November 2015

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november EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS

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FEATURES

NICOLE HENRY | 24 The singer is an international siren of stardust soul.

BREAK IT UP | 39

ALAN CUMMING | 26

Patty Smith’s New York, Lenny Kaye’s New Jersey.

Cumming—also known for his flamboyant suits, played Macbeth in 2013 as a one-man, one-act version set in a mental institution, won a Tony for his extravagant emcee in Cabaret, and currently inhabits the persona of a sly political operative on The Good Wife—talks about going from the avant garde to mainstream.

SOUTH | 44 All that jazz and refined southern cuisine.

RATINGS ★=skip it; ★★=mediocre; ★★★=good; ★★★★=excellent; ★★★★★=classic

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Helen Farr Sloan, 59th Street, NYC

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LEHIGH VALLEY/BUCKS ADVERTISING

Raina Filipiak filipiakr@comcast.net

ADVERTISING 800-354-8776 EDITORIAL Executive Editor / Trina McKenna

5 | THE BEAT Valley Beat City Beat 49 | ABOUT LIFE

38 | NICK’S PICKS Noah Preminger Fourplay Gilad Hekselman

PRODUCTION Designer / Richard DeCosta Assistant Designer / Kaitlyn Reed-Baker

ART

40 | KERESMAN ON DISC Urs Bollhalder Trio Michael Gibbs Terri Lyne Carrington Robert Forster Louie Setzer

CITY BEAT Thom Nickels / thomnickels1@aol.com

6 | EXHIBITIONS Allentown Art Museum Covered Bridge Artisans Studio Tour Olympus InVision Photo Festival 7 | A THOUSAND WORDS 8 | Norman Lewis at PAFA 10 | Helen Farr Sloan at Delaware Art Museum 12 | ART SHORTS Pentimenti Gallery New Hope Arts Center Patricia Hutton Galleries

42 | SINGER / SONGWRITER Los Lobos JD Souther Denny Lile Joe Jackson Angela Easterling 43 | JAZZ LIBRARY Erskine Hawkins

THEATER

FOOD

14 | City Theater 14 | Valley Theater

42 | South Restaurant 45 | Hamilton’s Grill Room 46 | Barbuzzo

16 | THE LIST

ETCETERA

FILM

50 | L. A. TIMES CROSSWORD 51 | AGENDA

20 | CINEMATTERS Freeheld 22 | BAD MOVIE Big Stone Gap 32 | FILM ROUNDUP Bridge of Spies Carol Entertainment Steve Jobs

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 Miller / gomiller@travelsdujour.com R. Kurt Osenlund / rkurtosenlund@gmail.com Keith Uhlich / KeithUhlich@gmail.com

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34 | REEL NEWS Inside Out Mr. Holmes The Stanford Prison Experiment Meru Terri Lyne Carrington.

PUBLISHER

Trina McKenna trina@icondv.com

MUSIC

18 | KERESMAN ON FILM Labyrinth of Lies

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www.icondv.com

COLUMNS

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

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Norman Lewis, Tournament, 1961 Oil and graphite on canvas, 63 3/4 x 51 1/4 in. Estate of Norman W. Lewis; Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, New York © Estate of Norman W. Lewis; Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, NY

ICON

ON THE COVER: Alan Cumming. Page 26

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Copyright 2015 Prime Time Publishing Co., Inc.

the beat VALLEY BEAT

CITY BEAT

BY GEOFF GEHMAN

BY THOM NICKELS

THE ALLENTOWN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA’S first 2015-16 concert was an elevated, elevating affair. Diane Wittry opened her 20th season as music director/conductor by leading rippling, rip-roaring renditions of works by Berlioz and Stravinsky. Emanuel Ax performed Brahms’ second piano concerto with natural brilliance, proving yet again why he’s long been classical music’s most prominent, popular keyboardist. It was his first local appearance since 1991, when he anchored a 10th anniversary gig for the Lehigh Valley Chamber Orchestra, which played for the last time in 2007 in the same venue, Miller Symphony Hall.

Ax treated the Brahms with the sensitivity of a longtime lover. He embraced the glistening arpeggios, the sunrise/sunset dynamics, the tricky overlapping passages seemingly written for different dimensions. During the third movement, he appeared to toy with crossing clusters like wondrous toys. He accompanied himself with a swaying body and conducting hands. Ax shared a two-minute ovation with cellist David Moulton, saluting the orchestra principal for beautifully wistful playing in the third movement. It was a typically generous gesture by the pianist, who also met music students during his Allentown visit. Before he encored with a piece by Robert Schumann, a Brahms favorite, a spectator shouted “Play all night!” It was a sentiment many of us shouted silently.

The world’s most prolific author, Joyce Carol Oates, was the speaker at the Free Library’s annual Carole Phillips Memorial Lecture. From our mid-section seat we could see that the petite, slender woman with the long dark hair (sans owl eyeglasses) had a schoolgirl’s charm. Oates read from her new memoir, The Lost Landscape, about her working-class childhood on a farm in Millersport, New York. Soon after Oates began the reading we were wondering what went wrong. The author of Haunted: Tales of the Grotesque and The Gravedigger’s Daughter began her story from the point of view of Happy Chicken, the chicken she had known as a child. We learned how Happy Chicken perceived the farm, what Happy Chicken thought of Oates when she was a little girl, and what Happy Chicken said to Mr. Rooster. As people around us began to discreetly nod off, we were half tempted to suggest that Oates move her talk to the Albert M. Greenfield elementary school.

I heard Lisa Fischer sing three numbers at Lehigh University before I rushed out to rush my mom to the hospital. The next six hours in ER were made bearable by pleasant memories of her transforming songs into groovy prayers.

Fischer glided across the Zoellner Arts Center stages, weaving between her adventurous, empathetic trio mates. She sang Amy Grant’s “Breath of Heaven” with a calligraphic voice, drawing lines with silky threads. She stopped traffic when she plunged into her contralto range, the way she stops traffic in Rolling Stones concerts and 20 Feet from Stardom, the Oscar-winning documentary about overlooked, influential backup vocalists.

She became a spiritual medium when her voice rose from nowhere and floated everywhere. Fischer stepped onto a rug-covered platform to perform Railroad Earth’s “The Hobo’s Companion.” Gliding with greater grace, she sounded like a serenading bird as a reggae tune stretched into a samba. She climaxed by leading listeners in a two-syllable singalong that became a mercurial mantra.

Julian Sands ran a wise master class for directing students at Lafayette College before they watched him perform his solo show about playwright/screenwriter/poet Harold Pinter, his Nobel Prize-winning pal. Sands told lively stories about Pinter scolding actors for seeking motivation in acts as mundane as entering a door. He advised the young directors to conduct Pinter’s surgically precise plays like musical scores, to encourage actors to exploit their three Is (intelligence, imagination and instinct), to enjoy the glory of making mistakes while experimenting. Think of the theatrical process, he said, as frolicking “in the Trevi Fountain of culture.”

Before the class, Sands dialed up a cellphone photo of himself in a recently filmed role as a Russian transvestite gangster who paints his face with victims’ blood. “Makes me look a bit,” he said, “like Adam Ant.” Lehigh University’s art galleries division is marking the school’s 150th anniversary with “Object As Subject,” a wonderfully diverse, conversational exhibit of works from its teaching collection. Greek icons share a room with a relief of Jesus painted by Howard Finster, the prolific, primitive prophet. John Marin’s watercolor of the Woolworth Building resembling a large snail lit by fireworks shares a gallery with a Goya print of soldiers cowering at a towering Grim Reaper.

My sentimental favorite in the show, which ends May 27 in the Zoellner main gallery, is Larry Fink’s large color photo of a George W. Bush lookalike pawing the breast of a laughing lady in lingerie. It created a national brouhaha during a 2004 Lehigh display of Fink’s satires of the Bush presidency inspired by paintings by George Grosz, Otto Dix and other Weimar Republic radicals. I covered it all for The Morning Call; it remains one of my main marvelous messes. ■ Geoff Gehman is the author of the memoir The Kingdom of the Kid: Growing Up in the Long-Lost Hamptons (SUNY Press). geoffgehman@verizon.net.

Who is Michael Ogborn and why isn’t he as famous as composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim? Is it because Philadelphia doesn’t do enough to honor native talent? We met Ogborn at a reading of his latest musical comedy, The Three Maries, at the Hamilton Family Arts Center on N. 2nd Street. This story of Queen Marie of Romania’s visit to Philadelphia for the 1926 Sesquicentennial had audiences howling. This got us thinking that maybe The Arden Theatre should have given its 2015 Master Storyteller Award to Ogborn instead of Sondheim. The Three Maries is the best thing to happen to Philadelphia since Jim Kenney’s mayoral run. It’s all here: the Philly accent (and how to cure it); the nasal intonations of the Main Line; how to do the Mummers strut while ordering a Coke and a hoagie; Philly’s love of the word youse; and the layers of intrigue inside the old Bellevue Stratford hotel. We are looking forward to the grand opening of The Three Maries at The Prince sometime in December.

In the 1990s if you were a journalist or a new college grad with journalistic ambitions, writing for City Paper was an obligatory rite of passage. Philly Weekly was not such a prized venue because it came to copy sensationalistic elements of The New York Post. But this wasn’t always the case. For a brief period the two newspapers ran neck and neck in the “quality product” department. Readers often got the two newspapers confused, quoting something they read in CP and attributing it to PW. This French comedy led to talks of a merger and the benefits of a unified newspaper, but by 2009 the differences between PW and CP had become too vast: PW was now up to its neck in tabloid sensationalism even as both publications were being hammered down in size. The elimination of pages accelerated for CP last year after its purchase

by Metro. “Metro purchase equals death,” is certainly an apt fortune cookie FYI. The dueling banjos of Broad Street, the Philadelphia Theatre Company and the Wilma Theater, often have duplicate opening nights. Sometimes the choice about which theater to attend is not an easy one, but this time we picked Ayad Akhtar’s Disgraced at PTC, a provocative drama about Islamic cultural assimilation. The play’s beginning was pure Huffington Post Religion Blog: an exchange of divergent opinions delivered in a fair and equitable mechanized fashion. The real drama, however, began when the political became personal and the play took an unexpected Edward Albeestyle turn. PTC’s Sara Garonzik has every reason to smile about this production even if our post show thoughts also drifted to the Wilma and the Theodoros Terzopoulos-directed Antigone, on stage there until November 8, and which we’ll have to catch later.

The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre’s production of The Taming of the Shrew convinced us that Shakespeare is more relevant now than ever. Director Carmen Khan, for instance, maintains that the play is a feminist play, “created at a time when the only tools available were anti-feminist tools.” We chatted with Khan and actress Julia Jensen Kay (Bianca) (who resembles Krista Apple-Hodge). When we told Kay about the Hodge connection, she smiled and confessed that “The Apple” has always been a role model. ■ Thom Nickels is the author of Philadelphia Architecture, Tropic of Libra, Out in History, Spore, and recipient of the 2005 Philadelphia AIA Lewis Mumford Architecture Journalism Award. thomnickels1@aol.com

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EXHIBITIONS

Covered Bridge Artisans 21st Annual Studio Tour and Sale Lambertville, Stockton, Sergeantsville-New Jersey Coveredbridgeartisans.com November 27-29 A self-guided through southern Hunterdon County with six artists’ studios and an additional 11 artists in the Cultural Center in Sergeantsville, NJ. Includes paintings, sculpture, pottery, glass, wooden bowls, hand-spun yarn and weavings, jewelry, basketry and more. Enjoy time in each studio talking to the artist and learning the inspiration and techniques of their art. Fri. & Sat., 10 – 5, Sun., 10 – 4. Visit website for more information and tour map.

Inside Tracks: Alone Across the Outback Part of the Olympus InVision Photo Festival Banana Factory, Banko Gallery 25 W. Third Street, Bethlehem 610-332-1300 | bananafactory.org Through January 3 Opening Reception: Nov. 6, 6-9 pm Award-winning photographer Rick Smolan is best known as the creator of the A Day in the Life book series —the bestselling photo books that captured life in America and other countries in the 1980s.

As part of the Olympus InVision Photo Festival, he will exhibit Inside Tracks: Alone Across the Outback, the body of work he created for National Geographic as he followed Robyn Davidson on her 1,700-mile solo expedition across the Australian outback in the 1970s with a dog and four camels.

Smolan will participate in a talk back and Q&A session on Nov. 5, 7:30 p.m. following the screening of Tracks, and give a presentation on Nov. 7, 4 p.m. He will join photographers on Nov. 8, noon-5 p.m. in the “A Day in the Life of Bethlehem” photography workshop where participants will work alongside pros as they visit and photograph unique locations, such as the roof the Historic Hotel Bethlehem, The Bookstore Speakeasy and the decaying Turn and Grind Shop.

Tickets: invisionphotofestival.org and 610-332-3378.

Katherine Hackl, Parrot Jar

Rick Smolan and Robyn Davidson on the original journey. © 2014 Rick Smolan/Against All Odds Productions

Earlier installation of Steve Tobin’s Cocoons

Steve Tobin: Cocoon Awakenings Allentown Art Museum of the Lehigh Valley Through January 3 AllentownArtMuseum.org 610-432-4333 See the first new glass pieces made by internationally renowned Quakertown-based artist Steve Tobin in twenty years. Exhibited in a darkened space, these illuminated sculptures cast colored light onto their surroundings, creating what Tobin calls “projection paintings.” Installed with earlier glass works from the artist’s Cocoons series, the colored light lends a subtle aura to our perception of the stalactitic and stalagmitic forms and transforms our experience of the gallery space. Tobin’s original intention with Cocoons in the 1980s was to take blown glass from the tabletop and present it as large-scale installation art, culminating with a 30-foot-high installation in St. Augustine Chapel in Antwerp, Belgium, in 1990.

Constance Bassett, Alyssa

Straw Broom, Phalodi, Rajasthan, India, 2008, archival pigment ink print. Allentown Art Museum. © Jeffrey Becom

Jeffrey Becom: Colors of India Allentown Art Museum of the Lehigh Valley Closing December 6, 2015 Jeffrey Becom’s photographs explore the vivid colors of the built environment in northern India. The artist spent five months traveling in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan in 2008, capturing the streets of Jodhpur and Varanasi, the architecture of Jaisalmer and Ajmer. In presenting these places, Becom’s photographs hint at the religious, social, and spiritual life of a vibrant culture with a deep history.

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ART A THOUSAND WORDS STORY AND PAINTING BY ROBERT BECK

Of Thee I Sing ALL OF YOU WHO don’t eat meat can move on to the movie reviews if you like. This month’s column is a celebration of a hamburger. Not just any hamburger: a Dilly Burger.

You can get a full range of burgers around here—big and small, diner style and boutique, complicated and simple. At the very low end there is a MacDonald’s out where the shopping centers roam, and for culinary excellence we have the Swan Bar in Lambertville. But the Dilly Burger holds the All-American high ground. It is Hamburger as National Food and Cultural Icon—the Conference Champion High School Marching Band of Burgers.

The Dilly Burger is the flagship meal of Dilly’s Corner, a drive-in located just north of New Hope, at Center Bridge. There is a Dilly Dog, too—a well-decorated quarter-pound hot dog on a torpedo roll—but in our land of “more is better” the preference in overeating tube steaks is not for larger ones, it’s for multiples. Dilly’s has great regular-size dogs for that, grilled on one of those roller machines. Very tasty.

The Dilly Burger is not some exotic mutation: it’s a classic six-ounce patty on a Kaiser roll with lettuce, tomato, mayo, and of course cheese if you want it. Just one kind of cheese—yellow American. (It is traditional to put American cheese on a burger even though nobody knows what it’s made of. There are some foods Americans don’t question. It’s called American, okay?

What else do you have to know?)

There is another ingredient, perhaps the most important one, and that’s the Dilly. You find it on warm summer nights along the river, in a line of people stretching out into a crowded parking lot.

Dilly is the crunch of gravel underfoot, the bendingover to give your order through a low window to a person on the other side who has to bend-over too, and being handed a playing card receipt for when they call out that your food is ready.

Dilly is ketchup and mustard packets, and napkins plucked out of a dispenser. It’s hot fudge, jimmies, and sugar cones; floats and shakes; rainbow water ice; pork roll, curly-fries, and heart-smart grilled lemon-sole sandwiches.

This glorious temptation is just a mere .417 miles down the road from me. Down, as in downhill all the way. I could roll there, or wash down in a good rain.

Dilly’s sits at what for six months a year is a pretty sleepy

Robert Beck’s work can be seen at www.robertbeck.net.

intersection, where the road that runs along the river meets the one that crosses to New Jersey. The beginning of the Summer Mindset is signaled mid-spring by a char-scented haze rising from the rooftop vent, and from that day Center Bridge is all about the Dilly. You can tell what month it is by how many cars are blocking the road waiting for a spot in the lot.

I’ve lived in this area for twenty years and never painted a Dilly Burger. That's like living in Collinsville, Illinois and never visiting the World’s Largest Catsup Bottle. I needed to do something about it. I went to get a model Dilly Burger and waited in line for my turn to speak through the Low Window. I could see people moving around inside—at least the bottom half of them—as I gave the woman my order. I don’t usually get cheese, but this wasn’t about me. It didn’t occur to me that I should have ordered two of them until I unwrapped it later in the studio and was immediately ravenous, but I was thinking about painting at that point. I was handed my card: Queen of clubs.

I read the message board while waiting, scanning the posters advertising firewood, yoga, house cleaning and dog boarding, one pinned on top of another with tear-off phone number tabs at the bottom. The window opened and a voice yelled “Seven of spades!” Everyone who was gathered in front looked down at their cards. Someone raised his with a smile and stepped up to the window, which is the same height as the order window, and he bent over as the food was slid out.

That forced bow at the beginning and end of the transaction is at the heart of Dillyrt of the ceremony, for there is reverence at play. This is the ancestral home of the Dilly Burger.

Unrobed and under the light back in my studio, attended-to by condiments and three vestal white napkins, sitting on a fluted paper plate and crowned with a blue cellophane toothpick, the Dilly Burger was radiant. Supremely deserving of a portrait. A real Dilly. ■ 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 ■ N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5 ■ I C O N ■ 7

Art

BY BURTON WASSERMAN

NORMAN LEWIS

Carnivale II, 1962 Oil on canvas, 64 x 52 in. Private Collection, Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, New York © Estate of Norman W. Lewis; Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY

NO ONE CAN PREDICT with certainty, in advance what an artist’s future reputation will be. Some individuals achieve considerable fame and fortune during their lifetime. On the other hand, there are those who are not recognized at all or else, only on a very modest scale. Sometimes, sad to say, they become well known only after they have passed away. This would certainly appear to be the case with Norman Lewis.

While he still walked the earth, he achieved some notoriety and worked his way through several styles, most notably, social realism in the 1930s and abstract expressionism in the years that followed. He died in 1979.

From the time he was nine years old, he knew he wanted to be an artist when he grew up. Toward that ambition, as a high school student, he studied commercial design. But with the passage of time, he changed his mind and decided to cast his lot vocationally in the area of the fine arts. However, he couldn’t afford to attend a school providing appropriate instruction. And so he postponed that goal until he could manage to accumulate the funds required.

To achieve this end, he worked as a seaman on freight ships for several years. This also allowed him to travel widely and meet a broad variety of people from many lands. In due course, he did study art with Augusta Savage in Harlem, and at Columbia University. Furthermore, in time he even become a teacher at the Art Students League, the widely respected, professional art school in the heart of New York City.

Now, at long last, he is being honored with a notable retrospective exhibition by the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in its Samuel M. V. Hamilton building in Center City Philadelphia, on Broad St., two blocks north of City Hall. It includes 90 paintings, many works on paper and examples of the artist’s hand-fashioned puppets.

The show is titled Procession: The Art of Norman Lewis and is set to run from November13, 2015 to April 3, 2016. In no uncertain terms, it shows him to have been a highly gifted talent in the Harlem art community with a profoundly conscious sense of humanistic concern and an intensely inventive capacity for abstract form.

Early on, his artistic practice, like that of such other well-known Afro-American painters as Romare Bearden and Hale Woodruff, took civil rights issues into account while the visual vocabulary of his later years was rather reminiscent of themes also explored by Ad Reinhardt, David Smith and Mark Tobey. During the period from 1946 to 1964, he was represented by the prestigious New York City art gallery run by the distinguished art dealer, Marian Willard.

A distinctive feature of Lewis’ mature work was his tendency to combine figurative and non-figurative elements in a single, unified composition, one rich with an intense density of aesthetically charged presence. He apparently recognized the fact that painting in the modern

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Hep Cats, 1943 Oil on canvas, 30 x 24 in. Khephra Burns and Susan L. Taylor © Estate of Norman W. Lewis; Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY

Art

BY EDWARD HIGGINS

Helen Farr Sloan

W.P.A. Theater, c.1935. Helen Farr Sloan (1911–2005). Oil on board, 22 x 24 inches. Delaware Art Museum, Gift of Kraushaar Galleries in honor of Jerome K. Grossman and his friendship to Helen Farr Sloan, 2007

A

S BOSWELL WAS TO Johnson, so Helen Farr Sloan was to the renowned 20th century painter, John Sloan, to the point that she even wrote his most famous book, The Gist of Art. However, Helen Farr Sloan was much more than the keeper of the flame after John’s death in 1951—she was, in her own right, an accomplished artist, a patron of the arts, and an educator. She died in 2005, in her adopted hometown of Wilmington. Her enormous donations to the Delaware Art Museum made it the center of Sloan research in the world. It can be argued that next to Samuel Bancroft’s donations of Pre-Raphaelite art, and the purchase of Howard Pyle’s illustrations, the Museum owes its far-reaching reputation to Farr Sloan.

Now the Delaware Art Museum, having mined several well-received exhibitions from the Farr Sloan trove, has mounted an exhibit to Helen Farr Sloan herself. The show has also benefited from a number of donations of her own work and is slated to ruin through January 10, 2016.

She first met John Sloan as a student at the Art Students League in New York when she was only 16 years old. Born in New York City to Dr. Charles Farr and Helen Woodhull Farr, she was graduated from The Brearley School in 1929. Although her parents wanted her to continue school at Bryn Mawr College, she chose to study anatomy at Cornell University College and then weaving, pottery, metalwork, wood carving and making jewelry at the Craft Students League.

Helen Farr Sloan not only studied with her husband John, she also took copious lecture notes which later became The Gist of Art. John was a lifelong friend, mentor, and in 1944 she became his second wife.

His first wife, Dolly, had died earlier in the year. Helen had been married in 1937 to

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Art Shorts CURATED BY ED HIGGINS

Jackie Tileston at Pentimenti Gallery

Works on Wood at New Hope Arts Center

Pentimenti Gallery, 145 North Second St., Philadelphia, is showing Everything is Everything, its fourth solo exhibition of Jackie Tileston works through November 28 with mixed media works on paper, linen and digital prints.

A national juried show of some of the best wood artists in the country opens November 13 and continues through December 13 at The New Hope Arts Center, 2 Stockton St., New Hope.

Works in Wood 2015 celebrates the Bucks County tradition of woodworking, and includes fine furniture, sculptural forms, and vessels in a wide range of styles and techniques.

The show features work from the finest talent in the country, notes Carol Cruickshanks, director of the gallery, “Works are not limited by function, but must be

“She finds inspiration and guidance in the convention of picture-making from the fine old master paintings.”

Bunn, herself says, “[That] spontaneity and enthusiasm are not substitutes for planning and experience in oil painting. Great paintings are the result of intelligent planning and endless study of technique and process. After that you need to be inspired by your subjects. My great love of the Bucks County countryside has given me end-

Stone Bridge, 16” x 20,” oil.

Analogies of the Very Glory.

According to Pentimenti Gallery owner Christine Pfister, “Each piece acts as a gateway to spaces that are vast and all-encompassing, while also feeling strangely close and familiar. Calling on the interaction of contrasting visual elements and art historical references, Tileston has created an atmosphere that plays by its own rules, while paralleling our own in a heterotypic fashion.

Ecosystems in themselves, they are alive with opaque mandala-like ornamentation, trails that surface and recede on vaporous threads, murky rifs, fields of nebulous color, and landmasses built of thick oil paint. Each element is actively engaged with the others, sometimes violently, other times harmoniously. These visual structures succeed in developing a synchronized habitat of otherness, a place that is collectively neither here nor there.”

Tileston says, “Painting has an ability to open up alternative visual experiences that can specifically align us with internal spaces, altered states of consciousness, euphoria, complexity, and the unpresentable. Abstraction, especially, is an expert intermediary, translating the nonverbal and not quite visible realities into perceivable, material form. Paintings can function as runners between realms, physical and philosophical both.”

Tileston got her BFA from Yale, MFA from Indiana University, has exhibited across the country, and has works in a number of private and public collections. In 2006 she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship.

original in design, and artists must incorporate at least 50 percent wood in each piece. The annual exhibition features functional and non-functional works, studio furniture, turnings, constructions, sculpture, and vessels in which artists used wood as their primary media.”

The jurors are Miriam Carpenter, a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design, and an artist who has exhibited widely, most notably at the Wharton Esherick Museum, and who has had residences at a number of fine furniture makers. She is currently in residence at the Antonin Raymont estate in New Hope; David Rago and Suzanne Perrault of Rago Auctions in Lambertville, and have appeared on many episodes of Antiques Roadshow.

The are both experts in 20th and 21st century design.

Dot Bunn at Patricia Hutton Galleries An award-winning artist who uses traditional methods in her oil paintings, Dot Bunn, will be featured at Patricia Hatton Galleries, 47 West State Street, Doylestown.

The show, Dot Bunn Solo II, runs through November 15. Bunn, a member of the American Artists Professional League is a full-time artist and teacher. The gallery notes,

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less landscape inspiration, but I also enjoy painting the flowers in my gardens. Lately I have really enjoyed painting the people that I find doing things that capture my imagination. I have never found myself lacking for something to paint. The very act of painting is a joy for me.”

Bunn works daily in her studio, and when not working is continuing her studies, most recently with Myron Barnstone at his studio. With Barnstone she began to understand more fully how old masters applied color and decided on composition. She exhibits regularly in local

On the Delaware, 24” x 36,” oil.

and national juried shows and has won a number of awards.

Bunn’s works are included in private collections. In 2004 and 2007 she won the Phillip’s Mill Highest Award for painting. ■

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THEATER VALLEY CIVIC THEATRE OF ALLENTOWN’S production of The Addams Family was so entertaining, in every conceivable way, I didn’t want it to end. And I haven’t felt that way about any live arts event in I don’t know how long.

William Sanders, Civic’s longtime artistic chief, did a splendid job of directing a sprawling musical that revolves around a simple story: the Addamses, who live in Central Park, struggle to be “normal” with the mainstream family of the boyfriend of Wednesday, the hippest, tensest Addams.

His cast was both sparkling and surprising.

Jarrod Yuskauskas made Gomez even more dashing and daffy with the snappy timing of a tango dancer and the bravado of a bullfighter. His rich, ringing voice turned “Trapped” into a liberating barnburner. Andrea Cartagena combined a foghorn voice and a froggy personality to make everyone quickly forget Fester was played by a woman. She was extremely touching during “The Moon and Me,” where Fester celebrates his love of a distant orb.

Morticia is usually played as a charmingly innocent siren, an adorably calm vamp. Mariah Dalton added a delightful earth motherness, a magnetic sense of mooning matriarchy. Her gentle gravity allowed Emilie Leyes to pretty much go crazy as Wednesday, pushing the grown-up Tuesday from Type A to Type AAA. An ideal Broadway ingénue, Leyes sang “Pulled,” a litany of strange new desires triggered by love—i.e., visiting Disney World, twice— with a stop-the-world Judy Garland fever.

The Addams Family is jammed with complicated counterpoint numbers and sneaky inside jokes about The Sound of Music and retired Jews in 17th-century Florida. Sanders was an expert traffic controller, making sure no lines or gestures were trampled. He was also an expert editor, making sure cartoonish characters weren’t cartoons. Under his supervision, a ghostly chorus of Ancestors, played by 11 women and one boy, sang and danced with sparking spunk.

Julian Sands brought the late Harold Pinter to raging, romancing life in his solo show about his late friend’s writing, living and legacy. Performing at Lafayette College, the star of film (Boxing Helena) and TV (24) used quotes, anecdotes and poems to make Pinter much more expansive and intimate than the man best known for plays best known for menacing silences and sav-

age explosions.

Sands recited a wonderfully wide range of Pinter’s poetry. There were odes to the ghost of a first wife and historian Antonia Fraser, Pinter’s second spouse and soul mate, a legendary cricket player and the cancer that killed Pinter. Sands deftly imitated Pinter’s imperious scolding, used his fingers as fencing rapiers, turned blunt lines into Shakespearean soliloquys. He was a gracious, generous guide to a truly well-lived life.

Even excellent Shakespearean productions have bad battles. The Independent Eye dispensed with all this melodramatic nonsense during its version of King Lear, staging a fight as a daisy chain of cutout paper soldiers unfolded and smashed. It was one of many inventive solutions in a mesmerizingly humane show starring two humans, a dozen puppets and a booth that resembled a throne, a tomb and a womb.

CITY This is the Week That Is For nine years, Philly’s only all-comedy theater company has designed, written and performed a topical, newsy revue that looks and sounds like the very best of everything Jon Stewart, Trevor Noah, Stephen Colbert and John Oliver done behind a desk. 1812 Productions’ welcome to year ten, as usual, at Plays & Players Theatre. November 27-December 31.

David Hare reads The Blue Touch Paper Sir David Hare, the Olivier Award-winning playwright behind Plenty, Amy’s View and The Blue Room, the Oscar-nominated

South Street theater did this twice in 2015—once in April, and again before Halloween, both directed by Kogan and both featuring a Philly-based cast. Lafferty’s Wake is still great, still deadly (humorous), still familial and whether you’re Irish or not, you’ll probably find yourself singing “Whiskey in a Jar” with the assembled mob, even if you’ve never sung this classic Gaelic drinking song before in your life.

Until December 20, Society Hill Playhouse.

The Second City Hits Home The laudable improvisational Chicago school and company has given the world Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Gilda Radner and Bill Murray. They won’t be there however, so you’ll just have to imagine how funny they would’ve been when the new Second City slickers perform the classics, as well as deal with current local events. November 13-14, Perelman Theatre.

Matilda The Musical Stage moms, precocious singing children and lovers of Roald Dahl, be on the lookout for this tale of the extraordinary.

November 17-29, Academy of Music.

King Lear, which I saw at Touchstone Theatre, was created and acted by Conrad Bishop and Elizabeth Fuller, who founded The Independent Eye in 1974. He played Lear and operated puppets of Lear’s daughters, sons and the blinded king himself. She manipulated puppets that he voiced and played Lear’s Fool in a porkpie hat, red clown nose and Bozo fright wig.

He rumbled antically and fumbled nobly.

Her voice was wounded by gravel, her leers were laced with lye.

The show lasted 100 minutes and had half as many highlights. Flourishing an exposed left arm, Bishop made a large puppet of Edmund, Lear’s bastard of a bastard son, remarkably lifelike. He cradled small puppets of Cordelia and Edgar/Poor Tom as tenderly as a father cradled a baby. Bodies became stages, with the Lear puppet jumping off an invisible cliff into Fuller’s hand. Fuller was a delightfully nasty narrator and a marvelous masher of paper cutout soldiers. ■ —Geoff Gehman

Tyler Perry’s Madea on the Run It has been a minute since the author, actor, director, Tyler Perry, has donned the white wig, oversized glasses and sundress of the Lady Madea. Good, right? Actually, I was starting to miss the old dear, her wise words and her gospel-inspired soundtrack.

With brand new music written by Perry, you can start hating on her again after this; but for now, enjoy. November 10-15, Merriam Theater.

David Hare

script for The Hours, and, of course, the 2015 Tony recipient for Best Revival for his near-legendary Skylight has created a debut memoir that reads as breathlessly as one of his many theater works. November 5, Free Library of Philadelphia Main Branch Lafferty’s Wake Philadelphia playwright Susan Turlish’s pub funeral party was commissioned by Society Hill Playhouse doyenne Deen Kogan in 1998 in order to present the Irish homeland tropes and traditions found in a Friel or O’Casey drama, but in a hearty musical setting. This wonky Wake is a perennial SHP favorite; so much so that the off-

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Lights Rise on Grace Artistic Director Kevin Glaccum and his Azuka Theatre’s 16th season commences with Chad Beckim’s Lights Rise on Grace, a tale of sex, imprisonment and family ties starring Barrymore-nominated actress Bi Jean Ngo as the title character.

Azuka likes things on the dark side, so this fits the bill handsomely. Plus, everyone gets an additional shot at hanging out at the Adrienne again, before the Drake Building opens. Damn, I was actually starting to miss the obstructed pole seating. November 4-22, Azuka Theatre at the Adrienne Theater. ■ —A. D. Amorosi

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The List NOVEMBER CURATED BY A. D. AMOROSI

5 Dead + 1 Not content to let the Dead rest, Fare Thee Well attendees Bill Kreutzman, Bob Weir and Mickey Hart lose the Lesh, gain an Allman Bros’ bassist and jam hard and hard with guitarist-MOR pope John Mayer. (Wells Fargo Center) 5 Neil Hamburger/Nick Flanagan The man behind the gloomy new comedy (or comedic new gloomer) Mr. Hamburger does bad stand up. (Johnny Brenda’s) 5 Black Violin You say there’s not enough of the hip hop-classical music hybrid out there? Take it. (Steel Stacks) 6 Patti Smith Whether you’re reading her new drama-novel “M Train” or listening to her do the entirety of her 1975 debut “Horses”, you’re focusing in on the punk poetess’ back catalogue in truly glorious ways. (Free Library of Philadelphia) 6 Gladys Knight and The O’Jays A little bit of Buddah label R&B, some Philly International Records’ soul, and an entire night of funky classic heated hits and dreamy ballads from two of the best. (Kimmel) 6 Beirut Yes, yes yes: Zach Condon makes cabaret-Balkan-

14 Heaven’s Edge The toast of Philly-NJ hair metal that isn’t Cinderella and Bon Jovi return, and harder than ever.

(TLA) 14 Hezekiah Jones Philly composer/singer Jones is having a party for

band airing (he usually just shows up at old churches here and plays our organs) (Johnny Brenda’s) 11 Public Image Ltd John Lydon thankfully has continued making scary, Krautrock-inspired rock ever since dropping the “Rotten” moniker, and his new album What The World Needs Now... proves it. (Troc) 11 Leon Russell The swamp land’s cagiest pianist and singer—the man who made Mad Dogs & Englishmen roar for Joe Cocker and put the “la” in “Delta Lady”—is a legend to be savored. (Steel Stacks) 12 Don Henley with Shawn Colvin The Eagles’ co-founder Henley heads to country music with Cass County and a dobro. (Academy of Music) 12 Postmodern Jukebox The best, biggest and weirdest cover band ensem-

In Loving Memory of oosi Lockjaw, which doesn’t necessarily sound like an album that you would hold anything beyond a wake for. But what do I know? The West Philadelphia are also on hand, doing the Balkan thing. (Ardmore Music Hall) 14 AVA Don Giovanni I don’t how they appropriate the myth of Don Juan as imagined by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Lorenzo Da Ponte, but in my mind a libertine is a libertine no matter where you find him. This is grand ppera at its most seductive. (Zoellner Arts Center) 18 Lazarus David Bowie, Enda Walsh, Michael C. Hall re-consider the mythology of Walter Tevis’ novel “The Man Who Fell to Earth” as an avant-garde musical. Dig it. (New York Theatre Workshop) 20 Flamin’ Groovies One of the 60s/70s pre-proto-punk’s finest reconvene with Roy Loney, Chris Wilson and Jack Johnson out front. (Johnny Brenda’s)

Bacharach-ian pop big enough on his new No No No to fill this grand stage. (Tower) 6 Peking Dreams Here’s hoping that no one from the National Circus & Acrobats of the People’s Republic of China trip and hurt themselves in Easton. (State Theatre) 10 EL VY: Matt Berninger of The National & Brent Knopf of Menomena These guys make such sad, stately ambient rock with their usual outfits, here’s hoping they loosen up when they get together. (Union Transfer) 11 John Zorn’s Simulacrum The avant-garde composer and saxophonist brings his steamiest new ensemble to Philly for a rare

ble around turn Taylor, GaGa, Miley and more into ragtime doo wop suites. (Zoellner Arts Center) 13 Son Little Philadelphia ambient bluesman, with a debut album under that same name, used to be Aaron Livingston, a collaborator with RJD2 and The Roots. What could go wrong? (Johnny Brenda’s) 13 Lehigh University Jazz Ensemble, Funk Band & Combo The ensembles perform contemporary and traditional jazz. Bill Warfield, director. (Zoellner Arts Center)

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21 Pennsylvania Sinfonia Brahms’ Violin Concerto in D, Op. 77 and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A, Op. 92 (First Presbyterian Church) 22 Lehigh University Wind Ensemble: Jazz in the Winds Trumpeter Bill Warfield joins the group for works with a jazz flair featuring Shostakovich’s Jazz Suite No. 2 and Flowerdale by Philip Sparke. David Diggs, director. (Zoellner Arts Center) 25 George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic Clinton’s mother ship is smaller and more stripped down, but the funk keeps-on-keeping-on and he loves Ardmore. (Ardmore Music Hall) ■

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FILM KERESMAN ON FILM REVIEW BY MARK KERESMAN

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EVERY ONCE IN A while The Collective We get a movie about a whistleblower, someone who exposes a form of festering evil. The trouble is that the evil is in a very controversial area of which some people would rather be blissfully ignorant. In the 1970s there was Serpico, in which Al Pacino plays an idealistic young NYPD officer who learns first hand of the corruption in the department and refuses to keep silent about it. In the very recent German import Labyrinth of Lies, an ambitious young prosecutor learns about the atrocities committed by the German Army during World War II and he wants to see these crimes tried in a German court, as opposed to an international tribunal such as the one in Nuremburg shortly after WWII. In the late 1950s, inexperienced but eager prosecutor Johann Radmann (a charismatic Alexander Fehling, Inglorious Basterds and TV’s Homeland) is tired of traffic court cases and wants to sink his lawyer’s teeth into something juicy. He gets word from a journalist that a former Nazi officer is teaching preteen children in Germany—Radmann doesn’t know much about the atrocities during WWII (aside from Hitler being a really bad guy) to the point that Auschwitz was just another town in Germanyville. A colleague tells him to get with it and when

Labyrinth of Lies he learns of the brutality of those days he’s fueled by desire to see justice done. Meanwhile, many Germans just want to forget those times or were unaware of the crimes.

Radmann interviews Auschwitz survivors, digs up paper records of those times, and realizes that some of the perpetrators are still active in either politics or business.

If you’ve seen any movies about whistleblowers, you know that the lives of the ‘blowers tends to get...complicated. Radmann’s zeal alienates his coworkers, those higher-ups in the political food-chain, and his girlfriend (a very pretty and spunky Friederike Becht (Hannah Arendt, The Reader). But he does have some people in his corner—his secretary, a journalist pal, and the federal Attorney General (Gert Voss, superb), who acts as something of a mentor to Radmann. Voss is excellent as a man who balances/juggles righteous indignation, politics, and a palpable world-weariness. Fehling has a little bit of those Tom Cruise/Jude Law good looks and ably conveys awkward puppy-dog enthusiasm and the confusion and inner conflict when he realizes he may be in over his head. One of the ways in which Labyrinth is so interesting is in its examination of responsibility. During the War, just who exactly was following orders (such as soldiers doing soldiers’ duty), who were being opportunists (joining the

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Nazi party to be on the winning side), and who was being sadistic for its own sake? (Listen for the camp tale re: “shot while trying to escape.”) Are the party officials that dictate policy responsible for wholesale slaughter, or was it just plain folks who carried out the nuts and bolts of killing. Did any soldier or officer refuse an order to kill?

Who was using Nazi concepts as a justification for viciousness? (Q: Why does X do something awful? A: Because X can.) We don’t get to see the brutal acts, but we hear them described, which to some extent is very effective, leaving to the audience’s imagination to fill in the scenes.

A very potent scene is when Radmann’s secretary, after transcribing so many survivors’ accounts, leaves the interview room and breaks down in tears. The movie, fortunately, does not offer any easy answers to these questions…but it does make an important distinction between, say, a soldier on the battlefield and an officer who kills an unarmed child.

The only place Labyrinth stumbles a bit is the insertion of personal subplots—Radmann’s strained relationship with his mother and a relatively unnecessary love scene; neither add anything to the movie. This film is about acting and drama, not special effects or mindless action, and should be seen. ■

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FILM CINEMATTERS REVIEW BY PETE CROATTO

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ETER SOLLETT’S FREEHELD DOES a magnificent job showing that gay couples are as boring as straight ones. The snapshots of the real-life couple that concluded this surprisingly limp and pallid effort moved me more than any shot, moment, or line beforehand. I cannot imagine that 60 seconds of emotional resonance is what Sollett and screenwriter Ron Nyswaner wanted to accomplish.

The aforementioned couple is late New Jersey police lieutenant Laurel Hester (Julianne Moore) and Stacie Andree (Ellen Page, who produced). In 2004, Hester, her body ravaged with cancer, took a leave of absence from the Ocean County prosecutor’s office. Knowing that her time was short, she requested that her pension be transferred to Andree, her domestic partner, so she could stay in their house. The county freeholders refused. Laurel, as portrayed in the movie, reluctantly agreed to turn this into an issue. Not about gay rights, mind you. It was, in her mind, about equality.

Nothing about Laurel here screams “look at me.”

She gets thrown from a moving car and is back to interrogating the driver in no time; her feathered hairdo is the female cop equivalent of a crew cut. She is the strong, silent type, someone an unenlightened male would adore working alongside.

Freeheld Those limitations make for a challenging role, one that should inspire the creative juices of Moore, an actress who at this point is beyond praise and headed to sainthood. Sollett and Nyswaner tie her hands behind her back, refusing to elevate Hester beyond the most rudimentary definitions: good cop, loving spouse, dying inspiration. It deprives us of seeing Moore dig into the character’s defining struggle. Laurel loves Stacie, but if she demonstrates it publicly, her world ends. (The two actually meet at a volleyball game in Pennsylvania, where nobody can recognize Laurel.) We don’t see that struggle beyond Laurel creating quick lies—this is my friend, my sister is visiting—and a heated argument with her slighted partner.

Did Laurel find contentment among the fear and doubt? Probably. Maybe. It’s truly hard to say. Laurel and Stacie are framed as a loving couple in the blandest way possible. Sollett is so focused on showing Laurel and Stacie’s domesticity—they buy a house, they get a dog the size of a pony—that he overlooks the spark that defines every great couple, which would make narrow minds open a little wider. It also paints the movie as pale as the walls in the hospital room where Laurel withers away. When the movie shouts—as evidenced by the arrival of Steve Carrell’s loud and gay-with-a-capital-G ac-

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tivist—it’s like someone doused our whole milk with hot sauce.

For a movie about a couple whose commitment to each other is invalidated, Freeheld is spectacularly dull.

Nyswaner is best known for writing 1993’s Philadelphia.

Say what you want about that protest banner of a film, but at least it caught your attention. Everything about Freeheld is staid and functional, including the editing and cinematography. There is no memorable shot, no moment where the chills down your spine nail you to your seat.

In fact, Sollett and Nyswaner seem hesitant to explore Laurel and Stacie’s situation beyond a jumping off point or a symbolic gesture. As Laurel gets sicker, more time is devoted to Laurel’s devoted partner (Michael Shannon), a stoic crusader who crosses the blue line, and Josh Charles’s rouge freeholder with a conscience.

So not only do we get two more fragmented storylines to join Laurel and Stacie’s courtship, a drug deal case, and Laurel’s unease over her own lifestyle, the director does everything but exile his main characters. By the end, Laurel and Stacie’s status as polite, domesticated lesbians wasn’t in doubt. I just wasn’t sure they were people, let alone ones who deserved their own movie. ■

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FILM BAD MOVIE REVIEW BY MARK KERESMAN

Big Stone Gap I RECALL WHEN ASHLEY Judd was an up-and-coming Serious Actress/Contender with indie films such as Ruby in Paradise and even mainstream fare such as Heat— Judd SHINES in these films. Then Judd began appearing in Woman In Peril movies—the theatrical release, “upscale” versions of the Woman In Peril movies on The Lifetime Network. Invariably, Judd would fight against some scary male threat with the aid/inspiration of an older wise fellow, played by Morgan Freeman or Tommy Lee Jones. But then Judd went to grad school, got involved in activism and her movie career cooled. While I believe nearly everything I read on the Internet, I suppose there might be some credence to the word that Ms. Judd is not as sweet as she looks. In Hollywood, The Powers That Be will indulge you and put up with your crap if you got the box office cred (receipts) to back you up. (See the dwindling career of Katheryn Heigl.)

Anyway, Big Stone Gap is Judd trying to return to her acting roots with a movie about a woman in a small southern town in the late 1970s. Filmed in the real town of Big Stone Gap, Virginia, Judd plays Ave Maria Mulligan, the town spinster. Let that sink in a bit: Ashley Judd is a town spinster…a spinster who looks just like Ashley Judd, with single friends that are, well, single. (This comes from the same film universe in which women who look like Diane Lane can’t get dates, as in Must Love Dogs.) And with a name like Ave Maria, she must be a kindly, saintly type, right? (It reminded me of a Monty Python bit wherein the villain of the piece had the last name of Devious.) After the death of her mother, Ave learns something shocking: Her father is someone else—

Dr. Evil’s night-shift-supervisor-somebody. So then, who inherits the family home?

There you have the plot.

If you think this an opportunity for hordes of charming southern eccentrics to come out of the proverbial woodwork, you’d be right again. Whoopie Goldberg is Fleeta Mullins, the chain-smoking wiseacre sass-mouth with the heart of gold that acts just like, yup, Whoopie Goldberg. But wait, there are more charming down-home names than an episode of Gomer Pyle USMC: Jane Krakowski (who seems like Jane K in NYC) is Sweet Sue Tinsely; Jenna Elfman is Iva Lou Wade (aw, come on), and the obligatory on-and-off love interest for Ave is Jack MacChesney (Patrick Wilson), a coal miner with magazine-cover looks. These people behave so adorably eccentric and gosh-awful quirky that they eventually become nauseating. Oh yeah, Chris Sarandon turns up as a character who speaks in such a fake Eye-talian accent you’ll expect him to sweat spaghetti sauce.

Next to this Big Stone Gap, Mayberry seems like a creation of Tennessee Williams.

Many charming arguments and clashes, and lots of local color tell you—no, scream at you—that you are not in NYC or LA. Based on a book by author Adriana Trigiani, who also directed and wrote the screenplay, Big Stone Gap is heavy-handed and buried in corniness and golly-gosh-delightful charm. If you loved Fried Green Tomatoes, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and Steel Magnolias, this tidbit might satisfy—otherwise, you’ve already seen this on the Hallmark Channel. ■

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Photo: Rafael Balcazar.

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INTERVIEW

BY GEOFF GEHMAN

SO GOOD, SO RIGHT, SO OUT OF SIGHT Singer Nicole Henry is an international siren of stardust soul

IT’S THE SECOND NIGHT of the first Allentown JazzFest, and Nicole Henry is having a ball in a hotel ballroom. With the show running late, the singer decides to warm up the crowd from behind a stage partition, emceeing like a cheery Wizard of Jazz.

Backed by a big band, she builds every number— stardust standard, pop hit, Broadway-style barnburner—into a well-traveled, well-placed adventure.

She works every major muscle and emotion, tossing her head, flinging her arms, twirling her fingers, bending her knees, pleading, flirting, demanding, commanding. She could be acting in Dreamgirls, a musical that would fit her as tightly as her slender white skirt with black scrawl and a sexy slit.

I NEVER CONSIDERED MYSELF A SEXY PERSON. I DON’T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH MY LOOKS, AND I CAN MAKE MYSELF PRETTY, BUT I NEVER CONSIDERED USING SEX APPEAL ONSTAGE. I RECENTLY BEGAN TAKING ACTING CLASSES AND MY COACH SAID: “NICOLE, YOU HAVE TO REALIZE YOU’RE GOING TO BE HIRED TO BE THE SEXY WOMAN IN CONTROL.” SO, YES, I’M USING THE HIPS MORE AND MAKING THINGS A LITTLE MORE SUGGESTIVE. IT’S ALWAYS BEEN IN ME, BUT I NEVER THOUGHT OF PUTTING IT OUT THERE. It’s the sort of healthy, stealthy act that has earned Henry avid audiences from Madrid to Moscow. You can hear the love on her 2013 record So Good, So Right (Banister), recorded live in Feinstein’s at Loews Regency, one of Manhattan’s top cabaret spots. She slips slinky soul into James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain,” makes Bill Withers’ “Use Me” a four-alarm fire, strips the glue from Stealers Wheel’s “Stuck in the Middle with You.” It’s the sort of panoramic performance—sultry and sly, bracing and engaging—that helped her win the 2013 Soul Train traditional-jazz award over nominees like George Benson and Tony Bennett.

Henry grew up in Bucks County’s Bedminster Township with a mother who played classical piano and a father who played center for the Philadelphia 76ers. She has played cello, studied ballet, toured with vocalist Robert Bradley, recorded jingles and voiceovers, launched a record company, and become a fan favorite in Japan. Below, in a conversation from her Miami Beach home, she discusses her favorite foreign fans, her desire to scat better and a

fellow singer’s advice for her to shake her hips harder.

On the cover of your live record So Good, So Right you wear a summer garden dress, with the tinting and the typography transporting you back to the ’70s. What vibe were you shooting for? Minnie Ripperton’s “Come to My Garden”? Just about anything featuring Dusty Springfield?

I definitely was thinking ’70s river-town-sunshining-through-the-trees vibe. I’m feeling relaxed and groovy and caught off guard. I was initially looking for a jumpsuit but I couldn’t find one to save my life, even in thrift stores. So I wound up with this summery dress.

We share a major jones for the free-wheeling grooves of ’70s songs. I never, ever get tired of hearing Al Green sing “Let’s Stay Together” and Earth Wind & Fire rip through “Getaway.” Why do you think music back then was—is—so liberating?

One reason is that as a country we were all connected musically. You knew a lot of different stuff back then—at least that’s what it felt like to me. But maybe that’s because I grew up in a suburb. Our complex in Bucks County was very New Jersey/New York Jewish-Italian and when they’d have pool parties they played a lot of the old Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack stuff. I listened to my parents’ records—everything from gospel to the Commodores. My sister and I went around the house singing “Be a Lion” from The Wiz. I loved Elton John’s “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word”; that’s when I really discovered the power of music.

Black music was becoming more varied, more sophisticated. It wasn’t just the Spinners; there was Sly & the Family Stone and Earth Wind & Fire and even the Commodores. Then the electronics started coming into the picture; Stevie Wonder put out albums where he really used the Moog. Music became more experimental for personal reasons rather than political reasons. It just started breathing a lot more. I just thought it was just a hip time.

What did you get out of your mom’s classical piano playing on weekends?

Being exposed to a 12-minute classical piece, with all its highs, lows and in-betweens, really helped me appreciate the power of the fabric of music. I learned a lot about texture watching my mom’s fingers, the contact you make by flexing your fingers on the piano keys. I tried to imitate

what I saw and heard when I played cello. I loved just holding the instrument, feeling the vibrations.

Your dad Al was picked No. 1 in the 1970 NBA draft by the 76ers. He was considered a disappointment because he only played two pro seasons, but he found his footing as an instructor of physical education and health at a Philadelphia school for juvenile delinquents. What was the best life lesson he gave you?

He reminded me to always stand up straight and hold your stomach in, no matter what you do.

There’s nothing worse, he said, than a tall person who’s slumped over and is shy about being tall. I think I have stomach muscles because of him [laughs].

Mostly he led by example. His desire to make people smile; he’s the king of one-liners. His graciousness. When he walks into the room, the room is better because this gentle, welcoming giant has entered. His sayings about the importance of simplicities. He used to tell me: “Your only obligation is to die. The rest is up to you.”

Your version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” flies like a Latin dance. Most interpretations are full of wistful waiting; you make it a joyful embrace. Did you have any role models for the recasting?

I feel a personal connection because that song is really about a dream and I have these vivid dreams where I don’t want to wake up because everything is so cool. That version probably came from this great band I was blessed with in Miami Beach. My drummer isn’t particularly the best Latin musician but he created this beautiful samba feeling. It always made feel that I would be swept away if my heels weren’t tall enough Can you put your finger on one song with limitless depths, one you never get tired of changing every which way from Sunday?

Hmmm. Let me open up my songbook. I’d say “What a Difference a Day Makes.” It makes you visualize that every day is definitely different, that in two hours the sun and the flowers can change significantly. I try not to sing a song the same way twice; you want to discover something new every

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INTERVIEW

BY A. D. AMOROSI

ALAN CUMMING’S

Eclectic Everything POINT OF FACT: THERE is a lot of Alan Cumming to love, and many different Cummings with which to contend.

Along with an on-and-off run in Bob Fosse’s Cabaret, on-and-off Broadway—theater audiences here and abroad have contended with Cumming, who is 50, doing everything from socio-political rhetoric (1991’s Accidental Death of an Anarchist by Dario Fo), existentialist avant-garde (2003’s Elle by Jean Genet), tense drama (2006’s Bent), to his multi-role run in Shakespeare’s Macbeth in 2012/2013.

He has appeared as bad guys and good, classicist and humorist, in the 1995 Bond flick GoldenEye, 1996’s Emma, 1999’s Titus, Sex & the City, Spy Kids, Get Carter, several X Men, The L Word, and the hit dramedy, The Good Wife on which he has appeared on six seasons so far. He’s recorded albums (I Bought a Blue Car Today), penned essays on keeping his foreskin, written books. Cumming is an everyman, one who is frank about his sexuality—married twice, once to a woman and once to a man—and come November 14, he’ll put it all together at the Borgata Casino and Hotel.

It’s funny to think of you this way, as we are about the same age, and I remember you as elfin, but I love the grey hair and recent photos seem to show that you’re cool with it too. What say you?

It’s funny, because I’ve had my hair dyed for so many years for films, different colors—that meant that I hadn’t seen my real hair in some time. I shaved my head for some reason, and just let it come in, and when I first looked in the mirror, I think I was like holy shit, I’m gray! It probably had been happening for years, and I just hadn’t noticed it. I’m cool with it. If nothing else, I hate wearing wigs, so I do what I have to do using my own hair.

What about wigs do you hate—the false persona or the feel?

Oh, the feel. You can’t touch it or retouch it. I think it really closes up the character you’re playing.

You can’t think with your hair as you might.

You can’t run your fingers through or express yourself the way you might want to.

I saw you onstage in Britain doing the Dario Fo thing. Do you find it hard to believe that you’re 50?

Absolutely. I mean, maybe what it is actually is that I forget the age thing because I have such energy. It is amazing for me, to feel the same as I did 30-plus years ago… maybe even better. ¥ou know? With that, I have lived and have had experiences to back it all up, the wisdom of it all. I really like that combo.

When you were doing something as daring and odd as the Fo piece, did you know or suspect that you would make your way beyond the avant garde into what might best be thought of as mainstream?

Doing the work I do now, you mean? The Fo thing for one—it was at the National,

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THE SOUTHSIDE ARTS DISTRICT Nov. 6-Dec. 24. Celebrate the holiday season with two great promotions. Shop or dine at SouthSide, Bethlehem businesses and enter to win Free Tony Orlando Great American Christmas tickets and Lucky Drum gift certificates. Celebrate Christmas on the colorful side of town. For more information and full schedule visit Southsideartsdistrict.com.

CHRISTMAS CITY STROLL Nov. 16–Jan. 10 (no tours Dec. 25 & Jan. 1); Mon.–Tues., by appt.; Wed.–Sun., 11 AM–4 PM; Dec. 24, 11 AM. Presented by Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites. Certified guides in period dress lead you through centuries of Bethlehem’s history.

Tickets at Visitor Center. HistoricBethlehem.org 800-360-TOUR or 610-691-6055.

CHRISTMAS CITY VILLAGE Weekends, Nov. 20–Dec 20, 11 AM–8 PM (Fri. & Sat.);11 AM–5 PM (Sun.). Presented by Bethlehem Chamber & Downtown Bethlehem Association. Our authentic German Weihnachtsmarkt (open-air Christmas market ) is located in Bethlehem’s historic downtown shopping district along Main Street. Visit 35 wooden huts dressed for the Holidays & filled with Christmas gift ideas. downtownbethlehemassociation.com CHRISTKINDLMARKT BETHLEHEM Nov. 20–22, 27–29, Dec. 3–6, 10–13, 17–20. Thurs. & Sun., 11 AM–6 PM. Fri. & Sat., 11 AM–8 PM. Presented by ArtsQuest.

PNC Plaza at SteelStacks, 645 E. First St., Bethlehem. Named one of the best holiday markets in the U.S. by Travel + Leisure. Aisles of handmade works; live holiday music; demonstrating artists; make your own glass ornaments; jolly, old St. For ticket prices christmascity.org. 610-332-3378 HOLIDAY COCKTAIL TRAIL Nov. 21, 1–5 PM. Presented by Bethlehem Chamber and the Downtown Bethlehem Association. Pre-purchase passports to sample holiday cocktails concocted by the local businesses.

With purchase of a passport, receive a ticket to Christkindl-

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markt, as well as a holiday tasting glass. Must be 21 years of age. Passports will go on sale early November. downtownbethlehemassociation.com DOORS OF BETHLEHEM Nov. 22–Dec. 25. Presented by Bethlehem Chamber and the Downtown Bethlehem Association. Take a self-guided tour of Bethlehem’s two great shopping districts and see all of the magical, holiday displays.Vote for your favorite door and window, maps and ballots available at different downtown business locations. Enter to win a $1,000 downtown Bethlehem shopping spree. downtownbethlehemassociation.com BETHLEHEM BY NIGHT BUS TOUR Nov. 27–Dec. 27; Thurs.–Sun., 5, 6, & 7 PM.; No tour on Nov. 29. Presented by Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites, 505 Main St., Bethlehem. Tickets at Visitor Center. HistoricBethlehem.org. 1-800-360-TOUR 610-691-6055.

THE CHRISTMAS CITY TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY Nov. 27, 4:30–5:30 PM. Presented by Bethlehem Chamber and the Downtown Bethlehem Association. Payrow Plaza, 10 E. Church St., Bethlehem. Celebrate with three Bethlehem High School Bands playing as one. Music, hot chocolate, cookies, Christmas PEEPS and Santa Clause complete this holiday tradition. 610-739-1510 CHRISTMAS PUTZ AND STAR & CANDLE SHOPPE Nov. 27. Presented by Central Moravian Church, Bethlehem.

Before Christmas hrs.: Thurs. & Fri.: 1–7 PM, Sat.: 10 AM–8 PM, Sun.: 1 PM–5 PM, (Closed Dec. 24 and 25). After Christmas hrs.: (last day Dec. 31): Daily: 1–5 PM. A retelling of the story of Christ’s birth through narration and music, while tiny lights illuminate each miniature scene. For info: centralmoravianchurch.org, 610-866-5661 HISTORIC HOTEL BETHLEHEM CHRISTMAS TOUR Daily, beginning Nov. 27. Presented by Historic Hotel Bethlehem, Historic Hotel Bethlehem, 437 S. Main St., Bethlehem. A

self-guided tour of the hotel’s Christmas displays. 35,000 lights, 26 sparkling Christmas Trees, 35 wreaths, seven Toy Soldiers and a gingerbread replica of the hotel. Celebrate the season and history. Free. hotelbethlehem.com 610-625-5000 HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGE RIDES Nov. 27–Dec. 31 (no carriage rides Dec. 24–25); Thurs.–Sun., 3–9 PM, every 20 min. (no rides 6–6:20 PM for break). Presented by Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites. HistoricBethlehem.org,1-800-360-TOUR or 610-691-6055.

ADVENT ORGAN & HARP CONCERT Nov. 28, 2 PM. Presented by Central Moravian Church. Central Moravian Church Sanctuary. Rebecca Owens, organist and Andrea Wittchen, harpist. Suggested donation is $10. centralmoravianchurch.org, 610-866-5661 ADVENT LOVEFEAST Nov. 29, 11 AM. Presented by and held at Central Moravian Church. A non-sacramental meal of sweet rolls and coffee are served during a service of hymns and anthems. Advent workshop, 9–10:45 AM, in the Christian Education building, lower level (40 W. Church St., Bethlehem). centralmoravianchurch.org 610-866-5661 GERMAN AND ENGLISH ADVENT SINGSTUNDE Dec. 1; 7 PM. Presented by Central Moravian Church, Chapel.

Hymns for the season in German & English. centralmoravianchurch.org 610-866-5661 LIVE ADVENT CALENDAR Dec. 1–23, 5:30 PM. Presented by Bethlehem Chamber and the Downtown Bethlehem Association. Goundie House, 505 Main St, Bethlehem. downtownbethlehemassociation.com WHITE CHRISTMAS Dec. 3–4, 1:30. Presented by ArtsQuest. ArtsQuest, Bethlehem. In Red Cinema. NR, 120 min. Regular feature prices.

CHRISTMAS CITY FOLLIES Dec. 3, 8 PM; Dec. 4, 8pm; Dec. 5, 8 PM; December 6, 2 PM; Dec. 10, 8 PM; Dec. 11, 8 PM; Dec. 12, 8 PM; Dec. 13, 2 PM; Dec, 17, 8 PM; Dec. 18, 8 PM; Dec. 19, 2 PM and 8 PM; Dec. 20, 2 PM. Presented by Touchstone Theatre, 321 East Fourth Street, Bethlehem. Celebrate with high-spirited, homegrown, vaudevillian variety show. touchstone.org. 610-867-1689 FEGLEY’S BREW WORKS CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL Dec. 5. 50+ craft beers & vendors, special VIP hour guests, exclusive tappings. Allentown Brew Works, 812 Hamilton St., Allentown. 610-433-7777. Discounted presale tickets at TheBrewWorks.com.

BREAKFAST WITH ST. NICHOLAS Dec. 5, 12 & 19, 9 AM. Presented by Capital BlueCross. A delicious hot breakfast, photo with St. Nick, admission to Christkindlmarkt, goodie bag, arts & crafts and more are included. artsquest.org. 610-332-3378 MORAVIAN CHRISTMAS EXPERIENCE Dec. 5; 1:30 PM. Presented by Central Moravian Church, Central Moravian Church Sanctuary. Enter the 208 year old Sanctuary of Central Moravian Church and experience the sounds, sights and traditions of a Moravian Christmas. Free-will offering. centralmoravianchurch.org 610-866-5661 A ROCKEPELLA CHRISTMAS Dec. 10. The All Vocal Spectacular. 7PM, State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton. 610-252-3132, 1-800-999-STATE. Statetheatre.org TWELVE TWENTY FOUR Dec. 28, 7:30 PM. Holiday Rock Orchestra inspired by The TransSiberian Orchestra. Zoellner Arts Center, 420 E. Packer Ave., Bethlehem. 610-758-2787, Zoellnerartscenter.com. For full performance schedule, twelvetwentyfour.net.

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WELCOME TO

DICKENS DAYS IN CLINTON, NJ

Once again our downtown turns back time and transforms into a Victorian Holiday Village from Friday, November 27 through Sunday, November 29. Enjoy a holiday celebration, carriage rides, caroling, storytelling and daily holiday performances. Charles Dickens and Scrooge will be strolling the streets of downtown in all their finery for your entertainment, along with Father Christmas.

The lighting of the community’s Christmas tree will take place on Main Street, Friday, November 27, beginning at 6:30pm. Join us for caroling and lighting of the tree for Santa’s arrival on the firetruck.

Santa’s workshop, located on the terrace of the Hunterdon Art Museum, will be displayed throughout the holiday season. Santa will be at the workshop on December 5, 12, and 19 from noon to 3pm for children to visit.

Plan to spend the weekend exploring our shops, galleries, museums, and dining options. On Saturday, we will be participating in the national Shop Small Saturday campaign.

Other dates to remember: Clinton Guild’s Annual Christmas Parade, December 4 at 7pm.

Candlelight Night, December 10, dusk to 9pm.

For schedule visit ClintonGuild.com

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FILM FILM ROUNDUP

Bridge of Spies.

CURRENT FILMS REVIEWED BY KEITH UHLICH

Bridge of Spies (Dir. Steven Spielberg).

Starring: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Austin Stowell. The Cold War gets the Spielberg touch, with a script assist from Joel and Ethan Coen (rewriting playwright Matt Charman’s original draft).

Based in fact, the late-‘50s/early-‘60s set film follows honorable yet irritable lawyer James Donovan (Tom Hanks) as he defends Soviet spy Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance), to the chagrin of his family and country. But that’s just the start of a story that eventually sees Donovan traveling to Berlin (where the wall is being erected) to negotiate the swap of Abel for two American prisoners—spy pilot Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell) and student Frederic Pryor (Will Rogers). Impeccably shot, designed and performed (especially

by Hanks and Rylance), the film at times suggests an adaptation of Franz Kafka’s The Trial with Donovan as a more testy and in-control Josef K., navigating a multi-national bureaucracy to secure the noblest outcome. Befitting latter-day Spielberg, the lionization of Donovan and his quest is nicely undercut by several dollops of arsenic. [PG-13] ★★★★1/2

Carol (Dir: Todd Haynes). Starring: Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett, Kyle Chandler. Forbidden love has never felt so… inert? This 1950s-set adaptation of The Price of Salt—a lesbian-themed novel by Patricia Highsmith—is handsomely mounted by director Todd Haynes, who knows his way around women’s melodramas (see 2002’s Far From Heaven and 2011’s Mildred Pierce). Yet there’s something too stately about the way he approaches the not-so-doomed romance between store clerk Therese (Rooney Mara) and wealthy housewife Carol (Cate Blanchett), neither of whom—a scene or two aside—seem like characters so much as porcelain dolls posed behind glass. Mara’s a blank, and Blanchett is typically fussy. She can’t even smoke a cigarette without calling attention to the elegance of her inhalation technique, though she does build up a head of emotional steam in the climactic scenes, even if it’s too little, too late. There’s some beautifully diffuse cinematography by Edward Lachman, at least, as well as excellent supporting turns by Sarah Paulson as Carol’s best friend and Kyle Chandler as her resentful husband. [R] ★★1/2

Entertainment (Dir. Rick Alverson). Starring: Gregg Turkington, Tye Sheridan, John C. Reilly. It will be very interesting to see how fans of Gregg Turkington’s abrasive stand-up act (in which he assumes the role of volatile and vile comicwith-a-greasy-combover Neil Hamburger) react to Rick Alverson’s feature-length vehicle for the character and the man who plays him. The movie attempts to give a ribald conceit a bleeding conscience: Turkington’s sad-sack “Comedian” adopts the Hamburger alter-ego for several dead-end shows in the Mojave desert area, in-between which he wanders a number of barren landscapes (evocatively shot in widescreen by Lorenzo Hagerman) in a kind of existential funk that threatens to become a full-on psychotic break. Is there a soul beneath all the vitriol the “Comedian” spouts? (One jawdropper among many includes a jest about a gang-rape involving Crosby, Stills and Nash.) Would that Alverson and Turkington’s probing of one man’s spiritual depths felt like more than a protracted joke going nowhere. [R] ★★

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Steve Jobs (Dir: Danny Boyle). Starring: Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen. This sorta-biopic of Apple computer founder Steve Jobs, played by Michael Fassbender with a charismatic anti-charisma, is cleaved into three verbally dexterous sections, each set backstage at a Jobs-led product launch. The dramatic tumult is constant, and the cast, which also includes Kate Winslet as Jobs’ right hand Joanna Hoffman and Seth Rogen as his beleaguered professional partner Steve Wozniak, hungrily sink their teeth into screenwriter Aaron Sorkin’s propulsive dialogue. A few of his trademark ADD visual flourishes aside, Danny Boyle mostly directs the resulting traffic (all walk, talk, repeat), even as he seemingly misreads the emotional throughline of the story (Jobs’ tortured relationship with his daughter Lisa) through a redemptive prism that seems the opposite of Sorkin’s intentions. At heart, this is a movie—fascinating and flawed—about a canny corporate huckster sacrificing those closest to him as he hones his benevolent public face in private. [R] ★★★

E aston Holiday

Open House

& PEACE CANDLE LIGHTING Saturday, Nov. 28, 11am-7pm Lit for the first time on December 10, 1951, the Christmas Candle was created to restore the prestige of Easton’s holiday decorations which had waned in the mid-20th century.

Now named the Peace Candle, the 106’ structure is assembled each year over the Civil War Soldiers' & Sailors' Monument located in Easton's Centre Square. It is dedicated to the Easton area men and women who have served or are serving in the United States armed forces. The Peace Candle is believed to be the largest non-wax Christmas candle in the United States.

Kick off the holiday shopping season with Downtown Easton’s unique boutiques and specialty stores; the event coincides with Small Business Saturday, a national push reminding consumers to support their local, small businesses through the holiday season.

Enjoy the sights and sounds of the season with live music, carriage rides, strolling street performers, ice carvers, and more treats to delight the whole family. The day culminates in the grand lighting of Easton's Peace Candle at 6:30pm. For information and a schedule of events: EastonMainStreet.org W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5 ■ I C O N ■ 33

FILM REEL NEWS

The Stanford Prison Experiment

RECENTLY RELEASED DVDS REVIEWED BY GEORGE OXFORD MILLER

Inside Out (2015) ★★★★★ Cast: Voices of Amy Poehler, Kaitlyn Dias, Phyllis Smith Genre: Animated comedy Rated PG Remember “Houston, we have a problem”? That’s the theme of Pixar’s animated feature, except the emergency isn’t in outer space, it’s in inner space. Mission Control operates inside the head of 11year-old Riley (voice of Dias) where her five major emotions (joy, fear, anger, disgust, sadness) incessantly wrestle to control every mood, thought, and decision.

Who’s in charge changes minute by minute. Sound familiar? Regardless of age, we’ve all felt the inner turmoil when depression, anger, or sadness dominates joy.

Inside Out races ahead where traditional voice-over interior dialogue falls flat in depicting emotional turmoil. Cleverly profound yet whimsical and insightful, this magical look at the human psyche is inspired more by Zen self-awareness, where properly controlled emotions all unify to propel the ship forward, than Hollywood box-office formulas.

Mr. Holmes (2015) ★★★★ Cast: Ian McKellen, Laura Linney, Milo Parker Genre: Drama Based on Mitch Cullin’s novel, A Slight Trick of the Mind.

Rated PG. In this revisionist tale of Sherlock Holmes, the aged (93) Holmes putters with his bees, battles senility, and shows that his emotions are as powerful as his logic. With three interwoven story lines, McKellen as Holmes masterfully depicts the complex personality hidden behind the vale of reason normally associated with the detective. Fading memories compel Holmes to journey to war-desolated Hiroshima in search for an elixir. He also revisits his last case, which has been haunting him for thirty years. All the while he mentors his widowed housekeeper’s 10-year-old son in the ways of life. More that a superb mystery, this wholly original Holmes retake explores how memories, unfulfilled goals, loneliness, and love define who we are at any stage of life.

The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015) ★★★

Cast: Billy Crudup, Michael Angarano Genre: Psychological drama Rated R In 1971, the U.S. Navy funded a controversial experiment at Stanford University to test causes of conflict between prisoners and guards. Dr. Philip Zimbardo (Crudup) hired 24 students for $15/day, and confined them in a basement hallway.

After only a day the students became totally immersed in their roles. But instead of a situational test of conflict behavior, the role playing became an extreme exhibition of personal power, aggression, humiliation, and psychological torture. One guard (Angarano) adopted the persona of the sadistic guard in Cool Hand Luke.

Even as the experiment far exceeded the rules for psychological and physical abuse (it was cancelled six days into the its twoweek run), almost all of the students opted to stay. Convincing performances make this truth-stranger-than-fiction drama a powerful and disturbing glimpse into how close we all are to the demonic side of inhumanity.

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Meru (2015) ★★★★ Cast: Jimmy Chin, Conrad Anker Genre: Documentary, adventure Filmed by Jimmy Chin, Renan Ozturk Rated R. Mt. Meru stands in the heart of the Himalayas, “where heaven and earth and hell all come together,” said mountaineer and author Jon Krakauer. The three peaks of the mastiff are not as high as Mt. Everest, yet the most challenging route up the 20,700-foot central peak had never been climbed. It presents 4,000 feet of nearly impassible slopes culminating in a 1,500foot vertical, ice-covered cliff—the Shark’s Fin. Anker, the expedition leader, said Meru was “the culmination of all I’ve done, all I’ve ever wanted to do.” He and his two climbing partners packed 100 pounds of climbing gear each and cameras, slept on the vertical wall at minus 20 degrees F., and created the most stunning mountain footage ever filmed. Yet the power of the saga isn’t just the jaw-dropping landscape and the incredible beyond-reason daring and endurance, it’s the psychological crevasses and peaks that the climbers conquered that make the film exceptional. ■

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<

25 / NICOLE HENRY

time you sing. Like a lot of jazz musicians, I get bored, a little hard-headed.

How about a song that’s a hard nut to crack, one that took you a long time to figure out or one you’re on the verge of figuring out?

Any song where people expect to hear scatting, because that’s something I don’t do a lot. I’m sometimes afraid of “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” and “Take the ‘A’ Train.” I remember I was working with the Duke Ellington Orchestra in Japan and “’A’ Train” was one of the closing songs and I attempted to do a little something easier since I am not a scatter. I didn’t have the confidence—or the vodka—in me to do the full-blown version.

They really, really dig you in Japan. Do you have a favorite story about fan adulation over there, a story that is much more likely to happen in Tokyo than Manhattan or Miami?

I really am amazed with the appreciation, the hospitality. That doesn’t happen in America so much. Many of the fans come with such thoughtful gifts, whether it’s hand towels or handkerchiefs or incense or fresh flowers or very nicely designed chopsticks. I met this husband and wife in 2005 and they bought me some bottled water from Ashikaga, where they live. It’s supposed to be some of the purest water in the country. And now, every time I see them in Tokyo, they bring me a glass bottle of water from Ashikaga Carlos Santana writes in his autobiography The Universal Tone that when the onstage mix is really bad, when he struggles to hear himself clearly, he’ll set himself right by finding a sweet spot between the drummer and the bassist. Do you have a sweet spot when you’re feeling physically out of sorts, emotionally off the mark?

I try to get closer to my band. I’ll close my eyes when I’m singing a bit more and then really just try to connect to the lyrics, so I can visualize myself in another place, another land. You just deepen yourself into the pocket of music so you feel that you have your own concert. It’s kind of like acting, when you have to reach another environment that doesn’t particularly involve the audience. But it’s not ignoring them. It’s almost like a prayer, or clicking your heels twice and flying away from reality for a song or two.

Do you still steady yourself by focusing on the eyes of individual spectators?

I used to. It’s not a bad thing to look at people’s eyes. You want to connect to their world, but you don’t want to be in their world. People can take you away if you look into their eyes too long and you don’t want to go there. I do like to make contact, but I’m not looking for anything from them.

Thank you for these questions. I feel like I’m onstage [laughs].

You’re quite the fashion plate. Whose line of clothes would you like to endorse? How about Nicole Henry, the face of Nicole Miller?

Nicole Miller is fabulous. Roland Mouret is fabulous, too. I love Badgley Mischka. More than anyone I’d love to be sponsored by Bergdorf Goodman. That’s just the best shopping. I’d be the face of Bergdorf and then I’d have no issues.

The singer Dee Dee Bridgewater once told you to exploit your physical gifts. She advised you to work those hips harder so you can ramp up your following of male admirers—and, who knows, maybe female admirers, too. Have you put Dee Dee’s tips to the test?

I do try to take Dee Dee’s advice. I used to wear a lot of longer dresses that covered my legs and she said: “Girl, whether it’s moving your legs more or showing them more, you need a slit. You need to have a bit more fun with it.”

It’s really crazy at first to discover more of who you are. I never considered myself a sexy person. I don’t have a problem with my looks, and I can make myself pretty, but I never considered using sex appeal onstage. I recently began taking acting classes and my coach said: “Nicole, you have to realize you’re going to be hired to be the sexy woman in control.” So, yes, I’m using the hips more and making things a little more suggestive. It’s always been in me, but I never thought of putting it out there. ■ Geoff Gehman is the author of “The Kingdom of the Kid: Growing Up in the Long-Lost Hamptons” (SUNY Press).

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Celebrate the Holidays in Frenchtown, New Jersey

What better way to enjoy a charmed holiday season than by spending it along the scenic river in Frenchtown? Holiday events kick off on November 26th, with Shopping Just Got Better. Each time you spend $25 or more from November 26th through Dec 26th in any participating merchant store you will receive an entry to win a Shopping Just Got Better gift basket. In addition to the raffle, special offers and menus will be happening all month in the shops and restaurants.

The Frenchtown tree lighting ceremony includes caroling by the Delaware Valley High School Choir, on Saturday Dec 6th, starting late afternoon.

Santa will arrive by the river, a great opportunity for a unique holiday photo, date tbd. Stay up to date with all that is happening around town this holiday season and visit frenchtownnj.org for details.

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MUSIC NICK’S PICKS REVIEWS OF STRAIGHT AHEAD & MODERN JAZZ BY NICK BEWSEY

Noah Preminger ★★★★ Pivot: Live At The 55 Bar Independent release Pivot is an album of just two tunes that stretch 30-plus minutes each. It’s an audacious set up by the serious saxophonist, Noah Preminger, who plays with an intensity that gives this date its unique edge. Recorded live by Jimmy Katz at New York’s 55 Bar, a small, murky basement space in Greenwich Village where jazz thrives and music is always the best thing on the menu, you can sense the tension as the quartet fires up. On

the side, Preminger is an amateur boxer (his excellent 2013 recording was titled Haymaker)—on Pivot he comes out swinging with brash, muscular resolve. Playing alongside trumpeter Jason Palmer, bassist Kim Cass and drummer Ian Froman, his deep tenor growls and sings as if possessed by ghosts of a jazz past—maybe Ornette Coleman, yet more like Coltrane whose Ascension was an album of 30- and 40-minute compositions. Preminger’s gig has an alternate spirituality, specifically the Delta Blues singer, Bukka White (1909-1977), whose discography the saxophonist has devoured.

Only 29, Preminger has a sensitive, old-soul quality that infuses his playing with deep feeling. On Pivot, his fourth album, he punches above his weight, with sustained and breathless free-spirited solos. Listening to this album is thrilling—part throwback to the 60s when jazz took free-form improvisation to new frontiers, it’s also remarkably current. Neither Preminger nor his piano-free quartet run out of steam or ideas—they just go. www.noahpreminger.com (2 tracks; 64 minutes) Fourplay ★★★1/2 Silver Heads Up On the heels of the terrific Bob James and Nathan East collaboration, The New Cool, comes Silver, a significant musical milestone as Fourplay’s 25th anniversary, something that none of the band’s members expected or could have guessed would occur. This iconic group was founded when guitarist Lee Ritenour, bassist Nathan East and drummer Harvey Mason discovered that playing together with James on his Grand Piano Canyon album (1990, Warner Bros) resulted in a particularly harmonious relationship. Apart from slight personnel changes over the years—Ritenour departed after three records and was replaced by Larry Carlton, and then by current guitarist, Chuck Loeb. Silver is the third album that features Loeb’s fluid, melodic style, and helps keep this band the gold standard of contemporary jazz groups.

Silver is a continuation of the group’s smooth, precise sound— pairing interlocking rhythms and sophisticated grooves. The compositions are contributed or shared by each member: Loeb crafts catchy harmonic riffs (“Quicksilver” and “Silverado,” featuring a guest turn by Larry Carlton), James favors sensitive melodies that highlight his lush keyboard technique (“Mine”); East’s tunes are infused with pleasing R&B and soul turns (“Aniversario”); and Mason surprises with the complex, aggressive “Silver Streak” that recalls the edgier compositions of his 2014 Chameleon. As a tribute to their longevity and companionship, saxophonist Kirk Whalum makes a welcome appearance. But it’s Lee Ritenour and Harvey Mason’s collaboration on the final track, “Windmill,” that is as classic sounding Fourplay tune as there is. (10 tracks; 59 minutes) Gilad Hekselman ★★★★1/2 Homes Jazz Village Homes is an extraordinary jazz trio record of undisputed beauty and talent. Guitarist Gilad Hekselman, bassist Joe Martin and drummer Marcus Gilmore have played as a unit for nearly ten years, honing a brotherly collaboration that conjures up Ahmad Jamal and Bill Evans’ trios, two of his most significant influences. Homes is his fifth record and it’s superb, thematically coalescing around a sense of place as much as places of the heart. Hekselman’s melodic compositions are infused with gentle phrasing that skim undulating waves set in motion by Martin and Gilmore. His use of selec-

tive, ethereal pedal effects give the album layers of sonic luster that are most apparent on the lush “Samba em Preludio” and “Cosmic Patience.” His version of Bud Powell’s classic “Parisian Thoroughfare” is all aces—while Martin swings fiercely and Gilmore lets loose on his kit, Hekselman carves out an adventurous solo, careening through the changes. Brad Mehldau’s drummer, Jeff Ballard, subs for Gilmore on two tunes—dazzling on the ricocheting rhythms on “KeeDee” and in a duo format, underscoring Hekselman’s stalwart originality on a percolating, brilliant version of Pat Metheny’s “Last Train Home.” (12 tracks; 57 minutes) ■

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MUSIC feature

BY A. D. AMOROSI

Break It Up

T

Patti Smith’s New York, Lenny Kaye’s New Jersey

THIS MONTH, THE PUNK rock circle of New York City musiciansinters, photographers, models, agents and anarchists that was the 1970s is being celebrated in several worthy ways, one more stark than the next.

Garth Risk Hallberg’s City on Fire: A Novel cinematically focuses on the Manhattan July blackout of 1977, gunshots random and not-so-random, and money, old and new, in which to tell a visceral prose-filled tale of “fate…stuck to your heels.” Think Dickens fused with Richards Price, Hell and Prince and you get the swagger, scrawl and sweep of Hallberg’s gut-punching, fast swirling epic. The previews of HBO’s Vinyl—Martin Scorsese’s ‘70s punk rock NYC series done with Terrence Winter and Mick Jagger—are ferocious, loud, licentious and scene-chewing.

Patti Smith’s new M Train, which she’ll read and sign at the Free Library of Philadelphia on November 6, isn’t solely a trek through her 1970s, just as her last book, Just Kids, had the focus of her teen pal photographer Robert Mapplethorpe upon which to rely. M Train is Smith’s tough and tender Odyssey, an elegiac, anamorphic ethereal trip beginning in an intimate Greenwich Village café and closing on a transcendent dream with all elements of her poetic, sonic and civic past and inspiration sandwiched between its pages. The fired-up crust of her music and that of her friends, family (her late husband Fred Smith), and influences blows like a hot breeze through every page. As far as the punk poetess’ musical era of attack goes, it is Smith’s debut album, Horses of 1975—currently celebrating its 40th anniversary with a sorrowfully small selection of era-appropriate shows, including November 10’s night at NYC’s Beacon Theatre— where the raw and the rubbery hits the road. Horses is an enigmatic, buoyant record of immense beauty and poignancy made holy and hard by its Doors-like halt and Jim Morrison-esque free post-Beat verse and French Symbolism. “It’s been great playing the Horses album out,” says Lenny Kaye, that record’s primitive guitarist and Smith’s musical partner since 1971 when he—a Bleeker Street record store employee and rock journalist whose feature on doo wop for Jazz & Pop magazine attracted her. Not counting breaks for her post-Wave album retirement, Kaye and Smith have played together since February 1971’s spoken-word performance at St. Mark’s Church where he backed her while reading poetry, an act that, by 1973, turned into a full band. The Patti Smith Group, as they were called, were part of a then-burgeoning scene that is currently documented on the various artists box set, Ork Records: New York, New York (Ork/Numero Group).

Terry Ork arguably opened punk rock’s first label when he put Television’s “Little Johnny Jewel” on 7-inch vinyl in 1975 and kept on doing as much with like-minded art school dropouts, literary drug-drones and real-time snot-nosed ‘punks’ before that word meant much. Ork, a Jewish San Diego-to-Lower East Side transplant who wanted to make underground movies, managed Television and befriended Smith, Kaye, Lou Reed and other grungy young hopefuls. Kaye mentions how his overall encouragement and cheerleading was key to making the punk rock of that time. “He helped pave the way, a presence and enthusiasm that carried over into the music. Sometimes, all an artist needs is a friend.” Collectively, this New York New York Ork box is the raw powered, melodic start point of punk’s fist-to-face reign. It’s toweringly tuneful stuff when you consider the potency and contagion of Chris Stamey’s power-popping “The Summer Sun” and “Where the Fun Is,” the latter-day drooginess of Alex Chilton, and the (still) starkly anthemic “(I Belong To The) Blank Generation” from off-kilter vocalist Richard Hell and revolutionary angular guitarist Richard Quine. “Terry appreciated the cinema of rock n’ roll, the unfolding movie which provides context,” says Kaye, who, as Link Cromwell, appears on the Ork box.

Rock and Roll Stories. ©Patti-Smith

Kaye fronted the toast of New Brunswick, NJ’s local combo Link Cromwell & the Zoo, which recorded a psychedelic/folk/garage single in 1965 titled “Crazy Like a Fox/Shock Me.” Kaye laughs when he discusses the origins of the track, penned not by he or his bandmates, but rather by his uncle, songwriter Larry Kusik. “Uncle Larry wrote ‘A Time For Us’ from Romeo and Juliet and ‘Speak Softly Love’ from The Godfather, honest—look it up,” says Kaye. “He wanted to write this flower power song and knew I had a band, so we did it. “He was a real character,” notes Kaye. So, too, was Ork—in Kaye’s estimation a true visionary and an all-around goodfella. “He was a genuinely nice guy who didn’t come from music as an insider, but as a fan,” said the guitarist who is currently writing his own book about NYC’s punk rock scene in which he, Ork and Smith became comrades in arms. ■

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MUSIC AN ECLECTIC ASSORTMENT REVIEWED BY MARK KERESMAN

Urs Bollhalder Trio ★★★ Eventide Musiques Suisses Michael Gibbs ★★★★ In My View Cuneiform Some Americans get a little…protective of our cultural heritage. Some mainMichael Gibbs

ues his methodology—View is full of earnest swing, intricate arrangements and good-naturedly pointed soloing. Fans of Evans, Herman, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis, late-period Ellington, and the jazz-leaning works of Frank Zappa are hereby advised to partake. (9 tracks, 58 min.) cuneiformrecords.com Urs Bollhalder Trio

tain that a genre of music “belongs” more to one ethnicity/nationality than another.

Take jazz—it’s uniquely American, but it doesn’t stop with/in the USA. Many nonAmericans have contributed mightily to jazz. Swiss pianist Urs Bollhalder may be new to us, but he doesn’t have to stay that way. He studied under legendary South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim and it shows—they share straightforwardness; affection for pretty, almost folk-like melodies; and an economical lyricism. (As to the latter: don’t play a barrage of notes when two or three well-placed ones will do fine.) Eventide is his second CD and it’s full of moody, lyrical jazz. Bollhalder is European and sounds like it—and that’s not a put-down. There’s a strong classical influence afoot, as Schubert is part of his cultural tradition as Errol Garner is to ours.

But that doesn’t mean this platter doesn’t swing—it does, albeit in an understated manner. A keys-person to watch.(11 tracks, 58 min.) musiques-suisses.ch Michael Gibbs is a composer, arranger, and conductor from the UK that is perhaps best known on these shores for his collaborations with Gary Burton, teaching at the Berklee music school, and film soundtracks (Hard Boiled, Being Human). In the ‘70s Gibbs led an orchestra that blurred the distictions between the modern big band sound (Gil Evans, Woody Herman) and fusion. In My View finds Gibbs conducting the class-A German NDR Big Band—his composition and modern (as in post-1955) standards, including Ornette Coleman’s “Ramblin’” and Thelonious Monk’s “Mysterioso.” Gibbs contin-

Terri Lyne Carrington ★★★1/2 The Mosaic Project: Love and Soul Concord Drummer Terri Lyne Carrington made her rep playing with Stan Getz, Herbie Hancock, Lester Bowie, and Dave Sanborn before leading her own bands. In The Mosaic Project: Love and Soul, each song features a different, excellent female singer, renowned (Nancy Wilson, Chaka Khan, Valerie Simpson), stars (Natalie Coleula Cole), and some doyennes who should be

music, though, is first-rate—this is truly rhythm & blues, with attractive melodies, plenty of gospel over/undertones, and sleek grooves throughout. (There’s a hip hop influence but only marginally.) The crew Carrington assembled comprises some of the best female players—Linda Oh, Ingrid Jensen, Regina Carter, Geri Allen, and Tia Fuller. I wish the jazz and spontaneity factors were a tad higher, but that’s just me. (12 tracks, 66 min.) concordmusicgroup.com Robert Forster ★★★ Songs to Play Tapete Singer/guitarist Robert Forster was one-half of one of rock & roll’s best songwriting partnerships with the late Grant McLennan. Some of the songs by their band, The Go-Betweens, were as great as any this reviewer had heard. With McLennan’s passing, The Go-Betweens are sadly no more, but Forster carries on solo.

a sonorous baroque-like violin part. Where the album stumbles a bit is when Forster seems more like he’s reciting the words than singing them, sounding a bit full of himself and some tunes have too-similar (mopey) cadences. Still, those enjoying classy, literate song-craft (The Tindersticks, Magnetic Fields) could well be happy with Songs. (10 tracks, 39 min.) tapeterecords.com Louie Setzer ★★★★★ Jukebox Bluegrass Ripsaw Singer/guitarist Louie Setzer is from ‘round these New Hope/Nazareth parts and he’s been pursuing his somewhat purist vision of bluegrass since the mid1970s. “Somewhat purist” is almost a contradiction—for material he draws upon distinctly non-bluegrass tunes, such as the 1960s pop hit “King of Fools” by rockabilly diehard Billy Hancock, and honky tonk icon George Jones’ “Wrong’s What I Do Best.” But he plays and sings them in the

Robert Forster

stars (Oleta Adams, Lizz Wright). Mosaic is a glossy, radio-friendly (hey, some stations play good stuff) amalgam of modern R&B, pop, funk, and jazz. The quality of the

Forster has a smooth, pleasing voice, slightly reminiscent of Lloyd Cole and young Lou Reed, and his songs have some of the droll acumen of Reed and Randy Newman. Songs to Play is similar to the output of such alternative singer/songwriters as Elliot Smith and Ron Sexsmith (not to mention post-1982 Elvis Costello)—exquisitely-crafted songs drawing on several eras of pop/rock. The songs are indeed excellent and the cutting wit of The Go-Betweens lives on—“I Love Myself (and I Always Have)” is a great satire of a self-centeredness, as does the knack for vivid orchestration on a budget—“A Poet Walks” has a lovely Spanish-flavored trumpet and

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old-school undiluted style of The Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe, and Del McCoury— Setzer’s voice is an aural equivalent of a shot of strong bourbon or the first bitter wind of November. The setting is all acoustic and no drums and the harmonies surge behind Setzer’s leads. While never sloppy—the instrumental playing is impeccable—Jukebox has an honest, raw edge to it without being at all stereotypical. You could call this “hillbilly music” and be dead right. This is the real stuff with the right stuff. (14 tracks, 47 min.) ripsawrecords.com ■

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MUSIC SINGER / SONGWRITER REVIEWS BY TOM WILK

Los Lobos ★★★★ Gates of Gold 429 Records Gates of Gold, the first studio album of new material in five years from Los Lobos, is a musically rich and sonically diverse collection that plays to the band’s musical strengths while acknowledging their influences.

“Made to Break Your Heart,” recalls Neil Young’s “Only Love Will Break Your Heart” lyrically with a wash of electric guitars that echo his best work. The guitars of David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas appear to be channeling Jim Hendrix on “Too Small Heart” with Hidalgo injecting some

vocal mannerisms of the late guitarist.

The title track, a beautifully melodic, folk/country contemplation of the mortality and the hereafter, features an acoustic introduction that could have been featured on the classic albums by The Band in the late 1960s. Hidalgo’s warm vocals convey a sense of wonder heard in the best gospel music.

Rosas’ songs are rooted in the music is part of the band’s DNA. “Mis-Treater Boogie Blues” serves up a straightforward slice of rhythm and blues, while “I Believed You So” is a soul-flavored ballad.

“Poquito Para Aqui,” performed in Spanish, is an infectious cumbia that is a reminder of the band’s Mexican-American roots. 11 songs, 42 minutes.

JD Souther ★★★ Tenderness Masterworks JD Souther is probably best known as a songwriter, co-writing hits for the Eagles (“New Kid in Town,” “Best of My Love”) or by himself for Linda Ronstadt (‘Prisoner in Disguise,” “Faithless Love”). In recent years, Souther has resumed his solo career and Tenderness finds him exploring the types of pop songs that flourished

in the era before rock ‘n’ roll.

“Come What May” opens the album with a ballad of longing and loss. “I miss you like childhood when you go away/Go if you must; I think I’ll just stay,” Souther declares wistfully. “Something in the Dark,” co-written by album producer Larry Klein and Souther, explores his jazz roots with supporting vocals by Lizz Wright.

Souther demonstrates his abilities as a crooner on “Let’s Take a Walk,” a plea for communication between lovers with Jeff Coffin’s soprano saxophone adding color to the song. “This House” has the feel of a song in a musical where the leading character confronts what’s been lost. Souther caresses the lyrics in a manner similar to Bing Crosby. Souther conveys the feel of a lullaby on “Horses in Blue,” featuring the expressive trumpet work of Till Bronner.

Souther’s songs of the heart carry on the tradition of the Great American Songbook. 9 song, 35 minutes.

Denny Lile ★★★ Hear The Bang: The Life and Music of Denny Vile Big Legal Mess Records The sheer volume of music released each year means albums deserving to be heard will go unnoticed. That was the case with Denny Lile’s Hear The Bang, the only solo album released by the Louisville-based singer/songwriter. Hear The Bang: The Life and Music of Denny Vile pulls him out of the historical shadows with an expanded version of the album and a documentary film assembled by his nephew, Jer. Hear The Bang is an unheralded gem that Lile wrote and recorded before he turned 22 in 1972. The title track blends country and folk in a song that depicts a relationship falling apart. “Hear the bang of her brain when she finds out you won’t be coming home,” Lile sings in his distinctive tenor voice.

Heard in 2015, the album fits alongside Lile’s early 1970s contemporaries, such as Neil Young and James Taylor. The up-tempo and free-spirited “Oh Darlin’” and “If You Stay on Solid Ground” recall the hits of Jim Croce. The country-rock of Lile’s “Love is a Freight Train” spotlights Lile’s guitar skills while the melodic, gospel-tinged “Meet Me by the River” has echoes of Poco.

Lile’s biggest commercial triumph

was writing “Fallin’ Out,” a Top 10 hit for Waylon Jennings in 1987. Lile’s personal problems and struggles with alcohol silenced his voice. The CD, which includes six bonus tracks and the accompanying informative documentary, gives his music a second chance to be heard. 16 songs, 44 minutes.

Joe Jackson ★★★1/2 Fast Forward Work Song Joe Jackson has been a musically adventurous artist, unwilling to confine himself to one genre during a career that has

stretched across parts of five decades. He continues in that vein on Fast Forward, a musical travelogue that finds him recording four songs each in four different cities—New York, Amsterdam, Berlin and New Orleans—with a different lineup in each locale.

To an extent, the choice of recording site influences the music. The jazzy “Kings of the City” evokes the nighttime feel of New York while his thrashing version of Television’s “See No Evil” recalls the youthful pop rush of Look Sharp! and I’m The Man, Jackson’s first two solo albums.

Bassist Graham Maby and drummer Brian Blade lay down a pulsating rhythm reminiscent of the city’s fast pace.

The pensive “Far Away,” recorded as a duet with Mitchell Sink in Amsterdam, serves as a change of pace with its dreamy melody and internal soliloquy about isolation. “So You Say” serves up a tropical rhythm in depicting a couple deciding to part ways.

At 61, Jackson remains a strong singer not afraid to take chances with his materi-

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al. “Good Bye Jonny,” a prewar World War II song translated into English and recorded in Berlin, finds him trying his hand at cabaret-style vocals. “Junkie Diva” represents his take on Amy Winehouse’s death.

The album wraps up with “Joy,” recorded in New Orleans and present a musical gumbo of percussion and horns while capturing the spirit of the Big Easy. 16 songs, 71 minutes.

Angela Easterling ★★★ Common Law Wife De L’est Music Albums can serve as an aural scrapbook, capturing an artist’s feelings on their lives and its key moments. That’s the case with Angela Easterling and Common Law Wife. The country-flavored title track is a sometimes lighthearted reflection on her relationship with Brandon Turner, her musical collaborator and the

father of their son, Harrison. “Little Lights” is a reflection on impending motherhood that shows her skills as a lyricist.

She captures the ambivalence of a first-time mother: “Deep within beats a heart not my own/ Though it feeds on my body, my blood and my bones/ Will it swallow the dream I’ve chased all these years?/ Will I disappear?”

Easterling’s songs venture into other areas. “Throwing Strikes” is a sharpedged country rocker that employs baseball terminology to describe the loss of an industry in a small town. She delivers the song in a tone that mixes sorrow and defiance. “Hammer,’ a song inspired by Pete Seeger and her grandfather, reflects on the work ethic of both men. 12 songs, 44 minutes. ■

MUSIC

i

JAZZ LIBRARY

BY BOB PERKINS

ERSKINE HAWKINS

IF YOU LIKED A certain entertainer when you were a kid, what do you think your chances would be of not only meeting that celebrity, but sitting down with him or her, and having a one-on-one?

Well, this happened to me many years ago when I met the bandleader Erskine Hawkins. Hawkins led a big band during the height of the Swing Jazz era. My older brother, who loved jazz and was my jazz coach, bought his recordings and played them for me.

I became familiar with the Hawkins classics, “Tuxedo Junction,” Tippin’ In,” and “After Hours.” These popular recordings made from the late 1930s through the mid-1940s, put the Hawkins Band in the same limelight as Harry James, Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, and Glenn Miller.

Hawkins was born July 26, 1914, in Birmingham, Alabama, and played drums and trombone before switching to trumpet. He not only played trumpet well, but would threaten to bring rain with his high note. This feat later earned him the nickname, The 20th Century Gabriel.

He attended Alabama State Teachers College, and was the leader of the college band, the ‘Bama State Collegians, which became The Erskine Hawkins Orchestra in 1934 after a move to New York. The band enjoyed much success doing both hard swinging instrumental arrangements and dance music. It also engaged in “Battle of the Bands” competition with other high-profile orchestras of the day. His composition “Tuxedo Junction” rose to No. 7 nationally, as played by Hawkins and rose to No.1 nationally, played by Glenn Miller’s Band. And by the way, there is a Tuxedo Junction train stop in the city of Birmingham, Alabama.

As the Swing Era wore down, Hawkins led large and small bands as situations required. Then all of sudden, he seemed to drop out of sight—not for a short spell, but for years. It was thought by some that he passed away. I had mentioned his name often to local bandleader Bill Carney (aka “ Mr. C”) and his wife, organ/piano great Trudy Pitts, and one day they phoned me that they had located my early idol, Erskine Hawkins. They informed me that he’d been heading a small band at the Concord Resort Hotel in the Catskills. What was to be a two-week engagement, turned into a quarter of a century gig.

I also learned that Hawkins and his spouse had been living in Willingboro, New Jersey, and that over the years she would visit him at the resort on weekends. So…thus ended the mystery of Erskine Hawkins’ whereabouts.

At the time of their discovery, the Carney’s were hosting a long-standing Sunday brunch at a Society Hill restaurant. They invited Hawkins to join them one Sunday, along with many of the establishment’s regular patrons. And knowing I’d get a kick out of meeting The 20th Century Gabriel, I was also invited. Well, Gabe was 78 at the time, but he looked great. He was always dapper, as people of his era usually were—especially the entertainers. We had only a brief chat because others of my age group were also anxious to get to him.

Hawkins had not lost his lip—he played a couple of tunes with Pitts and Carney, and of course included his legendary theme song in the selections. He actually became overwhelmed by all of the excitement surrounding his attendance, and had to sit down for a spell.

It was a day I recall as if it happened only yesterday, but I believe it was 1992. Sadly, a year after meeting Hawkins, I received news of his death at age 79.

Erskine Ramsay Hawkins was inducted into the Alabama Hall of Fame in 1978. He is buried in his native Birmingham, a site not too far from Ol’ Tuxedo Junction. ■ Bob Perkins is a writer and host of an all-jazz radio program that airs on WRTI-FM 90.1, Mon-Thurs. 6 to 9pm & Sun., 9am–1pm.

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foodie feature

BY A. D. AMOROSI

ALL THAT JAZZ AND REFINED SOUTHERN CUISINE:

SOUTH

Bynum brothers.

Chef Paul Martin. Photo: ©Reese Amorosi.

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WHEN BENJAMIN AND ROBERT Bynum opened South at 600 N. Broad Street (southrestaurant.net) during Pope Francis’ visit, they weren’t just keying into Philly’s continuing and evergreen-ing restaurant renaissance—or something holy. They were focusing on their own religion of combining soulful down-home cooking (usually the South with touches of the Parisian, though the brothers are Philly-born), and live music. Think Warmdaddy’s blues in South Philly and the jazz of Zanzibar Blue, the latter on 11th Street, between Spruce and Pine Street, until it moved to the Bellevue on Broad Street in 1996 where it stayed for eleven years.

“We’ve been looking [there] as Broad Street was lucky for us,” says Robert Bynum about keeping tabs on all that the main drag had to offer when Stephen Starr’s Route 6 presented itself for rent. It was a steal considering both the kitchen and fixtures left behind by Starr Inc. as well as that address’ separate space for a live room—the Jazz Salon— that the Bynums wanted for jazz. “Our original format at Zanzibar Blue on 11th had separate rooms for drinks, dining, then live performance.”

If you just want to hear music at South, you can do that. Eating and boozing, cool. If you choose to do it all, better still.

The menu at South, from Benjamin and Louisiana native Chef Paul Martin (who was at the Bynum’s Heirloom hot spot for nearly two years) is fine dining with an edge: “new south,” a healthier and more contemporary presentation of traditional ingredients with seasonality in mind. You can get spicy collard greens, but it’s done lighter, vegetarian, and creamed when combined with the Heritage pork dinner of spoonbread, Boudin croquette and sorghum molasses. The gnocchi at South isn’t heavy potato pasta like Italians do, but rather a cornmeal base with a fennel puree, some spicy escarole, red wine mushroom jus and a softcooked egg on the side. The Vadouvan spiced, pressed lamb shoulder is done with a light farro verde, bacon, mustard greens and a tab of fig jam. It’s old-school Southern fare, but updated—a fact that’s most true when it comes to the wreckfish, a meaty fish from the South’s river tributaries, usually found around shipwrecks, and served here smothered in crawfish fricassee with butter beans, grilled corn and a tomato-peppers mix on the side.

Speaking of the side—the other side of South—there is the live Jazz Salon, a blackboard-backed space with a large stage that gives ample room to South’s regular schedule of six nights of live jazz per week.

Tuesday is its open mic jam night, and Wednesday night is hosted and curated by Philly jazz pianist Orrin Evans who welcomes the best new vocalists and musicians from NYC. “He’ll also bring in name locals like Bootsie Barnes and Larry McKenna,” says Robert of Evans. “Gerald Veasley is doing our Thursday night event, ‘Unscripted,’ bringing in smooth jazz artists and playing straight jazz with his band. On Friday, Saturday, Sunday we’ll bring in exclusively local artists.” In this regard, the Bynums can get NYC players who charge less on weekdays to earn extra dough and show off their sounds, while favoring Philly cats on the weekend, leaving South with a friendly-priced weekend policy for audiences who want to check in and mellow out with smooth jazz. “South is a win-win for everybody,” says Bynum. ■

food

BY ROBERT GORDON

HAMILTON’S GRILL ROOM HAMILTON’S GRILL IMPRESSED ME before I ever ate there. A couple of decades ago, my wife and I were judging the New Hope Food and Wine Festival. Having already written about Bucks and River Country dining for a decade, we thought we knew the scene pretty well.

It turns out we didn’t know it as well as we thought. When the votes were counted, Hamilton’s Grill Room entry won time and again. Since Hamilton’s Grill was a neophyte on the scene, my wife and I had never even been there.

We changed that the next day. We went to Hamilton’s Grill and we’ve been going there ever since.

Among the salads, Burrata Cheese with Roasted Pepper, Basil and Roasted Garlic Oil is wholesome and delicious. Gazpacho is lively and tangy. You’ll even find some alluring vegetarian and vegan selections. Grilled Farm-To-Table Vegetables is a roundup of green and red peppers, red onions, green onions, squash, and mushrooms with sweetand-sour dipping sauce. Puréed eggplants are delicious, while the thick, succulent rosemary-infused sauce that bathes fresh scallops makes the dish destination-worthy.

Hamilton’s Grill’s tucked away location has always been seductive, the food forever satisfying. The aroma of the grill wafting before, during, and after dining wins me over and induces an unburdened sense of decompression. Like the many locals who frequent the Grill, I appreciate a rare sense of constancy in the restaurant world in greeting Chef Mark Miller, still manning the grill as he has for so many years. Best of all, after all these years, Hamilton’s Grill still boasts some prizewinners on its menu. ■ Hamilton’s Grill Room, 8 Coryell Street, Lambertville, NJ 609-397-4343 hamiltonsgrillroom.com

For sure, Hamilton Grill is no longer a neophyte. It’s one of the area’s most firmly established restaurants. Their success and longevity is rooted in their sticking to the original grill-centric formula and not allowing the formula to become…formulaic.

The grill itself has sustained Hamilton’s image and reputation. When it debuted, the grill-in-the-dining-area layout was à la mode in the fickle, trendy restaurant scene. The trend has since faded from most of the dining scene. Not at Hamilton’s Grill, where the grill remains the heart of the gastronomy.

Hamilton’s Grill is situated in “The Porkyard,” at the end of a gravel lane that parallels a long picturesque stretch of the Delaware Canal. In good weather, the location also boasts one of the region’s finest alfresco venues. The gracious, spacious interior of the historic building basks in casual elegance, serving fare, which, while unquestionably steak-centric, has surprising sweep for non-steak fanciers as well as the carnivorous set.

Steaks are indeed popular and tasty. The 10-ounce $24 Flat Iron Steak hot off the grill lathered in house sauce is a standout. But it’s the fruits de mer clustered in the appetizer section that stretch the menu surprisingly. Clams on the half-shell and fresh shrimp are available from the raw bar. There’s a daily selection of east and west coast oysters that can be slurped, fire-roasted with shallots and pernod butter, or deep-fried and capped with a fried egg. As for King Crab Cakes, they’re as delectable today as they were years ago at the Food & Wine Fest when they copped first prize for crab cakes. As a matter of fact, the srirracha mayonnaise that accompanies them today is an improvement on the house-made tartar sauce used back in its prize-winning days.

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food

BY ROBERT GORDON

BARBUZZO “THIS IS WHAT FINE dining would look like on the floor of the Stock Exchange,” someone at a nearby table joked. Barbuzzo can be crowded, sometimes uncomfortably so. Sometimes irrationally so. Invariably, the majority of critcism the restaurant receives decry its claustrophobic digs, its cramped tables, and its sometimes-deafening din.

Nonetheless, I’ve enjoyed some lovely meals here.

Most were on quiet afternoons when serenity settles in and decibels drop drastically. On those occasions I’m free

Ah yes, but again, the food is good—like Steamed Mussels in shishito-onion broth that’s stocked with wood-roasted tomatoes, charred corn, and Spanish chorizo. The accompanying grilled country bread is stellar, as is all Barbuzzo bread. The texture and sweetness of crispy risotto balls in Summer Corn Arancini is wonderful. With its accompanying ensemble of fontina, charrred corn, pecorino, and radish salad, amped on basil pesto, the dish is destination-worthy. Ditto for

to explore many often-delectable dishes like a Braised Shortrib Sandwich with provolone picante, broccoli rabe, balsamic onions, horseradish aïoli, and arugula within slices of toasted ciabatta. I always order it with an extra side of the aïoli, not so much for the sandwich as for the huge pile of French fries that come with the dish. Barbuzzo’s aïoli is a killer condiment for the fries.

Quiet-hour visits allow me to decompress over a thick bowl of Wild Mushroom Barley soup. In silence and solitude, I can enjoy a confederation of roasted purple carrots, olive oil croutons, and lemon underpinned with Charred Kale Sprouts and Sunchokes with boqueroneparmesan dressing adding bite.

In contrast to those idyllic pleasures, I’ve dined at Barbuzzo on Saturday nights. Particularly on summer evenings, it can seem like all of Philadelphia is vying for a seat. Not only do diners fill the interior to bursting, but they also cover every square foot on both the 13th and Sansom Street alfresco strips. The crush and cacophony detracts from the dining experience.

Notwithstanding the tight quarters, the food is good, as is the service. Despite the unavoidable challenges working in such cramped quarters presents, the Barbuzzo serving staff maintains decorum, composure, cheer, and charm. They deftly negotiate the single narrow interior aisle as well as the narrow outside sidewalk where their task is complicated by sidestepping an endless stream of bustling pedestrians.

house-made gnocchi, a favorite that vies with any other in the city.

The fare is good, but not flawless. On one visit, a nicely conceived Watermelon and Fennel Salad with a promising litany of ingredients—baby arugula, fennel, red onion, carcona almonds, pecorino, and olive vinaigrette—was overwhelmed by too much salt. Roasted Plum Bruschetta, was another appealing idea gone awry.

Caramelized onions, cana de cabra, pickled fennel, toasted hazelnuts, and vin cotto packed a good punch. But simple geometry turned a promising notion into a frustrating reality. The delicious topping was perched on an outsized slice of crusty grilled bread. Trying to keep this mammoth mound intact while eating it would challenge an alligator, although, if the alligator were a foodie, he’d enjoy it. Unfortunately, to eat it, I had to scrape all the topping off, which transformed the dish from bruschetta into a nutty green mélange of ingredients that was sided with garlic bread. It was lost in translation.

All in all, Barbuzzo offers some excellent dishes, although the experience can be marred by the overcrowding that haunts it at peak periods. You might want to consider scheduling your Barbuzzo repast at less frenzied times. When the crush of the crowd isn’t a factor, Barbuzzo is a safer bet than anything Wall Street offers. ■

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Barbuzzo, 1309 Sansom Street, Philadelphia (215) 318-7364 barbuzzo.com

S WA N

HOTEL Modern Cuisine h Classic Comfort Corner of Swan & Main Lambertville, NJ 609-397-3552

<

10 / HELEN FARR SLOAN

Wyatt Davis, brother of painter Stuart Davis, but the marriage lasted only a brief time. She traveled with John and Dolly to summer in New Mexico beginning in the 1930s, and was active in the art scene there. John died in 1951 and, although married only for seven years, Helen became his champion. Her own work was highly influenced by him. Heather Campbell Coyle, Delaware Art Museum’s curator of American art, said, “The students of John Sloan and Robert Henri—Edward Hopper, Reginald Marsh, Isabel Bishop, Peggy Bacon—absorbed their instructors’ interest in everyday life and shaped the modern figurative art of the mid-20th century. Helen’s art should be understood in that context.”

<

8 / NORMAN LEWIS

age, no matter how well intentioned, did not, of its own accord, bring about significant social change.

This outlook is very evident in the following Lewis quotation, “When I am at work, I usually remove my state of mind from the Negro environment I live in. I paint what’s inside, and like to think of it as a very personal, very individual environment. Being Negro, of course, is part of what I feel, but in expressing all of what I am artistically, I find myself in a visionary world to which 125th St. [Harlem] would prove limited and less than universal by comparison.”

Norman Lewis in the studio Photo: Anthony Barboza

Helen Farr Sloan painting in her studio.

Helen’s style closely resembles that of Reginald Marsh, and shows accomplished control over her subject matter. Her paintings are not only in the Delaware Art Museum, but also the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the National Gallery of Art, both in Washington, DC. It would be fair to say that after John’s death, his wife placed her energies not so much in her own art, but in safeguarding his estate and legacy. She moved to Wilmington in 1989 and began again to take classes at the Museum. She was also involved in supporting women in the arts and actively urged them to enter the fields of art history and museum studies. Delaware Art Museum eventually received some 5,000 works from the Sloan estate. Later, Helen donated some $6 million to the Museum.

Helen Farr Sloan began spending summers in Delaware in 1961. Here, she assisted scholars interested in John Sloan and his circle, and helped to organize and annotate his papers. She participated in the local art scene by taking ceramic classes at the Museum and kept a studio at the Howard Pyle Studios on Franklin Street. In 1992, the Studio Group hosted the first retrospective exhibition of her work. In 1998, she received the Governor’s Award for the Arts in honor of her philanthropy. An honorary trustee of the Museum, Helen Farr Sloan continued to visit it until her death. ■ Delaware Art Museum, 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington, Delaware 302-571-9590 delart.org

As his canvases clearly demonstrate, in this regard he chose to pursue a direction like Willem deKooning that could accommodate whatever subject matter his eye might see and his imagination boldly fantasize.

During the years he pursued his muse along with an an assortment of ups and downs, his art was acquired by various museums and serious collectors. Invariably, he would always come back to his basic vocabulary: surface, scale, color and image. And always, he would also reach for an inspired feeling of simplicity.

The word “procession” in the exhibition’s title highlights a stylistic reference that consistently runs through his work: a procession ritual. Processions must have struck a celebratory note that would turn up repeatedly in his oeuvre, no matter what other underlying theme may be present.

In the end, what Lewis brought to realization was an intensely personal approach to form. It managed to assert an artistic measure of freedom, unburdened by an unduly heavy-handed degree of object representation.

On a verbal level that may sound like a simple task, but in paint on canvas it is often a deeply difficult challenge. The sensibility of an artist in all of its daring and willingness to try the untried and take it to fulfillment, glows out of his work like the light of a beacon cutting through a dark night with a piercing intensity all its own.

As he proceeded to bring his unique grammar of vision to its own conclusion, the sheer power of his aesthetic electricity became energized with an identity distinctly his own. It embodies a character that is both magnetic and mystical, in a manner that is not quite like anything anyone else has ever brought into being. ■ Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 118-128 N Broad St, Philadelphia 215-972-7600 pafa.org

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about life

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

little everyday pleasures This month’s column is co-written with my daughter, Deidre Delpino-Dykes.

CHALLENGES AND WORRIES KEEP us under a constant assault of stressors. Most doctors say that stress is the biggest killer because it makes any kind of pathology worse.

As we all know, this is easier said than done. Identifying and reducing stress is a goal worth pursuing, but another approach is to cultivate healthy pleasures. Engaging in pleasures in a healthy way uplifts us and has the secondary benefit of reducing stress.

Seneca, the first century philosopher, said, “Voyage, travel, change of place impart vigor.” Plenty of studies confirm this truth. An annual vacation can reduce an adult’s risk of heart attack by half. Vacations, even miniature ones of one or two days lower blood pressure, heart rate, and epinephrine (a hormone triggered by stress) levels. Health benefits are plentiful, but so too, are the positive changes in mental and emotional health of those anticipating or returning from vacation. What can we learn from this? Take a holiday, of course. Such a goal isn’t always financially manageable or possible due to employment situations, so seek out the smaller, everyday joys that can be found.

JIM: Travel shrinks the world and expands the mind, but finding those small everyday vacations from the hardships and stressors of life is possible for all of us. Paying attention to our own sense of what we find pleasurable in our immediate surroundings is one of the keys to reducing stress and raising our level of happiness and contentment. Suppose a person enjoys music—it’s easy enough to include more music in his or her life. If roses appeal, consider planting a rose garden or cultivating miniature roses indoors. Try to discover those things that put a smile on your face and in your heart. What helps most according to research is finding a hobby that consumes your mind enough to distract you from everyday concerns.

DEIDRE: Small joys in life that keep us healthy can really, truly be small. Sometimes a mere square of chocolate can lift even the worst mood. A small bunch of flowers can bring fresh energy to any room. A few minutes spent reading a magazine or perusing the crossword puzzle of the week can bring a smile to our face. It’s always a good idea to carve out a few minutes a day for something that makes you happy. If you need to, go so far as to schedule 15-minute chunks of time throughout the day to de-stress with small pleasures.

The Soul of the Rose, John William Waterhouse

J: Learning to become more optimistic can also enhance life. The results of many studies indicate that optimists have less incidences of heart attacks, strokes and cancer— and on average live longer. The way we think about life, ourselves and others has a lot to do with how we feel about ourselves, life and others. Cultivating the ability to see the positive in situations is a skill that can be learned and developed. Optimists tend to explain things to themselves differently than pessimists. When something goes wrong for a pessimist they say things like, ‘It’s just my luck,” “I don’t get too excited about things because they never work out,” “This always happens to me.” Optimists tend to see things in less absolute and less universal terms. When a flat tire happens, for example, a pessimist will conclude that Murphy’s Law is in effect, while an optimist will view it as a singular event that happens to us all once in a while and then instead of letting it ruin her or his day will go on to enjoy the day.

is no easy task, but practicing finding joy in the small pleasures of life is the first step toward viewing the world as an optimist might.

D: Optimism can also mean being able to see more of the good in life that surrounds us. We can appreciate the love of our family and friends, take pride in a job well done, or notice the small and beautiful things that make our hometown special. Adopting an attitude of wonder and joy about life can be its own reward. Finding happiness in everyday occurrences—the affection of a pet, the view from the train, the first sip of coffee in the morning—is one of the big secrets to a happier, healthier life. Changing thought patterns

D: For your health, for your happiness, or even for the chemical kick that it gives you, be sure to find and cultivate the little things that bring you joy. Do what you’ve been told for years: stop and smell those roses. ■

J: Happiness is the enemy of stress. When people feel happy and content their brains are working differently than when they feel stress or anxiety. The brain sends out peptides, which are chemical messengers of stress, fear, happiness and joy. Every cell in the body has peptide receptors. Our thoughts, feelings and behaviors all affect what messages the peptides send throughout the body. Our thoughts feelings and behaviors can physically change the brain as well as physically impact every system in our bodies. Cultivating pleasures and joy has both psychological and physical effects. It turns out that the best medicine for just about everything is joy, happiness and the celebration of the pleasures and treasures that life holds for us.

Jim Delpino is a psychotherapist in private practice for over 33 years. jdelpino@aol.com Phone: (215) 364-0139.

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The Los Angeles Times SUNDAY CROSSWORD PUZZLE

REPOSSESSED

By Jacob Stulberg Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

1 5 9 13 17 18 19 21 22 25 26 27 28 30 31 32 34 36 38 43 44 45 46 47 50 51 52 54 60 61 62 63 67 69 70 72 73 76 78 79 83 85 86 87 88 89 91 92 95 101

ACROSS Highlander Nile dangers Cold __ Muslim dignitary Peak west of the Ionian Sea Hoops Like kiwifruit Tiny arachnid Cheap metal lacking an owner?

How many modern TV shows may be seen “Maybe” Swinging time?

“Twittering Machine” artist “I’ll throw your dagger __ the house”: “Twelfth Night” “Rock ‘n’ Roll Is King” gp.

Power dept.

Home of Lihue Airport Private student Victims of a physicist’s scam?

Topiary trees Organ to lend or bend 82-Down’s river Drags to court Enjoyed the lake Sushi option “True Detective” network Classic Ford Rich kind of cake baked by a newspaper employee?

Spanish article 2006 World Cup champion Playground retort Big rigs Subject of Odysseus Fangorn Forest denizen Most intimate Show gratitude to “Step __!”

State as fact Like Easy jobs that are meant to be?

“Same here” Some smartphones Lift or squat Belief systems Dance in a pit Arrange in a cabinet Chat Major Pa. and N.J. routes Singer Clooney’s delicate flowers?

Conductor Walter

102 103 104 106 107 109 112 114 116 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 20 23 24 29 33 35 37 39 40 41 42 47 48 49 50 51 53

Blender brand Land east of the Urals Symbol of strength Apennines article Hit the road On edge Loser’s fatal mistake?

Airman or seaman Aristocrat’s sunrise-to-sundown trip?

“Good one!”

Daft Bad lighting?

Ire Heap What leaders hold Nincompoop One may start with the striking of a gavel: Abbr.

DOWN Spirit in a bottle Chain components, perhaps As a whole China neighbor Crunched muscles “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” setting Garden area Housekeeper’s bete noire Bill sharer Part of ERA: Abbr.

Gaze over, as a lake Dramatist Hellman Longtime Brit. music label Mythical creature in Dante’s “Inferno” Words that have a ring to them?

Right “Toodle-oo!”

NASA was formed during his admin.

Company excelling in many fields?

L.A. athlete Reputed UFO fliers Magazine VIPs In working order Advantages Choir selection Far from flush It’s quite a blow “Africa” band Divide into shares Ire Tyler who voices Lana on “Archer” Bilingual subj.

“Java” jazzman Upper garment parts

55 56 57 58 59 64 65 66 68 69 71 74 75 76 77 80 81 82 83 84 88 90 91 92 93 94 96 97

Traveler’s purchase 55-Down datum: Abbr.

Charged, infantry-style Wind farm features __ point They often have multiple courses Imam’s faith Goes nowhere “What happened next?”

Nestlé dessert brand Tupperware topper Novelty item with an eyeglasses variety Drink, e.g.

Like Bit-O-Honey candy bars Impudence Talk show furniture Dungeness delicacy European city whose university was officially established in 1343 Epitome of deadness Distribution Homer Simpson’s boss Some decals Two-time NFL sacks leader __ Allen “Conan” channel Pen He played Klaatu in “The Day The Earth Stood Still” (2008) Shorten, in a way Designer Johnson

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98 99 100 105

States as fact Multimetallic Canadian coin Nut trees “Flowers for Algernon” author Daniel 108 Nutmeg State collegian 110 “Born From Jets” sloganeer

111 Newbie 113 Solar system components 115 Garden district on the Thames 117 Forensic ID 118 Snow or nose follower

Answer to October’s puzzle, BRINGING YOUR ‘A’ GAME

Agenda ART EXHIBITS THRU 11/7 Danny Moyer, New Objective. Also exhibiting Katie Knoeringer, Snow-Eater.

Opening Reception 10/3, 6-10PM. Brick + Mortar Gallery, 8 Centre Square, Easton. BrickandMortarGallery.com THRU 11/15 Dot Bunn Solo II, recent work by the Award-Winning Artist. Still life, figure and landscapes. Patricia Hutton Galleries, 47 W. State St., Doylestown. 215348-1728. PatriciaHuttonGalleries.com THRU 11/15 Veils of Color: Juxtapositions and Recent Work by Elizabeth Osborne. Michener Art Museum, 138 S. Pine St., Doylestown.

215-340-9800. michenermuseum.org THRU 11/17 Walks in North Park, Photographic Books and Wallworks by Dan R. Talley. Reception 11/4, 6-8PM. The Baum School of Art, 510 W. Linden St., Allentown.

610-433-0032. Baumschool.org THRU 12/6 Jeffrey Becom, Colors of India. Allentown Art Museum, 31 N. Fifth St., Allentown.

610-432-4333. AllentownArtMuseum.org THRU 12/12 In the Line of Duty, Collecting African American Art. The William C. Robinson Family Collection. Williams Center Gallery, Lafayette College, 317 Hamilton St., Easton. 610-330-5361. galleries.lafayette.edu.

THRU 12/31 Howard Pyle Murals. Delaware Art Museum, 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington, Delaware. 302-571-9590. delart.org THRU 1/3 Mia Rosenthal: Paper Lens. Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Historic Landmark Building, 118 N. Broad St., Philadelphia. 215-972-7600. pafa.org THRU 1/9 The Holiday Show, Bethlehem House Contemporary Art Gallery. 459 Main St., Bethlehem. 610-419-6262/610-3904324. BethlehemHouseGallery.com THRU 1/10 Helen Farr Sloan. Delaware Art Museum, 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington, Delaware. 302-571-9590. delart.org THRU 2/7 Paul Grand: Beyond the Surface. Michener Art Museum, 138 S. Pine St., Doylestown.

215-340-9800. michenermuseum.org 11/2-28 The Philadelphia Sketch Club’s Seventh

Annual Juried Exhibition of Illustration.

235 S. Camac St., Philadelphia.

215-545-9298. sketchclub.org 11/5-12/19 Faculty Selects, Grossman Gallery, Williams Visual Arts Building, Lafayette College, 243 N. Third St., Easton. 610330-5361. galleries.lafayette.edu 11/6-12/20 Artists will be available for gift-planning and entertaining advice every weekend in November and December. Talk with a potter, glass blower or weaver about setting a unique holiday table. Speak with a wood artist about a menorah, serving bowl, or wine rack. And consult with a jeweler about the perfect personal gift!

11 - 6 Daily. Red Tulip Gallery, 19C West Bridge St., New Hope. 267-454-0496.

RedTulipCrafts.com 11/6-1/3 John Petach: Tiller, New Paintings. The Quiet Life Gallery, 17 So. Main St., Lambertville, NJ. 609-397-0880. Quietlifegallery.com 11/13-12/13 Works in Wood at New Hope Arts honors woodworking traditions of Bucks County - 15th Exhibition, Opening Reception & Awards, 11/14, 6-8 pm. 2 Stockton Ave., New Hope. 215-8629606. www.newhopearts.org 11/13-4/3 Procession: The Art of Norman Lewis.

Academy of the Fine Arts, Samuel M. V. Hamilton Building, 128 N. Broad St., Philadelphia. 215-972-7600. pafa.org 11/21-1/9/16 Brick + Mortar Gallery presents Good Co. Annual Holiday Group Show. Opening Reception 11/21,6-9PM. 8 Centre Square, Easton.

BrickandMortarGallery.com 11/21 -11/22 Student Pottery Sale, 10am-5pm. Reception 11/20, 6pm-9pm. Kissimmee River Pottery, 50 Mine St., Stangl Factory Bldg., Flemington, NJ. 908-237-0671.

Riverpots.com 11/24 -11/25 Student Pottery Sale, 10am-5pm. Kissimmee River Pottery, 50 Mine St., Flemington, NJ. Stangl Factory Bldg., Flemington, NJ. 908-237-0671. Riverpots.com 11/27 -11/29 Student Pottery Sale, 10am-5pm. Kissimmee River Pottery, 50 Mine St., Flemington, NJ. Stangl Factory Bldg., Flemington, NJ. 908-237-0671. Riverpots.com 12/1-12/23 Holiday Gift Gallery, featuring fine arts and crafts by local and regional artists.

Reception 12/2, 6-8. Holiday happy hour, 12/10 & 12/17, 5-7. The Baum School of Art, 510 W. Linden St., Allentown. 610433-0032. Baumschool.org

TOURS/FESTIVALS/AUCTIONS 11/6, 13, 20, 27 The First Friday of every month, celebrate Lambertville, NJ and New Hope’s hundreds of artists, dozens of galleries and artist studios. 5-9PM, rain or shine. Facebook.com/Lambertville New Hope First Fridays 11/27-11/29 Covered Bridge Artisans 21st Annual Fall Studio Tour. Fri., Sat., 10-5, Sun., 10-4.

Visit CoveredBridgeArtisans.com for tour map or Facebook.com/CoveredBridgeArtisans

berg College Theatre & Dance, 2400 Chew St., Allentown. 484-664-3333.

Muhlenberg.edu/theatre&dance

DINNER & MUSIC Thursday nights, Community Stage with John Beacher, 8-midnight. Karla’s, 5 W. Mechanic St., New Hope. 215-862-2612.

Karlasnewhope.

Thurs.-Sat., Dinner and show at SteelStacks, Bethlehem. 5-10, table service and valet parking. artsquest.org

CONCERTS THEATER 11/10 Elf. State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton. 610-252-3132 or 1-800-999State. Statetheatre.org 11/12 Scott Bradlee’s PostModern Jukebox, 7:30PM. Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University, 420 East Packer Ave., Bethlehem. Free event parking attached to center. 610-758-2787. Zoellnerartscenter.org 11/14 Bollywood Masala Orchestra & Dancers of India. 7:30PM, State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton. 610-252-3132 or 1-800-999-State. Statetheatre.org 11/14 Academy of Vocal Arts, Don Giovanni, 7:30PM. Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University, 420 East Packer Ave., Bethlehem. Free event parking attached to center. 610-758-2787. Zoellnerartscenter.org 11/21 The Cashore Marionettes. Williams Center for the Arts, Lafayette College, 317 Hamilton St., Easton. 610-330-5009.

Williamscenter.lafayette.edu

11/7 Music from the Heart with Bach Collegium Japan. 2015 Gala Concert & Fundraiser, 4PM. Bach Choir, Central Moravian Church, Bethlehem. Bach.org 11/15 Organ Concert, 4:00PM, Ahreum Han Congdon. Arts at St. John’s, St. John’s Lutheran Church, 37 So. Fifth St., Allentown. 610-435-1641. Suggested donation $10. Stjohnsallentown.org 11/21 Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra"Brahms, Beethoven & Baltimore?"

Guest conductor/violin soloist Jonathan Carney, Johannes Brahms Violin Concerto in D. Op. 77, Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 7 in A, Op. 92. 7:30 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, 3231 W. Tilghman St., Allentown.

Tickets- $15-$35 in advance/at door.

610 434-7811. www.PASinfonia.org 11/21 Darlene Love, 8PM. Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University, 420 East Packer Ave., Bethlehem. Free event parking attached to center. 610-758-2787. Zoellnerartscenter.org

MUSIKFEST CAFÉ 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem 610-332-1300. Artsquest.org 11/5 11/6 11/10 11/13 11/19 11/20 11/22 12/1 12/6 12/12

Black Violin Go Go Gadjet David Cook, The Digital Vein Tour Edwin McCain 10,000 Maniacs Paul Reiser Marianas Trench Chef Robert Irvine LIVE Jon Cleary & John Scofield Scythian

KESWICK THEATRE 291 N Keswick Ave, Glenside (215) 572-7650 keswicktheatre.com 11/12 An Evening with Ry Cooder, Sharon White & Ricky Skaggs 11/13 Tom Papa 11/14 Colin Hay 11/19 The Robert Cray Band with Shemekia Copeland 11/20 Steve Hackett 11/21 Arlo Guthrie 11/22 The Laurie Berkner Band 11/25 Hot Tuna Acoustic 11/27 The Machine (Tribute to Pink Floyd) 12/4 1964 ... The Tribute 12/10 Kenny G 12/12 Peppa Pig Live!

READINGS 11/14 Panoply Books Reading Series: Poet Randall Potts. Potts is a West Coast-based poet and author of Trickster, published by the University of Iowa Press. 6PM. Free. 46 N. Union St., Lambertville, NJ. 609-397-1145.

EVENTS

12/10 A Rockepella Christmas, The All Vocal Spectacular. 7PM, State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton. 610-2523132, 1-800-999-STATE. Statetheatre.org

11/27-11/29 Dickens’ Days in Clinton, NJ, where the downtown turns into a Victorian Holiday Village. Carriage rides, caroling, story telling, and daily holiday performances.

Come and meet Father Christmas, Scrooge and Charles Dickens. For full schedule ClintonGuild.com.

12/3-12/6 Carlo Goldoni’s Comic Masterpiece, Servant of 2 Masters. Muhlenberg College Theatre & Dance, 2400 Chew St., Allentown. 484-664-3333.

Muhlenberg.edu/theatre&dance

12/19 Camerata Singers presents Songs for a Winter’s Evening, featuring Ola Gjeilo’s Dark Night of the Soul. The performance is a celebration of the season. 7:30PM, First Presbyterian Church, 3231 W. Tilghman St., Allentown. 610-434-7811.

Pacameratasingers.org

11/28 George Sawyer Trunk Show-A small business Saturday event featuring an extended collection of Sawyer’s exquisite mokume-gane rings and jewelry. Noon8PM, Heart of the Home, 28 S. Main St., New Hope. 215-862-1880. Heartofthehome.com

12/14 Sancho: An Act of Remembrance. 8pm, Williams Center for the Arts, Lafayette College, 317 Hamilton St., Easton. 610330-5009. Williamscenter.lafayette.edu

12/20 Sing-Along-Messiah, 7PM. Cathedral Arts, Cathedral Church of the Nativity, 321 Wyandotte St., Bethlehem. 610865-0727. Nativitycathedral.org

11/28 Easton’s Annual Holiday Open House and Peace Candle Lighting, 11am-7pm.

Enjoy the sights and sounds of the season with live music, carriage rides, strolling street performers, ice carvers, and more treats for the whole family.

Peace Candle lighting 6:30pm. Downtown Easton. EastonMainStreet.org

12/2-12/13 Merry Christmas George Bailey. Act 1 Performing Arts, DeSales University. Main Stage, Labuda Center for the Performing Arts, 2755 Station Ave., Center Valley.

610-282-3192. Desales.edu/act1

DANCE 11/12-11/14 Moving Stories, innovative dance works by emerging choreographers. Muhlen-

11/17 Takács Quartet. Williams Center for the Arts, Lafayette College, 317 Hamilton St., Easton. 610-330-5009. Williamscenter.lafayette.edu

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