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MARCH
ICON The intersection of art, entertainment, culture, opinion and mad genius
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW A Winter's Tale, Desmond McRory. Silverman Gallery.
18 | THE BRAVE ONE Enduring actress and regal icon Isabelle Huppert says she fears almost nothing —and especially not her creepy lead role in the new psychological thriller Greta.
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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW 20 | GARY CLARK JR. Seeing red while playing blues, This Land is Clark’s new manifesto
Robert Mapplethorpe, Self-Portrait, 1980.
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MORE FILM
ART 5|
ESSAY Bad Reviewer
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EXHIBITIONS
22 |
The Miseducation of Cameron Post Green Book Shoplifters Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Philadelphia Fine Art Fair
23rd Street Armory, Philadelphia 8|
Blues and the Abstract Truth
They Shall Not Grow Old.
Silverman Gallery
Most Flammable 9|
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Sculpture 2019 New Hope Arts
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It’s a Private Matter
Raina Filipiak / Advertising filipiakr@comcast.net PRODUCTION Richard DeCosta Megan Flanagan Rita Kaplan INTERN Lee McCorsky CONTRIBUTING WRITERS A. D. Amorosi Robert Beck
Lydia Panas: Sleeping Beauty
28 | POP
Peter Croatto
Martin Art Gallery
Mike Posner Beirut Bunk Johnson & Lead Belly The Specials
Celestrial & Terrestrial
New Arts Program Gallery 10 |
STAGE
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NIGHTLIFE
30 | JAZZ/ ROCK/CLASSICAL/ALT
Marcy Rosen & Susan Walters Stephan Thelen Phillip Johnston & Coolerators Michel Petrucciani Trio D. J. Sparr 33 | JAZZ LIBRARY
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EDITORIAL Editor / Trina McKenna
MUSIC
FILM
ON THE COVER: Isabelle Huppert was chosen to serve as the face of the Women in Motion program at the 70th Cannes Film Festival in 2017. Launched in 2015, in partnership with the Cannes Film Festival, Women in Motion showcases the contributions of women to the film industry, both in front of and behind the cameras. Page 18.
PRESIDENT Trina McKenna trina@icondv.com
Steel Stacks, Blast Furnace Room
Michelle Vanselous Gallery
Gary Clark Jr. Photo: Marc Baptiste for Vanity Fair.
DOCUMENTARY / FOREIGN The Invisibles
FOODIE FILE
Fractured
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REEL NEWS
since 1992 215-862-9558 icondv.com facebook.com/icondv
14 |
CINEMATTERS Mapplethorpe
16 |
FILM ROUNDUP
Jimmy Scott
ETCETERA
Climax
32 |
HARPER’S FINDINGS
32 |
HARPER’S INDEX
High Flying Bird
34 |
L. A. TIMES CROSSWORD
35 |
AGENDA
Greta
They Shall Not Grow Old
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Jack Byer Geoff Gehman Mark Keresman George Miller R. Kurt Osenlund Bob Perkins Keith Uhlich Subscription: $40 (12 issues) PO Box 120 • New Hope 18938 215-862-9558 ICON is published twelve times per year. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. ICON welcomes letters to the editor, editorial ideas and submissions, but assumes no responsibility for the return of unsolicited material. ICON is not responsible for claims made by advertisers. ©2019 Prime Time Publishing Co., Inc.
ART ESSAY & PAINTING BY ROBERT BECK
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BAD REVIEWER
DO RESTAURANTS TRAIN THEIR servers anymore? I know, that’s a really snarky thing to say. It’s why I’m not asked to do reviews for this magazine. That and not knowing what I’m talking about. But I do have experience on both sides of the check, and with having worked the front and back of the house. None of it is easy to do well. I had to be shown my mistakes before I got it right. I wanted to be good at it, and I think most servers in a decent place do, too. You have to be pretty bad to not get a nice tip from me. There are a lot of restaurants with top-notch service around here, but some others that should know better. A good server doesn’t walk up to the table and interrupt just because it’s a convenient time to take the order. We know you’re there. You should wait for the moment one might describe as “polite.” It’s not hard to spot. And checking in to see if everything is all right isn’t so necessary that you need to break the flow of your guest’s conversation. If we have your eye—and we should—we will let you know if something needs doing. That’s how it works; pay attention but allow us to enjoy our company. Be invisible but aware. Abandon the phrase “no problem,” which has permeated contemporary vernacular, elbowing aside earnest terms of respect and appreciation. Whether it is a problem for the staff is not the issue. When someone demonstrates the civility to thank somebody, “You’re welcome” is the appropriate response. Not only does it make sense, it suggests the server wasn’t a last minute substitute that the manager found at Pancake Castle. See? I shouldn’t be writing this. I can hear knives being sharpened at the prep station. I’m up to my neck now so let me get it out of the way once and for all. My beef is with the person in charge, but before I go there let me mention three more annoyances: don’t take the plates until everyone is done eating; don’t rush around in the dining room being loud and busy; and don’t fill my wine glass without asking me. Thanks. I usually eat early, which in some places is the kiss of death. Unless you go to a restaurant that takes pride in its service, early can be worse than crowded. In some places one person, or even one party,
doesn’t qualify as having customers, and the staff fits you in while they get the place ready. A couple of times I have been seated while they were vacuuming, and once the person actually moved a chair at my table to make sure she got it all. We’ve all experienced having already ordered when the staff starts setting up a table for fourteen right next to us. Groan. During my most recent one of those, the cook made multiple appearances to loudly make sure the staff knew how it should be done. He punctuated each command by slapping a tired dishtowel across his shoulder to declare his authority, in case you missed the tattoos. While I was eating. They are out of business. I’m not talking about the places that use the same rag to wipe the tables all night long. If you have linen napkins and claim to offer fine dining, you should know what that is. And It’s not about formal versus relaxed service, either. One local restaurant was notorious for having staff that acted like English butlers, but the service (and the food) suffered from acute pretention. That was short-lived, too. Treat people like you want them to have their good time, not yours, and you will do fine. Professionalism comes down from above, and some of the folks in charge don’t understand customers. I’m always amazed when I see a Help Wanted sign on the front of a restaurant during business hours. They might as well put up one that says Understaffed. One place near me had a big sign out front that touted its New Fall Menu. It was April. That one didn’t last either. In addition, I’m always having to chase around websites to find basic information. Any site that doesn’t have the hours, phone number, and location clearly accessible from the home page is serving the web designer, not the customer. No, the hours and address don’t belong under Contact. All this attitude probably makes you wonder just who the hell I think I am. That’s easy. I’m one of those people who didn’t come back. n ICON | MARCH 2019 | ICONDV.COM | FACEBOOK.COM/ICONDV
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EXHIBITION
Philadelphia Fine Art Fair April 4–7 | 23rd Street Armory, Philadelphia In their Philadelphia premiere, PFAF brings 34 international galleries, featuring 300 established artists, to the 23rd Street City Troop Armory. PFAF will offer a unique opportunity for local audiences to experience high-quality Modern and Contemporary Art presented by US and international galleries.
et. Wearing my collector hat, I can’t wait to have a shot at these gems.”
Kerry Dunn, Man, Woman, White, Black. Stanek Gallery.
Sarazhin, All In One Shirt, 59.5 x 59.5, Arcadia Gallery.
Select highlights of participating galleries include Arcadia Contemporary (USA), Bridgette Mayer Gallery (USA), Birch Contemporary (Canada), Galerie Isabelle Lesmeister (Germany), The Hunt Gallery (UK), Louis K Meisel Gallery (USA) and Cernuda Arte (USA). Embracing the city’s history and passion for visual arts, the galleries presented at PFAF represent the longstanding cultural vibrancy of Philadelphia. The exhibitors hail from 19 cities, featuring renowned artists from around the world, including Cuba, Latin America, and Europe.
Held at the Armory, a centrally located fortress, it was originally built to house the men who helped keep the city safe for centuries, reflecting the fierce loyalty locals hold for their city. The building’s history will complement the work being featured by PFAF’s international roster of exhibitors and provide a unique environment for fair patrons to enjoy.
Springs, and Silicon Valley. PFAF is dedicated to supporting, contributing and engaging the strong, local art scene Philadelphia has developed. Browse works for sale by acclaimed modern and contemporary talent from all around the world like M.C. Escher, Robert Indiana, Willem de Kooning,
Moe Brooker, Time And Again II. Stanek Gallery.
Joan Mitchell and Donald Sultan. PFAF was created with Philadelphia’s art world and clientele in mind. With its world-class museums, emerging gallery scene, and passion for street and public art, PFAF is thrilled to bring this extraordinary fine art fair to the residents of Philadelphia. n Opening Night Preview: Thurs., April 4, 6–10 Show Hours: Friday, April 5, 11–7; Saturday, April 6, 11–6; Sunday, April 7, 11–5. General admission tickets: $25pp and may be purchased online or at the door. For tickets or information, visit philfineartfair.com
Bo Bartlett, Promised Land. MM Fine Art.
“Galleries were carefully selected to showcase the best examples of each genre and kind of artist. Though international in scope, we do also provide an emphasis on local artists. Fairgoers will be able to view and acquire works by a refined selection of emerging, mid-career and blue chip contemporary artists,” says Fair Director Rick Friedman. “Best of all, there are ‘must have’ treasures for every budg6
de Kooning, Untitled, 1978. Dean Borghi Fine Art.
Under the leadership of Friedman, PFAF is the newest addition to the luxury, regional fine art fairs Friedman is known for producing in cities including the Hamptons, Aspen, Houston, San Francisco, Palm
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Jeremy Holmes, Detail, wall sculpture, cherry. Galerie Isabelle Lesmeister.
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EXHIBITIONS
Floating in a Turquoise Sea, Dancing By Moonlight to Flamenco Guitar Fox.
Blues and the Abstract Truth Georgette Veeder, Sea Gnome.
Sculpture 2019 New Hope Arts, 2 Stockton Ave. New Hope, PA 215-862-9606 newhopearts.org Hours: Friday–Sunday, noon–5 pm. Opening Reception & Awards, March 2, 6-8 pm Through March 24 New Hope Arts’ 18th Annual Juried Exhibition, Sculpture 2019 features 60 art works. Sculpture at New Hope Arts is always a highly anticipated and enthusiastically received presentation for artists and viewers. The exhibitors, selected from over 150 entries, include innovative contemporary artists who work in a wide variety of media. Kate Graves and Michael Cooper, this year’s jurors (both current exhibitors in New Hope Arts’ Outdoors Sculpture Project), have assembled an exceptional, diverse, and entertaining display.
Chuck Fischer, Blastoff. 8
Silverman Gallery 4920 York Rd. Holicong, PA 215-794-4300 silvermangallery.com March 2–April 14 Opening receptions 3/2, 5–8 pm; 3/3, 1–4 pm Desmond McRory’s show features a stylistic variety of work including impressionist landscapes and abstracts created through his exploration of “cold wax” technique. There are also a number of paintings inspired by McRory’s love of jazz—specifically Oliver Nelson’s 1961 album Blues and the Abstract Truth, for which the show is named. McRory seeks to inspire feelings, achieve a mood and seek deeper truth through his paintings. His use of blues and other saturated colors captures the imagination and expresses the otherworldly nature of many things, from fields and flowers to saxophonists and sailing—all evoking a sense of the spiritual and the in-between, where perception and interpretation are left to the observer. “Stolen Moments” is the lead track on Oliver Nelson’s jazz album, but it is also an apt metaphor for McRory’s work— an invitation to observe stolen moments and understand that what we see in the frame is a window into something much bigger, much deeper and much more divine.
November Field.
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Cats Meow. Photo printed on cloth, hand stitched, 20 x 30
Most Flammable Steel Stacks, Blast Furnace Room 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem PA March 15, 2019 8pm Tickets $12 steelstacks.org/event/7918/kate-hughes-most-flammable One woman’s story of falling down, picked back up, brushed off, and in the midst of putting out several fires, grew into a better, stronger version of herself. Hughes looks back with humor on several events over the course of a year that (on several occasions) knocked her to her knees. Only through the love, friendship, compassion, strength, kindness and belly-laughter of some pretty remarkable women, is she able to regain her footing. These incredible women are highlighted in Hughes’ photography series, “Women Who Inspire.” This is the first of the “Most Flammable” series, each show highlighting women in Hughes’ life. The photos and stories will be available as a book in the near future.
One to Change A Few. A Few to Change Many. Many to Change the World. Starts With One.
M M 4 T P P
p d S s a w r s s a a a
EXHIBITIONS
Victoria Burge, Coastline (detail)
Celestial & Terrestrial
Monae.
New Arts Program Gallery, 173 W. Main, Kutztown 610-683-6440 newartsprogram.org March 15–April 28 Gallery hours: Fri/Sat/Sun 11–3 Reception and talk Friday, March 15, 6–9
Lydia Panas: Sleeping Beauty Martin Art Gallery, Baker Center for the Arts Muhlenberg College, 2400 Chew Street, Allentown 484-664-3467 muhlenberg.edu/gallery Through April 13, 2019 Public Talk: March 27, 5:00 in the Recital Hall Panel Discussion: March 12, 7:00 in the Recital Hall
Rong.
Carlo Balistrieri.
Fractured Michelle Vanselous Gallery 21 Fulper Rd., Flemington, NJ 908-788-0550 Michellevanselous.com Hours: Wed.-Fri., 11–3, and 5–8 March 2, 9 and 16, 2–5 Closing reception March 16, 2–5 Fractured features the work of more than 15 accomplished artists, many from Hunterdon and Bucks counties, who work in a variety of mediums: painting, silk screening, photography, watercolors, weaving, jewelry, leather, cork, and ceramics arts. Artists: Kevin Von Holtermann, John Spears, Scott Reamer, Nicole Buchenholz, Carlo Balistrieri, Diana Stockwell, Robert Krell, Cathy Minniti, Margaret Grandinetti, Reny Willoughby, Earthen Creed, Eric Martini, Jeanine Erickson, Geri Petti, Diana Carr.
Scott Reamer.
Robert Murray, Field Patterns
In this feminist body of work, Panas includes new photographic and video works, continuing her decades-long, wide-ranging exploration of portraiture. Sleeping Beauty departs from previous projects in that subjects actively collaborate in the creation of their images—they confront the viewer, meeting the camera with a penetrating stare. Each bears a lifetime of experiences, while embodying the indomitable spirit we associate with the #metoo movement. Each woman, a strong, unintimidated individual, refusing to be denied agency or personhood. Sixteen framed photographs and video installations will be displayed on monitors and projected on walls throughout the gallery.
In the Celestial half of this show Victoria Burge explores the celestial realm with intricate constellations of lines and shapes, marks and color. Often using old found maps, she works up layers of ink, gouache and pencil to create new universes of stars and planets. Their lushness and depth recall the atmospheric skeins of paint and far-reaching space of the color field painters. Robert Murray’s work comprises the Terrestrial half. During decades of piloting, Murray often photographed the earth below. Using his aerial shots as reference, he reveals the landscape’s essential gestures and shapes in deft, spare drawings. The show’s curator, Jonathan D. Lippincott, author of Robert Murray: Sculpture, will be at the gallery for individual hour-long conversational meetings with the public, March 15 &16 by appointment.
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STAGE VALLEY
CITY
Detroit. A financially challenged couple and their new neighbors share a barbeque and chart the challenges of marriage, upward mobility and suburbia. Premiered by Steppenwolf Theatre, Lisa D’Amour’s black comedy won a 2013 Obie for new American play and was a 2011 Pulitzer Prize drama finalist. (Roberts Lab Theatre, Kopecek Hall, Northampton Community College, 3835 Green Pond Rd., Bethlehem, March 1-4) Julie. The National Theatre in London telecasts Poly Stenham’s new take on Strinberg’s Miss Julie, in which the newly single (anti-)heroine throws a wild party and wrestles for power with a servant. (DVD presentation, Buck Hall, Lafayette College, 219 N. 3rd St., Easton, March 3) Truth/Delusion. Matt Hogan’s two short plays track domestic unrest. One is a realistic drama about the cycle of psychological warfare. The other allows spectators to determine the characters’ fates. (Arena Theatre, Moravian College, 1200 Main St., Bethlehem, March 14-17) Buyer & Cellar. Playwright Jonathan Tolins imagines a struggling actor, recently fired from Disneyland, curating Barbra Streisand’s basement galleries for her curios and relics. The curator’s screenwriter boyfriend narrates this comic meditation on show biz, celebrity and why gay men dig divas. (Civic Theatre of Allentown, 514 N. 19th St., March 15-16, 21-24) Finding Neverland. Adapted from the namesake film, this musical swirls and whirls around J.M. Barrie inventing Peter Pan with the help of a widowed mother and her four inventive boys. (State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton, March 20-21) Why We Have a Body. Playwright Claire Chafee creates a romantic, intellectual labyrinth for a lesbian private detective who falls for a straight paleontologist with a dying marriage and a thief sister with a Joan of Arc death fixation. (Tompkins College Center, Cedar Crest College, Allentown, March 21-24) Unspeakable. Crowded Kitchen Players’ new melodrama traces a friendship between a boy and his uncle over movies, dinners and stories, shattered by a kidnapping by an unknown stalker. (Charles Brown Ice House, 56 River St., Bethlehem, March 22-24, 29-31) O War. Part two of Holly Cate’s wham-bam adaptation of Shakespeare’s War of the Roses tetralogy features more civil war, politics as a funhouse mirror and the Duke of Suffolk’s head in a box. (Baker Center for the Arts, Muhlenberg College, 2400 Chew St., Allentown, March 28-31)
RENT. The 20th anniversary of the late Jonathan Larson’s La Bohème-like tale of artists struggling in the NYC of their youth to find and follow their dreams—and love, who forgets love—was an instant, chatty classic from the moment it hit Offand on Broadway. Replacing Paris’ plague of Tuberculosis with HIV/AIDS, the poignancy of that moment is not lost in the 21st century; we continue to live with diseases of the soul, as well as the body. And in a year when Hamilton is soon to arrive in Philadelphia, it should be noted that the currency of RENT’s musical and lyrical vibe is what gave Lin Manuel Miranda his groove. (March 5-10, Merriam Theater. kimmelcenter.org) Gem of the Ocean and How I Learned What I Learned. James Ijames, the Barrymore Award-winning actor and playwright behind Kill Move Paradise at the Wilma and Youth at Villanova tackles the first installment of August Wilson’s “The American Century Cycle” played out in Pittsburgh’s Hill District and its magical reality tale of justice and redemption. Though it takes place at the cusp of the 20th century, Gem of the Ocean still feels like the playwright’s most contemporary work with the speculative 21st century in its sights. At the same time as this, in one of the Arden’s smaller theaters, How I Learned What I Learned, a solo show from the late Wilson (and Philly’s own Todd Kreidler) finds the playwright riffing on his earliest gigs and his encounters with racism despite his fame. (Through March 31, Arden Theatre. ardentheatre.org) Four Women. Using Nina Simone’s stormy, syncopated “Four Women” as its centerpiece, this music-filled, dramatic look at black womanhood uses the occasion of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama bombing (the moment in 1963 when Simone moved from being an artist to an activist) is playwright Christina Ham’s tour-de-force. Hayley Finn directs. (Through March 31, People’s Light Theatre. peopleslight.org) An Oak Tree. Having to move its home base and productions to Port Fishington’s Latvian Society space has been good for Theatre Exile as it helped strengthen the gritty, neighborhood-ed, speaking-truth-to-the-power-company run by Joe Canuso and Deborah Block. For its first new show at its refurbished home on 13th and Reed Street (it is now a condo complex) Exile goes with An Oak Tree by Tim Crouch, a starring turn by onetime Philly native (and longtime Exile associate) Pearce Bunting, and several special guests taking on the second role of this twohander such as Zosia Mamet, Evan Jonigkeit, Maggie Siff and Paul Giamatti. Welcome home. (Through March 10, Theatre Exile. theatreexile.org)
Godspell. Star of the Day Productions presents the popular pop biblical musical with the Good Samaritan parable as a play-within-a-play, Jesus’ sayings as a game of charades and “Day by Day” as a flower-power anthem. (St. John’s Fellowship Hall, 139 N. 4th St., Emmaus, April 4-7, 11-13)
Kate: The Unexamined Life. Actress Janis Stevens, director Pete Sander, and playwright Rick Foster capture the story of the one-time Walnut Street Theatre actress and ingénue preparing for a project at age 92 and recounting the joys and sorrows of an actor’s life. (March 5 to April 7, Walnut Theatre. walnutstreettheatre.org)
Renee Elise Goldsberry. The Hamilton Tony winner’s concert last month at Lehigh University was mindful and meaningful, 4D and 5G. She opened with a sassy, smart one-two punch of “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever” and “I Can See Clearly Now.” She followed with tributes to favorite female singers, a musical valentine for her newly heartbroken son, and a remarkably dexterous, volcanic rendition of “Never Satisfied,” her hiphop/samba showstopper from Hamilton. Her singing was lustrous, lush and lathed; at times she seemed to vocally write the sky with calligraphy. Her rapport with listeners was so natural, she turned strangers into relations. n
Bob: A Life in Five Acts. With so many “Bobs” to consider, this one—conceived by playwright Peter Sinn Nachtrieb and director Michael Osinski—pulls back the layers of an unusual life and quest to better one’s station in life and become great. Difficult a mission as that may be (born as he is in a bathroom of a fast food restaurant, and abandoned forthwith) there is sorrow, love, lust and a Dos Passos-ish exploration of American mythology and values, all the while maintaining Azuka Theatre’s glorious sense of the absurd and dedication to fine, detailed storytelling. (Through March 17, Azuka Theatre at The Drake. azukatheatre.org) n
— GEOFF GEHMAN
— A.D. AMOROSI
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NIGHTLIFE
MARCH
CURATED BY A.D. AMOROSI
9 DAN + SHAY
These two won several Grammys for their sense of pop country (& sold out The Fillmore) and get to write songs with Rascal Flatts, Lindsey Stirling, RaeLynn, and Kelly Clarkson—all
10 LIVE CONNECTIONS VOICE ANNIVERSARY SHOW
Several composers, acapella singers and the general public take part in a community-sing-along. Sound gleeful. Temple University, www.liveconnections.org/ 13 ELLA MAI
The queen of Boo’d Up new R&B captivates the crowd in Port Fishington. The Fillmore Philadelphia, thefillmorephilly.com 13 HR OF BAD BRAINS
The true queen of modern country, even with Dolly Parton still around, hits the suburban casino. Parx Casino, Bensalem, PA, parxcasino.com
HR is the Brit-born mouthpiece lyricist of the now 40-year-old American hardcore punk band Bad Brains. He’s known for his big, but nuanced voice and insightful politicized, psychologized lyrics. While he and Bad Brains is readying its first album in seven years (Mind Power), HR is recording a solo album and touring on his own, too—all while suffering from schizophrenia, as well as SUNCT syndrome, a rare neurological disorder which causes sporadic, excruciating headaches. Kung Fu Necktie, kungfunecktie.com
9 FLEETWOOD MAC
15/16 MEEK MILL
Poor Lindsey Buckingham. He gets thrown out of Fleetwood Mac, gets to play small venues on a solo tour, then ghass an emergency operation for his heart that damages his vocal cords. All that while Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie and a bunch of new guys (Mike Campbell and Neil Finn) sail atop the old school Mick Fleetwood/John McVie rhythm section. Sad. And on their 50th anniversary tour, too. Boardwalk Hall, boardwalkhall.com
You almost forget that Philly’s Milly put out a number one Billboard charting album what from all the social justice stuff he’s got brewing after
on the strength of their 2018 self-titled album. That’s some record. The Fillmore, thefillmorephilly.com 9 REBA MCENTIRE
10 THE MILLENNIUM TOUR: B2K, MARIO & PRETTY RICKY
Whether you’re a fan of ’90s boy band soul hop or Love & Hip Hop at present where several of these bands’ members do their gossipy best, this tour should be a bitchy pop hoot. Boardwalk Hall, boardwalkhall.com 12
19 KENNER LECTURE: JUDY WOODRUFF
The anchor and managing editor of the PBS NewsHour is the best way to get a day’s briefing without having to sit through a 24-hour cycle. Zoellner Arts Center, zoellner.cas2.lehigh.edu 20–24 TYLER PERRY’S MEDEA
Photo: Keith Langerman.
Millsap. She’s charming and curt. Ardmore Music Hall, ardmoremusic.com 26 ARIANA GRANDE
You won’t get to kick around Tyler Perry’s most beloved cranky and controversial character after these shows; he’s hanging up the dress and the white wig. The Met Philadelphia, themetphilly.com
The solid efforts of Sweetener and Thank U, Next aside, my self-jury is still undecided as to what I think of Grande, especially after she made such a mess of Mac Miller and Pete Davidson’s lives. Wells Fargo Center, wellsfargocenterphilly.com
22 FLEETWOOD MAC
28 PAT METHENY’S “SIDE EYE”
See March 9, this time at Wells Fargo Center, wellsfargocenterphilly.com 22 JS ONDARA
Kenya-born Ondara’s first album, Tales of America, is the ultimate tale of the immigrant experience done in a stark, unsparing folk/soul fashion
The legendarily adventurous modern jazz guitarist will play with a different cast of characters every night. “I want to create an ongoing setting to feature a rotating cast of new and upcoming musicians who have particularly caught my interest along the way,” goes the press release. Musikfest Café/SteelStacks, steelstacks.org 29 GARY CLARK JR.
What do you get when you match taut, blazing blues guitar with socially astute lyricism? Clark’s new This Land
Photo: Erik Tanner
8 THE HENRY FORD'S INNOVATION NATION LIVE!
A two-time Emmy Award-winning Saturday morning kids’ TV show comes to life with stories about visionaries and innovators—that’s almost as good and PBS-ian as Mister Rogers. Zoellner Center, Bethlehem, PA zoellner.cas2.lehigh.edu
tured Tricky created trip hop, a sound that eventually morphed into much of the R&B/soul hop of the moment such as The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, Drake and Childish Gambino. The Met Philadelphia, www.themetphilly.com
Photo: Kevin Mazur for BET.
the rapper’s wrongful incarceration. The Met Philadelphia, themetphilly.com 18 PIXIES
Frank Blank & Co. invented American post-punk. Why not take it back? The Fillmore Philadelphia, www.thefillmorephilly.com 19 MASSIVE ATTACK
This UK collective which once fea-
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that sounds like a cross between Tracy Chapman and Bob Dylan. Ondara originally wrote about 100 songs for Tales; 11 made it to the album. World Café Live,worldcafelivephilly.com 22 SAMANTHA FISH
It’s Lady Sings the Blues time, And why not? After the constant sales pitch of Joe Bonamassa (how sad can he be when he’s constantly making money) and the muskiness of Gary Clark Jr., ICON’s one-time cover girl is a breath of fresh blues air. Fish is currently working on her new 2019 album, her first since signing with Rounder, and is collaborating with a number of artists including Parker
Photo: Joey Martinez.
album The Met Philadelphia, themetphilly.com [Interview in this issue.] 29 KISS
Don’t bet on this being the final tour for glam gods Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. And where is Ace and Kitty Kat, c’mon. Wells Fargo Center, wellsfargocenterphilly.com n
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CINEMATTERS
Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith, 1969, NYC. Photo: Norman Seefe.
PETE CROATTO
THE OBVIOUS JOKE TO make about Mapplethorpe, the new biopic about controversial black-andwhite photographer Robert Mapplethorpe (19461989), is it’s wilted and limp. But that does a disservice to Ondi Timoner, a fine documentarian (Cool It) making a rare foray into narrative filmmaking. She’s not uncomfortable with the subject matter. The movie is awkward out of operation, not in its sensibilities. Mapplethorpe is riddled with flaws, the biggest of which is a story that grows increasingly familiar as it proceeds. Mapplethorpe, played by Doctor Who alumnus Matt Smith, drops out of the Pratt Institute and moves to New York in its filthy, grungy heyday and takes up with a poet and artist named Patti Smith (Marianne Rendón). They’re both young and desperate, falling in love because of friendship and survival. But Mapplethorpe is gay and can’t hide it. His drawings evolve into muscle-man collages. Then he gets the camera. It gives him the confidence to approach men and to use them in ways that pull the veil from homosexual behavior. He can be himself, which is the ultimate freedom and the ultimate vice. The issue is that nobody understands the work, and for a while Mapplethorpe’s income comes from 14
Mapplethorpe making groovy hippie necklaces. Then the doors blow open. He meets older art collector Sam Wagstaff (John Benjamin Hickey), who become his backer, lover, and muse. Suddenly, the whole world wants Mapplethorpe. He’s shooting celebrities and getting gallery shows and has a living room cloaked in fashionable, oppressive black. The big question that goes unanswered, and weighs the film down like a yacht anchor, is how that breakthrough happened. Most mainstream smashes spend time burrowing through the underground, but we’re given no idea as to why Mapplethorpe’s time was the 1970s. That is a gigantic gap, one that could have been addressed with a moment that provides context, like an editorial meeting at some glossy magazine that doubles as the tipping point. But Timoner shackles herself by telling the story in a straight line, which is frustrating, because a.) Mapplethorpe’s artistic style was not in that vein and, b.) no success story in the world takes a direct route. Timoner can’t take a point of view not dictated by cold, hard facts. This story deserves a New Journalism approach, embracing novelistic techniques and other flourishes to express the essence of its subject. But she has such little confidence in employing visuals to
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make points. The best example is when Mapplethorpe, languishing on his death bed, talks to his younger brother, Edward (Brandon Skelnar). Edward idolizes Robert, but the latter uses his ego and celebrity as a cudgel. It’s a big scene, one that requires a director working with the cinematographer to evoke a slippage of control, even if it’s just shooting the scene from above. Timoner keeps everything in a medium shot, cutting to the actor saying each line of dialogue, like she’s filming a commercial for paper towels. Mapplethorpe is one perpetual medium shot: pedestrian and functional. Perhaps Timoner thought Mapplethorpe’s works—shown throughout—provided all the provocation necessary. But being bombarded with rigid, cucumberesque phalluses and taut asses has the opposite effect: it desensitizes us and it frames Mapplethorpe as a purveyor of cheap thrills, someone we have no interest in knowing beyond gawking at his dangerous descent into casual sex and cocaine. He’s no more interesting than any other yuppie consumed by 1980s New York City decadence. We leave knowing nothing about Robert Mapplethorpe the man or the artist. He’s as anonymous as the men in his photographs and not nearly as fascinating. There really is nothing to see here. [NR] n
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FILM ROUNDUP
They Shall Not Grow Old.
KEITH UHLICH
Climax (Dir. Gaspar Noé). Starring: Sofia Boutella, Romain Guillermic, Souheila Yacoub. Misery loves company, so leave it to perpetual provocateur Gaspar Noé to convene a gaggle of professional hoofers for an initially effusive dance party that goes violently off the rails. It’s not like the unpleasantness is deferred. From the first shot of a bloodied, woman crawling through a snowy landscape, it’s clear that any pleasures—such as a gorgeously staged musical number set to a pulse-pounding ‘90s EDM track, and photographed in a stunning single take—will be either fleeting, or mere prelude to the reproachfully shallow life-stinks/we’re-allgonna-die shtick in which Noé tends to trade. His shameless compulsion to chastise his audience, and perhaps himself, while wallowing with gleeful abandon in Boschian visions of horror (a bowl of sangria gets spiked with LSD; a child gets electrocuted; a woman selfaborts; the camera turns queasily topsy-turvy for the film’s, uh, climax) is somewhat admirable. Personally, I prefer my dance cinema with a much less heaping helping of scold. [R] HH 16
Greta (Dir. Neil Jordan). Starring: Isabelle Huppert, Chloë Grace Moretz, Maika Monroe. The Irish writer-director Neil Jordan (The Crying Game) does another of his jubilantly trashy adult fairy tales, this one a fun big-city riff on “Little Red Riding Hood.” Chloë Grace Moretz is the unwitting innocent, Frances, who finds a purse on the subway and returns it to its rightful owner, the seemingly lonely, older shut-in, Greta (Isabelle Huppert). In reality, she’s a psychopath who delights in luring younger women to her home, then torturing them slowly and malevolently. The meta pleasures of watching one of cinema’s premiere actresses tormenting an ingenue of the moment are incalculable. And Jordan adeptly walks a fine line between seriousness and silliness (Huppert doing an impromptu ballet while incapacitating one of her victims is just one camp-flirting highlight). This is more a divertissement than a major work, but still a monstrously enjoyable good time. [R] [Read interview with Isabelle Huppert on page 18 of this issue] HHH1/2
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High Flying Bird (Dir. Steven Soderbergh). Starring: André Holland, Melvin Gregg, Zazie Beetz. A sports movie only superficially, the latest effort from the prolific Steven Soderbergh, and written by Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight), is at heart a selfaware act of disruption. André Holland plays Manhattan-based sports agent Ray Burke, who’s trying to keep his career and his client base afloat during a basketball league lockout. He enlists his assistant (Zazie Beetz) and one of the players (Melvin Gregg) he represents to his cause, mainly through selfish and sneaky tactics that, perversely, double as liberating acts of defiance against the white league owners. (Kyle MacLachlan plays one of the more officious of these overlords.) It’s a provocative and propulsive tale about using the system against itself, a theme that extends to Soderbergh’s decisions to shoot the movie on an iPhone and release it on that content mill to end them all, Netflix. Cake has rarely been had and eaten so delectably. [N/R]
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They Shall Not Grow Old (Dir. Peter Jackson). Documentary. Peter Jackson’s WWI documentary is no less a spectacle than his Lord of the Rings trilogy. Granted access to a treasure trove of silent, black-and-white footage from the French front, Jackson and his technicians cleaned up the images, and added color, 3D effects and sound. Lipreaders were even brought in to discern what the soldiers might be saying. The film is interwoven with recordings of WWI veterans recollecting their experiences, mainly the daily grind of trench warfare, which alternated between panicked bloodshed and fetid boredom. The overall effect is very rich and strange, the verisimilitude of the voiceovers contrasting with the alien nature of the reprocessed imagery. There’s something terrifyingly unknowable in this technologically bridged gap. Jackson has literally and figuratively re-animated the past, but allows the pervasive sense of death and decay to remain. History becomes an abyss, its shellshocked inhabitants gaping back at us with rictus grins. [R]
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Isabelle Huppert in a promotional photo for MO Magazine, Mandarin Hotel Group, Paris, 2018
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INTERVIEW R. KURT OSENLUND
THE BRAVE ONE Enduring actress and regal icon Isabelle Huppert says she fears almost nothing—and especially not her creepy lead role in the new psychological thriller Greta.
IF YOU WANT TO be an Isabelle Huppert completist, you’ve got your work cut out for you. The inimitable French actress, who turns 66 this month, has appeared in more than 120 films since getting her start at age 15. There are actors who feel lucky if they land 120 auditions. But odds are not all of those actors have the pluck, tenacity, and—indeed—talent of Huppert, who secured a César nomination just four years after breaking into the business, and clinched a BAFTA award and Best Actress trophy at Cannes just four years after that. Like fellow acting legend Helen Mirren, Huppert has built a career marked by daring and controversial projects (from playing a hard-nosed prostitute in 1980’s Every Man for Himself to playing a vigilante rape victim in 2016’s Elle), while naturally evolving into a sharply elegant veteran. Both attributes are on display in this month’s Greta, a twisted romp of a thriller that sees Huppert both gracing the screen with her age-defying panache, and sinking her teeth into material that’s unnerving to the point that it’s streaked with humor. “I loved the script and I loved the role,” says Huppert, who plays the title character, a lonely widow and piano teacher who happens to lure young women into her clutches in wild attempts at maternal love. “It’s horrifying,” she continues, her accent as beautifully thick as ever, “but there’s a certain amount of irony. And I really wanted to work with Neil. It was my first time.” Huppert is referring to Greta director and co-writer Neil Jordan, who’s famously helmed such polarizing dramas as The Crying Game and Interview with the Vampire. Like Huppert, he’s a creative who’s known to push and surprise his audience, and he was a perfect match for his leading lady, a devout director’s actor. “Watching a movie is an emotional process,” she says, “but when you’re doing things as an actor, it’s just about the work. You might have expectations, and you might watch the film and be moved, or touched, or horrified. I know that because I see it when I watch myself. But it comes down to working with a great director.” Huppert also hails David O. Russell, who guided her through 2004’s outre comedy I Heart Huckabees, an existential detective story that casts Huppert as an enigmatic nihilist, unopposed to having her face dunked in mud during a sexual escapade. “I like David a lot as a director, and
I really enjoyed being in that crazy movie,” Huppert says with a laugh. She’s also quick to laugh about a particularly gruesome scene in Greta that takes place after the troubled woman traps Frances (co-lead Chloe Grace-Moretz) inside her misleadingly quaint home. Forcing a drugged-up Frances to help her bake, Greta winds up having her pinky finger amputated by a cookie cutter, and instead of seeking proper care, she brashly self-medicates. Using a syringe, she injects some sort of numbing cocktail into her stump of an appendage, affixes a cotton tube where the finger was, and slips on a dainty glove with a good-as-new expression. “When she has her finger cut, look at the way she deals with it!” Huppert exclaims about her character. “Who has a bleeding finger without running to the hospital? And she keeps that glove on! So cool.” And there are other scenes in Greta that might shock some, but were met by Huppert with that same gleeful intrigue and unaffected directness. For example, the shrill tipping point that shifts Greta’s admiration of Frances into outright obsession unfolds in the fancy restaurant where Frances works as a waitress. Infuriated that she’s rebuffed by her latest target, Greta violently flips her table in a very public dining room, screaming for reciprocation from Frances until she’s carted away on a stretcher in restraints. “I did not anticipate people’s reactions to that,” Huppert says, presumably referencing both her co-stars and the movie’s festival audiences (it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last September). “I just did it. I guess it was unusual, but I didn’t realize how much people were going to react to it. It’s just about conviction—the woman’s conviction. Of which I was sure.” Yet another Greta scene that burns into memory is a devilishly spirited, impromptu murder. When Frances’s father (Colm Feore) sends a private investigator (frequent Neil Jordan collaborator Stephen Rea) to hunt down Frances, he ends up at Greta’s home, but it doesn’t end well. As Greta cranks up the classical music to drown out the distress calls of her captive, the investigator grows suspicious, and before long, he’s met with two bullets from Greta’s gun. Unfazed, Greta continues swinging the pistol like a conductor’s baton, twirling along to the music in her living room in stockings and no shoes. It’s un-
deniable camp. “That part was completely improvised,” Huppert says. “I don’t even remember exactly how it happened. I just decided to twirl and [Jordan] was like, ‘Oh, let’s keep filming!’ What’s interesting about that kind of thing is I actually don’t think it just happens at random. In a way, the film produces it—the heart of the film makes you do certain things or go places you didn’t anticipate you’d go. And you don’t overthink it. There was a balance between the irony and all the rest of it, and things just happened. In each moment.” When asked how she related to co-star Moretz, another actress who got her start at a young age, Huppert’s forthright, confident, and uncompromising demeanor begin to especially shine through. “I don’t feel old enough to have any awareness of what it could be like working with a young actress,” she says. “I have this kind of thinking where I want to be working, and that sort of thing doesn’t even come through my thinking or perception. Chloe is young, but she’s so mature that I almost wouldn’t consider her a young actress. Also, she started when she was almost five years old, but I started much, much later, at 15.” Naturally, we reach the topic of more and more actresses getting greater opportunities in the film industry, and the fact that we’re seeing more movies like Greta, in which the women are the focus and the male characters merely support. But Huppert has a slightly alternative view on the matter, and sees a specific distinction with this film. “We’ve always seen female leads in movies over the years,” she says. “It’s not about the number, it’s about the typs of roles [being offered]. What’s more interesting about this role is that you may expect it to be played by a man, not a woman. I think that’s what will strike people. Greta seems very naive and fragile and then she turns out to be a total monster.” And while Huppert expresses great pride in the fact that she’s forged a powerful career foundation (she says she draws strength from within herself, and not from outside sources), the actress says, “I don’t necessarily think all female roles should be powerful. That’s not the point. The point is to be striking in the story.” And does anything frighten her? “No,” she says. “By no means. Nothing is scary. Working with a bad director is the only thing that should scare you.” n
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INTERVIEW A.D. AMOROSI
GARY CLARK JR. Seeing red while playing blues, This Land is Clark’s new manifesto.
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I THINK I GOT CONFIDENT IN LYRICS WRITING WHEN I HAD CHILDREN. THAT’S WHEN I STARTED ASKING MYSELF WHAT WAS IT THAT I STAND FOR? WHAT AM I AS A MAN? WHO AM I GOING TO BE, AND CONTINUE TO BE, FOR MY KIDS? WHERE YOU STAND MATTERS.
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DESPITE FILLING HIS FIRST album with trippy hip hop and delicate neo-soul, Texas guitarist and singer Gary Clark Jr. has a rep for being all-blues, all-the-time. His Blak and Blu (2012) and The Story of Sonny Boy Slim (2015) featured the pulse of hip hop and the swagger of R&B, but all anyone could concentrate on was his blistering guitar leads. Well, his just-released, third studio album, This Land, still rages and steams in the guitar department and its music, just as much as in hip hop, rock and funk as his other records. Only this time, Clark Jr. has found lyrics as equally incendiary as his rave-up guitar skills. Think not? Check him out at The Met Philadelphia on March 29 for further evidence. Let’s start with a Philadelphia question: one of the first ways that many diverse audiences got to know the live Gary Clark Jr. experience was from your two appearances on both days of the debut “Made in America” festival in 2012. There were a lot of eyes on you. What do you remember most about that event? What I recall from that is that we were in the middle of “Don’t Owe You a Thing,” and all of a sudden, the crowd went wild. Wow, I was like ‘Aw man, they’re really feeling it. This is something incredible.’ Just so happens, the crowd got excited because Jay Z and Beyoncé happened to walk through the crowd right during my show. That’s what the hype was about. It was a cool moment though. People peg you to the blues, hip hop, and R&B, and that has been part of your equation going back to the first album. Other than the work you’ve done with Childish Gambino (2016’s “The Night Me and Your Mama Met” from Gambino’s Awaken, My Love!) and trap stuff on your new album, how do you feel about hip hop? I grew up listening to hip hop. My uncle introduced me to Warren G and West Coast stuff. I had friends who introduced me to Tupac, Biggie and DMX. And I fell in love with the production, New York guys like RZA, West Coast guys like Dr. Dre. J Dilla, DJ Premier, Swizz Beats. I was an ’80s/’90s R&B guy, too, so there were elements of that carrying through to my records. Terry Riley. Jam & Lewis. I grew up with those people, and they were as big an inspiration to me as Buddy Guy, Albert King, and Eric Clapton—all at the same time. It’s not the first time you’ve captured a gospel sound, but it does feel like your most earnest: “The Guitar Man”… very gospel. What is your relationship to the church? My relationship to the church was that I started out playing downtown on 6th Street on weekends, and my mother said that if I could play for the drunks downtown on a Saturday, I could play for Jesus on Sunday. Now, I wasn’t doing well in school then, so playing was my thing. ‘You have to
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give me something, Mom,’ but rather than be grounded, I could still play in church. I learned about the guitar there. I’m going to guess—and it’s not so far-flung a guess— that you’ve wanted to break free of the bluesman tag, and that you had to be frustrated by being pigeonholed. How would you say that your second album, The Story of Sonny Boy Slim, tore that notion down? How was that album a precursor to This Land? Sure. I always made records that had a soul element. Curtis Mayfield, Ray Charles,the Temptations, Chi-Lites, Diana Ross & the Supremes, Sam Cooke—I heard all that before any electric guitar or anything like that. Around that time, I kept hearing people say that I was this way or that way. I just figured right then that I wanted to take a step back, to just do what felt natural to me as a musician. The label gave me one shot to do just that, then another with This Land. The third album has got to be better than the second album, so we broke down Slim, what we could do differently, what we needed to explore. We listened to lots of other records, some new stuff, and some that came before us and put it all together. With This Land, we just wanted to do something great, and not put it in any genre or stick to any pre-written script, Let’s just make noise. And lyrically, as you did on Sonny Boy Slim and tracks like “Hold On,” you started utilizing an honesty and a disgust with where the African American community was, and what its struggles were becoming. Something that made new songs such as “The Governor” and “This Land” bold, or at least as audacious as your guitar playing. When and how did you become a confident lyricist? You can only be that biting if you’re that assured. I think I got confident in lyrics writing when I had children. That’s when I started asking myself what was it that I stand for? What am I as a man? Who am I going to be, and continue to be, for my kids? Where you stand, matters. Considering some of the places you went lyrically on this album, was there any trepidation in perhaps saying too much or feeling too deeply? If I did, I would have stopped myself. There is as much love on this new album as there is disgust and bile. What’s the challenge of love versus hate on This Land? Or is hate too strong a word. Yeah. Let me clarify that because I don’t believe there is hate on the album. My intention is to give people a perspective from someone who has felt belittled and frustrated, and no longer wishes to deal with those situations. I wouldn’t call that hate—I call that recognition. It’s emotion, pure emotion. It is just what it is. n
Gary Clark Jr. Photo: Frank Maddocks. ICON | MARCH 2019 | ICONDV.COM | FACEBOOK.COM/ICONDV
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REEL NEWS
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
DVDS REVIEWED BY GEORGE OXFORD MILLER
The Miseducation of Cameron Post (Dir. Desiree Akhavan. Starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Forrest Goodluck, Sasha Lane.) This story has two sides: some will focus on the Christian conversiontherapy programs for gays in the 1990s, and ask why these schools weren’t filled with priests; others will celebrate powerful teens who fight misdirected cultural norms and become their true selves. When Cameron (Moretz) gets caught with her girlfriend, she’s sent away to God’s Promise, a boarding school. The story arc demands that she evolve and change into a regenerated, self-realized person, and she does, but not the way her supervisors intend. Instead, her empowerment comes by bonding with two other rebels. Adam (Goodluck), a Navaho two-spirit, and Jane Fonda (Lane), who grows marijuana in the woods. Director Akhavan is more interested in developing the characters and the personalities and strengths of the three oppressed teens than providing hysterics or demonizing the adult authorities. The strident headmistress, and Rev. Rick (John Gallagher Jr.), her brother who brags he overcame his own homosexuality, are indeed zealous and determined to convert their wards. The irony isn’t lost that they are the ones, not the students, who need a reeducation on what God’s love really means. The film won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. [NR] HHH 22
Green Book (Dir. Peter Farrelly. Starring Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali.) Though positioned in 1960s Jim Crow South, this dramatized true story isn’t a rehash of “Driving Miss Daisy.” It’s the classic road trip where the conflicts, in the car and outside, trigger an unmapped inner journey for the men more challenging than the treacherous journey they encounter en route. When world-class black pianist Dr. Don Shirley (Ali) schedules a classical concert tour through the deep South, he hires an Italian nightclub bouncer Tony Lip (Mortensen) as his driver-bodyguard. Tony comes from a culture where you disrespect someone at your peril, and you demand respect in return. So the erudite, dignified, and immaculately dressed Dr. Shirley, who lives in an apartment above Carnegie Hall, sits in the back seat of his blue Caddy and expounds on the benefits of refined culture while Vic drives and smokes and chides him for not listening to Little Richard music. Director Peter Farrelly uses the extreme differences to stretch the universes of each man, both comically and seriously, to see each other and themselves with new eyes. The two became close friends for life. This insightfully-acted, feel-good movie won a Golden Globe for Best Movie and garnered five Academy nominations. [PG-13] HHHHH Shoplifters (Dir. Hirokazu Koreeda.
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Starring, Lily Franky, Sakura Ando, Moemi Katayama, Mayu Matsuoka.) Criminal clans make great story material. In the The Sopranos saga, family members commit horrendous crimes, yet never violate the code that family comes first. Shoplifters is a crime-family saga that explores the basic concept of “family” and what makes it so inviolate. Osamu (Franky) and his wife Nobuyo (Ando), and her adult sister Aki (Matsuoka) live with Nobuyo’s grandmother. The adults scramble in low-wage, demeaning jobs to make ends meet. The story develops the family members’ fears and feelings and fills us with empathy for their struggle to survive. Living in the underbelly of society makes normalcy impossible, so they create an unorthodox definition of reality that lets them endure as a surrogate family. That includes liberating an abused 5-year-old girl from her parents, and adopting her into their protective, three-generational household. Their radical lifestyle finally comes under government scrutiny for an unforgettable ending. The film won this year’s Cannes Palme d’Or award. [R] HHHH Can You Ever Forgive Me? (Dir. Marielle Heller. Starring Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant, Dolly Wells.) This biopic, based on Lee Israel’s memoir, brings life to one of the most talented but scorned and socially inept authors in the 1990s New York literary
scene. Israel (McCarthy) made her name writing in-depth biographies of bygone famous authors and Hollywood celebrities. Her corrosive personality, punctuated with large amounts of alcohol and profanity, made her a social pariah. When the public’s appetite shifts from authoritative biography to a gossip-column scandal, she loses her book contract, copy-editing job, faces eviction, and her cat, her only friend in the world, gets sick. Always a fierce fighter who spurns defensive maneuvering for in-your-face offense, Israel discovers how to use her writing talents and in-depth knowledge of past celebrities. She invents a new literary genre and starts a cottage industry of forging letters from famous personalities. She adds embellishments based on her research to enhance their authenticity and quadruple their market value. McCarthy shines as a multi-dimensional misfit with broken dreams and an acerbic personality you love to hate. You understand, and maybe even empathize with her, though you’d never chat her up at a party because you know her first sentence would be an insult. Israel eventually finds a drinking buddy and co-conspirator, Jack Hock (Grant), a debonair extrovert who balances her bombastic, abrasive manner. McCarthy’s comic timing and satire and Grant’s sophisticated barbs keep the story roiling toward an unexpected ending. [R] HHHH
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FOREIGN / DOCUMENTARY PETE CROATTO
The Invisibles
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N THE EARLY 2000s, IT seemed like every week a slew of movies—both documentaries and feature films—took aim at the George W. Bush administration. Though it’s not nearly as direct, now spot connections regarding Trump’s America in what I review. Maybe it’s because I’m heightened to everything that’s happening—or not happening—that what I see ties into the current state of affairs. Thanks to a 24/7 news cycle, there’s no time for reflection. Everything gets shoved into the prism of the latest offense. If there’s a positive, it’s that movies provide more immediate comfort. Claus Räfle’s The Invisibles is a wonderful example. A mixture of interviews and cinematic reenactments, the film profiles four young Berliners who hid in plain sight as Hitler purged millions of Jews. About 7,000 people took this course of action, assuming new identities and trying to blend in a world where they were not wanted. The four subjects—Cioma Schönhaus, Hanni Lévy, Ruth Arndt, and Eugen Friede—tell their stories. Flashbacks fea24
turing actors in period settings fill in the rest. What’s most remarkable is how these men and women recount their stories so evenly. It’s a moment in a life now filled with spouses, children, and other accomplishments. Their gentle strength is inspiring, but what stays with you is how a random act saved them: an informant showing a snippet of sympathy; a Nazi officer’s family knowingly hiring two Jewish girls as maids and not caring; a Gentile family showing some compassion instead of playing along; a Russian soldier asking two strangers to say Sh’ma Yisrael instead of shooting them. By avoiding the pillars of the awful Nazi narrative—Hitler, concentration camps—the value of us shines through. There are more regular people in the world than people of note, however you want to define that term. (One man’s Kim Kardashian is another man’s Kirsten Gillibrand.) But every life is important, especially two groups: those whose presence in the world yielded a net positive, and the people who understand this concept. Being a hero is doing what
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you know is right, such as seeing someone beyond how they fit into your agenda. That’s the reassuring part about The Invisibles—the world has gone through these difficulties before and has survived it. Now it’s America’s turn to deal with a dimwit white supremacist running things. It has taken me too long to recognize the value of films like The Invisibles, because enlightenment does not get passed to the next generation like eye color. It’s easy to assume a stance of moral superiority when you focus only on your state of affairs: I’m doing great, so this story of hardship from the past doesn’t apply to me. I fully realize that very reason will keep a large swath of people—including those who run the country—from watching The Invisibles. It’s not in English. It’s too subtle and empathetic to make an impact. Plus, it doesn’t star Mark Wahlberg or blondes in push-up bras. But the people who watch can walk away reassured that compassion and understanding have historical impact. That’s worth something, even now. [NR] n
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FOODIE FILE A.D. AMOROSI
IT’S A PRIVATE MATTER Membership has its privileges
Chef Kevin Sbraga.
Palizzi Social Club.
The Union League.
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HAT’S WHAT WE LEARNED from the 2018 opening of the Palizzi Social Club at 1408 S 12th Street in South Philadelphia The private membership club and restaurant/rowhome filled with delightful cocktails and a roster of ItalianAmerican classics has become a culinary wonder in an area—no, a city—filled with El Greco Roman eats. Too often lost in its speakeasy vibe and hard-to-get membership (they’re making more available in March after a member was caught selling his on eBay, and ousted from the PSC) is the fact that South Philly-born-and-bred chef-owner Joey Baldino, can cook his ass off, whether stirring up a pot with original menu options or pulling from his grandmother’s recipes such as tender calamari and peas, and stromboli with pepperoni and mozzarella. Baldino has such a strong hand when it comes to the chef-ing department, that he’s writing and publishing a cookbook, Dinner at the Club: 100 Years of Stories and Recipes from South Philly’s Palizzi Social Club in October of this year. Still, the allure of the PSC stems from the fact that Palizzi Club opened in 1918 as a respite for Italian immigrants from the Abruzzo region newly moved to the area. When Baldino inherited the space from his Uncle Ernesto several years ago, Chef Baldino not only kept the look of a private club (checkerboard floors, club charters on the wall), but the intimate and rarefied feel of the remote, the private. Plus, he kept the membership costs low, only $20. Other private club restaurants in Philadelphia have made a culinary enterprise of their exclusivity, while one longtime personal space has decided to swing wide its behind-door secrets to the larger public. The Union League on Broad Street costs a bit more than the Pallzzi does (at last glance, over-age 50 initiation fee $25,000; ages 30-50 $10,000-$17,500; ages 21-29 $5,000. Annual dues about $8,800), but its membership is a way different animal. The opulent property on Broad Street is as operatic as Pallzzi, only it’s Wagner vs Puccini. Founded in 1862 as a patriotic society to support the policies of Abraham Lincoln, the members-only club is highly Republican, and is a still-private restaurant (for members and their guests—wearing suit and tie is de rigueur). The 1862 Restaurant by Martin Hamann is a strictly an American menu option.
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The Pyramid Club, open since 1993 on the 52nd floor of the BNY Mellon Center at 1735 Market Street, has forever been members-only whether it comes to its meetings or its dining options. Dedicated to “the current and future leaders gathered to build the success of Philadelphia to the highest level while still honoring its rich heritage,” the Pyramid is as high-and-mighty, as it is high into the clouds. This sense of aloof privacy just changed, however, at the end of February, when fine dining at the Pyramid opened to the public Tuesdays through Fridays, under the watchful eye and zestfully tasty chef skills and menu development of Sylva Senat. Famed for his time at the white-linen Indian restaurant Tashan, and then at Senat’s own Maison 208, in the Gayborhood, the chef is currently preparing at the Pyramid Club a four-course tasting menu ($75, with wine pairings available) with foie gras mousse toast, Thai basil risotto with wild mushroom, vegan caponata, and Parmesan froth, braised Kurobuta pork shank. There also is an a la carte menu in the works for mid-spring. Talking about this sense of membership privacy in Philadelphia is a lead-in to the spring opening of the long-discussed, much-anticipated Fitler Club at 2400 Market Street, a plush, posh hot spot dedicated to the new-money millennials and upcoming youthful elite (think young techie types and zealous, snobby entrepreneurs). Created by hospitality business financier David Gutstadt—the man behind hotel deals at Goldman Sachs Group and Morgan Stanley—the 2400 Market Fitler space, the home to the giant Aramark Corp.’s new world headquarters, will host food and beverage services managed by Vetri Family co-founder Jeff Benjamin, with Chef Kevin Sbraga at the helm of the new restaurant. Chef Sbraga’s credits range from winning the Bravo network program, Top Chef, to owning his own eponymous Broad Street restaurant and West Philly’s eatery, the Fat Ham. Like the Union League and Philly’s tony exclusive Racquet Club, the new Fitler has it own lodgings: a five-star hotel; a fitness center with a pool; and a screening room. Bully. Huzzah. We’ll report back on the Fitler’s sense of style, privacy and mod opulence after we lean back on a chaise lounge and see things more clearly through our pince nez. n
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POP A.D. AMOROSI
M
arch is a time of transition (winter to spring) and deceit (the Ides of March) and these devious, decadent albums capture all sides of that equation.
Mike Posner HHH A Real Good Kid Island From the tone of his 2010 debut “Cooler Than Me,” pop-hop beardo Mike Posner had a seemingly breezy take on life, love and responsibility. If you could have squeezed two Justins (Timberlake and Bieber— Posner has written for the latter) into one shaggy clubrap trap, it would come out smelling sweet like Mike. There’s always been a melancholy edge to Posner’s innocence mission, but his light soulful rasp, gently
Photo: Meredith Truax.
thumping grooves and upbeat optimism always gives away his unique club kiddishness. Posner’s third studio album, A Real Good Kid, however, portrays what a few years (he turns 31 in February), and several tragedies (the death of his father after a protracted illness, the suicide of friend-collaborator Avicii) can do to a man, and how he thinks of that now-ragged axis of life, love and responsibility. For once, he sounds as if he’s living deeply within the moment (backed by thick brass synth on “Song about You,” he sounds brusque), and seeks to have his audience contemplate the gravity of the split second. Elements of A Real Good Kid may sound as bright as those Ibizan shores—the meaty, world beat-y “Stuck in the Middle,” for example. But, the majority of Posner’s most mature and vulnerable recording to date finds the weight of consequence and the emotional passage of time (as on “Drip”) to be thrilling in its uncertainty, but treacherously sad once the end hits, hard. Beirut HHH Gallipoli 4AD If there were but one deeply emotive artist who could be accused of playing it cool, and making it all 28
sound as chilled as an icy martini—despite his occasional Hot Jazz gypsy leanings, sensual cabaret kinks and Tijuana Brass references— it is Zach Condon. The one-man responsible for Beirut’s brand has had a long career of tenderly quixotic lyrics and mashing up Mexicali, Italian and Eastern European tones, with but his mellow musicality and tenderly handsome (and big) vocals to unite any loose threads. One of the first sensations gathered from listening to Gallipoli, then, comes from the subtraction of any overt rock touchstones. This time out, armed with his Farfisa, his torridly emotive voice and his Technicolor arrangements, Condon has truly made his most adult listening effort. With windy brass swirling behind him like a John Ford epic starring Montgomery Clift on the dramatically dream title song, Condon speaks of the what-couldhaves and should-haves with eerie ease. “We tell tales to be known, or to be spared from sorrow,” croons Condon, woozily. Singing of disastrous relationships and experiential angst with curling, vintage Moog squiggles and wheezy organs behind him, “Landslide” and “Varieties of Exile” could be Condon’s (barely) modernist take on Paul Bowles’ vision of existential ardor. The spare horn charts and ruminative lyrics of “We Never Lived Here,” too, portrays a sort-of drifting, a man with no name, a place with no compass point. Bunk Johnson and Lead Belly HHHH Bunk & Lead Belly At New York Town Hall 1947 Org A gods-of-the-genre summit by any other name, this raggedly-recorded live album from the intimate Town Hall highlights players from folk, blues and jazz stirring up the pot of old in the charge of acousticplucking guitarist and vocalist, Lead Belly, and trum-
Johnson gripe that he was hungry and beat between songs. But Bunk goes from baleful to brilliant in seconds flat, and Leadbelly is craggily winning on his blues bolstered best such as “Good Morning Blues,” “Yellow Gal,” and “Bottle Up and Go.” When Lead sits back, Johnson and his slow grooving brethren take hard control of the marvelously mellow on the sauntering (but no less percolating) likes of “After You’ve Gone,” “Muskrat Ramble,” “Someday, Sweetheart,” and the deeply bluesy, blowsy, and woozy, “Baby Please Come Home.” The Specials HHH1/2 Encore Island The Specials may have been responsible for the ska revival that followed in the wake of its 1979 debut, a movement based on skanking reggae rhythms and rude boy, London gangster lyrics tinged with socio-political angst. Yet, there was sophistication to go with its raw power that showed a cosmopolitan eclat, airily and atmospherically, on its sophomore album, More Specials. What the British ensemble—led by deadpan singer/droll wordsmith Terry Hall and composerfounder Jerry Dammers — did, as whole, was bring much needed color and an African-Anglo punch to post-punk’s politicized rants and pale grooves. So, for the first new Specials album to feature Hall in 39 years,
Photo courtesy of Island Records.
Leadbelly sits in with Bunk’s band.
peter Bunk Johnson. Released onto vinyl for the first time here (it originally came out in 1993), this was no easy gig for any of the assembled mass-mess. Gathering together an odd Fellini-esque cast—Omer Simeon and Edmond Hall on clarinets, trombonist Jimmy Archey, pianist Ralph Sutton, banjoist Danny Barker, Cyrus St. Clair on tuba and string bass, drummer Freddie Moore behind them—this is the most human of sessions. The sound isn’t always perfectly miked. As this was recorded for a radio broadcast, you can hear
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Brexit, BlackLivesMatter# and Tories are the order of the day, vocalized in his signature blank, nasal fashion. Together with fellow remaining original Specials Lynval Golding and Horace Panter (but not Dammers), Hall & Co still make cranky reggae (e.g. “Embarrassed by You”), but mix it up with LCD Soundsystem-ish disco funk (“BLM”) and Latin music for a melting pot that always boils over. When not touching on the health of their nation, as on the happily heavy-handed “Vote for Me,” and revolt on the circus-y “Breaking Point,” Hall speak-sings his truth about his own psychological well-being on the genteel “The Life and Times (Of a Man Called Depression)” and the surprisingly optimistic “We Sell Hope.” n
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JAZZ, ROCK, CLASSICAL, ALT MARK KERESMAN
Marcy Rosen & Susan Walters
HHHH
Cello Sonatas of Richard Strauss & Edvard Grieg Bridge Tag Richard Strauss (1864-1949) a composer nearly everyone has heard whether they know it or not—the opening to Also Sprach Zarathustra was used by Stanley Kubrick in his 2001: A Space Odyssey. Strauss’ Death and Transfiguration was a major inspiration for Charles Mingus, and Strauss impacted composers John Williams (Star Wars), and Alfred Newman. While best known for orchestral works and operas, Strauss had a go at chamber works and this “Sonata in F Major” is one such. It’s an amiable work for cello and piano, contrasting the elegance of Mozart and Brahms with the volatile restlessness and drama of Mahler and Wagner. From Norway, Edward Grieg (1843-1907) has a big 20th/21st century presence: Trent Reznor, Duke Ellington, Electric Light Orchestra, The Who, and Big Brother & the Holding Company performed/recorded his Hall of the Mountain King and his music can be heard on TV’s Mad Men and the movies The Social Network, M, and Trolls. Norway’s folk strains influenced Grieg, so there’s a melodicism that makes his work accessible to rock/pop/movie soundtrack-weaned ears. While Strauss is moody and (very) slightly dissonant, Grieg is sweeping, stirring, and dripping oldfashioned melodrama. This one— beautifully recorded and passionately performed—hits it out of the park for classical newbies and devotees alike. (6 tracks, 53 min.) bridgerecords.com Stephan Thelen HHHH1/2 Fractal Guitar Moonjune Here’s another one for the “File under…?” series. Jazz fans might say Fractal Guitar is rock because of a frequent heavy beat; rock fans might say it’s too jazzy (the presence of improvisation), while Swiss guitarist Stephan Thelen (member of the band Sonar) has some street cred as a composer, seeing as the Kronos Quartet, one of America’s most cutting edge classical string quartet recorded a composition of his. “Fusion” might fit, too—guitarists David Torn and Henry 30
Kaiser are among the players herein, as is six-stringer Barry Cleveland. Thelen uses a system of electronic delay, so he can virtually play along with himself, in the manner of Robert Fripp. Like Fripp, his style involves sustaining notes, though not to the extent Fripp does. Fractal Guitar is spa-
Stephan Thelen, Powerplay, January 2015
cious, genre-defying music to get lost in, alternately dense and spacy, a set of soundscapes alternately feverish and serene and, occasionally, both simultaneously. While it does shimmer at times, it’s not exactly ambient, as there is a potent sense of rhythm at work and the guitarists employ riffs/motifs that evoke surf music and soundtracks to film noir and intergalactic voyage movies. For need of some “journey to the center of the mind” sounds, Fractal Guitar will satisfy nicely. (5 tracks, 68 min.) moonjune.com Phillip Johnston & Coolerators
HHH1/2
Diggin’ Bones Asynchronous Records This Phillip Johnston fellow (saxophonist/composer) has been happily confounding audiences since circa 1980, when he established the Microscopic Septet, a sax-heavy little big band that brilliantly mixed Eric Dolphy/Ornette Coleman with the swing and spunk of ’40s big band jazz and the cool-cat/amiably gruff earthiness of the jazz/R&B mating(s) of Ray Charles, David “Fathead” Newman and Earl Bostic. Johnston’s composed music for movies (The Music of Chance, Faithful) and is a member of the Captain Beefheart tribute band Fast ‘n Bulbous. American-born but now based in Australia, Johnston is here mixing it up with some Aussie cats including organ-
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ist Alister Spence and bassist Lloyd Swanton (The Necks, a swell jazz/minimalist trio). The combo goes for an amalgam of groove jazz (think Medeski Martin & Wood, Jimmy Smith, Larry Young) with plenty of tasty, heavy-textured Hammond organ, and catchy, melodious, slightly quirky post bop. Johnston’s alto and soprano, while ardent, leans to the elegant, lithe, long flowing lines of Benny Carter and shaken-not-stirred, cool-as-the-flipside-of-the-pillow reserve of Paul Desmond. “The Revenant” has a languorous pull that’s part bossa nova and part reggae, while Johnston plays like Sherlock Holmes probing a mystery. “Legs Yet” is Thelonious Monklike angular and Horace Silver catchy ‘n’ sleek, Spence’s organ cooking like a Philly steak & cheese waiting to hit the fried peppers, Johnston’s soprano tart and strutting. Bones brims over with unusual, but fascinating contrasts, like intellectuals debating philosophy over suds and BBQ. (10 tracks, 59 min.) phillipjohnston.com Michel Petrucciani Trio HHHHH One Night in Karlsruhe Jazz Haus/Naxos The life of French jazz pianist Michel Petrucciani (1962-1999) would make for an inspirational movie. He was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, which accounted for his small stature, brittle bones and a lifetime of constant pain. Before establishing himself as a leader, he tinkled the keys for no less than Kenny Clarke and Clark Terry, going on to play with Wayne Shorter and Charles Lloyd. His style took elements from Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett (lyricism) and Oscar Peterson (virtuosity) and he’d sometimes tend to bravura, likably over-thetop showiness. This One Night… live in Germany July 1988, found Petrucciani playing with bass ace Gary Peacock (Jarrett, Albert Ayler, and Ravi Shankar) and drumming demigod Roy Haynes (darn near everyone from Charlie Parker to Pat Metheny) and the results are…exhilarating. Here you get sublime balladry (“In a Sentimental Mood,” guaranteed to transport you to Your Own Special Time, notes just hang and reverberate gently) and dynamic, convivial swing (“There Will Never Be Another You,” Haynes crackling like thunder, Peacock always nim-
ble as a cat). The recording quality is vibrant, in-your-face, you-are-there. (10 tracks, 77 min.) naxos.com/labels/swrjazzhaus-cd.htm
Michel Petrucciani.
D.J. Sparr HHH1/2 Electric Bands Innova D.J. Sparr is a composer and guitarist from Lubbock, Texas. He’s been a featured soloist with the London Symphony Orchestra and with new (notated) music ensemble Eighth Blackbird; his own music has been performed by the Albany and Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras. Electric Bands is a collection of Sparr works for small ensembles. His music is mostly tonal (as opposed to atonal, albeit with some judicious dissonances) and continues the American Maverick Tradition in classical music, those semi-renegades such as Charles Ives, George Antheil, George Crumb, and Leonard Bernstein. Those lads were mindful of the Euro-descended model for composition but fully embraced inspiration(s) from American folk strains, jazz, pop culture, film music, rock/pop and its various offshoots, and so is Sparr. With its overtones from Appalachian music and somber modernist drama, “Earthcaster Suite” could almost be an Aaron Copeland work. “Avaloch” for string quartet sounds as if it’s emanating from a time machine, taking a bit from each decade since 1920 and stops to score an Alfred Hitchcock film. Sparr’s music is ambitious and challenging, but engagingly so, casting 20th and 21st century music, almost as a whole, through a prism—fascinating but with feeling and subtle humor. (12 tracks, 47 min.) innova.mu n
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31
harper’s FINDINGS
INDEX
Migrant women who have recently settled in Australia and Canada understand menopause both as an “Age of Despair” and “When Life Starts.” Extreme weight-loss behaviors are equally prevalent among US inner-city adolescents of all races but are most extreme among girls who have been abused and feel hopeless. A psychologist described the clinical features of death from give-up-itis and warned that the vestiges of goal-directed behavior displayed by the afflicted shortly before death are directed toward the goal of ceasing to live. Chinese adolescents who are sleepy in the daytime are likelier to try to kill themselves. A study of Norwegian men who had attempted suicide distinguished between two intentions: “to die” and “not to die.” Danish medical researchers examined the “existential strength” of significant others preparing for the return of their partners from the hospital. Israeli gerontologists examined the factors that contribute to elderly Jews’ will to live, and people afflicted with lockedin syndrome have a stronger will to live than others assume. Doctors in Spanish-speaking countries tested a translated version of the Demoralization Scale. Apathy is highly consistent in patients with young-onset dementia. Periodontitis was associated with mild depression in Brazilians.
Percentage of pending cases at the European Court of Human Rights that were filed against the Russian government: 19 That were filed against the UK government: 0.5 Portion of Americans who believe another world war is likely: 2/3 Percentage of Americans who say they would be “not at all” willing to volunteer to fight in another world war: 42 Who say they would be “very” or “somewhat” willing: 31 Number of the ten deadliest heat waves in recorded history that have occurred since 2000: 9 Est. percentage chance the UN’s “worst-case scenario” for global warming is too optimistic: 35 Factor by which more energy is required to mine a dollar’s worth of bitcoin than a dollar’s worth of copper: 4.25 Year that Alberta, Canada, launched campaign to eliminate its breeding populations of rats: 1950 Estimated number of times a rat is spotted there each year: 24 Percentage of Americans who, when asked, say that caring for animals gives their lives a “great deal” of meaning: 45 Who mention pets or animals as a source of meaning without being prompted: 5 Year by which a Norwegian company aims to use dead fish to help power cruise ships: 2021 Estimated portion of Norwegians who regularly play chess online: 1/10 Who watched the World Chess Championship in November: 3/5 Percentage of soccer fans who have witnessed racial abuse during a match: 54 Percentage of soccer fans who would be comfortable having a player of a different race or ethnicity on their favorite team: 84 Of Saudi Arabian soccer fans: 11 Rank of flag football among the fastest-growing US team sports from 2016 to 2017: 1 Percentage by which more US children aged 6 to 12 play flag football than play tackle football: 12 Percentage of US college graduates whose first jobs do not typically require a college degree: 43 Of college graduates whose jobs five years post-graduation do not require a college degree: 35 Percentage change in the number of US homeless from 2010 to 2017: −13 In the number of homeless in the ten most expensive US cities: +31 Percentage of Americans who say they are still paying off debt from the 2017 holiday season: 15 Average value of labor that US employees annually donate to their employers by not taking vacation days: $561 Average number of state and local tax breaks of $50 million or more awarded to corporations annually since 2010: 22 Time at which Arkansas shuts down the website on which Medicaid recipients must report their work hours: 9:00 pm Number of states with lower rates of internet access than Arkansas: 0 Average no. of photos and videos that English parents post online of their kids by age 13: 1,300 Percentage increase in US households without paid television subscriptions since 2015: 30 Min. percentage of the teen birth-rate decline from 1999 to 2007 attributable to internet access: 7 Percentage of 18- to 29-year-old social-media users who say it’s acceptable for their data to be used to personalize ads: 54 Who say it’s acceptable for their data to be used to show messages from political campaigns: 35 % decrease last year in Facebook employees who are optimistic about the company’s future: 38 In employees who believe the company is making the world better: 26 Percentage increase in the number of job postings with the title “Rock Star” since 2014: 205 With the title “Ninja”: 453 Number of degrees since 1999 by which the Leaning Tower of Pisa has straightened: 0.55
9
Ravens may be able to plan without thinking, and jackdaws act cautiously when they notice an inanimate stick moving on its own. Rats will rescue trapped robots and prefer social interaction to narcotics. Dogs possess known unknowns. The majority of adult cockroaches, but no immature cockroaches, can defend against emerald jewel wasps’ attempts to turn them into zombies. Cave fish are left with permanent scars when their hearts are damaged, whereas their surface-dwelling cousins’ hearts can regenerate. Many European cave paintings that appear to represent animals actually depict constellations. Planetary astrobiologists who observed a rare rainfall in the Atacama Desert discovered that it killed off what little life had persisted there. Humans may not have been responsible for the extinction of African megafauna. The closest remaining genetic trace of the domesticated dog that lived in the Americas before European contact is preserved as a transmissible cancer. The museum collections of the University of Helsinki were confirmed to include a bastard seal. Fluiddynamics researchers explained why wombats’ feces are cubed.
9
Chinese state media reported a plan to put an artificial moon into orbit. Scientists issued extinction warnings for thousands of species, including sharks and rays threatened by overfishing and coastal construction; the Australian rat kangaroo, threatened by land clearing, wildfires, and feral cats; the San Quintín kangaroo rat, threatened by conditions that previously led scientists to presume it was already extinct; a giant Mediterranean clam threatened by a mystery parasite; and a variety of rare bees threatened by Donald Trump. Australian officials were determining their conservation priorities, in part, on the basis of whether certain animals are “iconic.” Waste from invasive Asian jumping earthworms was contaminating US soil, climate change will make oysters less nutritious, and the Deepwater Horizon spill was found to have ruined stingrays’ sense of smell. Higher pollen counts are linked to decreases in violent crime, whereas warmer winters contribute to an increase in crime rates. A warm room makes people likelier to say yes. An incendiary gender-reveal event planned by a US Border Patrol agent was revealed to have caused a massive Arizona wildfire. Intense wildfires were releasing additional CO 2 , exacerbating the warming cycle, and CO 2 levels were higher than they have been in at least 3 million years. Sometimes the commons are not tragic, but most of the time they are. 32
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SOURCES: 1,2 European Court of Human Rights (Strasbourg, France); 3–5 YouGov (NYC); 6 Debarati
Guha, Catholic University of Louvai (Brussels); 7 Peter Christensen, University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign; 8 Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (Cincinnati); 9,10 Alberta Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Edmonton, Canada); 11,12 Pew Research Center (Washington); 13 Hill+Knowlton Strategies (Miami); 14 Norwegian Chess Federation (Oslo); 15 Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (Oslo); 16–18 Kick It Out (London); 19,20 Sports & Fitness Industry Association (Silver Spring, Md.); 21,22 Burning Glass Technologies (Boston); 23,24 US Department of Housing and Urban Development; 25 YouGov; 26 US Travel Association (Washington); 27 Good Jobs First (Washington); 28 Arkansas Department of Human Services (Little Rock); 29 US Department of Education; 30 Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England (London); 31 UBS (NYC); 32 Melanie Guldi, University of Central Florida (Orlando); 33,34 Pew Research Center; 35,36 Facebook (Menlo Park, Calif.); 37,38 Indeed (Austin, Tex.); 39 Nunziante Squeglia, University of Pisa (Italy).
b
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JAZZ LIBRARY BOB PERKINS
JIMMY SCOTT
ONE DAY MANY YEARS ago, while in Center City Philadelphia, I stared longingly at the marquee attached to the Click nightclub. The club was located on Market Street and I wanted to check out the goings-on inside because the neon sign told me that the Lionel Hampton band was booked—and with him was his band singer, Little Jimmy Scott, whom I wanted to see and hear in the worst way. I’d hear Jimmy sing, courtesy of some of the hipper radio DJs who were playing Hampton’s recording of “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool,” on which Jimmy was featured. I had a couple problems in not being able to get into the Click and hear Jimmy sing—as a teenager, I didn’t have Click money, nor did I meet the club’s age requirement. In a few years, I’d racked up enough mileage (years) on my odometer to get into clubs, and finally did get to hear Jimmy Scott sing at a small club down the block from the now defunct Click, known as Spider Kelly’s. Jimmy had left the Hampton band by then, and was carving out a career on his own. His career was fraught with troubles, dilemmas and a host of other unfortunate circumstances, which at times slowed his progress as an entertainer to a standstill. (Bad luck held fast to Jimmy from birth and into his early teens, when his mother was killed by a drunk driver.) Jimmy Scott was born, July 17, 1925 in Cleveland, Ohio, and from the very beginning he came into the world suffering from an ailment called Kallman syndrome, a genetic disorder that limits growth, prevented him from reaching puberty, and left him with a high voice. In his late 30s he was under five-feet tall. Later on, though, he strangely grew another eight inches. His high voice—somewhere between soprano and tenor—was unusual for an adult male, but at the same time, so expressive, soulful and romantic, that he developed a major cult following. This, despite the fact he didn’t sound like baritone contemporaries Billy Eckstine and Johnny Hartman. Still, countless male fans wished they had Jimmy’s vocal plumbing, because female fans were in love with his voice and the way it exudes romance, and they flocked to him during engagements. After leaving Lionel Hampton’s band in the early 1950s, Jimmy struggled to find work, because the
Photo: Andrew Lepley. focus in those years was on male baritone voices. He often had to find 9 to 5 jobs. But in 1963, Ray Charles’s Tangerine label recorded Jimmy on an album titled Falling in Love is Wonderful. The album had great instrumental backing, and Jimmy’s voice was in full flower. However, the Savoy label, to which Jimmy was contacted, wouldn’t let him out of the contract, and Falling in Love is Wonderful, the album Jimmy had been longing to be a part of—and one his fans were beginning to gobble up—was pulled from the market. More than disenchanted with the record industry, Jimmy threw in the towel and found jobs as a shipping clerk, hospital orderly and elevator operator. For whatever reason, at least part of the world seemed to open up again for Jimmy, even though he was pushing 70: some of his early recordings for Savoy were suddenly released; he signed with the milestone label; and the radio stations that still played the good stuff, began to program his music. The club and concert hall bookings began to take hold, and the now-senior citizen, whose voice had been robbed by the passing years and hard luck, was finally claiming the fame that for years had eluded him—and why not? After all, this was the guy that Nancy Wilson, Ray Charles, Billy Holiday, Frankie Valley, Dinah Washington and singers of many genres had been raving about over the years—the little guy with the androgynous voice, and giant talent. After many decades, I finally not only got to meet Jimmy Scott, after long admiring his singing, and playing his music on the air, but also to interview him several times, and as an emcee introduce him to audiences at clubs and in concert halls. Jimmy Scott died at age 88 on June 12, 2014, at his home in Las Vegas. I don’t know the wording on Jimmy’s tombstone. But consistent with the hard times he suffered as an entertainer, and his ability to overcome them, any additional wording might be “Better Late Than Never.” n Bob Perkins is a writer and host of an all-jazz radio program that airs on WRTI-FM 90.1. Listen to Bob Mon. through Thurs. night from 6–9 and Sunday 9–1. ICON | MARCH 2019 | ICONDV.COM | FACEBOOK.COM/ICONDV
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The Los Angeles Times SUNDAY CROSSWORD PUZZLE
GOING GREEN By Matt McKinley
ACROSS 1 Boxer who defeated Holyfield twice 5 Contentious shoulder piece? 9 Equal-split offer 13 Rugby tussles 19 Lang. of Livorno 20 Border Patrol city of the Southwest 21 Three Rivers river 22 “That’s enough!” 23 Green 27 Samson’s betrayer 28 Pub bud 29 Apostle also called Levi 30 Habit wearer 31 Happy eating word 33 Kewpie and kachina 34 Kings, e.g. 37 Green 42 Not a Crimson fan 45 Break-in sound? 47 Hawaiian goose 48 Prepare to take off, perhaps 49 Printer function 50 Premier League soccer anchor Rebecca 51 Nissan model 53 Ownership proof 54 Suffragist Julia Ward __ 55 Terrible year? 56 Metal containers 57 Heart and soul, e.g. 59 Slapped-on restraints 60 Cremona Christmas 62 AEC successor 63 Beast in a Beatles’ title 64 Iowa summer hrs. 66 Green 71 Land in the Seine 72 Try again 74 Really irritate 75 Bully’s words 77 Come to __ 78 Tenth of a grand 80 Part of a cook’s job 81 Recognized 84 Pacific island nation 85 Winter truck attachment 86 Zoomed past 88 Unproductive 89 Walked 90 “Mean Girls” actress 92 Jim Davis canine 34
93 “The Nutcracker” dip 94 Sad sound 95 Green 99 Himalayan beast 100 Until now 101 One of the 91-Down 102 Moving wheels 104 Needing bailing out, maybe 107 60 secs. 109 Museum works 113 Green 118 Allowing for the possibility that 119 With 109-Down, obsession 120 Hot message 121 Against-the-wind sailing maneuver 122 Handy reference 123 Springlike, as weather 124 Skip-a-round privileges 125 Barrie’s bosun
DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 24 25 26 32 33 34 35 36 38 39 40
Texas city nickname Siouan tribe Interactive Facebook feature Diminutive Roxane’s lover One may come over a crowd Prankster Name of six popes Ballpark staple Yellowfin tuna Three-time Tony winner __-Manuel Miranda Daze Blew big-time In a snippy manner Falling-outs Bryce Canyon locale Clock-climbing trio Slow cooker dish Jewish month after Av Hide seeker Appalachian range The NCAA’s Spartans 1971 American Airlines debut Ice cream treat Self-help website Green 1936 Literature Nobelist Vacation home for dogs? QBs’ concerns
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41 42 43 44 46 49 51 52 58 59 61 63 64 65 67 68 69 70 73 76 78 79 80 82 83 85 87 91 95 96 97 98
100 Together Bring about 103 Homes in the woods Green 104 Bakery specialist Allowed 105 Porto-__: Benin’s capital Actually existing 106 Shake __: hurry Southwest formation 108 Accident investigation agcy. Synagogue 109 See 119-Across Word with way or case 110 Eliot’s “__ Bede” Wings 111 Track event Frodo pursuer 112 Youngster Psychiatrist Jung 114 Edge of a canyon Spot during a program Reacting to a tearjerker 115 Star Wars initials Skillfully makes 116 Smartphone no. 117 Ferdinand II of Aragón, 2003 AFI Life Achievement Award recipient por ejemplo Promise Acquire Answer to February’s puzzle, REVISITING THE PAST Kind of skiing He has the answers Geraint’s beloved Decide not to attend Intimate with Like seven Nolan Ryan games Mani mate Lamb pen name Common pay period End-of-season games Shylock’s adversary Citi Field team, on scoreboards __ de corps Filled in Throws out Like many basements
AGENDA CALL FOR ENTRIES
156th Annual Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings. An open juried show. Online entry deadline Sun., 3/17. Jury prizes, Sun., 3/31, 11-2. Exhibit: 4/1-30. Reception, Sun. April 28, 2-4. Philadelphia Sketch Club, 235 S. Camac St. Hrs: Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun, 1-5. 215-545-9298. sketchclub.org ART
THRU 3/16 Fractured, A pop up antigallery-gallery where community and art come together. Opening reception 2/23, 5-9, closing reception 3/16, 2-5. Michelle Vanselous GallerySalon, 21 Fulper Rd., Flemington, NJ. 908-788-0550. Michellevanselous.com THRU 3/24 Leslie Tucker, Devotionals. Martin Art Gallery, Muhlenberg College, 2400 Chew St., Allentown, PA. Muhlenberg.edu/gallery THRU 3/30 Mixed Media, 3rd Annual Juried Show, Bethlehem House Contemporary Art Gallery. Opening reception 2/8, 6-9; closing reception 3/30, 6-9. 459 Main St., Bethlehem, PA. 610-419-6262. Bethlehemhousegallery.com THRU 4/13 Pedro Barbeito, Paintings, 1996-2018. Lafayette College Art Galleries, Easton, PA. 610330-5361. Galleries.lafayette.edu THRU 4/13 Lydia Panas, Sleeping Beauty. Martin Art Gallery, Muhlenberg College, 2400 Chew St., Allentown. Muhlenberg.edu/gallery THRU 4/20 Cedomir Vasic, Mutable Images, Shifting Visions. Lafayette College Art Galleries, Easton. 610330-5361. Galleries.lafayette.edu
THRU 5/5 The James A. Michener Art Museum Presents, The Art of Seating, 200 Years of American Design. 138 S. Pine St., Doylestown. 215-340-9800. Michenerartmuseum.org THRU 5/5 Carrie Mae Weems, Strategies of Engagement. 31 N. 5th St., Allentown. 610-432-4333. Allentownartmuseum.org THRU 5/5 “Manufacturing Victory: The Arsenal of Democracy.” Stories of life on the home front of WWII through artifacts, photographs, oral histories, and interactive components. 84 S. Pine Street, Doylestown. 215-3450210. mercermuseum.org THRU 5/30 Liz Whitney Quisgard, Imaginary Architecture. Martin Art Gallery, Muhlenberg College, 2400 Chew St., Allentown. Muhlenberg.edu/gallery 3/2-3/24 18th Annual Juried Exhibition, Sculpture 2019. New Hope Arts, 2 Stockton Ave., New Hope. Newhopearts.org 3/2-4/7 2018 Solo Exhibition, Blues & The Abstract Truth, Desmond McRory. Silverman Gallery, 4920 York Rd., Holicong. 215794-4300. Silvermangallery.com 3/15-4/28 Victoria Burge and Robert Murray paintings and prints curated by Jonathan Lippincott. New Arts Program Gallery, 173 W. Main, Kutztown. Fri/Sat/Sun 11–3. Reception Friday 3/15, 6–9; talk 7:30. Also installation by Tamu Ngina 4/37/14. 610-683-6440. Galleries.lafayette.edu 4/1-30 156th Annual Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings. Reception, 4/28, 2-4. Philadelphia Sketch Club, 235 S. Camac St. Hrs: Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun, 1-5. 215545-9298. sketchclub.org
ART FESTIVAL
4/4-4/7 Inaugural Philadelphia Fine Art Fair, presenting important contemporary works. 23rd St. City Troop Armory, Philadelphia, PA, between Chestnut and Market. Philfineartfair.com/tickets. Complimentary tickets, use code ICON. DANCE
3/13 Murphy’s Celtic Legacy, familyfriendly. Zoellner Arts Center, 420 E. Packer Ave., Bethlehem. 610-758-2787. Zoellnerartscenter.org 3/17 Russian National Ballet Theatre, Don Quixote. Zoellner Arts Center, 420 E. Packer Ave., Bethlehem. 610-758-2787. Zoellnerartscenter.org THEATER
3/8 The Henry Ford, Innovation Nation, Live., Zoellner Arts Center, 420 E. Packer Ave., Bethlehem. 610-758-2787. Zoellnerartscenter.org 3/15 Kate Hughes, Most Flammable (Women Who Inspire). Steel Stacks, Blast Furnace Room, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem. Steelstacks.org OR Bethlehemhousegallery.com. PUPPET SHOWS FOR ADULTS & KIDS
3/9 & 3/1616 The Rocky Horror Puppet Show. Improvised comedy for grownups with live music. Sat., 8. Admission: roll of one die plus $3. Refreshments served. Book & Puppet Co., 466 Northampton St., Easton. 484541-5379. Bookandpuppet.com 3/23 & 3/30 Dream Puppet Theater Challenge. Puppets perform dreams contributed by the audience. Improvised comedy for grownups with live music. Sat.,
8 . Admission: roll of one die plus $3. Refreshments served. Book & Puppet Co., 466 Northampton St., Easton. 484541-5379. Bookandpuppet.com
MUSIC
3/3 An Afternoon with Mozart. Sinfonia Virtuosi with soloist Rebecca Brown, violin. AllMozart program with post-concert reception. Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra, Christ Lutheran Church, 1245 W. Hamilton St., Allentown. 610-434-7811. PASinfonia.org 3/9 Jerry Rife's Blue Skies. Mardi Gras Jazz. 1867 Sanctuary Arts and Culture Center, 101 Scotch Road, Ewing, NJ 609-3926409. 1867sanctuary.org 3/16 Shenanigans. Irish Folk/Roots. 1867 Sanctuary Arts and Culture Center, 101 Scotch Road, Ewing, NJ 609-392-6409. 1867sanctuary.org 3/17 Organ Birthday Recital #2, Erik Meyer, organ, Ann Meyer, flute. Cathedral Arts, Cathedral Church of the Nativity, 321 Wyandotte St., Bethlehem. 610-865-0727. Nativitycathedral.org 3/31 Muhlenberg College Choirs. Arts at St. John’s, St. John’s Lutheran Church, 37 So. Fifth St., Allentown, PA. 610-4351641. Stjohnsallentown.org 3/31 Hannah Murphy and Phil Goldenberg, Classical Guitarists. 1867 Sanctuary Arts and Culture Center, 101 Scotch Road, Ewing, NJ 609-392-6409. 1867sanctuary.org 4/2 Dreamers’ Circus, straight from Denmark. Williams Center for the Arts, Lafayette College, Easton. 610-330-5009. Williams-center.org
4/5 Blackberry Smoke, Break it Down Acoustic Tour 2019 featuring Ida Mae. State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton. 610-252-3132. Statetheatre.org 4/6 “Dazzling Dalí”, chamber orchestra with Dalí Quartet. Music of Elgar, Ravel, Prokofiev, Rossini; post-concert reception. Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra-, First Presbyterian Church, 3231 W. Tilghman St., Allentown. MUSIKFEST CAFÉ 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem 610-332-1300 Artsquest.org
MARCH 3 Lehigh Valley Music Awards 10 We Three 15 Scythian 16 The Celtic Tenors 21 Portland Cello Project Performs Radiohead’s OK Computer 21 Paul Thorn Band 22 Funky Dawgz Brass Band 23 Vanessa Collier 28 Pat Metheny Side Eye 28 Mom Jeans. 30 Marc Broussard DINO’S BACKSTAGE 287 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside. Restaurant • Bar • Cabaret 215-884-2000 Dinosbackstage.com
MARCH 9 Ernest Torres & Rhoda Rogers Jazzin’ Around Variety Revue 16 Bearlesque 22 Ladies of Jazz Weekend, Wendy Simon, Ella Gahnt, Jeannie Brooks 23 Ladies of Jazz Weekend, Paula Johns DINNER & MUSIC
Thurs.-Sat., Dinner and a Show at SteelStacks, Bethlehem, PA. 5-10, table service and valet parking. For more information, menus and upcoming events visit SteelStacks.org n
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