Icon 05 14 by ICON Magazine

2 ■ I C O N ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ W W W . I C O N D V. C O M ■ W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

W W W. FA C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V ■ W W W. I C O N D V . C O M ■ M AY 2 0 1 4 ■ I C O N ■ 3

icon

Contents 9

MAY 2014

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

Filling the hunger since 1992

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS

1-800-354-8776 • 215-862-9558 fax: 215-862-9845

www.icondv.com

JOHN TURTURRO | 22 Best known for his roles in Joel and Ethan Coen’s films Miller’s Crossing, Barton Fink, The Big Lebowski and O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Turturro is also a director, a really nice guy, and an acute observer of the human experience.

President Assistant to the Publisher

THIEVERY CORPORATION | 24 Rob Garza and Eric Hilton have gone from working D.C.’s music underground in the mid’90s with their own distinctive DJ mixes of hip-hop/dub reggae/Brazilian and other genres, scratching and spinning their talents into socio-political, multi-cultural transfixing compilations that rank high on Billboard to a Grammy win for their Garden State soundtrack.

Trina McKenna trina@icondv.com Raina Filipiak filipiakr@comcast.net

ADVERTISING 800-354-8776

EDITORIAL Executive Editor Trina McKenna

DESIGN

COLUMNS Hide and Glass Bead. Woman’s Moccasins, ca. 1890. Photo: Penn Museum Archives

City Beat | 5 Backstage | 5 Sally Friedman | 40 Jim Delpino | 41

A THOUSAND WORDS My Own Medicine | 7

EXHIBITIONS | 8 The Snow Goose Gallery The Quiet Life Gallery Bethlehem 49th Annual Fine Art /Craft Show ART Native American Voices | 9 Paul Evans | 10

FILM Tilda Swinton, Only Lovers Left Alive.

CINEMATTERS | 12 Only Lovers Left Alive

KERESMAN ON DISC | 30 Jolie Holland; Jeremy Steig Jimmy Giuffre 3 & 4 Gene Ludwig-Pat Martino Trio Bruce Barth; Dolly Parton Kathleen Grace; Dave Keller NICK’S PICKS | 32 Eric Reed; Kris Bowers Ted Rosenthal Trio; The North Orrin Evans’ Captain Black Big Band SINGER / SONGWRITER | 34 Judy Collins; Earth, Wind & Fire Nine Times Blue Dave Riley and Bob Corritore; Jim Byrnes

FOOD & WINE Carmel Café & Wine Bar | 36 Taqueria Feliz | 38

ETCETERA L.A. Times Crossword | 42 Agenda | 43

KERESMAN ON FILM | 14 Transcendence BAD MOVIE | 16 Nymphomaniac: Volume II FILM ROUNDUP | 18 Blue Ruin; Fading Gigolo The Final Member; Teenage

THE JAZZ SCENE | 26

4 ■ I C O N ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ W W W . I C O N D V. C O M ■ W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

Backstage & Jazz Scene Editor Bruce H. Klauber / drumalive@aol.com City Beat Editor Thom Nickels / thomnickels1@aol.com Fine Arts Editors Edward Higgins Burton Wasserman Music Editors Nick Bewsey / nickbewsey@gmail.com Mark Keresman / shemp@hotmail.com Bob Perkins / bjazz5@aol.com Tom Wilk / tomwilk@rocketmail.com Food Editor Robert Gordon / rgordon33@verizon.net

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

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. Subscriptions are available for $40 (shipping & handling).

MUSIC

Eric Hilton and Rob Garza.

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

PO Box 120 • New Hope, PA 18938 (800) 354-8776 Fax (215) 862-9845

REEL NEWS | 20 Her; Still Mine Grand Piano; 7 Boxes

JAZZ LIBRARY | 28 Billy Strayhorn

Designer Lauren Fiori Assistant Designer Kaitlyn Reed-Baker

ON THE COVER: John Turturro. Photo: World Red Eye. Interview on page 22.

City Beat

THOM NICKELS

Backstage

BRUCE KLAUBER

ThomNickels1@aol.com

drumalive@aol.com

WE SAT NEAR INQUIRER theater critic Toby Zinman at the Philadelphia Artists’ Collective’s (PAC) production of Mary Stuart, Friedrich Schiller’s 1800 play about two warring queens, and sensed that she was going to give the Dan Hodge-directed work a high grade. It’s talent that counts, not the theater space. PAC is in a far more humble space than the Wilma’s rustic beginning theater on Sansom Street. The Broad Street Ministry (PAC’s home base when the company is not using other venues) might as well be a basketball court sans stage. It must be difficult for actors to have an audience so close to their field of action. We were seated in the front row and had to be careful not to stretch out our legs and possibly trip Queen Elizabeth (Krista Apple-Hodge) or Mary Stuart (Charlotte Northeast) as they paced and gestured. More leg shifting occurred when the ensemble of Elizabethan characters came and went in a flurry of busyness. The Tudor-evoking interior of BSM was more than suitable for this particular play even if we had to pay close attention to the Elizabethan dialogue. A quick recitation of Elizabethan English can produce indecipherable language puzzles. Act II was so dazzling, we didn’t even hear the police sirens on Broad Street.

CONSIDERING THE NUMBER OF rock and roll legends who were born and bred in Philadelphia and surrounding areas, it is astounding that Daryl Hall and John Oates were the first rock performers from our region to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Showing a good deal of class at the induction ceremony in Brooklyn last month, Hall and Oates used their forum to cite those Philadelphians overlooked thus far by the Hall, including Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Todd Rundgren and Tommy Bell. The pair was also kind enough to cite the criminally overlooked Ernest Evans, a.k.a. Chubby Checker. “How about the biggest single (rock recording) in the history of the world, by Chubby Checker?” Hall asked. “Why isn’t he in? You guys tell me. I’m calling everybody out. That’s all I got to say.” Maybe next year.

Are some events in the city considered too grand for press coverage? We’re thinking of the Grand Season Finale Gala and Concert honoring Marguerite and H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest at the Kimmel Center. Though we put our press bid in early, ticket sales for the cocktail dress attire soiree, which included dinner and a concert in Verizon Hall, soared so high we were informed that there wouldn’t be enough food to feed working staff or event organizers. We sat this one out but were happy to learn that the Gala raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Curtis. Of course, the best way to avoid a food planning glitch is to invite press before ticketing begins or, barring that, invite press to the opening cocktail party, but not the dinner. We did eventually find a cozy welcome at Art Unleashed 2014, the University of the Arts’ fundraiser that supports student-artist scholarships with the sale of artwork from students, faculty and alumni. No food shortages plagued Hamilton Hall. We didn’t find writer Camille Paglia (a UArts Professor of Humanities and Media Studies), but we met the very open, Harvard-bred president, Sean T. Buffington, the Pope Francis of academics who hosts student events like Pizza with the President. Don Juan made us think of the “large cast” anti-conformist, anti-Hollywood Robert Altman films. In this Blanka Zizka-directed work, a Mother Divine character appears when Don Juan arranges to spend a night in the Divine Lorraine Hotel. Later, Mother Teresa appears to the beleaguered vet, only in Vogel’s world she is a “Missionary Position” atheist. The play, while hugely engaging, is not without a feminist catechism lesson or two regarding the soldier’s treatment of women. The poignant ending—Don Juan holding a handmade cardboard sign, Help a Homeless Vet—was sadly all too familiar. Vogel’s Mother Divine reminded us of our visit to Mother Divine’s Gladwyne mansion several years ago when we were guests at a banquet. The white banquet table sat about 60 people. A swan on a lake of glass was the centerpiece. Women outnumbered men about ten to one. Mother sat at the head of the table; beside her was a setting for (the long dead) Father Divine. Dinner began when she rang a large hand bell. A female cook in a white uniform produced the platters from a small kitchen. Platters holding salads, vegetables, condiments Journalist Thom Nickels’ books include Philadelphia Architecture, Tropic of Libra, Out in History and Spore. He is the recipient of the 2005 Philadelphia AIA Lewis Mumford Architecture Journalism Award. thomnickels.blogspot.com

“William Royce” Boz Scaggs will appear here with a wonderful group—complete with horn section—on May 10 at the Merriam Theater, featuring songs from his Memphis CD. Scaggs has been at it since 1965, when he released his first solo recording, which led to later affiliations with the Steve Miller Band, the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, Duane Allman, and a Grammy in 1976 with Silk Degrees. Several things make Boz Scaggs unique: He pays careful attention to the lyric, his own and by others, and the musicality of his many compositions—listen carefully to “Look What You’ve Done To Me,” for example—transcend labels or genres. It was no surprise to Scaggs’ fans that he recorded an album of jazz standards in 2003, But Beautiful, that reached the top of the jazz charts. And five years later, his Speak Low was an informal tribute to the famed jazz arranger, Gil Evans. Tickets: kimmelcenter.org. The operational standard for those with television and radio broadcast licenses—a standard set forth in the Radio Act of 1927—is that programming be in the “public interest, convenience and necessity.” Not sure how this fits into that framework, but Peter Funt, son of the late and legendary Alan Funt, has announced that Candid Camera will be returning to the airwaves by way of a 10-episode order from the TV Land channel. Does the Federal Communications Commission know about this? Some of the residents of a nursing home in West Babylon, N.Y. wanted to celebrate the 85th birthday of fellow resident Bernice Youngblood. Said residents decided on a surefire way to raise birthday hell: Hire a male stripper to gyrate in front of the birthday girl. No word on whether or not Ms. Youngblood was amused, but her family was not, as the Youngblood clan has filed suit, claiming that Ms. Youngblood was the victim of “disgraceful sexual perversion,” in that the male stripper gyrated in front of her “against her will.” The lesson to be learned: Be careful before whom you shake your thing. As anticipated, Atlantic City casino revenues continue to tank. Only the Borgota and Tropicana posted gains in 2013. Total profits from the casino floor dropped for the seventh straight year, and revenue from hotel rooms and food and beverage operations also fell. The party, such as it was, has long been over and it may be too late to stop the slide. In all probability, there will be a shakeout among the existing operating casinos. Atlantic Club is shuttered, and insiders are talking about several properties that may be next. Is there a solution? A good start may be to try to make Atlantic City a year-round vacation destination for visitors of all ages, with the building of movie theaters, museums, indoor theme parks and the like.

Bruce Klauber is a published author/biographer, producer of DVDs for Warner Bros., CD producer for Fresh Sound Records, and a working jazz drummer. He graduated from Temple University and holds an Honorary Doctorate from Combs College of Music. W W W. FA C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V ■ W W W. I C O N D V . C O M ■ M AY 2 0 1 4 ■ I C O N ■ 5

5 / CITY BEAT

and sauces set the pace for more complicated dishes offering meats and fish, rice, potatoes, breads, and more vegetables and meats. When platters are passed from one diner to another, they must never touch the table. Diners must also not hold two platters at the same time, so the synchronization of the plate passing had the movements of a dance. While this was happening, we listened to an old audio tape of a Father Divine sermon. The mostly elderly crowd—men in suits and women in Peace Mission uniforms with a beret and a jacket embossed with a V—combined eating with the singing of hymns. A few elderly white women, European by birth, clapped their hands in sing-song fashion between mouthfuls. The city’s official Benjamin Franklin impersonator, Ralph Archbold, greeted us at the Chemical Heritage Foundation’s Franklin-Lavoisier Prize Ceremony. We hadn’t seen Archbold since his stroke in June 2010. This got us thinking about “unofficial” Franklin impersonators who seemed to multiply when Archbold was out sick. At the CHF affair (which honored chemist/historian Fred Aftalion), we also met (impersonator) Antoine Lavoisier (1743-1794), called the Father of Chemistry, who at the age of 28 in 1771 married the 13-year-old MarieAnne Pierrette Paulze. When we shook Monsieur Lavoisier’s hand, we warned him that times have changed, and that there are now retroactive laws that make one liable for prosecution for courting underage children. When Lavoisier asked if he could be arrested today for his 1771 marriage, we said that anything was possible, and that even Franklin, given his licentious behavior in France, might be put on a list. At that, Lavoisier shook his head and said he was just thankful that his wife, Madame Paulze, did eventually grow up to become an excellent assistant in his lab and that she had also done a marvelous job publishing his memoirs. At the Veni Vidi Lantern Theater Company’s 20th anniversary party, we chatted with Nick Stuccio, President & Producing Director of Fringe Arts, and then spoke with a nice couple about poet Walt Whitman’s intense dislike of Shakespeare. We mention Shakespeare because we were part of the audience at a Lantern town hall discussion (The Social Canonization of Past Political Leaders) based on the company’s February production of Julius Caesar. Shakespeare, of course, is a writer that people either love or hate, but the lovers were out en masse that evening, as most of the lengthy questions from the gallery reminded us of the art of the monologue. Audience interjections started early, barely ten minutes into the start of things. What happened to the tradition of the moderator opening the floor for questions? Are we a city of aggressive talkers? We’re looking forward to the Lantern’s production of Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia, but in 2015 it is back to Shakespeare again with The Taming of the Shrew, when, we’re sure, the talkers will be back in force. There’s nothing like spring in Manayunk (or Paris), especially when it’s the grand opening of a new gallery. The Bazemore Gallery (4339 Main Street) is so smartly Feng Shui we felt comfortable the moment we walked in the door. Owner/artist Lenny Bazemore was all smiles as he arranged photo ops, introductions and kept the champagne flowing. We joined Philly artists Keith R. Breitfeller and Brian David Dennis while checking out acclaimed Hong Kong artist Justin Y’s first U.S. solo exhibit. There are no art galleries in Old City or Center City quite this beautiful. Bazemore, an artist himself, has installed a small, live garden on the wall. It’s framed like a painting to complement an iconic large woodcut of the Manayunk canal salvaged from the basement. Legendary Philadelphian Miss Emily Bache, a great-great-great-granddaughter of Benjamin Franklin who often appeared in Ruth Seltzer’s Inquirer Society columns, is no longer on the scene, but if we could bring her back we’d take her—like Dante took Beatrice—to see The Art Gallery at City Hall. The occasion was a Bike Racks and Bicycle Art exhibition with a special Bike P’ARTs exhibit in room 116 and on the upper floors. In a City Hall that once had about as much ambience as a Prussian work camp, it’s nice to see a touch of the Parisian. Though the art in City Hall concept began in 1984, it was largely a forgotten affair, attracting only city employees. In 2010, Mayor Nutter transformed the space into a full-scale art gallery. The current exhibit (until June 2014) emphasizes themes of sustainability in the urban environment. We found two admirable works by Regina Kelly Barthmaier and Kendall Wilkens. Wilkens’ piece is a Victorian ball gown made out of chains and other bicycle parts. Though it’s doubtful that Miss Bache would wear the Victorian bicycle chain ball gown (much too Marquis de Sade for a sedate lady), she’d certainly be impressed with the gallery’s first class reception. We urge The Print Center to swing by and pick up party pointers. We ended the month at the Philly Farm & Food Fest at the Convention Center where we went from food demos, to samplings and lectures. The event is a project of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture and Philadelphia Fair Food, the latter co-founded by Ann Karlen and Marilyn Anthony. We sampled vegan scrapple, cheeses, nuts, and gourmet coffees. There was a Local Libations Lounge offering tastings of Dad’s Hat Rye Whisky, Asian Pear Wine and other alcoholic treats. This was easily the most popular event, but participants had to listen to an extended talk before being allowed to go to the tasting table, and then they were only treated to a thimble-size sample. Because of antiquated (and never-to-change) Pennsylvania liquor laws, only very small amounts of spirits can be distributed by exhibitors. ■

6 ■ I C O N ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ W W W . I C O N D V. C O M ■ W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

5 / BACKSTAGE

And bring back those afternoon bus packages—complete with buffet lunches and a show— that brought thousands of day-trippers to the shore. Remember, those taking a bus to the casino have money, too. Due credit must be given to Atlantic City’s Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino—the property once called Trump Marina—as they at least know just who their audience is. Guess who’s going to be hosting Thursday night dance parties through Labor Day? None other than “the Geator with the Heater” himself, Jerry Blavat. The Nugget operators are pretty shrewd. Geator has a tremendous shore following every summer by way of his long-standing “Memories in Margate” club, and those thousands of “Beyond Teens” will follow Jerry Blavat anywhere. Info: goldennugget.com/atlantic city The Philadelphia Art Commission doesn’t fool around, especially when it comes to the design of what will be called The Museum of the American Revolution, which will stand at third and Chestnut Street, two blocks from Independence Mall. As the story goes, the Commission wasn’t overly thrilled with the designs originally submitted by Robert A.M. Sterns architects, saying the design of the planned building did not completely blend with the historic district. But hand it to Sterns—the outfit submitted a new set of designs, which were approved. Depending upon how funding goes, which is a separate and rather complex issue, the powers-thatbe are looking for a late, 2016 opening. The Boyd Theater saga is over. The one-time Center City art deco movie palace has been sitting as a deserted eyesore in the middle of bustling Chestnut Street since it closed in 2002. Preservationalists battled for 12 years to have the Boyd restored to its formal glory. A company called Live Nation wanted to preserve only the façade, demolish the rest and build a multi-screen and restaurant complex. A court ruling by the Historical Commission in March decided in favor of Live Nation, and it wasn’t long after that the wrecking crews arrived. Friends of the Boyd, who have led the battle for preservation, planned to appeal, but decided to drop it. A fall 2015 is anticipated for the “new” Boyd. The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre, founded in 1989 as The Red Heel Theatre in 1989, has produced over 30 plays, reached over 30,000 High School students and nearly 70,000 adult audience members. Their version of Romeo and Juliet runs through May 18 and will be presented at their charming jewel box of a theater, at 2111 Sansom Street. Advance tickets: phillyshakespeare.org. The “6ABC” balloon at the Philadelphia Zoo was impossible to ignore, as it was visible for miles from the Philadelphia Expresway, the drives, and points north, east, south and west. For $15 the balloon took riders 400 feet into the sky for some spectacular views of the zoo, Fairmount Park and the city. But the balloon is no more, as it was a victim of the winter season’s record-breaking snow. The balloon will be back, at least for a year, courtesy of an agreement with Lindstrand Hot Air Balloons Ltd. in England. No word what will happen after the agreement expires next October. Philadelphia City Council is considering the legalization of slot machines at Philadelphia International Airport. It’s kind of a neat idea, in that the slots’ revenue would benefit Philadelphia schools, sorely in need of all the cash they can get these days. If City Council approves this, it then goes to Harrisburg to make it official Councilman Jim Kenny cited Las Vegas’ McCarran Airport as an example of just how much money can be raised with airport slots. Last year, Kenny said, McCarran revenue from 1,300 slots totaled $37 million. Slots at the Philly airport? Bet on it. One of the highlights of the 1994 film, Reality Bites, was a song that ultimately went platinum, “Stay (I Missed You)”. Lisa Loeb, writer of that song, and a bunch of other big sellers, including “Do You Sleep,” “I Do,” and “Let’s Forget About It,” will appear at the Sellersville Theater on May 23. The Brooklyn-born Loeb is a thoughtful and distinctive singer and lyricist who has parlayed her many talents into film, television, voice-over work, and yes, even a line of eyewear. As one writer aptly described her, “Loeb finds her way into all of our hearts, traveling a path paved with lost loves through a life of contrasts that can be felt and heard the moment you push play.” That’s a lot of good stuff. Details: www.st94.com. ■

A Thousand Words

STORY AND PAINTING BY ROBERT BECK

My Own Medicine Here I am again, having my own personal Groundhog Day. THERE ARE A LOT of things I do often, and many that I do every day, but none of my routines are so exactly the same as when I go to bed. It starts when I open the mirrorbacked medicine cabinet to grab the toothpaste and see a bald guy with bad eyes peering from behind the bottles, boxes and tubes. He’s there watching me every night. Not quite a lion in the Serengeti. More like a middle-age man in the weeds. It is the one time that I really look at myself, or at least that part of myself. The blue eyes still clear and focused, with long lashes and dark, reddish lids, observing intently through the pharmacopeia. The top shelf of the cabinet holds a cluster of eye-drop bottles with colored tops—souvenirs from five eye operations. I know I’m not supposed to keep old prescriptions around and I can’t think of any situation where I would actually have use for them but there is symmetry to looking at something that reminds me how fortunate I am to see anything at all. That puts me in a good frame of mind. Other shelves hold an entourage of pill bottles that has grown in number over the years, but those don’t have the eye-drops’ symbolism. There is also a loving note from my wife suggesting I should wash the dog. Since most of my meds are taken earlier in the day my prep for bed is pretty simple: brush my teeth and put drops in my eyes. Other drops. I’m proud of having discovered a better way to do that rather than looking up at the ceiling and squirting the medication onto my eyelashes or cheeks. I tilt my head to the side, ear to shoulder, and drop it in the side of my eye. Since I can watch myself do it in the mirror I score direct hits every time and each refill lasts three times longer. Try it. Once I turn off the bathroom light I wonder if I left the shower door open so I turn the light back on long enough to look. The door is a sturdy sheet of glass that swings out into the flight path of a person in a hurry, and there have been some ugly moments. Always good to check. Then I negotiate the bedroom in the dark. I give wide berth to Jack’s soft crate since he is in the habit of sleeping with his neck and head spilling out on the floor. I cross to where I can see the light from the alarm clock reflecting off the side of the bench at the foot of the bed and then plot a new course to avoid running into that. The bed sits in a Robert Beck maintains the Gallery of Robert Beck in Lambertville, NJ. (215) 982-0074. robertbeck.net

clipped corner of the room and extends in toward the middle. Good feng shui. There is no headboard, just tall windows that face out into the woods. If there is a moon I’ll pause to gaze out at the fingers of silver-blue light stretching along the slope, between the trees. Then to bed. The act of turning in is as different from getting up as ends are to beginnings. In the morning I’m always focused on what I’m going to do with my day, most often with a happy anticipation. It’s always new. Night is a closing down— a gentle slide into an alternative reality. One that’s not so gentle when I get there. I always have bad dreams. I’m being pursued. I’m late. I’ve lost something. I’m naked in public. I’m naked on the toilet in public. Sometimes I wake up in a sweat, or I yelp in

my sleep. It’s a drag. I have a theory about this. I’m a person who is always weighing alternatives and consequences. I look when I cross the street because a car might be coming. I pat my pockets before I leave because I might have forgotten my keys. I try to avoid having bad things happen by projecting imagined bad scenarios. But in my dreams, which are entirely imagined, there is no filter— everything I think is what comes next. When I get to the part where I consider consequences, they happen. All those worst cases I’ve avoided during the day are waiting for me to fall into their nocturnal clutches. I know, this doesn’t explain the toilet thing. That’s a little deeper. I think it has something to do with that guy in my medicine cabinet. ■

W W W. FA C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V ■ W W W. I C O N D V . C O M ■ M AY 2 0 1 4 ■ I C O N ■ 7

The 22nd invitational exhibition of fine art miniatures from around the world. With 83 artists from the U.S., England, Wales, Australia, Germany and South Africa, this is the largest group of fine art miniatures ever assembled at The Snow Goose Gallery. Miniatures are generally small enough to fit in the hand, with the subject matter portrayed at one-sixth life size or smaller. They withstand close scrutiny, and are becoming increasingly popular among collectors. The Artists: Beverly Abbott, Carol Andre, James Andrews, Chrysoula Argyros, Elizabeth Babb, Christine Bass, Judith Edgington Bayes, Rita Beckford, Jan Borgner, john Brennan, Susan Brooke, Elizabeth Brown, Nancy Coirier, Jean Cook, Carolyn Councell, Jim Crawford, Debi Davis, Viviane De Kosinsky, Paul Eaton, Elizabeth Eckert, Alan Farrell, Wyn Foland, Beverly Fotheringham, Tykie Ganz, Patricia Getha, Bob Gherardi, Sally Giarratana, George Gonzalez, John R. Good, Elaine Hahn, Jennifer Robb Hall, Richard William Haynes, Mimi Hegler, Denise Kaplan- Horne, Joan Humble, Kimberly Jansen, Judith Johnson, Debra Keirce, Martha Sheets-Knight, Janice Knoll, Janet Laird-Lagassee, Judy Lalingo, Rebecca Latham, Carol Lopez, Gerald Lubeck, Karla Mann, Jane Mihalik, Victor Mordasov, Brenda Morgan, Linda Morgan, Melissa Miller Nece, Charles Nelson, Demaris Olson, C. Pamela Palco, Ruth Penn, Kay Petryszak, Jim Pounder, Genevieve Roberts, Linda Rossin, Doug Roy, Ann Ruppert, Mary Serfass, Elinor Sethman, Nancy Shelly, Rachelle Siegrist, Wes Siegrist, James Smith, Barbara Stanton, Narissa Steel, Nancy Still, Ellen Strope, Madeleine Szymanski, Shirley Tabler, Dana Lee Thompson, Laura Von Stetina, Lynn Wade, Wayne Waldron, Sue Wall, Akiko Watanabe, Alice Webb, David Weston, Marion Winter, Hanna Woodring. All works are available for purchase, and the gallery offers free shipping after the exhibition closes.

Joan Humble, Lower Huron River.

Patient from La Salpetriere, oil on canvas, 30 x 30 inches, 2013.

The Art of the Miniature XXII The Snow Goose Gallery 470 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 610- 974- 9099 thesnowgoosegallery.com Tues-Fri 10-5:30; Sat 10-5; Sun 11-4 May 4-June 15 / Reception 5/14, 1-5

49th Annual Fine Art and Craft Show Main Street in Historic Bethlehem Information: www.bfac-lv.org May 10, 10-5; May 11, 11-5 Family, Friends, & Other Strangers Portraits by Elise Dodeles The Quiet Life Gallery 17 South Main Street, Lambertville, NJ Open Wed-Sun, 11-5 609-397-0880 quietlifegallery.com Through June 8, 2014 Opening Reception: May 4, 2014, 2:00 pm

“The last show I had at The Quiet Life consisted solely of fighters’ portraits whose photographs I had found in the Rare Books Department at Princeton University,” says Dodeles. “In those paintings I experimented with textures and colors in new ways. In the upcoming exhibition, I will take what I have learned from that series and include more personal imagery…[including] a portrait of a patient from La Salpêtrière, a hospital in France that treated women suffering from “nervous” conditions, and a portrait of Honey Boo Boo’s mother, June Shannon. Through these portraits, I wish to create a personal archive that includes the multitudinous imagery we are bombarded with every day, while also continuing to relate the past to the present. My recent work can be seen at elisedodeles.com/blog/ Elise Dodeles is a recipient of a 2013 Fellowship for painting from the NJ State Council on the Arts.

June Shannon, oil on canvas, 30 x 30 inches, 2013.

Mimi Hegler, Heirloom.

8 ■ I C O N ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ W W W . I C O N D V. C O M ■ W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

This show is a celebration of over 90 juried local and regional artists and craft artisans. Judging takes place on Saturday and our judge this year is John Pepper, Adult Programs Coordinator for the Allentown Art Museum. The judge visits each booth and selects the Best of Show, Second Prize, Third Prize, and Best Display. One of the delightful elements of the event each year is the Artist In Residence. While this artist demonstrates his or her craft, on-lookers are encouraged to ask questions or engage in light conversation. The 2014 Artist in Residence is award winning watercolor impressionist David Lee. His booth will be located by the Historic Goundie House.We invite families to take part in our Children’s Art Activities sponsored each year by Crayola. Join in on fun interactive art projects and mural painting, or make your mom a handmade gift or card. To complement the festivities, local musicians will perform along the Show route. Enjoy acoustic tunes as you peruse the artist stalls along the way. Music will be provided by the Lehigh Valley Harmonizers and Easton’s Earl the Accordionist, among others.

Art

EDWARD HIGGINS

Native American Voices

MOST MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS OF Native American art and artifacts are curated with scant reference to the existence of a still-viable cultural tradition kept alive and functioning by contemporary artists, scholars, craftsmen, and oral tradition. But then again the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is not most museums. The result is Native American Voices: The People Here and Now currently on view and curated by more than 80 Native Americans who have lent their expertise to the mounting of the show. This ambitious show is planned to be open for five years, and during that time the 250 items now on display will be rotated. The items come from a total of 100 tribes. The Museum probably doesn’t fear running out of items—it has some 160,000 objects from Alaska to Florida. Dr. Lucy Fowler Williams, a 23-year veteran, is the lead curator and has spent several years on the project. Native Voices is divided into four areas: “Local Nations” being the Lenape—the “grandfathers” from whom all Algonquian-speaking groups descend; “Sacred Places,” the natural features of importance to Native Americans, spots of origin, going back 11,000 years; “Continuing Celebrations” are those occasions where cultural identity most frequently shows itself—there are more than 1,000 pow-wows held each year; and “New Initiatives,” which explore the Native American today in a social-economic framework. The exhibition includes, as curators and/or consultants, people from the following tribes: Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape; Cheyenne; Hodulgee Musogee; Takdeintaan; Hopi; Choctaw; San Ildefonso; Lakota; Chickasaw; Cochiti Pueblo; Cherokee; Tingit; Pawnee; Mandan; Seneca; Oneida; Seminole; Onondaga; and Dine. Today the federal government recognizes 565 individual tribes, but far more than that exist without federal recognition. The history of Native Americans and United States politics is not the topic; however, the title of the show, Here and Now, is and that means something. The Museum has been interested in Native American artifacts since its founding in 1887 as its first director, Daniel Garrison Brinton, the first professor of anthropology, guided the pioneer archeologists in the field. They covered the country with expeditions to Mesa Verde, coastal Alaska, and, more locally, at Lock Haven PA, and Moorestown, NJ. All together the Museum has conducted hundreds of expeditions. Penn Museum has probably done more high-tech shows than many art museums. There are a dozen “towers” that are touch-screen where one can look up any item and search by type, material used, archival images, testimonies and related maps. Many new exhibitions are multimedia and one can listen to stories, hear music, and see videos to explore the artifacts in any number of ways. “We know the objects in Penn Museum’s collection are extraordinary as documents of different communities, times, and places in history—but we also wanted our collection to speak to the ongoing concerns and changing traditions of the people whose ancestors made them and first imbued them with meaning,” said Dr. Williams. The exhibition comprises expected items such as highly decorated war bonnets, woven baskets, pottery, and clothing. However, the unexpected is also there with deeply rooted and beautiful beaded footwear, moccasins, boots and carved figures that are so relevant and resonant they could have been made yesterday for tomorrow’s interior designer. The exhibit’s timespan ranges from stone Clovis projectile points which date from 11,000 years ago, to contemporary art. The main concerns of Native Americans could be not the beauty of the art, but rather “issues of personal and group identity, tribal sovereignty, language retention and representation.” The Penn Museum has gone all the way on this show. There is a book, magazine, public programs, and an array of items in the gift shop. And, of course, there is the restaurant which serves such Native American foods as fry bread, roasted root vegetables, buffalo chili, corn pone, dried currants, turkey brined in maple/cranberry syrup, fried hominy, wild onions, and wild salmon with a berry glaze. ■ Penn Museum, 3260 South St, Philadelphia, PA (215) 898-4000. www.penn.museum

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

Buffalo Hide and Pigment. Man’s Painted Buffalo Robe, 1882. Made b: Mrs. Charging Thunder. Culture: Hunkpapa Lakota. Location: United States, South Dakota, Standing Rock Reservation. Image courtesy of Penn Museum Archives #237823

W W W. FA C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V ■ W W W. I C O N D V . C O M ■ M AY 2 0 1 4 ■ I C O N ■ 9

Art

BURTON WASSERMAN

Paul Evans

Paul Evans (1931-87) and Phillip Lloyd Powell (1919-2008), Bar Cabinet, 1963, Welded and perforated steel, copper, bronze, pewter, colored pigments, 23 karat gold leaf, electrical components, and felt; 81 3/4 x 60 x 23” Cafesjian Museum Foundation Collection. Photo Courtesy of Wright

Paul Evans (1931-1987), Onion, ca. 1960s. Patchwork steel with applied polychrome finish, 84 x 67 x 18” Private Collection, Perth, Western Australia. Photography by Richard Goodbody

A VERSATILE ARTIST-ARTISAN, Paul Evans was equally at home composing distinctive forms in various metals, by themselves or in combination with other materials. Many of his original sculptures, tables, chests and bookcases could easily serve as text-book illustrations for minimalist expression and functional utility. Characterized by commanding authority, his robust productivity stands at the summit of deeply meaningful accomplishment, alongside the heroic achievements of such masters of contemporary form as Harry Bertoia, Charles Eames, George Nakashima and Eero Saarinen. At the present time, a major retrospective exhibition of selections by Evans in the areas of serious sculpture and interior furnishings for use in the home, office and the marketplace, are on public view at the James A. Michener Art Museum on Pine Street in Doylestown, PA. Titled Paul Evans: Crossing Boundaries & Crafting Modernism, the show is scheduled to remain there until June 1, 2014. Constance Kimmerle, Curator of Collections said, “We are proud to present this first comprehensive survey of Evans’ creative vision. It documents his dynamic career, evolving from metalsmith to furniture maker to designer, along with his…new approaches to metal and his shifting focus from the New York craft scene to the national world of design. Evans’ significant achievements demand that his work be written into the larger history of studio furniture.” The overall show includes 62 selections of Evans’ work. Together, they span the artist’s entire career, with choice examples from the early Paul Evans at work, 1966. Photo:Jeff Baumann metalwork and jewelry collaborative items, to the later more advanced selections, brought to fulfillment by the mature artist he became in the fullness of time. In due course, he evolved into a major American conceptual force, working for Directional furniture company. In that capacity, he produced strikingly handsome forms that blurred the line separating distinguished personal expression and sturdy furniture construction. Incidentally, the overall exhibition also provides a documentary presentation that includes interviews with personnel from Evans’ staff, family members and collectors of distinguished craftware of the Bucks County region. Evans was born in 1931 in Trenton, NJ. A graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology’s School for American Craftsmen, he won recognition, early on, for his many soundly wrought products, exhibited in New York City. He eventually returned to live, work, and die rather suddenly in 1987. Many of Evans’ attractive coffee and cocktail tables consist of a supporting structure of metal, given definition in a regular or geometric form, topped with a flat sheet of harmoniously proportioned glass or slate. At first glance, they invariably project an overall appearance, alive with an aesthetic presence that incisively takes hold of a spectator’s attention. And then, on further inspection, the piece manifests an overall sense of balanced order, dignified harmony and sturdy durability. Like the architecture of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the totality of the form is an exquisite lesson in the time-honored art principle that, indeed, less is more. At the center of his workmanship, there is an expression of a reality in which space, time, spirit and substance all come together in the sincere efforts of a profoundly gifted visionary. Perhaps one of the reasons why Evans’ productive output works as well as it does, arises from the way his surface treatments are so well integrated with the perimeter of his shapes. The lyrically graceful interplay between them is nothing short of poetic magic. The pieces add up to a superb demonstration of style successfully joined with design discipline at the very point where exceptional excellence moves from ambition to realization. ■

Dr. Wasserman is a professor emeritus of Art at Rowan University, and a serious artist of long standing.

10 ■ I C O N ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ I C O N ■ 11

Cinematters

SOME DIRECTORS HAVE DEVOTED followings. Jim Jarmusch is one of them, though I’ve never felt an obligation to pledge fidelity. I appreciate how he has made movies his way. His tendency, in my opinion, to consciously divorce his feelings from his work? Not so much. This is not the poker face that Todd Solondz and Steven Soderbergh employ. It’s like Jarmusch refuses to sit at the table and play a hand. He’d rather talk to the security guards. That’s why I have a hard time processing Jarmusch’s latest, Only Lovers Left Alive. The movie brims with brittle humor, sly intelligence, and optimism. In detailing the humdrum middle of married vampires Adam (Tom Hiddleston) and Eve (Tilda Swinton), Jarmusch slowly and poetically tells the sad story of us. Adam and Eve are snobs, ageless aging hipsters. Adam is a reclusive, despondent rock musician with a principled aversion to technology. When he communicates with Eve via video, he routes her image so it appears on his ancient television. The past is a fetish: the old guitars with older stories, the wads of cash, the hunk of American steel he pilots through Detroit’s endless darkness. Eve is in Tangier for vague reasons, though explanation is unnecessary. The couple is embroiled in their own dusty pursuits. She’s more in tune with her vampire friend and blood supplier Marlowe (John Hurt), who (surprise) wrote Shakespeare’s plays. Books consume Eve; she practically breathes them in. Her trip to see Adam includes a suitcase packed with books, the youngest of which appears to be David Foster Wal-

PETE CROATTO

lace’s Infinite Jest (1996). Her other gift is to look at an object—a stethoscope, a variety show—and instantly guess its age. Adam and Eve’s relationship lives on the appreciation of things past, which puts them in constant competition to see who is more insufferable. Dig this exchange as he drives her around Detroit. Adam: I can show you the Motown Museum. Eve: I’m more of a Stax girl. Of course, she is. Why aren’t these two, clearly the last of a dying breed, gawking at Jack White’s childhood home instead of hunting fresh bodies? Their means of survival have softened. Adam lives in Detroit, but to paraphrase Heather Graham’s character in Bowfinger, he doesn’t live in Detroit. His devoted human assistant (Anton Yelchin) gets him anything no questions asked, including a specially made bullet. He only leaves the house to get blood from a hematologist (Jeffrey Wright) at the local hospital. Detroit is a place Adam can mope around before gentrification hits and hat stores line the block. It’s a city of ruins. No wonder he feels comfortable and why he can’t stand Eve’s younger, energetic sister (Mia Wasikowska, who’s wonderful). Her Los Angeles-inspired party habits represent the apotheosis of evil in his world. Aren’t we following Adam and Eve’s path? Everything we possibly want is available via keypad, so we have more time to become fussbuckets. Even the vampires, those symbols of Hollywood cool, aren’t immune. Adam’s greatest passion is complaining about today’s world. It’s the worst, and he was

12 ■ I C O N ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

around for the Middle Ages. The future? Terrible. When he notices colorful mushrooms sprouting in his backyard, he complains that they’re out of season. Having lived through centuries, Adam and Eve should know things change. (The delicious aspect of Hiddleston and Swinton’s performances is they act as if being a vampire is like being a Lou Reed fan. It’s easier to roll your eyes and quietly seethe then explain to the hoi polloi why Metal Machine Music matters.) They should know that inspiration and invention arrive to get us through the next challenge. Similarly, we “zombies,” Adam’s endearing term for humans, have endured existential crises for centuries. Every generation has. Somehow we survive so our sons and daughters can repeat the cycle. Jarmusch spends most of Only Lovers Left Alive skewering us—our laziness, our affinity for complaining, our ability to rhapsodize for the ever-elusive simpler time—yet he spares our feelings. We’ve been through a lot. We’re about to go through more. The last thing we need is another lecture. That Jarmusch would provide a pep talk is as welcome as it as astonishing. [R] ■

An ICON contributor since 2006, Pete Croatto also writes movie reviews for The Weekender. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Broadway.com, Grantland, Philadelphia, Publishers Weekly, and many other publications. Follow him on Twitter, @PeteCroatto.

W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ I C O N ■ 13

Keresman on Film

LITTLE CINEMATIC AND historical context: Many films and hunks of fiction deal with the collision of humans and technology. Two pieces are especially relevant here: “The Brain of Colonel Barham,” a 1965 episode of the classic science fiction series The Outer Limits; Colossus: The Forbin Project, a 1970 film. In the former, a terminally ill astronaut, seething with bitterness over his approaching fate, volunteers to have his brain hooked up to a computer for a longdistance space voyage. As you may guess, things go horribly, horribly wrong, as the astronaut’s brain decides to take full advantage of his now-superiority. In the latter, America and Russia—acting independently, naturally—place their defense systems under the impartial control of super-computers. However, the American computer, named Colossus, gets the “idea” that in order to really prevent war—all war, really—it “hooks up” with its Russian counterpart Guardian. This union of electronic brains—using the nuclear arsenals of both nations as a “bargaining chip”—decides the future of humanity is too fragile to be left up to humans, so Colossus/Guardian enforces global world peace whether the assorted governments of the world want it or not. In Transcendence, Johnny Depp is Dr. Will Caster, a computer wizard working on a true artificial intelligence sys-

MARK KERESMAN

Transcendence tem. A Luddite-type group—“Unplug now!” is their battle cry—decides this is a Very Bad Thing, and so a member of the group shoots Caster with an irradiated bullet. As a result, Caster, like Col. Barham, becomes terminally ill. His wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) and colleague Max (Paul Bettany) have an idea: What if Caster’s consciousness could be up-loaded into a computer? Quicker than you can say “Frankenstein’s monster” Caster is practically running the internet, and with the aid of some speedy online investments—providing virtually unlimited capital—he’s built himself a technology-based empire that, while benign, has gotten some people very worried. With this technology at his disposal, Caster is able to heal the sick, with a bonus of being able to control the formerly sick people as well. The Luddite terrorists, the FBI, Will’s wife, and another of Caster’s colleagues, Joseph (Morgan Freeman), form an uneasy alliance as they perceive that Caster’s nearly absolute power will corrupt him absolutely. The good: Rebecca Hall is excellent as Caster’s devoted wife—she palpably displays a range of emotions from sorrow to doubting if the “thing” is still really her husband. Transcendence is a movie of gray areas—Depp’s Caster is nominally the “villain,” but is he really? He doesn’t seem to be the usual “At last the world is mine!”-type bad guy—his intentions seem genuinely, dare I say, good. Where he gets

14 ■ I C O N ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

into iffy territory is the way he extends himself into the people that benefitted from his computerized surgery—he’s turned these people into “extensions” of himself. What happens to his host’s personality when he does this? The people trying to stop Caster—are they certain Caster has become evil or is this yet another case of let’s-kill-someonewho’s-trying-to-change-things-for-the-better? (Humanity has a rich history of this, going back to that guy from Nazareth…and I don’t refer to the band.) For a two-hour film, this moves along at a decent pace. The bad: Depp seems as if he’s on autopilot for most of this movie. He could’ve invested Caster with more personality, really, before he was “up-loaded.” Freeman is there basically to be [surprise] the Wise Old Concerned Fellow. The “science” is, as our British cousins would say, a bit dodgy— things happen with no explanation at all. All in all, Transcendence is a good film that, with a bit more thought/foresight, could’ve been great. Recommended with reservations. ■

In addition to ICON, Mark Keresman is a contributing writer for SF Weekly, East Bay Express, Pittsburgh City Paper, Paste, Jazz Review, downBeat, and the Manhattan Resident.

W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ I C O N ■ 15

Bad Movie

MARK KERESMAN

Nymphomaniac: Volume Two

Lars Von Trier has suffered for his art long enough – now it’s YOUR turn

HILE ENIGMATIC DANISH DIRECTOR Lars Von Trier—notorious for making a royal ass of himself at Cannes when he said that Hitler wasn’t such a bad guy—meant for his epic Nymphomaniac to be seen in one sitting, the nearly four-hour film was broken into two parts for the American marketplace. To recap for those that did not see Volume One: Seligman (Stellan Skarsgård) finds a beaten young woman named Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg) in a courtyard near his home, takes her to his home—she refused his offer to call an ambulance—and nurses her back to health. She offers her life story to him, detailing her nymphomania—he listens intently and non-judgmentally, finding parallels/moments of significance relating parts of her story to mathematics, J.S. Bach, the history of Christianity, and fishing. We get to see Joe’s story in very graphic detail. Sounds like fun, huh? WRONG. This movie (if you take both editions as a single unit) is one of the most un-erotic films this writer has ever seen. While Volume One had its moments, Volume Two is joyless, preachy, more pretentious than Volume One, and utterly depressing. It makes the classic Midnight Cowboy—an-

other story of people struggling with their sexuality—seem like a Three Stooges short by comparison. Either Von Trier is exorcising his personal demons or he’s expressing his unreserved, seething contempt for humanity, men in particular. Joe resumes her tales, which Seligman pretentiously relates to—oh, all kinds of stuff. Seligman is a virtual walking library of information and history, as he can relate her tales of joyless sexual encounters to the Whore of Babylon, the Fibonacci sequence (don’t ask), and the differences between the Eastern and Western Church. Next to this guy, Gore Vidal is Joey Bishop. We get to see Joe’s attempt at domesticity—she and Jerome (Shia LaBeouf) move in together and have a child. Never mind these characters have no visible chemistry—I wasn’t even convinced these two even liked each other much. Joe is defined entirely by her “condition”—we know next to nothing else about her. Yet Joe is not satisfied with her sex life with Jerome, so he gives his blessing for her to seek satisfaction outside their relationship. Fair enough, but Joe has grown to crave S&M sessions with the mysterious professional dominant K (Jamie Bell, creepily excellent) to the point that she leaves her son

16 ■ I C O N ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

at home alone (not a good thing). Then things get, even for this movie, weird. Joe gets a job as a “debt collector,” one that uses her sexual experience to motivate those behind on their debts. How she gets this job is not really made clear, but the head of the agency is played by Willem Dafoe, who after a time suggests she get a “protégé,” a cute young lady P (Mia Goth) with a dysfunctional past with whom she develops a relationship that’s both motherly and sexual. Things get even stranger. Bad and odd stuff happens. Characters behave improbably out of character. [MAJOR SPOILER] The gentle, compassionate intellectual Seligman—an asexual virgin—tries to have sex with Joe, who just moments before decided to stop having sex forever. The screen goes blank—we hear a commotion and a gunshot. Was the kindly Seligman trying to rape her or simply initiate sex? We don’t know—Joe presumably has struck a blow for feminism (or something)—and Seligman is presumably dead. Is Von Trier saying that humans will give in to their baser desires eventually? That no good deed goes unpunished? Or that Seligman, like most men, deserved to die and Joe is finally in control of her sexuality? Your guess is as good as mine. ■

W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ I C O N ■ 17

Film Roundup

PETE CROATTO

Blue Ruin.

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

Blue Ruin (Dir: Jeremy Saulnier). Starring: Macon Blair, Devin Ratray, Amy Hargreaves, Kevin Kolack, Eve Plumb, David W. Thompson. Quiet derelict Dwight (Blair) is peacefully enduring life in a Delaware beach town, eating from garbage cans and sleeping in a battered blue Pontiac Bonneville, when he learns that the man who killed his parents is being released from prison. Dwight summons his motivation and exacts revenge, only he unwittingly commits to a prolonged family feud. Nobody is getting away clean. Director-writer-cinematographer Saulnier is absolutely unconcerned about good guys and bad guys. His steely, evenhanded take on the lack of poetry behind retribution is aided by Blair’s fantastic, minimalist performance. With his gentle, rattled voice and bland features—his beardless face projects an everyman’s vulnerability—Blair gives Blue Ruin a relatable protagonist in Saulnier’s cold morality tale. Anyone can take a stand. Seeing it through is another thing altogether. Two former child stars, Ratray (Home Alone) and Plumb (Jan from The Brady Bunch), are excellent in supporting roles. [R] ★★★1/2 Fading Gigolo (Dir: John Turturro). Starring: John Turturro, Woody Allen, Vanessa Paradis, Sharon Stone, Sofía Vergara, Liev Schreiber. A consistently clever comedy turns a meathead’s fantasy into something rich and rewarding. By accident, Murray (Allen) recommends pal Fioravante (Turturro)—healthy, fit, and experienced—as a prostitute to his

dermatologist (Stone). The pals embark on this new career mostly for a lark, even giving themselves pimp (Dan Bongo) and prostitute (Virgil Howard) stage names. “I’m not a beautiful man,” Fioravante says. “You’re disgusting,” says Murray, trying to capture the younger man’s ruggedness, “in a very positive way.” Turturro, who wrote the script, keeps his affair free of goofy, masochistic hijinks. The lighting is soft. The soundtrack is strictly retro. Even the New York City locations could be from any era. Virgil/Fioravante serves as a tribute to old school male-female dynamics—“I like a man to be a man,” a client (Vergara) declares—and on the therapeutic benefits of companionship: sexual or otherwise. Consider this a romantic comedy for people who detest most romantic comedies. [Read Pete Croatto’s interview with Turturro on page 22.] [R] ★★★1/2 The Final Member (Dirs: Jonah Bekhor, Zach Math). Sigurður “Siggi” Hjartarson has spent most of his adult life collecting penises, a pursuit that led to the Icelandic Phallological Museum. Yes, a penis museum. His collection is exhaustive but missing one crucial member: the human male. Siggi has willing donors lined up in legendary Icelandic adventurer-carouser Páll Arason and American Tom Mitchell. Both men, however, come with crippling conditions so Siggi may die before the Museum displays its ultimate prize. That’s not all. As Páll’s penis shrinks, an object that has brought pleasure and purpose to his life literally diminishes

18 ■ I C O N ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

before his eyes. (There’s a great scene when the old man flips through a photo album of his sexual conquests like it’s a high school yearbook.) Tom’s eagerness to display his manhood is more than psychotic boasting. It’s a way to cleanse his life of heartbreak. The Final Member is more than a visit to a weird museum. It’s about the lengths people will go to salvage their pride. What a wonderful film. [R] ★★★★

Teenage (Dir: Matt Wolf). Here’s a vivacious approach to the historical documentary. Director Wolf adapts Jon Savage’s Teenage: The Prehistory of Youth Culture: 1875-1945 via voiceovers, reenactments, and archival footage to describe the rise of the teenager, a relatively recent term. A series of narrators (including Pride & Prejudice’s Jena Malone and Cloud Atlas’s Ben Whishaw) chronicle the evolution of teenagers from factory workers to hooligans to party people to budding patriots and, ultimately, people capable of expressing themselves. It’s a swift and kicky film, ideal for students or anyone who wants to learn about the development of an influential demographic. Teenage may feel a little slight at 78 minutes, but that’s fine. Any longer and the style would feel glib and talky. As it’s constructed now, Teenage opens your eyes to the rich history of a temporary status and whets your appetite for Savage’s critically acclaimed book. That’s a win. [NR] ★★★ ■

W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ I C O N ■ 19

Reel News

REVIEWS OF RECENTLY RELEASED DVDS BY GEORGE OXFORD MILLER

Joaquin Phoenix in Her.

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

Her (2013) ★★★★ Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara. Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance. Directed by Spike Jonze Rated R for language, sexual content, brief graphic nudity. In this future-is-now metaphor, online relationships have morphed into OS1, a new operating system that combines Facebook, dating sites, psychic advice, personal assistant, and omnipresent Google. Instead of “Harry Meets Sally,” it’s Theodore meets Samantha, the ultimate low-maintenance virtual friend and confidant. Theo (Phoenix) writes love letters for a living but is inept at intimate relationships. Then along comes Samantha (the sexy voice of Scarlett Johansson). With rapid-learning artificial-intelligence, Samantha becomes Theodore’s life coach and constant shirt pocket companion. She always understands just what he needs and is totally nonjudgmental. You’d think emotional attachment to the perfect virtual lover would be risk-free, pain-free, yet Theo discovers that cyberspace creates its own versions of the doubt, betrayal, and failed expectations that plague human relationships. This clever, relevant analogy hits all the tags that blur the human-virtual boundaries that confuse our plugged-in society. Still Mine (2013) ★★★★ Cast: James Cromwell, Genevieve Bujold Based on a true story. Director: Michael McGowan. Rated PG-13 After a lifetime of living on and working his 2,000 acres of

forest and farmland on the Bay of Fundy, Craig Morton (Cromwell) feels a deep attachment to the land. And even more so to Irene (Bujold), his wife of 60 years. When she begins to show signs of dementia, he determines to build a new, smaller house overlooking the bay for them to live out her last years. He has the plans in his head, and as a lumberman with shipbuilding skills, he has the material and ability to build their dream house. But in this modern age, everything from house plans to building materials and construction must meet housing codes and be performed by bonded and licensed contractors. Morton finds himself ensnared in a bureaucratic battle with officials determined to bulldoze his house if he doesn’t comply. The story of will and determination, of love of land and personal freedom, is deepened by the tender relationship that drives Morton to battle anything that stands between him and his ailing wife’s dream. Grand Piano (2013) ★★★ Cast: Elijah Wood, Kerry Bishé, John Cusack. Gene: Thriller. Rated R for some strong language. Five years previously the career of world-renowned pianist Tom Selznick (Wood) came to a screeching halt when he froze up during a concert. Now Selznick is flying to his comeback performance—and desperately wishing the plane would crash. When he finally calms his nerves enough to enter the performance hall, bow to the audience, and sit at the piano, he finds a note: “Play one wrong note and you die.” Centered in the crosshairs of a sniper (Cusack), he suddenly has more

20 ■ I C O N ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

on the line than his career. Through an earpiece, he tries to negotiate while playing perfectly. Then the sniper cranks up the tension by threatening to shoot Selznick’s wife (Bishé) watching from a box seat. The plot races along depending on utter suspension of belief, but so does every fantasy and action flick in theaters today. So pop some corn, sit back, enjoy. 7 Boxes (2013) ★★★ Cast: Celso Franco, Lali Gonzalez. Genre: Thriller. Unrated, with English subtitles. Victor (Franco), an ambitious teen in Peru, races through the streets of a crowded open-air market delivering goods in a pushcart. His impossible dream of movie stardom propels him as much as his tireless legs. His consuming desire is to buy a cell phone with a video camera, as unrealistic on his earnings as his silver-screen dreams. Then a butcher in a bind offers him $100 to hide seven mysterious boxes until the heat passes. And under no circumstances can Victor look in the boxes. Of course, gangsters, cops, even a rival delivery boy, want the boxes and will kill to get them. The chase rollicks through the congested market with surprises and obstacles at every turn. With as many plot twists as the serpentine streets, 7 Boxes takes a simple concept and develops a complex storyline filled with tension, intrigue, and black humor. ■ George Miller is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and believes that travel is a product of the heart, not the itinerary. See his webmagazine at www.travelsdujour.com.

W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ I C O N ■ 21

Exclusive Interview

22 ■ I C O N ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

PETE CROATTO

John Turturro Best known for his roles in Joel and Ethan Coen’s films Miller’s Crossing, Barton Fink, The Big Lebowski and O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Turturro is also a director, a really nice guy, and an acute observer of the human experience.

JOHN TURTURRO SURELY HAS done these quick phone interviews before. He must know the rules: offer compact, easily digestible answers to questions from the voice calling from New York or Topeka or wherever. Maybe the bored interviewer will give up early so the star’s lunch hour can be a bit more leisurely. That is not how Turturro, 57, operates. He gives long, thoughtful answers that wind and weave to their

I’ve done a lot of wonderful films. I’ve also done a lot of wonderful plays from Beckett to Chekov, who are two of my favorite writers. And when you read great writers—that’s what they’re exploring: all the contradictions of life. There’s a real energy to that. I tied [the movie] up in a different way at one time, but thought, ‘That’s not what I wrote and it’s not truthful.’ conclusion. It’s an unconventional route and a bit unnerving for me. So is the fact that he’s unfailingly polite. (“Thank you for looking at those other movies, by the way,” he says. “That was very thoughtful.”) Ah, but this is John Turturro, who became famous by being one of the most versatile and memorable supporting actors of the last 25 years. The guy even brought levity to Adam Sandler’s later movies, which is a miracle. Turturro is such a good actor that it’s easy to overlook his directing career. Fading Gigolo is his fifth film. Like his most recent efforts—the unsentimental musical Romance & Cigarettes and his love letter to Neapolitan music, Passione—Fading Gigolo basks in the complexities of regular people encountering love. Turturro plays New York City florist Fioravante, who at the urging of his unemployed friend, Murray (Woody Allen, playing, well, Woody Allen), becomes an in-demand prostitute. Things go from fun to complicated when Fioravante starts catering to the needs of Avigal (Vanessa Paradis), the lonely and sheltered widow of a Hasidic Rabbi. Fading Gigolo [Pete Croatto’s review is on page 20] is a movie that doesn’t fit a mold, kind of like Turturro.

Pete Croatto: I read that Woody Allen’s barber… John Turturro: It was my barber. Our haircutter, actually. He may be insulted if we call him a barber. PC: I read that he inadvertently pushed you toward Fading Gigolo, but what else pushed you toward writing and directing it? JT: Well, I had this feeling that Woody and I could be a good pair in something, and my haircutter agreed. I knew that Woody liked my work, and I’m a huge fan of his. I thought, ‘Wow, it could be interesting if these two guys, because of financial circumstances, which happens quite frequently nowadays—little shops going out of business—had to reinvent themselves and they wound up in the sex trade.’ Woody loved that idea. He encouraged me to make it as nuanced as possible, because lots of people have crazy ideas, but then where does it lead? A comedy can be very delicate, and you can have a really human comedy. You can say a lot of things that way. Woody encouraged me to develop it along those lines…I did many different drafts, got to know him quite well, and we worked [together on Broadway] in the middle of it. There’ve been so many movies made about [sex]—dramatic movies, but sometimes movies that have some humor, too. When you deal with intimacy or sex, I thought it would be interesting to have some kind of religious theme that it butts up against, because it’s hard to do a movie about sex without religion. They’re interconnected in many ways—you’re dealing with a lot of suppression, and that’s a big part of the world still. I think one of the strengths of the film is that it has different levels to it. I tried to show that visually, socioeconomically, and religiously. PC: I have a feeling that, if someone else had directed or written a movie like this, it would have either turned into a farce, or a victory lap for guys: “Oh, I wonder who he’s going to hook up with next?” So I got the impression that the tone was very important to you. JT: Yeah, well, you can’t apply tone. Tone comes out of specificity. You can’t say, ‘Well, this is all going to be red because then it would be really boring.’ You need variety within it and you need different levels and so in the end the movie’s about friendship and the unceasing need that we have for intimacy, for human connection. There are people who’ve never committed to anyone, and that’s like my character, who’s very comfortable with women and loves them, but has never found someone to share his life with. In the course of the film, there’s actually this romance and kind of love story that happened. So I thought that was something that could be affecting. Many times comedies are okay for 20, 30

minutes, and that’s it. It’s over. It doesn’t really go anywhere. To have a great comedy is really rare. When you see it with an audience, people really respond and women love the movie. Men dig it, too, but women really go for it. I think that says something, so I’m happy about that. PC: You should be. It’s a film that you could describe it as being cheeky but it’s substantive. In your recent movies—Passione and Romance & Cigarettes— there seems to be an appreciation for the past. And I saw this a lot in Fading Gigolo: The occupations these characters have, the music that was used, even Sofía Vergara waxing poetic on Julius Erving. But I also got the sense that that sort of nostalgia applies to how men treat women. Is that accurate? JT: Yeah. Things are lost and things are gained in the world. That’s why retro happens all the time. People are dressing like they’re in the ‘50s and the ‘60s. [Laughs] There’s a reason.There are lots of things that are lost when these little shops [e.g., Murray’s bookstore] go out of business. People don’t have as much human contact—they have more electronic contact. Not that that’s bad, but the appreciation of that also helps us understand the present. I love history and think if you don’t understand it, then you don’t really understand where you are now, because history repeats itself—just in different guises with the advent of progress. But we’re still having the same struggles we’ve always had. So yeah, that certainly interests me…If a man is very confident physically and can take an engine apart, do electrical work, go into the bathroom and fix something, work in a flower shop, in a way he’s a replacement for the cowboy. Paul Auster, my friend, wonderful writer, said, ‘Well the guy [Fioravante] is basically a samurai or a cowboy.’ He’s a taciturn guy. And I thought that would be a good foil for Woody’s character. PC: I’m reluctant to say this movie is about sex, because it’s more about human connection. JT: Yeah, that’s what it is. Sex is physical and beyond, you know what I mean? The reason people pay for sex sometimes is just for the physical release. But many times they pay for it because they’re looking for something…something that they’re not getting even when they’re in a relationship. Or if they’re not in a relationship. Or they want a crazy adventure —there’s a big

W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ I C O N ■ 23

The Richest Men in Babylon

“ r j S c o

Rob Garza and Eric Hilton.

24 ■ I C O N ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

Exclusive Interview

A. D. AMOROSI

Rob Garza and Eric Hilton have gone from working D.C.’s music underground in the mid-’90s with their own distinctive DJ mixes of hip-hop/dub reggae/Brazilian and other genres, scratching and spinning their talents into socio-political, multi-cultural transfixing compilations that rank high on Billboard to a Grammy win for their Garden State soundtrack. IT’S DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE as such now, but in 1997—the time of release for the seminal Sounds From the Thievery Hi-Fi on the Eighteenth Street Lounge (ESL) label—the softly souped-up aesthetic of electronic samba, box-beat-driven bossa nova, coolly wonky world music and the entirety of lounge-tronica was still but a glint in the eye of night club marketers and crepuscular Buddha Bar mixologists (DJs and CD compilers rather than bartenders).

“Eric [Hilton} and I…would spend time in second hand record stores just picking out things that we liked. It wasn’t just pop music but it was music from all around the world… So our thing was taking all of this and finding a way to incorporate it with modern electronic sound and that’s where our own signature sound came from.” — Rob Garza, Rolling Stone, Feb. 2013. Two of the principle architects of this then-burgeoning bar-hop scene—producers, instrumentalists and “outernationalists” Rob Garza and Eric Hilton—held court in Washington D.C.’s Eighteenth Street Lounge (the label and the swanky saloon of the same name) where they created Thievery Corporation, a mixed-up, synthetic/organic United Nations of Braziliana, Jamaican dub, African high life and rippling tones from Asia and the Middle East. Their T-Corp’s fusion was good and great, filled with the sort of soft touch crooners, male and female, singing romantic abstractions that would make Sade look like Henry Rollins in comparison. With those relaxed fit voices looped and poured through each song like Drambuie in a tall, cold glass, their subtle arrangement of musical allegories made for a swell, slightly sweet and decidedly sensual trip on richly comported recordings such as 2000’s Departures remix album, that same year’s moodringing The Mirror Conspiracy, and their masterpiece of 2002, The Richest Man in Babylon. The world of electronica followed suit and every other restaurant and bar either played their music as the culinary soundtrack or bought like-sounding CDs from any number of trip-hoppy, bossa-poppy synth practitioners. “You know, it’s not entirely our fault that the world got overrun with us,” says Rob Garza when I joke with him about pushing an agenda (then) that filled our lives with so-called loungers and their so-called lounge sounds, let alone the glut of striped-shirt, three-buttonsuit-wearing blokes and the lounge ladies who loved them. “I swear it wasn’t just us. We just made music.” Still, no longer content to just wear sharp, slimming

suits and play iced sandy sambas and chilled-out lounge soliloquies, Garza and Hilton changed the game slightly with 2005’s The Cosmic Game: shorter songs, brand name guests (Flaming Lips, David Byrne, Perry Farrell) and a lyrical”palette that began to mean something, a slowly smoldering, incendiary “Revolution Solution” in their own words (would you expect anything else, though, from two Washingtonians who grew up as wiseass punk rock guys with ties to the Discord label?). Radio Retaliation from 2008 and Culture of Fear in 2011 found themselves soaked in highly politicized lyrics, harder guitars, and blunter beats to go with its worldy fusion. “We’re just trying to wake ourselves up, let alone our listeners,” Rob Garza told me at the time of Radio Retaliation’s release. It’s strange then, but not mercilessly unexpected, that Thievery Corporation would now stray from the scene of their most recent politicized works and return to the sandy shores of Ipanema, the cocktail parties of Sao Paolo and even lean toward the mostly-acoustic instrumentation of Saudade (their latest release of 2013) and a big band tour of the States brings them to the Tower Theater on May 10. When the 21st Century was bereft of bossa nova, Thievery Corporation filled our lives with it, until they stopped and brought big guitars hard edges into our lives—until they stopped that as well, and brought us back to the sunnier and samba-riffic again with Saudade. Speaking from Washington just last week, Garza laughed at the simplicity of that trajectory. “I don’t think that there was any real conscious reasoning as to why we returned to that sound,” he says. “When we started, Eric and I were brought together by foreign sounds…of Brazil and Jamaica and India. Even old soundtracks were new to us then, and we wanted to make that part of our own music at Thievery Corporation’s start.” Neither Garza or Hilton ever thought that having a band would be a job, let alone one going on 20 years. “We thought of being in a band and spinning music as a hobby,” says Garza. As they moved forward, each Thief got more into playing their instruments and composing, and with that grew more proficient while sticking to their guns as edgy punk rock kids. “Those edges—Washington hardcore and hip hop—definitely became part of what we did on our most recent albums,” he says of bringing the noise to The Cosmic Game, Radio Retaliation and Culture of Fear. “After being around for twenty years, though, we wanted to make an album of the music we’re still most passionate about after all our travels—and that’s the music of Brazil, of jazz. We wanted to leave the electronic side behind, and really play the music that’s been in our hearts the longest.”

With those same shifts in now-non-programmable sounds, Thievery Corporation’s lyrical palettes went from being loving cups of neutral romantic abstraction to talking about the cultures of fear and highly politicized minds. They spoke their minds, hearts, leanings and consciences. I asked, “And now that the world is all better, you guys have abandoned the social conscious and the seriously polemic for something softer on Saudade?” He answered, “We just followed the path of where the music took us.” Garza says that with a laugh, and continues on to say that Saudade’s words delve more into personal politics than social sciences, and paint pictures of longing and bittersweet nostalgia. “I think we’ve been very politically passionate on our last few albums, even more so if you go back to several of our songs on The Richest Man in Babylon. I feel as if we’ve done a lot in regard to the political. Our fans were certainly thrown for a loop at first. On this record though, we’re using the lyrics as a palette cleanser—the music and production, too—before we start the next chapter of Thievery Corporation.” With Saudade, Garza and Hilton are taking a break from electronica and funk-punk and politics, and relaxing for a minute. If you were going to take a break from electronic music at any time (“…and we will probably go back to electronic music and heavy experimentation on the next album”), now might be the moment. The 21st Century rave scene is filled with brusque, jagged noises and happy-hyper-busy and dizzying beats—so unlike Thievery Corporation’s supple rhythms and roundly sensual arrangements in its past and in its present. “I think that’s one of the things that we wanted to work against with Saudade was an electronic music scene that’s hard and fast. Then again, it’s really funny to look at the current weekly EDM charts and the iTunes charts and see Saudade up there next to Skrillex. We’ve been a part of electronic music in the past, and certainly will be again, but Saudade is a different animal altogether.” Garza says that in its own subtle samba-licious way, Saudade is going against the grain of what’s au courant, a skill set that just happens to be a calling card of theirs when you consider the duo’s longtime shifts in their trajectories. “We’ve been around nearly 20 years, and thankfully still have an ability to bring people back to music, whatever it is we’re pushing.” ■

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

W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ I C O N ■ 25

The Jazz Scene Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market, which has been presenting free jazz performances every month for years, is launching “Music @ the Market,” a two-year-long program committed to providing cultural arts programming and live music. We’re told that much of the programming will be jazz-oriented, as it was last month in celebration of Jazz Month. “Music @ the Market” is made possible by a $60,000 grant from the Knight Foundation as part of the Knight Arts Challenge Philadelphia project. Knights Arts Challenge Philadelphia is a $9 million initiative of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation which seeks the most innovative, cultural ideas to engage and enrich Philadelphia communities. Additional funding for the first year of “Music @ the Market” comes from PECO.

Who would have thought that the little shore town of Somers Point, NJ would become a major jazz force in the region? It’s true, and not only during the spring and summer. The Somers Point Jazz Society presents jazz attractions all year long at the Sandi Point Coastal Bistro, and this year, from May 15 to May 18, the Society is going the festival route with “CapeBank Jazz @

BRUCE KLAUBER

put the flute on the map as a viable jazz instrument by way of his charisma and appeal to audiences other than hard-core jazzers. It’s been said that he was a master at marketing himself, which, of course, meant that he was never a favorite of the critical community. No matter. Mann brought jazz to people who might never have heard it. His story will be told for the first time in Gary Ginnel’s book, The Evolution of Mann: Herbie Mann and The Flute in Jazz, a Hal Leonard title that will hit the street this month. Amazon.com. Also just published is a superb book cowritten by Philadelphia Daily News classical music writer Tom Di Nardo, who has also

Closer to the Philadelphia area—South Philly, that is—is a return engagement for the big band of drummer Phil Giordano at LaStanza Restaurant, 2001 West Oregon Avenue, on May 13 from 8 to 11 p.m. Guest soloist is tenor saxophonist Larry McKenna. Giordano, one of the tastiest big band drummers here or anywhere, has kept his big band going for over 30 years, long before other area ensembles came on the scene. For info: lastanzapa.com or call 215-271-0801. In the not-so-great news area, the Sullivan’s Steakhouse chain, with 19 locations nationwide and two restaurants in this area—King of Prussia and Wilmington, DE— has offered live jazz in the form of duos and trios seven nights per week. Some of our area’s finest players, including pianist Don Glanden, bassist Bruce Kaminsky, and drummer Fred Biondi, have been working Sullivan’s for nearly 20 years. Word has come that the chain is cutting back its live music policy to Thursday, Friday and Saturdays only. Only Philadelphia’s The Prime Rib continues its seven-day per week jazz policy and has no plans to change it. E.J. Park, a regular at Sullivan’s as well as Ubon Thai Cuisine and other spots in the Wilmington area, is something of a protégé of Don Glanden. A cliché-free and refreshing singer with perfect time, intonation, a fine sense of invention and general good taste, Park has a full set of May dates including May 3, 17 and 31 at Sullivan’s. Glanden is also proud to point out that “E.J. is the first Korean student—actually, the first international student—to be hired by the University of the Arts’ School of Music.” Keep your eyes and ears on E.J. Park. She’s going places.

Michael Pedicin.

The Point 2014.” The fest will feature a wellrounded, mainstream-oriented roster of national and area players, including saxophonists Houston Person and Michael Pedicin, guitarist Russell Malone, trumpeter Eddie Henderson, pianists John DiMartino and John Colianni, and a rare appearance, at the Ocean City Music Pier, by Grammy-winning pianist/composer Arturo O’Farrill’s 18-piece Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. For tickets and scheduling, visit spjazz.org. Headliners for one of the granddaddies of all jazz festivals, the Monterey Jazz Festival, have been announced. Performers for the September 19–24 festivities include saxophonist Charles Lloyd, singer Michael Feinstein (increasingly active on the jazz circuit for some reason), pianists Herbie Hancock and Jason Moran, drummer Brian Blade, and Philadelphia bassist Christian McBride. More than 500 artists will appear at this worldclass festival. montereyjazzfestival.org For decades, one of the mainstays of the Monterey fest was flutist Herbie Mann, who died in 2003. There were other jazz flutists before Mann, but he, more than any other,

26 ■ I C O N ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

Emil Richards.

long been one of jazz’s biggest boosters. Wonderful World of Percussion: My Life Behind Bars (mallet instruments, that is) is the bio of one of the most recorded percussionists in history, Emil Richards. Richards, a long-time colleague of Di Nardo, has played on hundreds of film soundtracks, backed everyone from Sinatra to Michael Jackson, and continues to be something of a world music pioneer with his collection of over 700 percussion instruments—and he plays them all. And for the pro players, there is detailed information about the musical range of all these instruments. My Life Behind Bars is a charming and thorough overview of one of the most astounding players—and musical careers—in music industry history. Amazon.com. Another departed area and jazz festival favorite—”the world’s greatest drummer,” Buddy Rich—has a unique, new CD coming out, courtesy of his daughter. Cathy Rich has done and continues to do a fabulous job in perpetuating the legacy of Buddy’s contributions to jazz and jazz drumming. The various

CDs, DVDs and live “memorial scholarship” concerts that she has produced or co-produced have helped make the name Buddy Rich as vital today as it was 40 years ago. Her latest venture is a partnership with Lightyear Entertainment and Lobitos Creek Ranch to issue a CD of never-released drum solos from 1976 and 1977. These were recorded, with Buddy’s blessing by thenband member Alvin Gauvin. Rich had close ties to this area. He appeared at Atlantic City’s Steel Pier with the bands of Bunny Berigan, Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey and Harry James, as well as his own. In the 1970s, he was a regular at Brandi’s Wharf on Delaware Avenue, Street date for this CD is May 13. Amazon.com and other sources. Though John Coltrane, was not born in Philadelphia, the city has always claimed Trane as its own, as he moved to the city in his teens and spent most of his formative years here. The home in which he was raised by his cousin, known as Cousin Mary’s House” still stands as a monument. In 1966, Coltrane continued to explore new ground and was recorded live at Temple University. The group was a transitional one—no one remained from the “classic” quartet—and featured fellow saxophonist Pharaoh Sanders, drummer Rashied Ali, bassist Sonny Johnson and Trane’s wife, Alice, at the piano. This concert, heavily bootlegged through the years, will now see an official, remastered, double CD release with deluxe booklet. Trane’s son, saxophonist Ravi, helped put this together. Street date: September 24. Now available for preorder from amazon.com. Coming next month: Wine and Jazz Festival at Longwood Gardens on June 7, and Jazz at Jacobs—a free event on June 21 associated with the second annual Make Music Philly Day—a day-long celebration that will feature this region’s top jazz pianists performing in Steinway Recital Hall at Jacobs Music Company, 1718 Chestnut Street. Also awarded a grant, and a most deserved one, is allaboutjazz.com and sister site jazznearyou.com. The grant comes from the Philly Fund for Jazz Legacy and Innovation and will fund a Jazz New Year promotional campaign. Allaboutjazz.com was founded in 1995 by jazz fan and self-admitted “tech guy” Michael Ricci, who has worked tirelessly to provide free, worldwide promotional tools to musicians, venues, record companies and everything else associated with jazz. ■

W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ I C O N ■ 27

23 / JOHN TURTURRO

hole somewhere. You want to tap into things when you’re making a film—I want to find something that I not only love, but that people can relate to—but without dumbing it down. PC: I noticed in Fading Gigolo, as well as in Passione and Romance & Cigarettes, that you have a love of ambiguity. Audiences might not like Avigal and Fioravante’s relationship if they’ve seen more conventional stuff. And in Passione you mention the contradiction and irony of Neapolitan songs and why they matter. Is that a draw for you? JT: Sure. I mean, listen, I’ve done a lot of wonderful films. I’ve also done a lot of wonderful plays from Beckett to Chekov, who are two of my favorite writers. And when you read great writers—that’s what they’re exploring: all the contradictions of life. There’s a real energy to that. I tied [the movie] up in a different way at one time, but thought, ‘That’s not what I wrote and it’s not truthful.’ If a woman in [the Hasidic community] defends herself, that means she wants to stay in that world. She’s got children, a family. What is exchanged between the two people is going to remain with them. It’s going to help her and affect him, too, in a different way. That’s what life is. When you’re given this fairy tale ending I always think even audiences are sick of that, you know what I mean? Once in a while that works great. But you almost do a disservice. PC: I would agree, yeah. JT: People start laughing and they’re really back into it. So you’re going back and forth between tenderness and the comic adventure that [Fioravante and Murray]are on, too. Our lives are like that, you know? [Laughs] Even though we imagine that they’re not, you know? I think that’s actually helpful. When I see films like that, it makes me feel less alone, actually, and part of a community. PC: Do you feel that way when you direct? JT: Yeah, I mean I feel like I have a chance to express what interests me, and what interests a lot of people. Which is a big part of life—the dynamics between men and women is a huge part of life. And love stories…there are all kinds of love stories. That’s something that really does interest me, because I think that speaks to our human dilemma. And even our politics come out of those dynamics. PC: Many, many people know you as an actor. Do you want to be known more for your acting work or for your work as a director? JT: You know what? I don’t really care. I just would like to be able to do more things that interest me. And I’d like to direct some more. I’ve done a few movies since then, but I feel like I’m developing my voice and approach. I’d like to exercise those muscles. ■

Jazz Library

BOB PERKINS

BillyStrayhorn

HE STOOD FIVE FEET, two inches tall, and his musical colleagues dubbed him “Swee’ Pea,” after the little character in the Popeye cartoons. But Billy Strayhorn ranked with the giants that composed enduring standard popular music. He was also nobody’s cartoon character. The handle was a reverent tease, applied by Strayhorn’s musical associates in the Duke Ellington Orchestra. The Duke summed up Strayhorn’s talents with typical Ellington eloquence: “Billy Strayhorn successfully married melody, words and harmony, equating the fitting with happiness.” The band members concurred, because they knew the genius of Ellington and Strayhorn kept the band ever- popular, and thereby secured their jobs. Strayhorn’s full name was William Thomas “Billy” Strayhorn. His middle name could have been “Precocious” instead of Thomas, because, while still in his teens, he composed and put words to one of the most sophisticated pieces of popular music, ever written—“Lush Life.” The words to the song are worthy of the urbane writings of Noel Coward and Cole Porter. A few years later, when the song went public and became a hit, the critics were in awe and wondered how this inexperienced, shy young fellow, who hadn’t been anywhere and hadn’t done much of anything, would know to write about ennui— bored and jaded from experiencing too much high living. Billy Strayhorn was born November 29, 1915, in Dayton, Ohio, but his family soon moved to Pittsburgh. He did not receive much in the way of a formal musical education in his early years, but made up for it when he attended high school where he received instruction from the same teacher who had taught Errol Garner and Mary Lou Williams. His first love was classical music, until he heard the likes of Art Tatum and Teddy Wilson, and the music of Duke Ellington, whom he met in 1938. He impressed Ellington by showing him how he would have arranged one of Duke’s songs in a different manner. Another meeting was arranged, and 21-year-old Billy Strayhorn was hired. Thus began one of the most fortuitous associations in the history of modern music. It lasted 29 years and contributed mightily to the pages of the Great American Songbook. Ellington had written some gems prior to Strayhorn’s arrival, and continued to do so, often with the help of his new writing partner. They wrote independently and they collaborated. So close were their writing styles that music critics often could not decipher whether a song was another Ellington masterpiece or a Strayhorn work of art. In his third year with the Ellington Orchestra, Strayhorn composed the band’s signature song “Take the A Train,” and went on to compose the melodies, “Chelsea Bridge,” “Lotus Blossom,” “Rain Check,” and Blood Count.” In praise of Strayhorn and their musical affinity, Ellington once said, “Billy Strayhorn was my right arm, my left arm, all the eyes in the back of my head, my brainwaves in his head, and his in mine.” And before Ellington made that statement, Strayhorn was heard to say, “I’m certain that Duke has influenced me. He says I’ve influenced him, but I don’t know…I’m not sure he knows.” He added, “…[T]here are also no restrictions on my writing—that’s why I like working with Duke. “ It has also been revealed that Lena Horne loved Strayhorn’s abili-

ties, and had a much more than platonic liking for him personally. It was known that he was openly gay, but it’s been said many times over that Horne still wanted to marry him, even though Strayhorn had a longtime male mate.

Billy Strayhorn passed away May 31, 1967, at the age of 51, the victim of esophageal cancer. Ellington recorded an album of Strayhorn compositions shortly after his death, and titled the collection And His Mother Called Him Bill. The former Regent Theater in Pittsburgh now bears the names of two of its native sons: Billy Strayhorn, and dance/actor Gene Kelly. A Pennsylvania Historical Marker was placed at Westinghouse High School in the Homewood section of Pittsburgh, highlighting Strayhorn’s accomplishments, and marking it as the school he attended But even after his successes as a legendary arranger and composer, it continued to remain a mystery, how little “Swee’ Pea”— while in his teens—could have composed such a worldly standard as “Lush Life.” ■

Bob Perkins is a writer and host of an all-jazz radio program that airs on WRTI-FM 90.1 Mon-Thurs. 6 to 9pm & Sun., 9am–1pm.

28 ■ I C O N ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ I C O N ■ 29

Keresman on Disc Jolie Holland ★★★★★ Wine Dark Sea Anti At one time, singers were just that— singers. Performers such as Bing Crosby, Dinah Washington, Kay Starr, and even Elvis Presley recorded songs in a variety of genres. Jolie Holland isn’t exactly in that tradition, but she is an offshoot of it—her music reflects the influences of rock, gospel, jazz, country, blues, soul/r&b, Tin Pan Alley, and the just plain strange. Holland is something of a female counterpart to Los Lobos and

Tom Waits, in that she takes hunks of Americana, absorbs their essences and runs them through a zany Rube Goldberg gizmo that spits them out in strange and wonderful ways. “Waiting For the Sun” and “The Love You Save” find Jolie channeling—not imitating or emulating (not that emulation is bad, but I digress)—mid-‘60s Memphis r&b (think Stax Records), oozing a soulfulness that’s timeless and classic but totally her own. Holland’s voice is a singular instrument, cooing poignantly like a cross between Maria Muldaur and a young Aretha Franklin (with touches of jazz singer Mildred Bailey and blues goddess Memphis Minnie) and she can make with a stray-cat yowl, all with feline grace, and often all within the same song. Guitars wail, shimmer, sigh, and grind with the utmost restraint, a violin saws a noir-ish tango, tempos stagger and lurch like guys tumbling out of the tavern after last call—it’s a beautiful mess, much like Life Itself. Holland is in the same league as Waits, Rickie Lee Jones, Randy Newman, and Kevin Coyne, and almost beyond category. Hear her. (11 tracks, 55 min.) anti.com

shemp@hotmail.com

Jeremy Steig ★★★★★ Flute Fever International Phonographic Inc. Jimmy Giuffre 3 & 4 ★★★★ New York Concerts Elemental Here’s a couple of sets from (this is “critics’ talk”—indulge me) some neglected masters, a couple that are still with us and one that passed a few years back. Flute Fever originally came out in 1963 (Columbia Records) and this is its CD debut. Flutist Jeremy Steig was among the earliest fusion pioneers, but before that he wailed on some kick-ass hard bop with pianist Denny Zeitlin (a practicing psychiatrist and still active in both fields), Monk’s drummer Ben Riley, and bassist Ben Tucker. Steig plays in a surging, aggressive, mercurial but flawlessly lyrical manner, playfully over-blowing occasionally. This album was Zeitlin’s debut, and (more critics’ talk) we can hear the promise of greatness here—he displays the drive of Bud Powell and the subtle lyricism of Bill Evans. Fans of Steig, Zeitlin, and jazz flute in general: Essential! (8 tracks, 53 min.) internationalphonographinc.com The late Texan Jimmy Giuffre was a tenor saxophonist, clarinetist, composer (the Woody Herman hit “Four Brothers”: him), and arranger. His approach to small group jazz in the 1960s did not win him many fans—in fact, he released no music as a leader from 1963 until the early ‘70s. That factoid makes this two-CD set all the more significant, as it presents two live sets recorded in NYC in 1965. Giuffre’s approach to improvisation and group dynamics anticipated both the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, based in Chicago) and the ECM “school” by many years with its quiet, cerebral intensity and classical chamber music-like use of “silence.” The music here—a trio with drummer Joe Chambers and Richard Davis, a quartet with Chambers, pianist Don Friedman, and bassist (and ECM stalwart) Barre Phillips—is often revelatory, as it’s something of a missing link between chamber jazz cool (of which JG was once identified) and the thencontroversial free jazz of the mid-‘60s. Not easy listening to be sure, but rewarding all the same. (Release June 14, 2014; amazon.com) Gene Ludwig-Pat Martino Trio ★★★★★ Young Guns HighNote Bruce Barth ★★★★1/2 Daybreak Savant

30 ■ I C O N ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

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

To some, the tag “mainstream jazz” can be a euphemism for meat ‘n’ potatoes jazz, stuff that’s fine ‘n’ filling but not too surprising…usually. These platters are, superficially, in that (straight-ahead/post-bop/contemporary-but-not-fusion) mainstream—until you listen. Plenty of surprises—Young Guns is a collection of previously-unissued live material from 1968-9 and it’s something of a revelation. Sure, most hepcats know of the remarkable guitar artistry of Pat Martino, but he really pushes the envelope here. While he’s a disciple of the soulful, lithe style of Wes Montgomery, Martino tosses in some wonderfully weird notes, at times evoking John McLaughlin at his edgiest. While Gene Ludwig is conversant with the popular souljazz style of the time, he’s more of a bebop player—which means his organ is richsounding but he opts for taking more chances rather than making with the grooves. If you’re a fan of post-bop, early fusion, and soul-jazz guitar, you need this. (7 tracks, 77 min.) Bruce Barth plays piano in a surging, muscular style à la Herbie Hancock and the late great Jaki Byard, and he’s composed most of the tunes here. What makes Daybreak stand out from the pack is the slightly unusual lineup: Barth’s 88s; Terrell Stafford’s trumpet, and Steve Nelson’s vibes are the front line, with Vincente Archer and Montez Coleman supplying plenty of oomph. Stafford is a joy to hear—unlike some modern brass types, he’s not only absorbed Freddie Hubbard (bristling, fiery, technique to die/kill for) but also Louis Armstrong (sly bending/smearing of notes, tenderness). Nelson’s got that crystal-clear tinkle that he applies with genial warmth and brevity. Each tune is as long as it needs to be and no longer, and the album as a whole has an unforced, vigorous ambiance. (10 tracks, 62 min.) jazzdepot.com Dolly Parton ★★★★1/2 Blue Smoke Dolly Records/Sony Masterworks Kathleen Grace No Place to Fall ★★★★1/2 Monsoon Here are a couple of platters that in their own ways stretch the parameters of that notoriously conservative field known as country music. Dolly Parton starred in movies and topped the charts in the 1970s and ‘80s, but in the late ‘90s she veered away from pop-charged country to an acoustic-oriented bluegrass/classic country mix. Blue Smoke is something of a career retrospective—while new, mostly self-

penned material, Parton embraces her stylistic diversity. Smoke continues the bluegrass direction of her albums on the Sugar Hill label (“Unlikely Angel,” a lovely version of Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice”) but Dolly delves into spunky roots-y pop (“Lover du Jour,” where she sounds especially coquettish), early ‘70s country (“You Can’t Make Old Friends”), power balladry (“Home,” wherein Dolly meets Toto—which is actually better than it sounds), and gospel (“If I Had Wings”). At age 68, Parton’s distinctive warble is supple and expressive as ever. Don’t let the cheesy, Walgreen’s bargain-bin look of the cover art fool you—Parton is at the top of her game here. (12 tracks, 47 min.) sonymasterworks.com While she has a background in jazz, Parton is one of the inspirations for Tucsonborn LA-based singer Kathleen Grace. Grace sings in a pliant alto with some of the smoky, slightly wispy, improvisational phrasing of jazz legends Helen Merrill and Sheila Jordan. Her versions of Duke Ellington’s “Mood Indigo” and the standard “Blame It On My Youth” approach the mythic excellence of Patsy Cline’s torch-meets-twang approach (with a hint of the buoyancy of Natalie Merchant). Grace and her combo (featuring steel guitar baron Greg Leisz) navigate that it’s-there-but-elusive common ground between forlorn country soul, honky tonk bounce, and elastic jazz balladry. She’s something special, someone to watch. (10 tracks, 48 min.) kathleengrace.com Dave Keller ★★★★ Soul Changes Red River To some degree, the Southern R&B tradition is an endangered species—while Rev. Al Green is still out there testifying, many of the old masters (Solomon Burke, to name one) are passing on and let’s face it, this is a world of Rhianna, R. Kelly, and Nelly. But fellers like Dave Keller (along with Otis Clay) are keeping the flame burning—in fact, half of Soul Changes features many of the same musicians that backed Green, Isaac Hayes, and Ann Peebles on their classic 1970s sides. Changes oozes that gospellaced Memphis sound, full of plush organ, blues-charged horns, sharp, terse guitar licks, and warmly engaging melodies. Keller sings with unforced soulful conviction and down-home storyteller delivery, occasionally sounding a bit like pre-disco-era Boz Scaggs. While he doesn’t add to the tradition, Keller does it proud and this platter feels as filling as a chicken-fried steak dinner. (11 tracks, 44 min.) ■

W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ I C O N ■ 31

Nick’’s Picks Eric Reed ★★★★ The Adventurous Monk Savant Philadelphia-born pianist Eric Reed grew up playing in his father’s storefront Baptist church and was discovered to be a child prodigy at age two. He was steered away from gospel and church music to classical, but dug jazz so much after hearing Art Tatum and Ramsey Lewis that he devoted himself to a different kind of soul music. He recounts in his bio that “I wasn’t interested

in practicing Bach; I was too busy digging Horace Silver!” Fast forward to a call from Wynton Marsalis inviting Reed to tour with his band, a gig that lasted from 1990-1995 and established the pianist as a first-rate player, bandleader and educator, as well an artist with more than 25 solo recordings to his credit. Reed has a brilliant affinity for the music of Thelonious Monk, recently dedicating two albums to Monk’s timeless compositions on the trio-based Dancing Monk in 2011 and again on The Baddest Monk in 2012, the latter adding a two-horn frontline and vocalist Jose James for a version of

Nick Bewsey has been writing about jazz for ICON since 2004. A member of The Jazz Journalists Assoc., he blogs about jazz and entertainment at www.jazzinspace.blogspot.com. Twitter: @countingbeats

“Round Midnight.” For his third go ‘round, The Adventurous Monk, Reed mixes things up with a dynamic band that includes saxophonist Seamus Blake, bassist Ben Williams and drummer Gregory Hutchinson. With no time to waste, dazzling versions of “Thelonious,” “Work” and “Reflections” trigger Reed’s fleet set, where he slips into a deep, easy groove cross-checked by a swinging rhythmic conversation between Williams and Hutchinson. Seamus Blake, a saxophone powerhouse, authentically recalls the great Charlie Rouse, but delivers freethinking solos with a tone that’s juicy and flush with lyricism. The engineers at Savant have cooked up one of their finest recorded efforts—you sink into the sound, your ears teased with nuance and flavor by Reed and his crew. Endlessly inventive, Reed serves up dollops of church soul and graceful Tatumlike runs that makes these Monk tunes sound both adventurous (“Nutty”), beautiful (“Pannonica”) and more than a little danceable (“Ba-Lues Boliver Ba-Lues-Are”). You can almost imagine the spirit of Monk strutting around Reed’s piano. (10 tracks; 46 minutes) Kris Bowers ★★★★1/2 Heroes + Misfits Concord Jazz Polished with a deliberative edginess, the promising young pianist Kris Bowers is full of surprises on his debut disc, Heroes + Misfits, an eclectic thrill ride through amped-up electronic keyboards, soaring saxophones and acoustic piano played over lush soundscapes. Bowers, who recently turned 25, is a Julliard graduate who won the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition in 2011 where the judges included Herbie Hancock and Ellis Marsalis. With a diverse knowledge of music, he’s as comfortable playing piano as a featured member of jazz group, The Next Collective, as he is recording with Jay-Z and Kanye West (“No Church In The Wild” from 2011’s Watch The Throne). He’s toured with Marcus Miller and currently opening with his own band for singer José James on James’ national tour as well as playing keyboards in the vocalist’s band and records. As a film composer with a foot in Hollywood’s door, Bowers’ credits include the 2013 documentaries, Seed Of Time and Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me. Bowers’ compositions are replete with the unfiltered confidence that comes from youth and discipline. After a couple of spins, you get that it’s natural for Bowers to juxta-

32 ■ I C O N ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

pose synthesized whomp-whomp sonics against rock-infused guitar swells, and it’s a world with which he’s at ease. He forges his sound with ferocious beats and electro-percussion from drummer Jamire Williams and the deep, thumping pitch of bassist Burniss Earl Travis II. Bowers composed most of the ten tracks and collaborated on the others, every one of them strong and decisive, highlighted by sharp improvisations from saxophonists Casey Benjamin and Kenneth Whalum III. It’s easy to get caught up with “Wake The Neighbors” a slick bounce tune that throbs with a righteous guitar hook supplied by Adam Agati, or the soaring multi-tracked vocals by Julia Easterlin on “Forget – Er,” a spiritualized hang-up on a romance gone sour. The vocalists come on strong midway through the recording (Chris Turner croons with conviction on “Won-

derlove”) and this crossroads where jazz meets pop is also where Bowers embraces both. While he’s pulling from every genre, Bowers is not shy about his roots, melding classical-tinged acoustic piano with blazing horns on the multi-faceted “#The Protestor,” a provocative tour-de-force inspired by the uprisings staged around the world in 2011. As a keyboardist, he rules on the triphop jazz track “Vices and Virtues,” with a natural fluidity on the Fender Rhodes and captures a sound that’s uniquely modern yet retro. Of all the bands that shuffle jazz, soul and hip-hop into something potently consumable, Heroes + Misfits makes a persuasive case for Kris Bowers and his leader of the pack sensibilities. (10 tracks; 48 min-

utes) (10 tracks; 48 minutes) Ted Rosenthal Trio ★★★ Rhapsody In Gershwin Playscape Recordings A leading pianist and conceptual improviser ever since he won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition

in 1988 (judges included Tommy Flanagan, Barry Harris and Sir Roland Hanna), Ted Rosenthal puts his own authentic spin on the most famous George Gershwin tunes ever composed. With his simpatico trio mates, bassist Martin Wind and drummer Tim Horner, Rosenthal gets right down to it on the 17-minute-plus “Rhapsody In Blue” with a focused intensity that organically shapes the composition’s movements into various rhythmic styles—swing, mambo, the blues. It’s a credit to his resourcefulness that it progresses smoothly and naturally. But it’s the tunes that follow that provide genuine pleasure since they’re familiar standards played with a percolating freshness. Rosenthal’s playful phrasing enlivens “Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off,” “Fascinating Rhythm” darts and dips at a thrilling clip, and even the pianist agrees that Bill Evans inspired his arrangement of “I Loves You Porgy.” Altogether it’s an album of sophisticated swing and sly off-kilter “derangements” as Rosenthal calls his takes on “Strike Up The Band” and “Love Walked In.” Regardless, this cat and his band sure can swing. (8 tracks; 59 minutes)

NICK BEWSEY

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

The North ★★★★ Slow Down (This Isn’t The Mainland) Dowsett Records The acoustic music made by the trio that call themselves The North is utterly compelling. It’s certainly classifiable as jazz, but taken as a whole these ten instrumental compositions unfold like a book of short stories, each track strumming an emotional thread until it concludes with a satisfying completeness. On Slow Down (This Isn’t The Mainland), nominal leader and French-born pianist Romain Collin joins with Hawaii-based friends, bassist Shawn Conley and drummer Abe Lagrimas, to explore tunes that teem with leisurely melodies, accessible rhythms and earthy beats with every member inserting subtle, virtuosic touches on six heartfelt originals and a tune each by Monk, Corea, Bob Dylan and Christina Courtin. Engaging to its core, The North evoke places traveled like “Great Ocean Road,” a tune that takes flight on a double-time brush shuffle, or they tap into a chill vibe like the irresistible beat that hovers beneath the wistful title song. This modern jazz trio has an affecting vision that seduces with its ambling back-porch sound, ace talent and unpretentious charm, and it adds up to make Slow Down a rather spellbinding record. (10 tracks; 47 minutes) Orrin Evans’ Captain Black Big Band ★★★★1/2 Mother’s Touch Posi-tone Orrin Evans is a true jazz advocate. One of the busiest leaders on the scene with more than 20 solo albums in his discography along with countless sideman appearances, Evans has a second-to-none work ethic in and around New York as well as his hometown of Philadelphia. An industrious musician with an impetuous streak (despite recognizing the economies of scale, he stated that he “can’t stand the trio format” in a July 2012 Village Voice interview), Evans thinks bigger, refusing to see limitations in presenting jazz or performing it. Pairing once again with Posi-Tone Records, Evans’ sophomore studio recording of his Captain Black Big Band is a particularly satisfying album that challenges the status quo. Leading a big band within today’s economic realities seems to defy reason, but Mother’s Touch marks a magnificent return of the CBBB and it scores in every way imaginable. The album maintains swing at its core, a kind of groove-oriented center that gives it ballast and flow. Evans uses horns as the band’s primary voice, but closer listening reveals that as the primary composer, the pianist takes advantage of a larger canvas to create earthy textures and a spectrum of brassy color. Threading a groove throughout, the recording is reminiscent of the big band recordings of McCoy Tyner—there’s a cinematic thrill in the way that the rhythm section pairs with the horns. Evans, bassist Luques Curtis and drummer Anwar Marshall keep the music pulsating underneath surefire solos by Stacy Dillard and Marcus Strickland on both parts of the title track and again with tenorist Victor North on the gorgeous “Maestra.” First-rate drummer Ralph Peterson guests on “Explain It To Me,” a track with a swinging, churchy feel. Wholly modern and accessible, Mother’s Touch is among Evans’ finest recorded work. He maintains a decisive point of view (the tricky scales on “Prayer For Columbine” give it a meaningful heft) and that consistency makes Evans’ Captain Black Big Band the perfect introduction to his music. (9 tracks; 48 minutes) ■ W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ I C O N ■ 33

Singer / Songwriter Judy Collins ★★★★ Live in Ireland Wildflower Records While Judy Collins has been a performing artist for more than a half century, she makes it sound as if time is standing still on Live in Ireland, a CD and companion DVD recorded in 2013. Her voice retains a purity and impressive upper register as she runs through a set of traditional folk material

along with versions of her own songs and those of her favorite songwriters. Collins opens the album with the traditional British ballad “Wild Mountain Thyme” and a vibrant reading of Joni Mitchell’s “Chelsea Morning.” Irish singer Mary Black joins Collins for a duet on “She Moved through the Fair” in which each singer seems to inspire the other. Ari Heist and Collins team up for a lively version of his song “The Fire Plays,” an engaging look at the nature of romance. Collins ends the CD with a pair of songs linked to Ireland: “Innisfree,” based on a poem by William Butler Yeats, and the traditional “Danny Boy.” She sings the opening verses of the latter without accompaniment to show the breadth of her range. The DVD features songs not on the CD, including her take on Leonard Cohen’s “Bird on the Wire” and the gospel standard “Amazing Grace,” a Top 20 single for her in 1970. 12 songs 49 minutes. Earth Wind & Fire ★★★★ The Essential Earth Wind & Fire Columbia Legacy Earth Wind & Fire built upon the soul music of the 1960s to become one of the

tomwilk@rocketmail.com

top musical acts of the 1970s and 1980s. Led by drummer and principal songwriter Maurice White, the band incorporated tight horn arrangements and intricate vocal harmonies to create music for the body and mind. The Essential Earth Wind & Fire, upgraded with eight additional songs from its original 2002

release, traces the group’s artistic evolution from 1974 to 2013. Early songs “Mighty Mighty” and “Drum Song” show the band’s debt to Sly and the Family Stone and Santana, respectively. Earth, Wind & Fire hit its commercial stride with the hits “Shining Star” and “That’s The Way of the World” as both songs project a positive message. “Keep Your Head to the Sky” adopts a gospel feel in stressing the need for perseverance, while the upbeat “Sing a Song” is a reminder of the power of music. By the 1980s, the group shifted to a more electronic sound that was geared to get listeners on the dance floor. “Boogie Wonderland,” recorded with the Emotions, was a bid to capture the disco market. “After the Love is Gone” is a sparkling ballad with rich harmonies that recalls the heyday of the Sound of Philadelphia vocal groups, such as Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes and the O’Jays. 35 songs, 155 minutes. Nine Times Blue ★★★1/2 Matter of Time Renegade Recordings Nine Times Blue capably carries on the tradition of power pop, a guitar-driven music that stays in a listener’s mind with Matter of Time. The quartet, named after a Mike Nesmith song, delivers the goods with a fast-paced, extended-play CD of half a dozen songs. Lead singer and principal songwriter Kirk Waldrop and band capture a Smithereens feel on the yearning “Falling After You,” striking a balance between melody and power. “Sometimes” serves up

34 ■ I C O N ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

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

a look at relationships that recalls the early 1980s songbook of Marshall Crenshaw.

The title track is an earnest song about coming to grips with personal regrets and facing the future. “Reasons Why” evokes memories of R.E.M. with the nimble instrumental work of lead guitarist Greg King and Waldrop. “This Time” spotlights the rhythm section of bassist Jeff Nelson and drummer Jason Brewer, They create a sense of urgency that moves the song along. 6 songs 23 minutes

Home,” voicing the worry of the song’s narrator. “Home in Chicago” is an energetic shuffle on as Riley, a Mississippi native, declares: “You can take me out of the country/But you can’t take the country out of me.” “Oil Spill Blues” is a look at modern romance that continues the custom of double entendres in blues lyrics. “When I start my drilling,” Riley playfully boasts, “all the ladies call me BP.” It’s a metaphor that would make Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf proud. 12 songs 42 minutes Jim Byrnes ★★★1/2 St. Louis Times Black Hen Music Jim Byrnes goes back to the starting point with St. Louis Times, revisiting the music that he heard growing up in the Missouri city that led him to become a musician. The album is rooted in the blues as Byrnes kicks off the album with a swinging version of “I Get Evil,” a standard that’s

Dave Riley and Bob Corritore ★★★1/2 Hush Your Fuss! SWMAF/Vizztone With Hush Your Fuss!, their third album together, Dave Riley and Bob Corritore continue a partnership that’s rooted in the blues tradition. Riley (guitar and vocals) and

Corritore (harmonica) succeed in putting their own stamp on the genre with original songs that go beyond standard blues material. The acoustic “Hush My Fuss,” a Riley original, has the feel of a traditional blues, as the singer vows to rise above the daily complaints of everyday life. “No Cussin’” is a humorous take on the perils of profanity that spotlights Riley’s compelling, roughedged vocal style. Corritore’s harmonica takes the lead on “Baby Please Come

been recorded by artists ranging from Tampa Red to the Blasters. Byrnes and John Hammond trade verses on “The Duck’s Yas Yas Yas,” which is enhanced by a Dixieland brass arrangement and producer Steve Dawson’s guitar. Byrnes and Colleen Rennison deliver a spirited duet on “You’ll Miss Me (When I’ Gone),” trading good-natured barbs on the remake of the 1965 hit by Fontella Bass and Bobby McClure. Darryl Havers’ percolating Wurlitzer is a highlight of Byrnes’ version of Chuck Berry’s “Nadine.” As a songwriter, Byrnes holds his own with his mentors. “The Journey Home” is a recitation on his life as a boy growing up in St. Louis that makes good use of his vocal skills. Byrne is a longtime actor and was a regular on the TV series Wiseguy. “I Need a Change” is a soul-drenched ballad that gives Byrnes a chance to stretch out vocally. St. Louis Times shows a man can go home again, at least musically. 12 songs 49 minutes ■

W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ I C O N ■ 35

Whoopee!

ICON Winner of Dinner for two

Dining

ROBERT GORDON

CARMEL CAFÉ & WINE BAR

SUSAN BERMAN TWO WAYS TO WIN: 1. “LIKE” us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/icondv or 2. Send an email with the subject line Glorious Food. Write YOUR FULL NAME and send to trina@icondv.com

OVER THE PAST SEVERAL years, there’s been an influx of minichain, youth-wooing dining emporiums (dinning emporiums in some cases) along Lancaster Avenue. In some, culinary focus plays second fiddle to the energy devoted to mixology-ing hip, new specialty drinks (and equally important, hanging a cool name on each), hiring hot serving staffs, and animating overly hip bar scenes. Some places manage to morph sideshows into main events. It’s tempting to dismiss the entire roster of this genre as the lat-

fies the thin, crispy crust, which is hearty enough to stand up to the savory combos that top it. My favorite is Braised Short Rib and Portabella Mushrooms where braised meat couples with succulent mushroom slices atop a bed of Mission fig marmalade and fontina cheese. The Small & Large Plates menu section has some pleasant dishes. You can order either a Small or Large portion at extremely moderate prices. In fact, no Large Plate choice exceeds $18—a price that will get you a hefty portion of Basil Grilled Salmon. Although the ac-

est wave of nondescript “Little Boxes,” like those that Malvina Reynolds bemoaned in her timeless poem and song of the same name. You know: They’re all made out of ticky tacky and they all look just the same. But that’s facile. Unfair. And ultimately inaccurate. After visiting a number of eateries in this genre, Carmel Café in Wayne sticks out. Sure, it rolls with the same laidback vibe and retroclassy décor that characterize many others. But Carmel Café also boasts some satisfying, nicely executed dishes—dishes that rise a notch or two above the standard bar noshes and less-ambitious gastropub fare served at other such establishments. The most distinguishing fare lies in the Signature Shareables category. Shrimp ceviche is a standout. An ample serving of shrimp cut into small tender segments is enlivened with cilantro, avocado, and peppers drizzled in perky citrusy juice. Pepper flakes add subtle burn to each bite. The puffed-up vegetable crisps plated with the ceviche are surprisingly tasty. Their dry crunch and texture proves an ideal complement to the ceviche. Chickpea Fries are sensibly breaded with a notable lack of discommending sogginess and heft that wreck many other renditions. The accompanying two sauces—a pot of dulcet tomato jam and a pot of curry aioli (slightly sweet curry with fresh tarragon)—are delectable. Spinach Gnocchi crafted with Ricotta, spinach, and basil splashed with Parmesan cream sauce, is disappointingly bland. The pasty consistency is not palate pleasing. It’s the least distinguished selection in the otherwise tasty “Shareables” grouping. All three flatbreads are excellent. A smoky undercurrent intensi-

companying couscous is uninspired, the salmon is large and savory, with earthy kalamata olive tapenade. Steak Frites is a bargain. A pool of Béarnaise aioli that needs a tad more perk surrounds grilled and sliced Meyer natural angus. It’s sided with a generous heaping of Carmel fries. All in all, it’s a copacetic version of the French bistro classic. Do order some reasonably priced sides, which, on the whole, are well conceived and well executed. Tangy, delicious wilted kale benefits from the heated oomph it gets from red pepper. Pistachio Apricot Quinoa synergizes these disparate ingredients into lush, coherent unity. And yes, you can enjoy a de rigeur slate of specialty cocktails along with reasonably priced wines and brews. By-the-glass wines are available in 3-, 6-, and 9-ounce pours—a gracious and utilitarian feature for samplers and designated drivers counting their ounces. The interior softly illuminates warm woods. Cheery servers, ordering via an iPad, and a mellow new-age club-music soundtrack creates a soothing scene that allows for conversation, grazing, conviviality, and beverage sampling and doesn’t trade on the ticky tacky of other little boxes. ■

Whoopee!

ICON Winner of Dinner for two

ROBERT ANCKAITIS

TWO WAYS TO WIN: 1. “LIKE” us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/icondv or 2. Send an email with the subject line Glorious Food. Write YOUR FULL NAME and send to trina@icondv.com

36 ■ I C O N ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

Carmel Café & Wine Bar, 372 W. Lancaster Avenue, Wayne, PA (484) 580-6725 www.carmelcafe.com

Email comments and suggestions to r.gordon33@verizon.net

W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ I C O N ■ 37

Dining

ROBERT GORDON

Taqueria Feliz A FEW SPINS AROUND the Tim Spinner-Brian Sirhal “Trio Feliz” circuit—Cantina Feliz, La Calaca Feliz, and Taqueria Feliz—is convincing. The dynamic duo isn't foisting a formulaic cookie-cutter empire on the Delaware Valley. Sure, the de rigeur Mexican staples like nachos and guacamole are pretty similar. Nothing surprising there. But each of the three Felizes legitimately boasts its own identity staked on its own turf. Each one weaves meaningfully into the fabric of its neighborhood. The youngest of the three, Taqueria Feliz, has been welcomed into Manayunk even on some of the more forbidding evenings this past winter. “We’re doing well, and we’re looking forward to an even better summer,” Chef Palazzo points out. He’s right. On the few pleasant evenings this spring has doled out, Taqueria Feliz has been hopping—a harbinger of a busy summer. An extensive sidewalk area sidles along the front of the eatery. In this highly visible nook of Manayunk, such a kinetic scene should pump up the eatery’s curb appeal and make Taqueria Feliz a popular stop. Chef Palazzo has designed an intriguing menu. Hot Dog “Perro Caliente”—not offered at the other Feliz eateries—is now a favorite of the locals. The hot dog is addictive, a fun, busy reboot of the American classic. Refried beans, salsa verde, chorizo, pico de gallo and smoked bacon cloak the meat and treat the tastebuds to piquancy, fire, and crunch. I also love the Comida Loca, (literal translated: “Crazy Food”) menu section that offers seldom-seen, and even lessseldom-tried dishes like Lamb Heart Skewers and Tacos de Lengua. The former item plates marinated and grilled lamb hearts with refried beans. Chimichurri sauce, pickled onion, and cucumbers round out the dish with a rainbow of ingredients that brighten the lean, smooth-textured meat. Tacos de Lengua is beef tongue, served with salsa de árbol, onion and cilantro. But Tacos de Chapulines is the hands-down most adventurous menu item. Chapulines are grasshoppers treated with a potpourri of spices and sauces and crisped to snack-worthy crunch. Served with onion, cilantro, and guacamole, it’s a winning dish. The menu promises even more “Comida Loca” options coming soon. I hope so. Taqueria Feliz’ Loca dishes are actually serious, exploratory creations inviting diners to expand their culinary boundaries—as opposed to being “I’m-cool-how‘bout-you,” “dare-ya-to” novelties. Shrimp Ceviche “Coctel de Camarones” is a heaping serving of shrimp spruced with spicy tomato, scallions, and avocado harboring a citrusy undercurrent that moderates the uninhibited heat of spicy tomato sauce. Pork Belly & Fideos Soup (Fideos are noodles in Spanish) embellishes the usual version with red chile, tomato, pork shoulder, cabbage, and crema— a combo that dials up a pleasing distribution of of tastes. Barbacoa de Borrego is delicately smoked lamb roasted in banana leaves that retain the meat’s succulence. Strips of forest green nopal stretch alongside the choice lamb. Red-rimmed radish moons and curly purple onion strips atop a bed of puréed chickpeas contribute color and variety to a memorable dish. Enchiladas Suizas are soft flour tortillas stuffed with fall squash and jack cheese in tomatillo cream. Sides of sweet, delicious plantain and Mexican Street Corn “Esquites” (a Mexican snack or “antojito”) with perky lime mayo, queso fresco, and fiery chili pequin join in a balanced riot of tastes. Heavy square wooden-hewn beams protrude above brick and stone walls that recall Manayunk’s industrial past and frame a room populated with tables in bright Southwest colors. A queue of bovine-headed skeletons decorate one wall, while a boisterous bar scene revels in the communicating adjacent space, particularly during the weekday 4:30-6:30 Happy Hour, when prices are more felizing than fleecing. ■ Taqueria Feliz, 4410 Main St., Philadelphia. (267) 331-5874 www.taqueriafeliz.com Email comments and suggestions to r.gordon33@verizon.net

38 ■ I C O N ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

S WA N

HOTEL Modern Cuisine h Classic Comfort Corner of Swan & Main Lambertville, NJ 609-397-3552 W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ I C O N ■ 39

Sally Friedman

ON THIS MOTHER’S DAY, as on every other one for the last six years, I’ll dig out the photos of my mom on her last Mother’s Day on this earth. Those photos reveal a small, blonde woman with eyes like green marbles, smiling radiantly, and looking younger than her years. In her ninth decade, my mother was still a beauty. And she still hated candid photographs. But the photos of her that I love best are those in which she was caught offguard. Her hair might be tousled, her lipstick worn off, and her sweater unglamorous. In those photographs, my mother was almost always surrounded by young ones, and she was looking at them with such awe and wonder that every time I see them, my heart lurches. There’s one special photograph that’s somewhere in the vast heap. The year was 1962, and Mom and her first grandchild—our daughter Jill—were just getting acquainted. It was love at first sight on both sides. So much has happened since that candid moment, so artfully captured by my husband. My daughters have gone through their ages and stages and moods and madnesses, and in the process, they came to know a different woman from the one who raised their own mother. She was, in her last years, a woman whose lovely face was creased with reminders of a thousand smiles, and whose hands had been invaded by veins that weren’t there all those years ago. But most of all, they came to know a woman whose eyes sent out such messages of unqualified adoration that they understood, then and forever, that there once was someone in this world who always found them bright, beautiful and nearly perfect. That woman is gone now, but oh, her impact on us all... My mother asked nothing more of her grandchildren than the pleasure of their company. And you can be sure that it was quite different for my sister and me, who faced a far more tangled agenda. Jill, Amy and Nancy got something much purer. As a grandmother, my mother was brand new. She could accept these daughters-once-removed with all their flaws and foibles, and be an outrageous show-off about each of them. I still get a lump in my throat when I occasionally rum-

40 ■ I C O N ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

mage through the carton of things I could not part with after Mom’s death. Crudely-lettered, crayoned birthday cards that my daughters had sent her over the years. Then similar messages from her older grandchildren. Handprints crafted just for “Mom-Mom.” Primitively drawn pictures of her. Valentines sent to her Philadelphia apartment, addressed in their juvenile scrawls. She kept every last one. They were priceless treasures then—and more so now. They reveal a woman who would have denied being sentimental, but who so clearly was. I used to have to turn away, sometimes, when I would see my mother reach out absently to touch Amy’s cheek, or move a stray hair from Nancy’s forehead or hold onto Jill’s hand in a moment of delighted affection. I used to think that that was as good as it got. I used to think that seeing my mother as a grandmother was the ultimate pleasure for a daughter. Until great-grandchildren. Hannah. Then Isaiah. Then redheaded Sam, and hazel-eyed Jonah. Then little bandit Danny. And finally spunky Emily and adored Carly. Yes, mom had added yet another title—great-grandmother—to her bulging resume. And how perfectly it suited her. Each great-grandchild seemed to decide early on that this petite blonde woman with the wonderful green eyes was a keeper; a best friend in all the world. They reserved for her their most enchanting, toothless smiles and most charming coos and gurgles. To watch my mother and her flock of great-grandchildren together was to glimpse eternity, to hold in my astonished and grateful heart those rare, golden bonds of continuity. So on this Mother’s Day, I will take out the photos and memorabilia that remind me of this woman I miss achingly every day of my life. I will fervently wish she were here to watch more family history unfold. Because there is nothing more beautiful on planet Earth on Mother’s Day than these candid portraits of love. ■

portraits of love

Sally Friedman contributes to the New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, AARP Magazine and other national and regional publications. She is the mother of three fierce daughters, grandmother of seven exceptional grandchildren and the wife of retired New Jersey Superior Court Judge Victor Friedman. Email: PINEGANDER@aol.com.

About Life Finding the

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

Extraordinary in the Ordinary

WHILE ALL PEOPLE ARE inherently equal, not all lives are lived equally in terms of quality and aliveness. Having a quality and vibrant life is not defined as much by external circumstances and experience as it is by internal experience. The way experiences are explained and processed by the self is the highest determiner of how life is actually experienced. While money and fame do not necessarily bring quality and vibrancy into a life, they don’t prevent it either. It’s inside the person that these blocks exist. Being poor doesn’t mean a quality life is unreachable because there are untold numbers of people without means above survival who are happy with their lives. The Buddha, Jesus and Gandhi were not wealthy people, yet few would disagree that these lives were of very high quality. Their lives included suffering and despair, but that did not ultimately define them. The world is filled with a thousand faces of struggle and suffering. In far too many instances, the faces of struggling and suffering become the internal states of hopelessness, helplessness, sadness, fear, despair, addictions and the like. Those people may hover only slightly above death as they exist, but without very much positive experience. It’s as if they’re sleeping, unaware that other experience might be available to them. Counted among those who only exist are people rich and poor, young and old, famous and not—they live in a land from which there are only limited chances of escape. They walk among the living, although they feel barely alive. They’re no less deserving of compassion— and need more compassion than nearly everyone else. They often have gifts and talents they do not recognize, and consequently do not actualize. There have always been those who are less asleep and more alive—not merely existing. Surely they struggle and have challenges; however, on balance they perceive more, enjoy more and have more to give to others than those who

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

simply exist. In some ways their lives are better and in some ways their lives are harder. The quality of their lives is higher and they experience themselves and others with more depth and vibrancy than those who only exist. There are more times of satisfaction with the general pace and progression of life. They do have occasional moments of self-actualized or flow experiences (per the work of Maslow and Csikszentmihalyi, for example). Curiously enough, most reports of flow and self-actualization involve transcendental moments in the course of great adversity, challenge and struggle. They are in some measure what Freud called “normal,” which he defined as “relatively symptom-free.” For those who function in the normal range, “If it ain’t broke, don't fix it” is the operative rule. While those who simply “live” have increased quality and vibrancy in their lives, they fall short of thriving. Thriving means drinking more fully from the cup of life and allowing the overflow to go into others. When the cup is overflowing with joy, passion and compassion, it cannot be stopped from extending into the external world. As Shah said, “To see the ordinary as extraordinary and to see the extraordinary as ordinary,” describes states of experience where things are aligned and favorable, where events just seem to...flow. In these moments, the left and right hemispheres of the brain seem to operate in unison. The boundary between in-here and out-there evaporates—and in its place stands being more present in the moment. Thriving, however, doesn’t mean freedom from challenge or suffering. Those who merely “exist” are consumed by the fires of challenge and suffering. Those who “live” have learned how to cope with challenge and suffering, and how to catapult themselves from challenge and suffering into states of flow and self-actualization. In the flames of the forge the steel becomes stronger. In the face of fear those who thrive show courage. In the face of despair they have hope. In the face of sadness they give love. ■ W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ I C O N ■ 41

The Los Angeles Times SUNDAY CROSSWORD PUZZLE

T t t W w

BODY LANGUAGE By Robin Stears Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 6 11 15 19 20 21 22 23 25 26 27 28 30 31 32 35 36 38 42 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 53 54 55 56 58 59 65 67 68 70 71 72 73 76 80 81 82 83 84 86 89 90 91 92 93 95

Cold mold Remove pieces from? Stay-at-home ones, perhaps Disappearing slope apparatus Isabella, por ejemplo Largest of the Cyclades Peace Nobelist Wiesel Poker chip collector Bit of roomy footwear? Fresh, in a way Tiger’s ex Puts away, as a dagger Iron Man’s coat? Escalator feature Sour notes “The Racer’s Edge” Phoenix team, on scoreboards Home to 1 billion One vis-à-vis three, at times Shrill morning awakener? Ring of Fire danger Divvy up Jack up Got ready to drive 45, e.g. Dole (out) Bits of holly Influence unfairly Opposite of ectoBoat-steering tool Wood stove, for one Grade school quintet AutoZone inventory? Hawaii museum section? Say “y’all,” say Acapulco beaches Charlottesville sch. Gym series Instrument played with a mallet Follow orders Quipsters Brown, in old ads 1998 N.L. MVP Paroxysm Pago Pago’s nation Airport arrival Clothing store shoplifters? Spotted Least significant Fed. auditing agency Talk trash to Deportment Connection

97 The old one-two? 100 It joined the Union in 1876 103 Jamaican tangelo 104 Sliding __ 105 Put down a high school subject? 108 Bed board 109 Oscar winner Hathaway 110 Spanish bar servings 111 Chew the scenery 112 Now Look dolls, e.g. 113 Drain cleaners 114 Oodles 115 Less cracked?

J A

DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 24 28 29 31 32 33 34 36 37 39 40 41 43 44 45 48 51 52 53

Chihuahua greeting Seven __ Essence Map of Hawaii, often Falls Release Au naturel Line in math class Burgundy of film Controversial flavor enhancer Lifting device Smith graduate Got a C-plus, say Sibyls High-level disloyalty 2008 Asian Beach Games host Similar (to) “Seasons of Love” musical Cheri of “SNL” “... a grin without a cat!” thinker Self-important Stick with a net Annoying messages Domino, for one Pound repeatedly Berry rich in antioxidants Capricious Country by the River Shribble Caveat __ Curl around the hole’s edge without going in, in golf lingo School of the future? “Stay off my turf!” Sad Bit of ticket info Pouch Ask for a hand? A/C unit

54 55 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 66 69 72 74 75 76 77 78 79 81 82 83 85 86 87 88 90 94 95

Neurofeedback readout Sugar suffix Pigeonholes Gasteyer of “Suburgatory” Wade through Hebrew leaders? Turns to confetti Some ESPN highlights It parallels the radius Unlikely derby winner Wrigley Field feature Increasingly sore Cherished prize More than half Memento from a bill-signing ceremony “Do __ Diddy Diddy’’: 1964 hit Pinged, in a way Famous Amos Get smart with Shade of gray “Presumed Innocent” author Calamity causes Choice morsels Men of La Mancha Eternal Phylum or genus, e.g. Sam who worked with Coach and Woody Key material Itinerant

42 ■ I C O N ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

96 Hayek of “Frida” 97 Evenfall 98 Look like a wolf? 99 __ Bator 100 Corrida cloak 101 “Runaround Sue” singer 102 Prefix meaning “bone”

105 Bernard and Bonaventure: Abbr. 106 Varnish ingredient 107 “__ Town Too”: 1981 hit

w Answer in next month’s issue.

V J

Answer to April’s puzzle, THE LIVING END

Agenda CALL TO ARTISTS The Downtown Bethlehem Association is seeking fine crafters and artisans for its Annual Summer ArtWalk Series. Artists will be paired with a retail or restaurant business, having the opportunity to sell their wares and wears along Main and Broad Sts, in Historic Bethlehem. ArtWalk will be held from 4-8PM Saturday May 31, June 28, July 26, and August 30. For an application contact emilyg@lehighvalleychamber.org or 610-739-1273 Deadline: June 15, 2014. Philadelphia: 114th Philadelphia Water Color Society Int’l Anniversary Exhibition of Works on Paper at The Community Arts Ctr, 414 Plush Mill Road, Wallingford. Show Dates: 9/14-10/17. For prospectus: pwcsociety.org in March 2014, or send SASE to PWCS Entries, 13 Brandywine Dr., Media, PA 19063. Two entries: pastel, water media, drawings, hand-pulled prints. Members $15, Non-Members $45. Juror of Selection: Linda Baker, AWS, NWS, Juror of Awards: Antonio Masi, AWS. Over $5,000. ART EXHIBITS THRU 5/18 New Hope Arts Sculpture 2014. NHArts hosts Princeton Day School Student Exhibition, 5/24- 6/1. 2 Stockton Ave. New Hope PA 215862-9606. For information www.newhopearts.org THRU 5/31 Spring Exhibit continues with new work in by Boston artist and " Copley Master" Sam Vokey. Mr. Vokey, winner of the prestigious John Singleton Copley Award, the Edmund Tarbell Award and the Frank Benson Award from the Guild of Boston Artists. Patricia Hutton Galleries, 47 West State St., Doylestown, PA. 215-348-1728 www.PatriciaHuttonGalleries.com THRU 6/1 Fashion, Circus, Spectacle: Photographs by Scott Heiser: Retrospective of photographs by Scott Heiser (1949–1993), featuring fashion shows, circuses, dance competitions, and dog shows. Delaware Art Museum, 2301 Kentmere Pkwy. Wilmington, DE 19806, 302-5719590. delart.org. THRU 6/8 Family, Friends, & Other Strangers: Portraits by Elise Dodeles. Opening recep. 5/4, 2pm. The Quiet Life Gallery, 17 So. Main St., Lambertville, NJ. 609-397-0880. Quietlifegallery.com 5/4-6/15 The Art of the Miniature, the 22nd

invitational exhibition of fine art miniatures from around the world. Opening reception 5/4, 1-5pm. The Snow Goose Gallery, 470 Main St., Bethlehem, PA. 610-974-9099. View the exhibit online beginning opening weekend. thesnowgoosegallery.com 5/9-7/6 “After Hours,” Claire Seidl. Red Filter Gallery, 74 Bridge Street, Lambertville, NJ 08530. Open Tues.Sun., 12-5. 347-244-9758. inquire@redfiltergallery..com, redfiltergallery.com 5/9-5/11 5th Annual Traditional Artists Show. 5/9, 5 – 9 pm opening reception and silent auction. Show hours: Sat. & Sun., 5/10 and 5/11, 11 am - 5 pm. Rolling Green Farm, Rt. 202 and Aquetong Rd., Solebury, PA . 215-262-1083. https://www.facebook.com/TraditionalArtistShowBucksCounty 5/9 Art is After Dark: Film & Fashion. After-hours film screening of Bill Cunningham New York (2010). 610 p.m. Free for Members, $8-10 Non-Members. Delaware Art Museum, 2301 Kentmere Pkwy. Wilmington, DE 19806, 302-571-9590. delart.org. 5/15-6/14 The Bucks County Project Gallery presents “Footprints. An Endangered Journey.” Photographs by Miriam Seiden, Robin Davies, Elsbeth Upton. Artist reception 5/16, 6-8pm. Hours Wed.-Sun. The Bucks County Project Gallery, 252 West Ashland St., Doylestown, Pa. 267-247-6634. buckscountyprojectgallery.com THEATER 5/17 Touchstone Theatre presents The Ninth Annual Young Playwrights’ Festival and Gala. 7 PM, 321 E. Fourth St., Bethlehem, PA. Tickets at 610-867-1689 or www.touchstone.org 5/22 The State Theatre Center for the Arts Freddy Awards. Recognizing excellence in local high school musical theater! 7 PM, State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton, PA. Freddyawards.org 6/3 & 6/4 NET works presents “Disney’s Beauty And The Beast” the smash hit broadway musical.7 PM, $55/$50. State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton, PA. 610252-3132, 1-800-999-STATE. statetheatre.org

6/11-6/29 Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre presents “A Chorus Line”. Muhlenberg College, 2400 Chew St., Allentown, PA. 484-664-3693. Muhlenberg.edu/smt 6/11-6/29 Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival 23rd Season presents “Fiddler on the Roof”. A company of industry leading artists, accomplished veterans of Broadway, film, and television. 140+ performances this summer! DeSales University, 2755 Station Avenue, Center Valley, PA. 610-282-WILL(9455). Pashakespeare.org 6/16-8/14 Summer Arts Camps, Video, Theatre and Dance! DeSales University, Labuda Center for the Performing Arts, 2755 Station Ave., Center Valley, PA. For more information: 610282-3192, ext. 1663, desales.edu/SDI 6/18-7/13 Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival 23rd Season presents “The Two Gentleman of Verona”. A company of industry leading artists, accomplished veterans of Broadway, film, and television. 140+ performances this summer! DeSales University, 2755 Station Avenue, Center Valley, PA. 610-282-WILL (9455). Pashakespeare.org DINNER & MUSIC Saturday nights: Sette Luna Restaurant, 219 Ferry St., Easton. 610-2538888. setteluna.com Thursday nights: DeAnna’s Restaurant, 54 N. Franklin St., Lambertville, NJ. Live music/raw bar. 609-3978957. deannasrestaurant.com. Every Thurs.-Sat., Dinner and a Show at SteelStacks, Bethlehem, PA. 510:00pm. Table service and valet parking. Information, menus and upcoming events visit artsquest.org Every Monday, Live guitar with Barry Peterson, 7-10pm. Karla’s, 5 West Mechanic St., New Hope. 215-8622612. karlasnewhope.com CONCERTS Some organizations perform in various locations. If no address is listed, check website for location of performance. 5/4 Spring Choral Concert, St. John’s Chancel Choir. 4 PM. Arts at St. John’s, St. John’s Lutheran Church, 37 So. Fifth St., Allentown, PA. Suggested donation $10. 610-4351641. Stjohnsallentown.org

5/16 Celebrating St. John’s Pipe Organ, Chelsea Chen. 7:30 PM, Arts at St. John’s, St. John’s Lutheran Church, 37 So. Fifth St., Allentown, PA. Suggested donation $10. 610-4351641. Stjohnsallentown.org 5/16 Walden Chamber Players, 7:30 p.m. Chamber Music Society of Bethlehem, Faith United Church of Christ, 5992 Route 378 South, Center Valley, PA. Tickets available at door or at www.lvartsboxoffice.org. Visit us at www.cmsob.org

5/17 Art Garfunkel. Sands Bethlehem Event Center, Bethlehem, PA. Contact the box office about our luxury suites. Box office: 610-297-7400, Sandseventcenter.com 5/25 Blondie. Sands Bethlehem Event Center, Bethlehem, PA. Contact the box office about our luxury suites. Box office: 610-297-7400, Sandseventcenter.com 5/27 The Monkees. Sands Bethlehem Event Center, Bethlehem, PA. Contact the box office about our luxury suites. Box office: 610-297-7400, Sandseventcenter.com 5/30 Michael Bolton. Sands Bethlehem Event Center, Bethlehem, PA. Contact the box office about our luxury suites. Box office: 610-297-7400, Sandseventcenter.com KESWICK THEATRE

Keswick Theatre 291 Keswick Ave., Glenside, PA keswicktheatre.com 5/10 5/16 5/17 5/29 5/30

Early Elton The Mavericks Dave Mason’s Traffic Jam Jamie Cullum EELS

ARTSQUEST CENTER AT STEELSTACKS Musikfest Café 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem, PA 610-332-1300. artsquest.org 5/8 5/11 5/15 5/22 5/22 5/24 5/30 6/4 6/5 6/8

Preservation Hall Jazz Band Mother’s Day Brunch Pat Martino Leighann Lord Cherry Poppin’ Daddies Herman’s Hermits & Peter Noone Terrence Blanchard Robert Creighton & Lynnie Godfrey Craig Thatcher Band Los Lobos

6/11

Howie Day

GODFREY DANIELS Original live music room since 1976 7 E Fourth St, Bethlehem 610-867-2390 godfreydaniels.org 5/8 5/9 5/10 5/15 5/16 5/17 5/22 5/30 5/31

Songwriter’s Café David Jacobs-Strain Bob Beach The Flighty Ducks Improv John Arnold, Mike Lorenz & Friends Maria Woodford Chris Smither Chet Brown & Kim Seifert Lizanne Knott, Michael Logen, Jack Murray Eric Mintel Quartet READINGS & BOOK SIGNINGS

5/10 Poet B.J Ward. Pushcart Prize-winner will read from his latest collection, Jackleg Opera: Collected Poems, 1990-2013. Book signing, Q & A, refreshments. 6PM, Panoply Books, 46 N. Union St., Lambertville, NJ. Free. (609) 397-1145 AUCTIONS 5/17 29th Annual Baum School of Art Auction. Silent auction 5:30 pm, live auction 8pm. Preview, 5/15, 68. The Baum School of Art, 510 Linden St., Allentown, PA. 610-4330032. baumschool.org FESTIVALS 5/9-5/11 5th Annual Traditional Artists Show. 5/9, 5 – 9 pm opening reception and silent auction. Show hours: Sat. & Sun., 5/10 and 5/11, 11 am - 5 pm. Rolling Green Farm, Rt. 202 and Aquetong Rd., Solebury, PA . 215-262-1083. https://www.facebook.com/TraditionalArtistShowBucksCounty 5/10 & 5/11 49th Annual Fine Art & Craft Show, Mother’s Day weekend, Historic Main St., Bethlehem, PA. Sat. 10am-5pm, Sun. 11am-5pm. Over eighty regional, national & local artists and art projects for kids! Fun for the entire family. Bfaclv.org 5/15 The Baum School of Art’s 29th Annual Art Auction. Featuring works by Walter Emerson Baum, John Berninger, Clarence Dreisbach, Mildred Gehman, Joseph Meierhans, Jerry Quier and more! Preview Night 5/15, 6–8pm. Auction 5/17, begins at 5:30 pm. The Baum School of Art, 510 Linden Street, Allentown, PA. 610-433-0032.

www.baumschool.org 5/17 Arts Alive! Now in its 14th year, is Upper Bucks county’s premier juried art show. Wine-tasting area, food, & fun for the whole family. Broad Street in Quakertown, PA from 4th Street to Route 212, 10am – 4pm. Raindate: 5/18. 215536-2273. Quakertownalive.com 6/7 & 6/8 The 30th Annual Peddler’s Village Fine Arts & Contemporary Crafts Show showcases a variety of art from paintings, photography, wood creations and mixed media to jewelry, pottery, glasswork, fiber creations, and ceramics. Peddler’s Village, Lahaska, PA. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Free admission & parking. Rain or shine. 215-794-4000. www.peddlersvillage.com EVENTS 5/7 Tinicum Art and Science Highschool Open House Day. 85 Sherman Rd., Ottsville, PA. For more info visit tinicumartandscience.org or call 610-847-6980. 5/11-5/18 New Hope Celebrates Pride Festival! Great events, comedienne Vicki Shaw, the area’s largest parade, vendor fair and block party with performances by Kristine W, Dario, Josh Zuckerman, Christine Martucci, Trisha Dasch, dancing at The Raven with DJs Warren Gluck and Tracy Young. New Hope, PA. www.newhopecelebrates.com 5/25 In celebration of National Wine Day, we will be offering half priced wine flights in our Reserved Tasting Room, 1-5pm. Take a guided tour through six premium, dry wines and receive a keepsake glass! Chaddsford Winery, Peddler’s Village, shop #20 Street Rd., Lahaska, PA. 215-794-9655. Chaddsford.com 6/7 & 6/8 Peddler’s Village Fine Arts & Contemporary Crafts Show showcases the region’s finest artists selling a variety of work from paintings, photography and mixed media to jewelry, pottery, fiber and wood creations and glasswork. Peddler’s Village, Lahaska, PA. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Free admission & parking. 215-794-4000. www.peddlersvillage.com

W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ I C O N ■ 43

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

CHIC SOPHISTICATION Pristine grounds envelop this home minutes from I-78, the PA Turnpike and Lehigh Valley Hospital. The floor plan boasts high ceilings, detailed moldings, wood doors, and abundant windows. Rooms include formal living and dining areas framed by a marble entryway and 3 sets of French doors leading to the flagstone patio, fountain, and covered outdoor entertaining area. Five bedrooms, 5.5 baths, 2 home offices, a spacious kitchen with breakfast nook and family room highlight this sun-filled home. $1,195,000

BUCKS COUNTY ESTATE Set along a spring-fed creek and trout stream with mature gardens, private woods, and pristine farmland, Aurora Springs Farm offers a rarely available 133-acre Bucks County estate. The heart of the Aurora Springs is its 1756 stone farmhouse. Beyond the spacious farmhouse there is a large cottage, multiple guest houses, barn with party room, pool house with sauna and steam showers, staff apartment and inground pool and hot tub overlooking the tennis court and meadow. $1,995,000

WINCHESTER HEIGHTS This design fulfills all lifestyle expectations without compromising character. Southern exposure, high ceilings & windows bring wonderful views to the living space. Of interest are the custom built-ins and special design features such as a signed, custom-built staircase by the renowned artist, Karel Mikolas. A stately exterior with circular drive are the first impressions of the quality echoed in the home’s interior. Four to five bedrooms, 6 baths and over 8,000 sqft of living space. $1,250,000

THE SUMMIT AT SAUCON VALLEY Lotus Lane is set in a neighborhood of distinguished cul-de-sac homes offering easy access to I-78, The Promenade shops and restaurants, and Southern Lehigh schools. An attractive stone and stucco exterior and foyer with sweeping dual staircase welcomes you to this 5,000 plus sqft home. A 2-story family room has a gas fireplace at its center and is framed by a wall-of-windows looking out to the pretty yard. There are four en suite bedrooms, a partially finished lower level, 1st floor office, and private deck and patio areas for outdoor entertaining. $810,000

WALK TO THE COUNTRY CLUB A winding flagstone walk leads to the entrance of this stone 1948 gem, while a romantic front door beckons welcome to a delightful interior of whimsy and sophistication. Inside, there are wonderful details such as a Moravian tile foyer, handsome moldings, rounded window cheeks, Moroccan arched doorways, plaster walls, bay windows and a fireplace with Moravian tile surround. A wonderful southeast windowed library overlooks the private 7.55 acres where there are mature plantings and towering trees. $599,900

EXCEPTIONAL IN WEYHILL WOODS Walk or bike the rails to trails, enjoy the privacy of over 2 acres or visit the Promenade Shops from this custom home, exquisitely designed and appointed and located in Weyhill Woods. There are 3 levels of living space which includes an entertaining room with custom bar, exercise room, full bath and office all on the LL. This home is an example of the best craftsmanship in every room. Abundant curb appeal, stylish amenities and an elegant interior set this attractive home apart from the ordinary. $1,095,000

FAIRWAY VIEWS Steps from the Saucon Valley Country Club, this lovely home is set on 2 flat acres with vistas of surrounding hills and the manicured grounds of an award-winning golf course. Generously-sized rooms are geared for sophisticated entertaining with a well-equipped kitchen, adjacent breakfast room and butler’s pantry. Glimpses of the sparkling pool and flagstone terrace accentuate the formal dining room and grand family room. Side porches offer sweeping views and a place to relax. Close proximity to the Promenade Shops and I-78 are an added bonus. $1,425,000

CHESTNUT HILL Enviable details abound in more than 4,500 sq ft tailored for everyday comfort or entertaining. The main level has a sunny bedroom and full bath, office w/French doors, pyramid ceiling and floor-to-ceiling shelving. A formal dining room is highlighted by columns, coffered ceiling and picture frame molding. Wood floors, rich cherry cabinetry, granite countertops and counter seating in the kitchen. Dual staircases lead to the 2nd fl with 4 bedrooms and 3 baths. Entertaining beckons on a lovely patio with built-in fire pit and grill, hot tub, and lush acreage and views. $749,000

FLAWLESS MARRIAGE OF OLD AND NEW Tuck’s Cabin is a step back in time, offering a picturesque 1.5-acre setting and charming interior space with wood floors, beamed ceilings and exposed log walls. Completely renovated in the last year, the home boasts an open, sun-filled kitchen and dining area with granite counters and doors to the deck, pool and pergola beyond. New mechanicals, electric and plumbing ensure efficiency in this move-in condition home. There are 2 to 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths and a convenient second floor laundry. $329,000

44 ■ I C O N ■ M A Y 2 0 1 4 ■ W W W . I C O N D V . C O M ■ W W W . F A C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

M AY 2 0 0 9

ICON