Cut back 78 Choral parts may be sung in it 79 Not agitated 80 Discriminating ability 82 Jack __, treasury secretary since 2013 84 Spree 85 Cold War missile prog. 87 Old lab heaters 88 Kid’s adhesive 90 Struggled for balance 93 Removed pieces from 97 Play with songs 99 31-Down quarry 100 Five-time Tony nominee
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Stritch 101 Ideally 102 Marquee partner 103 Fig tree variety 104 “Transcendence” actor 110 Many a TV series 111 In accordance with 114 Vending machine buy
116 First-century emperor 117 Hefty volume 119 Bambi family member 121 Israeli weapon 122 Field official 123 Creeping evergreen 124 Wedding page word 125 Stamp out
Answer to April’s puzzle, SEEING STARS
Agenda CALL FOR ENTRIES The Artsbridge 21st Annual Juried Show will be held at the Prallsville Mills in Stockton, NJ, from July 11 to August 2, 2015. Works will be accepted in categories of paintings, watercolors, works on paper, photography, sculpture and other. Visit www.artsbridgeonline.com for details, prospectus and to enter the show. Online entry: May 1 through June 15. CD/Mail entries due by June 8. There wil be an Entry Assistance Day (Prallsville Mills, May 21, 3:30-6:30). For more Information, call 609-7730881or email artists@artsbridgeonline.com. Prallsville Mill, is located at 33 Risler St, Stockton, NJ 08559. ART EXHIBITS THRU 5/9 152nd Annual Small Oils Exhibition. Philadelphia Sketch Club, 235 Camac St., Phila. 215-5459296. sketchclub.org THRU 5/22 Audrey Flack presents, Heroines. A suite of powerful drawings and prints created in a technique that rivals the drawings of the old masters. Williams Center Gallery, 317 Hamilton St., Easton, PA. 610-3305361. http://galleries.lafayette.edu, artgallery@lafayette.edu THRU 5/24 Sculpture 2015. Juried exhibition at New Hope Arts Center, 2 Stockton Ave., New Hope, PA. 215-8629606. Newhopearts.org Fri-Sun 12-5. THRU 5/31 New Works, Ahlum Gallery. Denise Ahlum-Sandy, Artist/Owner. 106 North 4th St., Easton, PA. Open by appointment. Ahlumgallery.com THRU 6/7 Carol Magnatta, Ladies in Waiting. The Quiet Life Gallery, 17 So. Main St., Lambertville, NJ. 609-3970880. quietlifegallery.com THRU 6/30 “Dots and Drops” by Melissa Mytty. Paperboat and Bird Art Shoppe, 21 Risler Street (Rte 29), Stockton, NJ. 609-397-2121. paperboatandbird.com THRU 7/12 Kate Breakey: Small Deaths fea-
tures 30 extraordinary images of birds, flowers, and insects that the photographer has memorialized in carefully posed portraits. The vibrant life-size images draw viewers to a close-up and unexpected confrontation with mortality. Michener Art Museum, 138 S. Pine St., Doylestown. 215-340-9800. MichenerArtMuseum.org 5/1-6/6 Relationships Through Color: work by Marion Di Quinzo. Reception 6/6, 6-8:30. Bluestone Fine Art Gallery, 142 No. 2nd St., Philadelphia. 856-979-7588. bluestone-gallery.com 5/2-30 Sylvia Castellanos and Brian Siegel.Philadelphia Sketch Club, 235 Camac St., Phila. 215-5459296. sketchclub.org 5/3-6/14 The Art of the Miniature XXIII. The Twenty-Third Invitational Exhibition of Fine Art Miniatures from Around the World. Opening Reception, 5/3, 1-5PM.The Snow Goose Gallery, 470 Main St., Bethlehem, PA. 610-974-9099. 5/6 Allentown Art Museum, at noon. 50 MINUTES: Gallery Talk and Lunch. VP of Community Engagement Elaine Mehalakes, leads a tour through the exhibition Weston’s Women: Edward Weston and Cycles of Influence, followed by lunch in the Museum Café. Members $15, non-members $20. 31 N. 5th St., Allentown, PA. 610432-4333 ext.110 to reserve. Allentownartmuseum.org 5/9-6/7 Fresh-Cut: Recent paintings by Janine Dunn Wade. Reception 5/9, 5-8 PM. 47 W. State St., Doylestown, PA. 215-348-1728. PatriciaHuttonGalleries.com Thesnowgoosegallery.com 5/14 Allentown Art Museum, 7:30. Tour led by artist Greg Coates. Free admission Thursday evenings, 4-8. Past Preset: Conversations across Time, perspective and opinion on contemporary art. 31 N. 5th St., Allentown, PA. 610-432-4333. Allentownartmuseum.org 5/15-5/25 6th Annual New Hope Art League Juried Show and art sale. Award
reception 5/16, 5-8. Portion of proceeds goes toward NHAL art scholarship. Rolling Green Barn, Rt. 202 & Aquetong Rd., New Hope. newhopeartleague.com 5/16-6/14 Gross Domestic Product. Asian digital painting by Phillip Hua. EModerne Gallerie, 116 Arch St., Philadelphia. 215-927-2123. e-modernegallerie.com 5/17-6/6 2015 Members’ Art Exhibition. Reception 5/17, 2-4. Philadelphia Sketch Club, 235 Camac St., Phila. 215-545-9296. sketchclub.org 5/30-5/31 Red Tulip Gallery celebrates its 1st anniversary May 30, 31 and June 6, 7. Artist demonstrations, entertainment, refreshments. facebook.com/RedTulipGallery. 19C W. Bridge Street, New Hope, PA
610-433-0032. baumschool.org 6/20 Stahl’s Pottery Preservation Society 28th Annual Summer Pottery Festival. Sales by 30 contemporary potters, tour pottery site, demonstrations, refreshments, baked goods. 9-4:00. 6826 Corning Rd., Zionsville, PA. 610-965-5019. Stahlspottery.org 6/20-6/21 Bucks Guild ArtsFest '15. 30 artists in an indoor fine craft show. Sat., 10-6; Sun., 11-5. Artist demos daily. Delaware Valley University, Moumgis Auditorium / Student Center, 700 E. Butler Ave, Chalfont, PA. bucksguild.org/Show
door. 610-434 7811. PASinfonia.org 5/30 Celtic Worship Service, 5:00. Cathedral Arts, Cathedral Church of the Nativity, 321 Wyandotte St., Bethlehem. 610-865-0727, ext. 303. Nativitycathedral.org Musikfest Café 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem, PA 610-332-1300. Artsquest.org 5/1 5/2 5/15 5/24 5/22 5/23 5/28
DINNER & MUSIC 5/28 Thursday nights, Community Stage with John Beacher, 8-midnight. Karla’s, 5 W. Mechanic St., New Hope. 215-862-2612. Karlasnewhope.comnewhope.com
5/29 5/29 5/30 6/4
The Blues Brotherhood Glenn Miller Orchestra Dirty Dozen Brass Band Amy Lynn & The Gunshow Spyro Gyra David Liebman Herman’s Hermits featuring Peter Noone Flaming Harry & the Roadhouse Rockers Dr. John & the Nite Trippers Marshall Crenshaw Band Trout Fishing in America Robert Cray Band
ART AUCTIONS & FESTIVALS 5/2-5/3 Morven in May. 35 fine craft artists from around the U.S. Juried show: jewelry, furniture, wearable and decorative textiles, ceramics, mixed media. Heirloom plant sale. Free parking, $10 admission. Morven Museum & Garden, 55 Stockton St., Princeton, NJ. 609-9248144. Morven.org 5/9 - 5/10 50th Anniversary Fine Art & Craft Show. 5/9, 10-5; 5/10, 11-5. Over 80 regional, national & local artists and art projects for kids. Fun for the entire family. Historic Main St., Bethlehem, PA. Bfac-lv.org 5/14 The Baum School of Art’s 30th Anniversary Annual Art Auction, Preview Night 6–8. Auction, 5/16, 5:30. The Baum School of Art, 510 Linden Street, Allentown. 610-433-0032. baumschool.org 5/16 Quakertown Alive! 15th Annual Juried Arts & Crafts Event. 10-4. Downtown Quakertown. Rain date 5/17. 215-536-2273. Quakertownalive.com 5/16 The Baum School of Art’s 30th Anniversary Annual Art Auction begins at 5:30. The Baum School of Art, 510 Linden St., Allentown.
Thurs.-Sat., Dinner and a Show at SteelStacks, Bethlehem. 5-10:00, table service and valet parking. For more information, menus and upcoming events visit artsquest.org
CONCERTS 5/3 The Cathedral Choir in Concert, 4:00. Cathedral Arts, Cathedral Church of the Nativity, 321 Wyandotte St., Bethlehem. 610-8650727. Nativitycathedral.org 5/6 & 6/3 Basic’lly Bach with Stephen Williams. 12:10, Cathedral Arts, Cathedral Church of the Nativity, 321 Wyandotte St., Bethlehem, PA. 610-865-0727, ext. 303. Nativitycathedral.org 5/10 “Plug and play” open format music jam session with TIDE the 2nd Sunday of every month. Freedom Art & Music, 29 Race St., Frenchtown, NJ. 908-872-2272. Freedomartandmusic.com 5/16 Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra“Piano Grandeur.” Michael Gurt, piano. Chopin Concerto No. 2 for piano and orchestra, works by Haydn, Bartok. 7:30. Christ Lutheran Church, 1245 W. Hamilton St., Allentown. $15-$35 advance/at
THEATER 5/16 Touchstone Theatre’s 10th Annual Young Playwrights’ Festival. Zoellner Arts Center, 420 East Packer Ave., Bethlehem, PA. Tickets at 610-867-1689/Touchstone.org EVENTS 5/6 Tinicum Art and Science High School hosts an all-day Open House from 9:00am-6:00pm with a martial arts demonstration and youth meditation from 4:30-6:00. All students welcome. Enrolling now for Fall 2015. Scholarships and financial aid available. For more information: tinicumartandscience.org (610)847-6980. 5/10-5/17 12th Anniversary Pride Celebration, in New Hope, Bucks County, PA. & Lambertville, NJ. Come OUT and “Be Yourself.” LGBT events, parade, block party, vendor fair, theater, arts, history, shopping, charming accommodations, dining, live music, dancing and discover New Hope’s original gay resort, The Raven. Following Saturday’s parade will be a block party and vendor fair in downtown New Hope featuring Antigone Rising, Eryan Woods, Jason Walker. newhopecelebrates.com.
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Carol C. Dorey Real Estate, Inc. Specialists in High-Value Property
Bucks County / Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania 610-346-8800 / www.doreyrealestate.com
SAUCON VALLEY VILLA
CLASSIC AND ELEGANT
CREEKSIDE
In the heart of Saucon, adjacent to Lehigh University's playing fields, this home has vistas of manicured lawns and open skies. Highlighted by fabulous upgrades, extensive built-ins, incredible architectural & trim details, and custom appointments... all located just a breath away from the Saucon Valley Country Club and the Promenade Shops and convenient to important commuter roads. A highly distinctive property, free of maintenance worries, in one of the Lehigh Valley's most sophisticated areas! $825,000
In 1936, when quality was the rule and not the exception, noted Lehigh Valley architect, Charles Lovelace, designed this exceptional estate. Recent renovations and expansion have enhanced the original grace and grandeur, bringing this home up to today’s standards, but still retaining the stature and ambience of its history. Interior and exterior are particularly well suited to entertaining. The gardens and patio areas are an extended venue for large gatherings. 5 BRs, 4 full baths, 2 half baths and 5009 sqft. $899,900
This charming Georgian-style farmhouse is set on nearly 6 acres within Bethlehem’s city limits. Original rooms date to 1810 and feature random width birch floors, elegant crown and dentil moldings and extra high baseboards. An impeccable addition brings a gleaming kitchen with granite and teak surfaces and an impressive family room with corner fireplace, wet bar, and stunning views of the soothing Monocacy creek. The outdoor space is truly unforgettable with private deck and stone patio areas and a built-in kitchen/buffet for entertaining. $1,125,000
ENDLESS VIEWS
CARRIAGE HOUSE
CLASSIC BRICK COLONIAL
Prominently perched on 2.8 acres, on one of the highest spots in Saddle Ridge, this lovely, custom-designed, brick colonial is at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac and offers forever views. Amidst an enclave of other elegant homes, this attractive property has abundant curb appeal, with a design and stylish amenities that set it apart from the ordinary. As one would expect in a location known for its premium vistas, a rocking chair side porch beckons you to relax and enjoy the long-distance views. $745,000
This inviting home is one of four in a charming neighborhood keeping with the tradition of historic structures. Wide plank floors, hand-hewn beamed ceilings, textured plaster walls, gourmet kitchen with distressed cabinetry and farm sink, and living room with vaulted ceiling and floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace. A first floor master suite with private porch, finished lower level and four full bathrooms comprise the interior. Outdoors, the deck and patio are totally private, surrounded by landscaping boulders and scrupulous plantings. $625,000
A half-acre setting in the Saucon Valley school district, timeless floor plan, and immaculate condition define this lovely home within minutes of The Promenade Shops, St. Luke’s Hospital and Lehigh University. A 2-story foyer, hardwood floors and nine foot ceilings are on the main level. The well-appointed kitchen has granite countertops, island with seating and stainless appliances, and opens to a family room anchored by a wood-burning fireplace. Sunlight streams into the four bedrooms, and the private backyard has a cedar deck. $485,000
WOODFIELDS
PERENNIAL GARDENS
STONE FARMHOUSE
In a desirable Saucon Valley, this classic brick colonial has great curb appeal, a sunny interior, and a convenient commuter location close to St. Luke’s Hospital and Lehigh University. Wood floors, nine foot ceilings and neutral tones accent the main level. The kitchen gleams with granite, wood cabinetry and a center island. Four bedrooms include a master suite with tray ceiling, jetted tub and sitting room. Tall evergreens border the perimeter of the well-kept property with mature landscaping and backyard deck for entertaining. $435,000
This elegant, comfortable home was renovated from top to bottom with care to retain the beauty of its origins and to move into the 21st century. The dining room and parlor are generous and open to each other through custom glass pocket doors with inlaid hardwood floors and oversized windows. The original butler's pantry, updated with stainless appliances, is the transition to a cook’s kitchen with a gas Viking range with grill, griddle and professional hood. 6 bedrooms, 6.5 baths, 9,000 sqft. $1,150,000
At the end of a private lane in the quiet Bucks County stands Fox Run Farm, amply sized as a sophisticated full-time residence or an ideal weekend getaway. The stone farmhouse has been beautifully reproduced with attention to period details including random width oak floors, beamed ceilings, wood-burning fireplaces and exposed stone and beadboard walls. A sunroom stands adjacent to a gourmet kitchen and a master suite offers a faux fireplace, and roomy walk-in closets. A multi-level bank barn serves as a charming guest house. $869,000 M AY 2 0 0 9
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