ICON 07 2013 by ICON Magazine

■

ICON

■

J U LY 2 0 1 3

■

W W W . I C O N D V. C O M

■

W W W. FA 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

■

JULY 2013

■

ICON

■

contents

JULY ~ 2013

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS THE ARTISTIC EVOLUTION OF A LEGEND | 22 At the age of 87, Tony Bennett remains warm, engaging, curious and appreciative of having the career he’s had, of still being at it, and still being recognized as a groundbreaker and contemporary force in the industry.

SHADES OF RAY | 24 One of cinema’s preeminent bad boys for more than 30 years, Ray Liotta has perfected his knack for pinning viewers to their seats in ways as thrilling as they are intimidating. In person, he’s all the rugged and dryly humorous wiseguy you could hope for.

COLUMNS

Jennifer Bartlett, Purple Corridor. (Detail)

Film Roundup | 26

City Beat | 5

The Hunt; Blackfish

Backstage | 5

The Bling Ring

About Life | 27

Before Midnight

STAGE Regional Theater & Dance | 38 The Importance of Being Earnest; Love, Loss, and What I Wore;

Sally Friedman | 41

A THOUSAND WORDS Junkyard Dreams | 7

MUSIC The Jazz Scene | 28

King Henry VIII; Seussical; Beauty and the Beast;

Keresman on Disc | 29 Nicola Benedetti

EXHIBITIONS | 8

Tom Jones

Red Filter Gallery

John Cage / Gary Verkade

The Artists’ Gallery

The Wrong Object

Patricia Hutton Galleries

The Pastels Nick’s Picks | 30

ART

Measure for Measure; Grease;

Black Bodies in Propaganda | 9

Noah Preminger

Jennifer Bartlett | 10

Gilad Hekselman

Jesus Christ Superstar; 39 Steps

WINE Rosés, Restos and Rants | 39

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

Geoffrey Keezer Terance Stamp in a scene from Unfinished Song.

Bob Mover

FILM

Eliane Elias Cinematters | 14 Unfinished Song

Singer / Songwriter | 32

Keresman on Film | 16 The Purge

Guy Clark Booker T John Fogerty Lindsey Buckingham

Bad Movie | 18 Frances Ha

Gina Sicilia

Reel News | 20

Jazz Library | 33

56 Up; The Gatekeepers; 42;

John Levy

The Matchmaker

FOOD Florentino’s | 34 Yanako | 36

Ray Liotta.

■

ICON

■

JULY 2013

■

W W W. I C O N D V. C O M

■

W W W. FA C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

ON THE COVER: Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga. Page 22.

city beat

THOM NIICKELS

ThomNickels1@aol.com

FAT & FRACK Last month we boarded a Philly-bound bus from Scranton when the bus stopped at beautiful small towns like Easton and Stroudsburg. Both towns had arresting architecture, clean streets, and amazing drive-through vistas that included church steeples nestled against trees and the Delaware River water line. At one point, a mother and son boarded, both of them so fat they could barely walk down the aisle. Since we didn’t want to be caught staring, we kept our eyes on our very slender Abercombie & Fitch catalog while keeping the pair in our peripheral vision. Would they follow the usual pattern, and sit near us and by so doing obstruct our view? We say this because, strange as it sounds, we seem to be a magnet for fat people. We can be sitting anywhere—in a terminal, plane, bus, or train—with many empty seats around us, but chances are a fat person will find us and sit nearby. This has happened so many times we no longer attribute it to coincidence but to something that compels—maybe it’s the fact that we always stick up for fat people despite our disdain for XXL T-shirts and oversized clothing trends. While the pair attempted to sit in front of us, they split up because they couldn’t fit in the same seat. The most disturbing thing we saw in that beautiful Pennsylvania countryside were the gashes and gaps in the mountain landscape that were most likely caused by “fracking.” Since 2008, when fracking began to accelerate in Pennsylvania, experts have found traces of arsenic in the water. This ecological violence has resulted in the deaths of Pennsylvania farm animals like horses, cows, chickens and even barn cats and dogs. Many of the people near the fracking sites have evidence of internal scarring, calcium deposits, in some cases, cirrhosis of the liver (despite the fact that they do not drink) and even flammable water from the kitchen faucet. Farm families and others have come down with unexplained rashes, nosebleeds, headaches and memory loss. URBAN FORTRESS We used to think that the old Dilworth Plaza outside of City Hall was a desert of concrete masquerading as a “welcoming” municipal plaza. Despite the best intentions of architect Vincent Kling, the plaza’s disuse by everyday citizens can be attributed to City Hall’s isolation as a “fortress” situated on an island surrounded by traffic. We used to believe that the plaza was a magnet for the homeless, but now we’ve come to realize that at least the old plaza was a healthy public space where large numbers of people like Occupy Wall Street could congregate. Today’s public spaces are rapidly disappearing from the urban landscape. Benches for walkers, whether in parks, streets or train stations, are being eliminated or reduced, leading us to the conclusion that government wants a citizenry constantly on the move. The new 50-million dollar Dilworth Plaza at City Hall will have a lawn, more trees, (the obligatory) café, and a fountain which will double as a skating rink in winter. The project is scheduled for completion this year, but we are not excited. It will be a “gated” Orwellian public space with no room for grassroots protests and demonstrations despite the “loiterer draw” of the skating rink. We’re thinking of city planner Edmund Bacon’s-inspired Penn Center, which had a sunken skating rink in the 1960s and 70s. The rink was designed so that commuters could observe skaters while waiting for trains in Suburban Station. It was a marvelous bit of Rockefeller Center in then dour downtown Philly, where strangers became friends, or where friends could spot friends watching amateur skaters glide on the ice. It was, as they say, a haven for idlers, a dangerous thing in today’s world. WAITING FOR GODOT At the conclusion of Tom Stoppard’s Heroes at the Lantern Theater Company, we overheard two 25-year-olds ask each other what the play was about. “Just a bunch of old men,” said the boyfriend, who should be so lucky to live to be 85. “Charles Bukowski would have never lived in a nursing home,” we thought, thinking how most nursing homes are in fact just greedy people warehouses. In exchange for rest-of-life care, most homes demand all your possessions—including the house that was promised to the kids. There are no “heroes” in Heroes, only men biding their time waiting for the real Godot, who always shows up. In this low-

backstage

BRUCE H. KLAUBER

drumalive@aol.com

MUSICOPIA CORNUCOPIA Our June 2 gala concert benefiting Musicopia was a near sell-out. It was one of the most special afternoons in recent history, as so many arts/music-focused individuals and volunteers joined forces on behalf of another. All involved deserve a heartfelt and “in print” salute— ICON’s partners and those representing them: WRTI’s William Johnson, Bob Perkins and Dave Conant; The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia’s Peter Gistelnick; Mark Love of Jacobs Music; and Mike Thomas of Drum Workshop. The performers: pianist Jimmy Dell Ore’fice; bassist Steve Beskrone; drummer Grant MacAvoy; vocalist Paula Johns; pianist Hanchien Lee; pianist Andy Kahn; bassist Bruce Kamsinky; and tenor saxophonist Asher Stein. Door hosts: Bruce Cahan and Avi Kamsinky. And of course, we extend our unending gratitude for all those who filled the Ethical Society. This event could not have been done in any manner without the hard work, dedication and expertise of Andy Kahn, pianist in The All-Star Jazz Quartet and a Jacobs Music Artist in Residence. His patience, trust, support and attention to detail continue to be extraordinary. Finally, The All-Star Jazz Quartet would like to thank the lovely and legendary songstress Peggy King for being a part of the audience. Her kind words to us made the entire event even more worthwhile. Yes, we have already started thinking about the next gala. BOARDWALK BEAT The ever-struggling Revel Hotel and Casino is formally out of bankruptcy. Realizing the error of most of their ways, they have finally opened a couple of reasonably-priced restaurants and are allowing smoking on the gaming floor. Given their cash-poor situation, which is what happens when nobody comes to your place of business, big name bookings have been spotty. However, now that they have a couple of bucks, those in charge realized that someone had to be booked during “season” and engaged the services of Steely Dan (hardly an innovative or top drawer attraction) for July 19 and Bill Maher for July 27. Casino/hotel entertainment directors don’t have an easy job. There aren’t enough newcomers who can fill a moderately-sized casino theater, and those who can—think Michael Buble or Harry Connick Jr.—go way beyond the budgets and confines of the standard casino showrooms. Then there’s the touchy question of demographics: Who comes to Atlantic City and why? The solution was and is to follow, with some exceptions, the old-time formula. Veterans working this month and next at the Taj Mahal include Don Rickles on July 20, and a relative newcomer to casino stages, former Carol Burnett second-banana Vicki (“Mama’s Family”) Lawrence on August 24. At Borgota—the only venue doing any real business —singer Diana Ross checks in for a rare show on August 18, and Gladys Knight on August 25. WALTER KAHN: 1948-2013 There was a time in Philadelphia when recording artists from all over the world and representing every genre of music came to Philadelphia to record at one of two studios: Sigma Sound or Queen Village Recording Studio. Walter Kahn, who recently passed at the age of 65, was Queen Village's co-owner, a record producer of international renown and a major force in music scene for some years. Everyone who was anyone not only recorded at Queen Village—from The Dixie Hummingbirds to Princess Grace—but also had their recordings produced by Walter and his brother Andy, Queen Village co-owner, singer/composer/pianist and ICON consultant. Top ten hits produced or co-produced by Walter Kahn include Karen Youngs “Hot Shot,” the Hummingbird’s Grammy-winning “Love Me Like a Rock,” “Jump” by The Movement, and more recently, the Grammy-nominated “I Wish” by rapper Skee-Lo. In and out of his Queen Village studio, and with his brother and singly, Walter Kahn helped shape the course of popular music for more than three decades. LAMBERTVILLE CALL FOR MUSIC HALL Those of a certain age may recall St. John Terrell’s Music Circus in Lambertville, NJ, one of dozens of venues that started as summer theaters—later expanded to year-round operations— booking shows and headline performers. Times changed, and the Music Circus’ 20-year existence ended in 1970. In the early planning stages is a similar operation, the brainchild of a non-profit organiza-

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

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

■

JULY 2013

■

ICON

■

5 / CITY BEAT

5 / BACKSTAGE

key French farce adapted from Gerald Sibleyras’ Le Vent des Peupliers, three old men indulge a fantasy to escape to Indo-China or, barring that, to a nearby mountaintop covered with Poplars that sway in the breeze. The tepid play had a few laughs, but once we saw it we realized we needed to see something sexier.

tion called Bridge Street Foundation and formed in 2011. Bridge Street is not new to the business, and purchased Bucks County Playhouse in December of that year. Bridge Street’s principals—Tanya Cooper and Sherri and Kevin Daugherty—recently purchased the First Baptist Church in Lambertville, in order to build a 450-seat theater, restaurant and bar. According to reports, locals and the Board of Adjustment are concerned about a possible parking crunch. Though the original Music Circus may have vanished, it may live again in the form of a justcompleted documentary film about the famed venue, produced by Lamberville natives Gary P. Cohen and Paul Kaye. We’ll be viewing it shortly and promise a full report.

BOOTY CALL Enter Bootycandy, one of the funniest plays ever to grace the stage at the Wilma. The vaudeville-inspired characters in playwright Robert O’Hara’s gay black absurdist comedy touch on themes like racial stereotypes, homophobia in the black church, sexual repression and the seduction of straight men. We were suspicious at first when a mantra-like recitation of four-letter words seemed to pass as comedy, but by the end of the O’Hara comedy we were slapping our thighs along with the rest, and seeing bootycandy everywhere, even during the post-play reception where we noticed guests with less than steady hands around the buffet table, some looking downright booty-dazed as they eyeballed others with that certain booty-look as if they wanted the derring-do on stage to carry over. Before the evening ended, we spotted our old friend Blanka Zizka smiling triumphantly and taking in her own world of candy delights.

BE A RAGE OF THE STAGE The Philadelphia Theatre Company is running a summer theater program for teens called “ActOut Summer Camp 2013,” and consists of two one-week programs, July 15-19 and July 2226, and a two-week “intensive” program, July 29-August 9. The one-week program includes classes in acting, directing, playwriting and design. The two-week program is more intensive, for teens with some theatrical background. For information about the summer camp, as well as Philadelphia Theatre Company’s 2013-2014 season, visit PhiladelphiaTheatreCompany.org.

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

Filling the hunger since 1992 1-800-354-8776 • 215-862-9558 fax: 215-862-9845

CREAM OF WHEAT When we chatted with Pennsylvania Democratic gubernatorial candidate Allyson Y. Schwartz, we were impressed by her personality and lively curiosity, something you don’t normally see in seasoned politicians. At the Cliveden 2013 Heritage Award Dinner, we also met Mr. Schwartz, a distinguished looking physician with razor-sharp eyes. “We forgot that Allyson was married,” we confessed, at which point the dutiful husband suggested that, yes, he was as real a person as Allyson. At Cliveden, one is privy to the workings of the Germantown rite of Philadelphia society, or the marriage of all things Quaker and German. During our visit here last month we had to weasel our way into conversations (we will not be ignored) but this time we noticed that the table of ladies we were so chummy with didn’t seem to have a memory of our ever having chatted. “Parochial memory loss is not Allyson’s style,” we mumbled, loving the moment (and Cliveden) anyway, yet still very taken aback at the Cornel West-style speech from the Rev. Dr. Mark Tyler who took the Pennsylvania Historical Commission to task for giving him a hard time at a recent hearing about Philly’s Mother Bethel AME church. Rev. Taylor, it seems, did not like it that Commission members were all white men and told guests that women and minorities should be appointed. During the applause that followed, we looked around and saw a lot of distinguished looking white men, even some with white hair, all of which reminded us of Cream of Wheat, Audrey Hepburn and a new kind of Union League. ■

■

ICON

■

JULY 2013

■

MUSICVINE AND THE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA: IT’S ABOUT TIME MusicVine is an internationally-known artist management consulting organization that represents an impressive list of conductors and soloists from all over the world. Our own Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia has just signed an agreement with MusicVine, with the hopes, says MusicVine’s President/CEO Ron Merlino, of “using our experience and vast catalog of contacts to promote this world-class organization around the globe.” This is wonderful news, as The Chamber of Orchestra of Philadelphia should be known all over the world. For updates on The Chamber Orchestra, visit ChamberOrchestra.com. MusicVine can be accessed via MusicVineArts.com. A PEFORMING ARTS BALL AT CITY HALL Philadelphia’s City Hall may be many things to many people, but up until recently it has not been used as a performing arts space. All that changes this summer with “City Hall Presents,” a series of live performances in the City Hall Courtyard organized by the City of Philadelphia Office of Arts/Culture and the Creative Economy. The series, free every Wednesday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., includes indie rockers Andrew Lipke with the Azreal Quartet on July 10; Indian Classical dancers Usiloquy Dance Designs on July 17; spoken word purveyors Sisterly Affection on July 24; and Gospel mavens Aaron Thomas and Josiah Rogers on July 31. For more information on these shows, visit CityHallPresentsCreativePhl.org. CELEB SHORTS Comedian Carol Burnett has been named the winner of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, this country’s highest level humor award. Previous winners are Upper Darby’s Tina Fey, Philadelphia’s own Bill Cosby, as well as Steve Martin and Ellen DeGeneres. In the celeb “bookings” department, look for star autobios by Debbie Reynolds, Rita Moreno, Paul Anka, a bio of television’s Twilight Zone and Night Gallery creator/writer Rod Serling, written by his daughter; a posthumous autobio by jazz pianist and educator Dr. Billy Taylor; and a collection of profound and hilarious quotations by the late, larger-than-life genius of the bass and jazz composition, Charles Mingus. COCKTAILS FOR TWO (HOURS) “Peace, Love & Cocktails” is run by a Philadelphia-based outfit called City Food Tours (CityFoodTours.com), and this two-hour escapade is a tour through what they call “pop culture gems” of the 1960s.” The visits include stops at three Old City locations, each relating to a different form of entertainment where the spots’ signature cocktails will be, as they say, “consumed.” Tickets are $55 per person, and the 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. tour takes place on the first, third and fifth Saturday of every month. Some of the destinations include the Stratus Rooftop Lounge, Stephen Starr’s Continental Martini Lounge, and Positano Coast Restaurant. City Food Tours, started in 2007 by area food lovers Robert Weinberg and Eric Matzke, have received several awards and rather glowing reviews since then. We’ll drink to that! WE STAND AMPLIFIED Leslie Swan, co-publisher and editor of City Suburban News and one of this or any area’s greatest supporters of the arts and entertainment, asked that we clarify a few details regarding last month’s report on CSN. Please note: City Suburban News serves the Philadelphia and Main Line area, and our reference to Overbrook Park doesn’t give the full picture or credit where credit is due. “We were never about one neighborhood,” says Swan. “We changed our name to City Suburban News—from City Line News—ten years ago because we cover lots of arts and cultural news and events in the city and our Main Line suburbs.” Indeed they do, and “Backstage” stands amplified. ■ Join us “Backstage” and send items to DrumAlive@aol.com.

W W W. I C O N D V. C O M

■

W W W. FA C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

www.icondv.com Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Assistant to the Publisher

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

ADVERTISING 800-354-8776 Entertainment Editor Bruce H. Klauber / drumalive@aol.com City Beat Editor Thom Nickels / thomnickels1@aol.com Fine Arts Editors Edward Higgins Burton Wasserman Classical Music Editor Peter H. Gistelinck Music Editors Nick Bewsey Mark Keresman / shemp@hotmail.com Bob Perkins Tom Wilk Food Editor Robert Gordon / rgordon33@verizon.net Wine Editor Patricia Savoie Contributing Writers A. D. Amorosi Robert Beck Jack Byer Peter Croatto James P. Delpino Sally Friedman Geoff Gehman Mark Keresman George Oxford Miller Thom Nickels R. Kurt Osenlund T. J. Reese IT / Audio Consultant Andy Kahn

PO Box 120 • New Hope, PA 18938 (800) 354-8776 Fax (215) 862-9845 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). Copyright 2013 Prime Time Publishing Co., Inc.

a thousand words

STORY AND PAINTING BY ROBERT BECK

Junkyard Dreams

I GET MANY REQUESTS asking me to donate artwork to raise money for causes; enough that I have to say no far more often than yes. Artists who have limited time to spend on their art can receive appeals for more work than they can possibly produce. Even as a fairly prolific fulltime painter I’m forced to set priorities and limits. One of my considerations when deciding whom to give pieces is the impact it will have either generating money or serving a purpose. If it’s fun, that’s even better. The email I received in 2009 from a guy in Scranton asking me to do a painting on a hubcap could easily have gone directly to trash except for two important details. I really liked the vision he had for his project, and he was putting a lot of effort into making it happen. It’s called the Landfill Art Project and it is the brainchild of Ken Marquis, who owns the Marquis Art Gallery. Ken’s pitch was earnest and well articulated. He wanted to send me an old junk hubcap that he had reclaimed, cleaned and primed. I would use it to make a work of art and send it back to him. His plan was to get a thousand artists to do this so he could raise awareness by exhibiting the work and publishing a book promoting stewardship of the environment through creative re-use. Ken had already received forty-some works of hubcap art from people. It impressed me that he didn’t just talk and have ideas; he was doing something. I told him to count me in. When I opened the package a few weeks later I found a post-war hubcap (a wheel cover, to be precise), the kind with a ring of tabs on the back that grabs the inside of a wheel rim. Smooth white primer coated an excellent surface for painting. It terraced forward from the outside edge to a gently domed center and a low-relief crest with a lion rampant. Possibly Peugeot. I’ve held a lot of hubcaps in my day. My youth was spent splashing in creeks, falling out of trees and finding treasures in junk piles. Heaven, to me, was rummaging through an auto salvage yard collecting window wind-ups, spring shackles and shards of bright work. Every car part came with a dream. An old steering wheel is one step away from a race-winning speedboat in the mind of a child, or at least this one. I prowled acres of wrecks tear-

ing my clothes and skinning elbows while prescribing a new and exciting life for each discarded bit. I have spent the majority of adolescence and a substantial portion of adulthood in my own private fantasy universe, and with any luck it will carry me out. What I saw when I held Ken’s hubcap was a 12-yearold and an 18-year-old and a 60year-old exhilarated with possibilities that arose one after another from a stamped metal disk. I was looking at myself being transported by a junk car part. An emerging artist often searches for what he should be doing. The mature artist pursues the things that he does. Along the way we are looking to capture a truth. Truths occasionally answer big questions or change lives, but their value is in being a point of reference. They are so rare that finding one is important in itself. My work pursues truths in my encounters, and there it was. A little fooling around with a mirror and the painting was done. My hubcap appears tame and conventional compared to some made by other artists in the project. The creative breadth of their work is staggering when you consider we all used the same launching pad. It is one of the great lessons in art—not only is there another way of looking at something, but there are as many ways as there are people. That is where the power lies. Ken has way more than 1,000 of them now (from all states and 52 other countries), and 270 of those have been selected for an exhibition, Second Time Around: the Hubcap as Art, at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, Winchester, VA. The show runs from September 5, 2014 to March 1, 2015. At the culmination of that exhibit, a narrower selection of 35 hubcaps, including mine, will travel to exhibition venues across the United States for three years. If you would like to see these remarkable works of art visit www.landfillart.org. It might just inspire you to do something creative with that collection of commemorative shoehorns you’ve got stashed in the crawlspace. n Robert Beck maintains a studio and academy in Lambertville, New Jersey. Email: robert@robertbeck.net.

W W W. FA C E B O O K .C O M / I C O N D V

n W W W. I C O N D V .C O M

JULY 2013

ICON

Equal Rainbow.

True Colors The Artists’ Gallery 18 Bridge Streeet, Lambertville, NJ 609-397-4588 lambertvillearts.com Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 11–6 July 5 -– August 4 Opening Reception 7/6, 5–9PM Closing Reception 8/4, 4–6PM Legends of Summer Red Filter Gallery 74 Bridge Street, Lambertville, NJ 347-244-9758 Open afternoons Thurs-Sun July 11 – September 8, 2013. Bruce Murray Sr. (1893 – 1969), nicknamed, "The Master," during the height of his photographic career, began working in press photography in 1911 with Philadelphia's local publication, Public Ledger, and quickly transferred to The Evening Bulletin. His work for both publications earned him a reputation as one of the best in the business—but it was between World War I and World War II that he focused on the stirring events and famous figures that won him the most recognition and awards. Murray’s work has been included in the Sports Illustrated book, “Twentieth Century Sports: Images of Greatness.” The family’s collection has been featured nationally on QVC, Yes Network and Fox Television networks. They have been auctioned at charity fundraisers with proceeds going to the Red Cross, ALS, Alzheimer's Association, AIDS Coalition and M.S. Society. The Murray photos have also been included in permanent collections such as the Thomas Edison Museum, the Babe Ruth Museum, the Franklin Institute and the International Boxing Hall of Fame as well as in private collections belonging to Reggie Jackson, Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise, Les Paul and John Goodman, as well as former Phillies Larry Christensen and Don Money, and Philadelphia D.A., Lynn Abraham.

“Artists are storytellers. And colors are our words. All I can hope for as an artist is that my words speak to people the same way they speak to me when I paint.” Those are the words of painter Alla Podolsky. She and fellow artist Charlie Katzenbach have more than a few stories to share. “We have such visceral reactions to colors.,” says Podolsky. “We love some, we hate others. To an artist, color is a language. It’s how we communicate. It’s how we compose. It’s how we translate. It’s what connects all artists.” For Katzenbach, it’s the primary colors that speak to her and for her. She paints boldly in blue, red and green oils on glass in geometric designs and constructions. The glass often forms prisms, and yields rainbows. “I paint memories,” says Podolsky, “moments plucked from experiences, and in my mind, they’re all bathed in very specific colors. Not necessarily the colors I saw at the time, but rather the colors I felt. The colors of the moods and emotions I remember. If the moment was sad, I paint it in a cooler, more subdued pallet. If it was happy, the colors will be brighter. If it’s a distinct memory, the colors are sharper. It’s often not so much a deliberate choice but rather a natural, instinctive one.” Katzenbach and Podolsky will donate a portion of the proceeds from sales of their work to The Trevor Project, the organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBT youth. The Artists’ Gallery is a partnership of 18 established artists with national and international reputations.

The Antiquarian Word.

■

ICON

■

JULY 2013

■

W W W. I C O N D V. C O M

■

W W W. FA C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

Michael Filipiak, Summer Squall at Spring Lake.

Summer Vacation: Artists’ Destinations Patricia Hutton Galleries 47 W. State Street, Doylestown, PA 215-348-1728 PatriciaHuttonGalleries.com Artists travel the world looking for that very special place and moment in time to experience and record through their work. Sometimes it is found in a charming city in Europe or on the beautiful New England coast. The light, the shadows, the fog rolling in across the water intrigue and inspire. It will make a wonderful painting. The moment is recorded as the artist works en plein air, or sometimes a sketch is made and a photo taken, and the image is painted later in the studio. Different medium, different methods and styles, make the art what it is—a personal expression, an interpretation as seen through the artist’s eye. As collectors of impressionism or realism, we look for those beautifully recorded moments that we connect to and that bring us joy. The color, the light, the style, and subject matter all come together in the painting we love. This summer, those who love travel and landscape will enjoy visiting the gallery for this group exhibition which takes the visitor to far away places and to the near-by beauty of Bucks County. The group show will feature oil, pastel, and watercolor works by Frankie Balek, Dot Bunn, Katharine Krieg, Barbara Sesta, E. Principato, Time Conway, Steve Zazenski, Melody Phaneuf, Ed Letven, Maggie Leiby, Michael Filipiak, and Dean Thomas. Take a little voyage on an early summer evening without even leaving town.

Katherine Krieg, Summer Portal.

art

EDWARD HIGGINS

THE ART OF THE

War Poster

ATRIOTISM NOTWITHSTANDING, LARGE ARMIES have been raised over the centuries by incentives: fight or die; fight or they will kill you (they being the enemy); and the language of those incentives has been propaganda. Wars being the horror that they are it takes powerful language to engage potential soldiers, and as widely attributed to U.S. Senator Hiram Johnson on the eve of World War I, “Truth is the first causality of war.” If the phrase “weapons of mass destruction “ comes quickly to mind, that was merely a recent incarnation of government’s willingness to lie in order to get men to die. A current examination of this history comes from an exhibition of war posters attempting to seduce black men to fight for a country at a time that they were not full citizens. The exhibition is at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Anthropology and Archeology and will run through March 14 of next year. Black Bodies in Propaganda: The Art of the War Poster is comprised of 33 posters from the collection of Dr. Tukufu Zuberi, a professor of sociology and African studies at the University and also one of the hosts on the popular PBS program, History Detectives. Zuberi’s collection extends from the Civil War through African independence movements. “These posters tell a story about the dynamics of race,” Zuberi says. “Black Bodies are radicalized in these posters as they capture defining moments in history. Race is always about second-class citizenship—it is always about a relationship between two groups, and how one group is defined as superior and the other group is defined as inferior. These posters represent definitive moments in this historical process.” In this specialized show, the Black American is representative of all mankind and its vulnerability to government distortions. By focusing on a specific segment of the population, the warning is all that much more effective. The posters themselves are a marvel. They have wonderful color and their composition is superb. Many of them show heroic feats by Black soldiers. Exciting and glamorous images depict the men of the 54th Massachusetts in the Civil War (made famous by the film Glory), the Buffalo Soldiers of the 24th and 25th Colored Infantry in Cuba, the Harlem Hellfighters of the 369th Regiment, and the Tuskegee Airman. Whatever could be employed to motivate was used and the practitioners of this art were very skillful. Certain images were used to sell war bonds, others appealed to the sense of pride, and not a few exploited Lincoln, an icon close to Black Americans. Nothing is mentioned regarding the fact that Lincoln got some 200,000 freed slaves to fight for the Union after Emancipation. Zuberi started the collection in 2005 and has disclosed that there are some posters he is still tracking down. Several of the posters are by the Italian government during World War II depicting outrageous Black soldiers literally destroying their culture. One shows the Venus de Milo with a price of $2.00 painted on her midriff, implying what would happen if the Black G.I. was not stopped. Some of the most striking posters are from China and Russia, which show support for Blacks fighting for independence from colonial powers in Africa. They are highly stylized with dramatic colors and show forms in motion. Particularly interesting are the depictions of natives (Zouaves) fighting on the side of French colonial troops. In addition to the posters there are also films and video available. One episode of History Detectives shows how a colleague tracked down one of Zuberi’s posters. The other videos are archival recruiting films. There is also a uniform from the Sudan circa 1900. Other programs such as film screenings, lectures and a special focus on the Museum’s annual Celebration of African Cultures family day. On October 17 at 4:30 pm the Museum will present a screening of Zuberi’s documentary, African Independence. n

Above: Tukufu Zuberi, the Lasry Family Professor of Race Relations, Professor of Sociology and Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, and a host of the hit public television series History Detectives, began collecting propaganda war posters in 2005 with a focus on Africans and African Americans. Here, he is pictured in the Penn Museum’s Archives with a sampling of the posters that will be in the new exhibition, Black Bodies in Propaganda: The Art of the War Poster, June 2, 2013 – March 2, 2014.

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

Right: “True Sons of Freedom,” chromolithograph created by Charles Gustrine, United States, 1918.

V W W W. FA C E B O O K .C O M / I C O N D V

n W W W. I C O N D V .C O M

JULY 2013

ICON

art

BURTON WASSERMAN

Jennifer Bartlett

Grasses, 2011. Oil on two canvases. 36 x 72 in. Courtesy of Locks Gallery, Philadelphia

JENNIFER BARTLETT EXERCISES A rare predilection for repeatedly joining grids, polka dots and other diverse configurations into random series of visual form. They come from somewhere inside the recesses of her imagination. Out of that locus of sensitive nerve endings and from a forceful compulsion to generate unusual composites, she transforms clusters of intense hue into extraordinarily original artworks. Each of them functions as a bold construct of joyful color with an identity of its own. You might think of these showpieces as toy-like fantasies, given life by some mysteriously obsessive, intuitive resources for inventing images armed with a powerful artistic presence. Aside from this forceful interior urge to bring them to vivid realization, there does not seem to be any other associative reason for their existence. On the other hand, one may ask, “What is more significant for the making of an artist’s work than the sheer impulse to bring it to ultimate creative fulfillment?” After all, need there be any better reason for an artwork’s existence than the human force of will it takes to put it together in the first place and then share the outcome with an audience because, in the process, the world is enriched by its presence? In the final analysis, making an aesthetic statement of substance is its own raison d’etre. At the present time, Bartlett is presenting a solo exhibition of her work in the Fisher Brooks Gallery of the Hamilton Building, across from the classic landmark home of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, on Broad Street in Philadelphia. Titled History of the Universe, the exhibition is set to remain in place until October 13, 2013. All of the selections on view were completed between 1970 and 2011. Bartlett was raised in the vicinity of Long Beach, California. After high school, she attended Mills College in Oakland. Upon earning her BFA degree, she pursued graduate study at the Yale School of Art and Architecture. Her instructors there included such renowned figures as James Rosenquist, Claes Oldenburg and Robert Rauschenberg. Pursuing her work, she will take the simplest of visual forms to stages of expanded scale. They generate make-believe environments, often with a curiously cool identity. As if by magic, they become a volume one may enter, but only by the suspension of expectations based on past experience with physically tangible dimensionality. Bartlett’s sense of space is something else, a reality with an identity of its own. Her image content is arrived at with a combination of influences borrowed from both the world of abstraction as well as representation. Typically, she makes use of geometrically flat shapes as well as references to gable-topped houses, out-of-doors landscape, bodies of water, rows of dots, references to astronomy and even patches of verbal matter. Bartlett’s first paintings to be shown in New York City were done with enamel paints on steel plates. Several examples of these works are

ICON

JULY 2013

W W W. I C O N D V. C O M

W W W. FA C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

included in the current exhibition. In addition, there are many pieces completed with oil colors on canvas. Early in her career, Bartlett had expectations of utilizing all sorts of self-determined rules for the visual elements in her artworks to be set up as regulated continuities. But she frequently lost interest in pursing them ridgidly. The imposed sense of system was allowed to fall by the wayside. This triumph of inventive flexibility over mechanically-imposed dogma attaches a fluidly rhythmic temper to the various specimens on display. It’s as though she always reserves for herself the right to stay in charge of what develops in a given composition rather than remain a slave to some arbitrary dictum. The exhibition was organized by Klaus Ottmann, Curator-at-Large of the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. According to Ottmann, Jennifer Bartlett is a humanist in the tradition of the artists of the Renaissance; an artist who seeks to understand life at its deepest level, and to provide answers needed to create an ethical ground for one’s life. Her work continues to ask the same questions first raised 200 years ago by the esteemed German philosopher, Immanuel Kant: What can I know? What ought I to do? What may I hope for? Interesting examples of Bartlett’s oeuvre are included among the permanent holdings of many respected art museums all over the world. Among them are the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, The Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Art Museum of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art locally, the Israel Museum in Jerusalem and the Tate Modern in London. Ultimately, the Bartlett solo offers visitors a rewarding opportunity for participating in a highly sophisticated level of aesthetically meaningful discourse. It may not be the cup of tea for the so-called, man in the street. He may be more at home with some provincially populist level of exchange. n

Dr. Burton Wasserman is a professor emeritus of Art at Rowan University, and a serious artist of long standing. Dr. Wasserman’s program Art From Near and Far is on WWFM in Central and Northern New Jersey and Bucks County and WGLS in S. Jersey.

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

■

JULY 2013

■

ICON

■

ICON

■

JULY 2013

■

W W W. I C O N D V. C O M

■

W W W. FA 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

■

JULY 2013

■

ICON

■

cinematters

PETE CROATTO

Vanessa Redgrave and Terence Stamp.

Unfinished Song

THE PREVIEW I SAW for Unfinished Song was a raging thunderstorm of crowd-pleasing cute—from the sight of senior citizens robot dancing to Terence Stamp taking the old curmudgeon trope out for a spin. It’s a given that the movie is being distributed by The Weinstein Company, whose titles frequently mistake maudlin for genuine. And, of course, the glorious Canadian warbling ham herself, Celine Dion, sings the end-credits song. I can’t make this stuff up. That makes the final product surprising, even remarkable. Writer-director Paul Andrew Williams’ love for his characters and his unwillingness to condescend allow this film to dance between the raindrops. In a working-class English town, retiree Arthur (Stamp) and his wife, Marion (Vanessa Redgrave), are settling in for the final stretch. Her cancer has returned and is determined to finish the job. Arthur and Marion handle the news in their own way. Bright and bubbly, she wants to return to her choir, a collection of old coots singing classic rock and rap songs. Arthur insists Marion rest instead of participating with what he calls, if memory serves, “a flaming nuisance.” Arthur eventually relents. Williams has the character reach that point in an understated, and lovely way: He and Marion talk like grown-ups, simply and directly. The scenes between Redgrave and Stamp, wonderful, lived-in actors, level us. They

ICON

JULY 2013

infuse words and gestures with effortless earnestness, so a line like “I haven’t made you happy for a long time” hits you in the gut. “You’re my rock,” she replies. That bedtime discussion encapsulates their entire marriage. Unfinished Song shows rather than tells, which makes Stamp’s performance so astounding. He turns that great, rugged face of his into a permanent scowl. Combine that with his favorite item of clothing—a drab overcoat borrowed from the Willy Loman Collection— and Arthur looks forever engaged in a series of unpleasant tasks. Even when Arthur talks to his granddaughter on the school playground, the scene feels like a hitman meeting his handler. When Marion dies, Arthur reluctantly steps in for her at the choir, getting help from the young director (Gemma Arterton, whom Williams has no idea how to use.). Most times, this development would turn Unfinished Song into a pile of sugary goo. Since Williams and Stamp have made Arthur into a man who has treated any hint of sentimentality as a threat to his standing as the steely patriarch—a role that Marion appreciates and his only son (Christopher Eccleston) resents—the move to the choir isn’t just a tribute to Marion: it relieves the unbearable heaviness of never letting his guard down. When Marion, sick and wobbly, sings a touching rendi-

W W W. I C O N D V. C O M

W W W. FA C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

tion of “True Colors” at an event, Arthur doesn’t stick around to congratulate her. The details surrounding the choir—it’s competing in some kind of sing-off where Arthur has to face a giant crowd and skeptical judges—are secondary. The “someone spiked the prune juice” antics in the preview don’t define Unfinished Song, which is a pleasant surprise. Feel-good movies are usually so concerned with making you smile that the approach doesn’t matter. Cast an attractive couple, throw in a Van Morrison song or two, have a 70-year-old make a sex joke, and call it a day. The sad part is, we’ve been suckered into feeling warm and fuzzy so many times that we’re numb to the process. (Why do you think Kate Hudson was allowed to irritate the masses for so long?) Unfinished Song shocks us because it favors people over an emotional assault. But it’s so genuine and perceptive that we know it’s something special. [PG-13] n

Pete Croatto also writes movie reviews for The Weekender. His essays, features, and humor pieces have appeared in Philadelphia, New Jersey Monthly, The Christian Science Monitor, Grantland, Deadspin, and MAD. petecroatto@yahoo.com or follow him at Twitter, @PeteCroatto.

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

■

JULY 2013

■

ICON

■

keresman on film

Ethan Hawke and Lena Headley.

MARK KERESMAN

“Always put one in the brain.” — Johnny Casper, Miller’s Crossing

THE “DYSTOPIAN FUTURE” GENRE is very popular now—heck, it always has been. From 1984 (book and assorted movie versions) to A Clockwork Orange to The Hunger Games, super-glum What-If visions of The Future are fascinating looks into what might be. We can comfort ourselves by saying to each other, “Aw, this could never happen—a future society where books are outlawed?” (As in Fahrenheit 451.) Golly, with newspapers failing and media being controlled by such swells as Rupert “Hack any e-mails lately” Murdock, scant chance of that, right? Which brings us to The Purge, a nightmare ride into an America in which unemployment and crime have been reduced by a novel concept: What if for a 12-hour span once a year, all crimes, including murder, are legal. Preposterous? Maybe, but there is a twisted logic to this idea: Many of us have, from time to time, violent desires and reactions—imagine a societal “release valve” for all this unpleasantness. Also, imagine an underclass that could be “culled” once a year—as the upper classes can afford fancy home security systems and the poor cannot. Whether this concept is “practical” is beside the point—heck, I can think of more lame and illogical notions for movies. Nic Cage can see five minutes into the future? Been there. Cinematic worlds wherein women as attractive as Diane Lane and Rosario Dawson are lonely? Done that. Oscar winners Hilary Swank and Kevin Spacey appearing in one crap movie after another? Vince Vaughan? I rest my case. (Ahem.) The Purge takes place in an alternate reality, a USA with a unique release valve and self-purging mechanism—the 16

ICON

JULY 2013

result, we are told, is a Better America, one with less crime, less unemployment. Ethan Hawke is James Sandin, a youngish upwardly mobile type who sells home security systems; Lena Headley is his loving wife Mary, and they’ve two relatively adorable but slightly…troubled kids. The yearly Purge is nigh—all crimes are legal, all emergency services (police, etc.) suspended. Naturally, high-ranking government types are exempt from being targets—anyone else, look out. Anyone not behind (reinforced) walls is fair game. The Sandlin family settles in for a night of TV—but the son, plagued with a sense of, I dunno, compassion and/or pity, sees a bloodied man running through the streets, crying for help. The son calls the man to his home and offers sanctuary, but his pursuers see which house he ran to. A masked youth knocks on the door—turn this “homeless swine” over to us, he says, or my friends and I, will break in and kill everyone therein. The pursuers outside are preppie-type youths, lads and lasses from well-to-do backgrounds that ooze entitlement, gimme-back-my-toys ire, and sadistic glee. The family members see themselves, naturally, as fine, upright folk—however, Daddy wants to toss the homeless guy to the sharks…but what of the rest of the family? Here’s where The Purge evokes some episodes of The Twilight Zone. A recurring theme in Serling’s iconic series is how regular people, just plain folks, can under certain circumstances and/or with the right stimulus, become monsters. Examples: “The Shelter” and (especially) “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street.”

W W W. I C O N D V. C O M

W W W. FA C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

Some of The Purge is predictable and in some ways, it resembles Straw Dogs as mild-mannered people are forced to find their inner Beast in order to survive. People are going to die—this movie is being marketed as a horror/suspense film, after all—but which people and how? (Hint to the latter: As violently as possible.) Will any of these participants find any shred of decency, compassion, or kindness? Therein lies the tension, film-fans. The Purge has strong elements of satire, very darkly funny satire in the manner of A Clockwork Orange, Robocop, and Dr. Strangelove. The movie has some things to say about socio-economic class divisions and how eager some parts of society might be to “sacrifice” some other parts of society for the “greater good.” The acting is mostly very fine—there are many shades of ambiguity to some of these characters. Rhys Wakefield is memorable as the leader of the home invaders—he displays a mix of daffy charisma and chilling, deliberate viciousness. While not exactly gory, it is brutal, and those bothered by axes and guns should probably pass. The Purge is not great cinema—but it is a lean, sinister, ferocious, and ultimately entertaining thriller, one with a brain and, oddly enough, a conscience, plus a twist or two I didn’t see coming. n

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. 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

■

JULY 2013

■

ICON

■

bad movie

MARK KERESMAN

Frances Ha Woody Allen, call your lawyer – someone stealin’ yo’ style.

FROM GEORGY GIRL TO That Girl to The Mary Tyler Moore Show to Bridget Jones’ Diary, a popular theme for movies and TV shows is the Plucky Young Woman Making It On Her Own in the Big City. We in Duh Audience either identify with or root for the central character as she gets her lumps on the road to adulthood. Needless to say, the audience has to care about the gal. Frances Ha is the Generation Y (or is it Z?) version of the aforementioned, which also has a cable TV counterpart, Girls—but F. Ha’s protagonist is, frankly, kind of hard to care about. Greta Gerwig—who co-wrote the film with director/significant other Noah Baumbach (he of the cinematic “gem” Greenberg)—is Frances, a stereotypical post-college “free spirit” whose dream is to be a dancer in New York City. The problem is she’s not really that good of a dancer, and she’s so full of pluck—or something like delusion—that she’s not going to let that stop her. A further complication is her friendship with roommate Sophie, who, despite being such a good pal (or so we’re told—many times) tells Frances she’ll soon be moving out to live with her boyfriend. The movie follows Frances in her navigations through the artistic netherworld of 20-somethings on the pothole-ridden road to adulthood and finding her “place” therein. The problem is that it’s hard to care about Frances. Gerwig does her best—she’s actually a very likeable, appealing actress that doesn’t over-rely on her cuteness factor. But Frances herself is, in a word, a FLAKE. She’s 27 going on 15—she has goofy “play-fights” with people in public places and makes strange noises if Sophie touches her shoulder. She’s full of youthful spunk but is a typical 18

ICON

JULY 2013

college “intellectual”—she acts like she “knows life” but doesn’t particularly have a handle on anything in particular. In fact, most of what she says makes little sense. A conversation she has with Sophie sounds as if they are speaking in non sequiturs—not for intentional comedic effect but basically to try to sound wise, “profound,” self-reflective, and…(beware) quirky. Ever meet anyone that tries a little too hard to impress you with what a “distinctive character” she/he is? That’s how Frances and Sophie are. I was reminded of that fantastic scene in The Producers (1968) wherein Max suggests the assassination of the play’s actors and Bloom is aghast: Bloom: “Actors are not animals! They're human beings!” Max: “They are? Have you ever eaten with one?!?” Frances and Sophie—and some of their friends—are characters that always act like characters, as if they were auditioning for…what, I dunno. Further, Frances is one of those people that is full of Artistic Ambitions but can’t really be bothered by such a tediously mundane action known as, what’s it called…ah yes, working for a living. All this might be forgiven—or even fun—if Baumbach did something with all this besides imitate Woody Allen and his fetish for French New Wave film. Frances Ha is in blackand-white and for Baumbach, this is his Manhattan for the artsy-fartsy 24-35 set. See Frances DANCE down the sidewalk and across the street! (Across the street in daytime NYC— right.) As it is with Allen, their characters live in a NYC that’s free of any negative consequences for its characters—no one seems to “work” but they always seem to have money (in a town where a $15 hamburger is common and rents

W W W. I C O N D V. C O M

W W W. FA C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

are, uh, lofty). Frances seems to effortlessly float from apartment to apartment which are always uncommonly roomy and free of vermin. Thing is, I had a friend quite a bit like Frances who moved to NYC—after she wore out her welcome with the friend she was staying with, she ended up in a shelter for homeless women. (Try to imagine that. If you’ve trouble, rent the film Being Flynn, wherein the character of Jonathan Flynn, portrayed by Robert De Niro, “finds himself ” living in a shelter.) I knew an acquaintance, a male counterpart to Frances, that moved from a PA town to NYC for a relatively brief sojourn—during a NYC visit I asked a mutual friend, “How come Billy Bob [name changed to protect…etc.] was here for such a short time?” His reply was terse: “Billy Bob found out people here [NYC] aren’t as easy to take advantage of as they are back in [PA city].” Cue music: “New York, New York—it’s a wonderful town!” Also, Gerwig’s charm aside, Frances Ha is, simply, not that funny, unless you find assorted variations on “pointless” and “quirky” funny. An overlong scene finds Frances running down the streets seeking a bank machine and, whaddaya know, she can’t find one (hilarious, especially since in Manhattan and Brooklyn nearly every bodega and pizza shop has one) and frequently falls down in her search. When you’ve an attractive female character and are at a loss to have her do “something funny,” have her fall down. After all, it worked for Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock in mainstream movies. (And people put down the Three Stooges for their “slapstick” antics.) Frances Ha is for indie-film hipsters as the Sex in the City movies are for the mainstream set— wish-fulfillment drivel. n

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

■

JULY 2013

■

ICON

■

reel news

REVIEWS OF RECENTLY RELEASED DVDS BY GEORGE OXFORD MILLER

Scene from The Matchmaker.

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

56 Up (2013) ★★★★ Genre: Documentary Directed by Michael Apted Not rated The British have a keen way with their unique style of mysteries (Sherlock Holmes to James Bond), historical drama (Queen epics to Downton Abbey), comedy, even documentaries. In 1964, the Up series pioneered the “Survivor” concept long before American TV isolated contestants on an island. In the true sense of reality, the Brits followed 14 children, all age seven, from across class and economic spectrums as they survived the vicissitudes of life. Every seven years, Michael Apted revisited the group to trace the progress of their lives against their dreams and aspirations. Following the Jesuit saying, “Give me a child until age seven and I’ll give you a man,” the series documented how much a child’s life-path is determined by the economic class of their family. Now 56 years old, all the group but one are still participating. Apted weaves in cuts from previous episodes to show how each person’s life has developed, both in predictable and unpredictable ways. If any life lessons emerge, it’s that stable family relations contribute to happiness and education to economic success. That should be obvious, but lives lived passionately portray that it’s the decisions and details of the journey that give meaning to the trip. The Gatekeepers (2012) ★★★★ Genre: Documentary exposé Rated PG-13 for violent content including disturbing images. The primary object of an exposé is to clarify values by dividing a sharp line between the right and wrong of often nebulous is-

■

ICON

■

JULY 2013

■

sues, policies, and even cultural traditions. With national security and universal surveillance in the forefront, the battle between personal rights and personal security dominates the headlines, as well as the hidden rooms of government agencies. Yet, whatever we think we’re experiencing with terrorism, Israel has been there ten-fold. This unsettling tell-all film interviews the six men who from 1980 to 2011 directed Shin Bet, the Israeli counterterrorism and intelligence agency. They offer their insights into what worked and, more importantly, what didn’t, and what directives were doomed concepts from the start. Like a confessional, they describe covert actions that left innocents, as well as terrorists, dead. More chilling, their takehome message is that after 30 years of morally questionable surveillance, arrests, interrogations, imprisonment, assassinations, and tit-for-tat reprisals, Israel—and the world—is today less safe, less secure, less sure of what path leads to peace. 42 (2013) ★★★★ Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Harrison Ford Genre: Biodrama, Sport Rated PG-13 Everyone stand, place hand over heart, and sing “land of the free and the home of the brave.” Then...play ball! In 1947, the “brave” phrase applied to baseball and the nation, but the “free” meant whites only. Dodger manager Branch Richey was determined to change that forever. He personally selected Jackie Robinson and, against the wishes of his team, Major League Baseball, and baseball bigots nationwide, made Robinson a household name and one of baseball’s greatest athletes. The movie probes deeply into both men’s personalities, the

W W W. I C O N D V. C O M

■

W W W. FA C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

hardships they endured, and the bond they formed. Robinson came to the plate with a difficult playbook—turn the other cheek to the racial hatred and play his best ballgame. We all know the story intellectually, but this epic grand-slams us with the emotions that flooded the nation from Robinson’s first base hit to Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. The Matchmaker (2012) ★★★ Cast: Adir Miller, Maya Dagan, Tuval Shafir Genre: Comedy, Drama Not rated Populated by larger-than-life eccentric characters, this coming–of-age flashback sweeps through the streets of 1968 Haifa, a refuge for Holocaust survivors. Sixteen-year-old Arik (Shafir) spends the summer under the influence of Yankele Bride (Miller, an Israeli comedian). The taciturn matchmaker gives his unmarried clients “what they need, not what they want.” He also runs a gambling operation with an aloof blond (Dagan) and hangs out with a group of dwarves who run a movie theater. Yankele hires Arik to tail potential marriage clients through the backstreets to test their intentions. The camp (but not condescending) tale contrasts the teen’s innocent angst with the older man’s war experiences, and a present influenced by past atrocities with a future yet to be tempered with the adversities of living. ■

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. 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

■

JULY 2013

■

ICON

■

exclusive interview

BRUCE H. KLAUBER

THE ARTISTIC EVOLUTION of A LEGEND

TONY BENNETT HAS BEEN at this for a while. But he is still as enthusiastic—or maybe even more enthusiastic—about jazz, jazz musicians and singing than when I first met him in 1970. I was but a wee lad back then, playing drums in Philadelphia with sax great Charlie Ventura. One evening, the great jazz pianist—John Bunch—newlyappointed Musical Director for Tony Bennett and former Ventura cohort in the Gene Krupa jazz quartet, walked in after his Bennett gig and wanted to sit in. I’ll never forget it. All Bunch wanted to talk about was how much he loved and respected his new boss, and how much patience and trust Bennett had with him, given that John Bunch never “musically directed for anyone.” Bunch got Ventura and me in to see Bennett later that week, and I met him after the show at the late and lamented Latin Casino in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. The second time I got to “hang with the master,” as it were, was during a Tony Bennett appearance in south-

ed two now-legendary albums with jazz pianist Bill Evans—but by the end of the 1970s, it was clear that his career had seen better days. Around 1979, his son, Danny, took over Bennett’s management. Although it took some doing, the younger Bennett turned his father’s career around, introduced him to what is called “The MTV generation,” and helped solidify the legend we now know as Tony Bennett, an artist idolized all over the world by an entirely new generation of fans and fellow contemporary artists like K.D. Lang and Lady Gaga. At the age of 87, Tony Bennett remains warm, engaging, curious and appreciative of having the career he’s had, of still being at it, and still being recognized as a groundbreaker and contemporary force in the industry. I’d be fibbing if I said that he remembered me, but by the end of our interview for ICON, it seemed obvious to him that I was a musician, “one of the cats,” and he insisted that we get together after his July 26 gig at the Sands in Bethlehem, PA. I sensed that he wanted to talk, and wanted to talk about Pops, Bird, Tatum, Duke, Count, and all those whom he believes contributed to his art. Indeed, as we reached what was the “imposed” time limit of our conversation and I wanted to cut things short—a time limit I intended to respect—he said strongly, “No, that’s all right, man. I’m still goin’.” And he is. You’ve got to love him.

I had a passion for painting and Duke turned me on to painting every day, and I’ve been doing that for many years. And that came from Duke Ellington, and that was important to me, because music and art share the same premise and they feed one another. What you learn when you paint, you learn about music, and what you learn from music, you learn about painting. It’s funny how it worked for me.

west Florida. After his marvelous, sold-out show, we caught up on matters about his current rhythm section, how much he missed John Bunch, who had recently passed away, and just how important drummers were to his music and his own personal heartbeat. He could not say enough about Harold Jones, his drummer then and now. “You know,” he said, “I’ll never forget what my good friend Count Basie said to me years ago. Count said that no matter how many cats may be in the band, it’s the drummer that’s the leader, and I’ve had the luck to work with the best of them, just like my man, Harold Jones.” With the advent of The Beatles, the music business changed. Bennett, along with other quality singers, was asked by his record company to do covers of juvenile pap. Though he tried valiantly, Bennett just could not and would not sell out, and he departed Columbia Records in 1972. He recorded with a number of other labels, including an imprint of his own—where he record-

■

ICON

■

JULY 2013

■

W W W. I C O N D V. C O M

As an artist, you’re your own toughest critic. Let’s just take the past ten years—what do you think is different about your singing? You know, it’s funny. This album that I did with Dave Brubeck from 1962 [Bennett & Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962] that was just released, everybody’s raving about it and I forgot that I actually did it. Columbia found this thing that we recorded, when President Kennedy asked us to perform on the White House Lawn. What Dave and I did together was completely spontaneous. It’s getting great reviews. It’s number one on Amazon.com and with Barnes and Noble. It’s a complete surprise. They’re calling it a great jazz album. So I listened to it and the way I was singing and, to me, I don’t think I sound better, but I think I sound the same now as I did 50 years ago, which is unusual. I was able to sustain my voice and still keep it on good shape.

■

W W W. FA C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

I think your technique, range and breath control is better now than it was in 1970, when I first heard you in person. Thank you, that’s wonderful to hear. I think one of the things you learn from being a seasoned performer is what to leave out, not “how much do you put in?” You want to simplify it. Like Count Basie. Right. Exactly. I’ve listened to the new Bennett/Brubeck CD again and again. You cats are swingin.’ What’s a drag is that Dave didn’t get to back up more cats like you. Is there anyone through the years that you worked with—or didn’t work with—-that you wanted to record with? Is there another recorded discovery out there waiting to happen? Well, I’m sure there’s going to be. In fact, next week I’m going into the recording studio to do a big jazz album with Lady Gaga. She’s more than good—she’s actually a terrific singer—and the songs we’ve chosen are really beautiful examples that show how good she really sings. Marion Evans, the great arranger, is doing the swingin’ charts. I think it’s going to surprise everybody that she’s just that good. She works hard and is so professional. She walks in and has everything memorized. She’s really a very educated artist. She’s knows what she’s doing. You’ve done quite a bit for jazz in your books and your interviews. You’ve let a wider audience know about the importance of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Basie. If it were not for you, there would probably be millions of people who never heard of Bill Evans. What was it about Bill Evans that got to you and made you say, “I’ve got to record with this guy?” He was behind Miles Davis and became very famous that way. I remember going into clubs so many times and hearing Bill Evans and Erroll Garner. There was just a handful of people there and they were playing beautifully. It takes a long time for that kind of thing to catch on, because it’s really the most honest and most intelligent music you can hear. Ralph Sharon, my accompanist of 40 years, said on a radio interview, “I’m trying to learn how

0 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

■

JULY 2013

■

ICON

■

exclusive interview

R. KURT OSENLUND

SHADES of RAY One of cinema’s preeminent bad boys for more than 30 years, Ray Liotta has perfected his knack for pinning viewers to their seats in ways as thrilling as they are intimidating. Recently, he’s appeared as a mafioso in The Iceman, a crime-ring figurehead in Killing Them Softly (now available on DVD), and a crooked cop in The Place Beyond the Pines (available on DVD Aug. 3). In person, he’s all the rugged and dryly humorous wiseguy you could hope for.

S SHOULD BE EXPECTED, Ray Liotta doesn’t have time for bullshit. When he enters a Waldorf Towers hotel suite where a handful of journalists wait, he gets straight to breaking the ice. “Do you have an extra Band-Aid?” he asks one writer, who’s wearing a Band-Aid on his cheek. Apparently Liotta cut his finger en route to this interview. “I’m sorry, I don’t,” the writer says, before getting antsy and quickly asking the first question. “Who are you, the captain?” Liotta asks, inciting a small eruption of laughter. “Well, I guess somebody’s gotta take charge,” the actor says. Taking charge and mending wounds are two things filmgoers have seen Liotta do time and again on screen, through an iconic career that’s spanned three decades. Best known for his work in dramas like Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas, a masterpiece of the mob genre, Liotta has made a name for himself embodying an array of toughs and undesirables, who, even when they aren’t all bad, register as formidable giants. Over the past year, Liotta has appeared in Killing Them Softly, The Place Beyond the Pines, and The Iceman, three films that are unquestionably up his alley. In the latter two, he takes on the roles of a dirty cop and a mafia captain, respectively, two archetypes the 58-year-old was put on Earth to play. And yet, it’s hard to believe he got his start in the comparatively benign world of daytime television. “When I first started, here in New York, I was on a soap opera,” Liotta says, referring to his role as Joey Perrini on Another World. “I did that until I was 25, and then I moved to L.A. Then for five years, nothing happened. I was just in acting class all the time. And then later, throughout acting class, whenever I’d finish a movie, I’d go back to class. So I was always constantly working out.” Liotta employs that terminology more than once when describing his craft: Not “working,” but “working out,” as if his continuing experiences as an actor have been like the training of a prize fighter. “You realize you just gotta take action,” Liotta says while still discussing his earlier days. “You might want to do something specific but it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to get it. I’d rather be working out, if you will, then just sitting there, not.” In terms of actual, literal working out, Liotta, in truth, doesn’t look like he does much of it. The actor has never seemed particularly out of shape, but nor has he ever been

■

ICON

■

JULY 2013

■

what’s so reductively referred to as “conventionally handsome.” His hard, unforgiving, and distinctly weathered face has been his calling card and his meal ticket, helping him to land the rough roles that have come to define his filmography. In person, and with a good bit of life behind him, the actor looks even more worn than you’d think, his face akin to hammered metal, like he’s been through war. But what remains, and what’s always been his true physical gift, is a set of piercing eyes that are alternately frightening and captivating. Those eyes are hard at work in The Iceman, a pseudo-biopic about chilly killer Richard Kuklinski (Michael Shannon), wherein Liotta plays real-life Gambino crime family member Roy DeMeo. “He was a maniac,” Liotta says of his character. “He was chopping up bodies and spreading them all over the city. I read a lot of books and a lot of biographies on him. His son wrote a book, and I read that, too. He also appears in some other mafia books I came across. It was all really just for knowledge, this reading. I find different types of people of fascinating, and the stuff in this movie—that’s just a whole world unto itself.” Since Liotta is someone who, in a film buff ’s mind, is intrinsically tied to organized crime in the cinema, it’s considerably jarring to hear him point out that DeMeo is the first true gangster he’s played since Henry Hill in Goodfellas (another fact-based tale). The statement seems shocking because, in the 23 years between the two films, the actor has played a plethora of “Liotta types,” who, be they a crooked officer in Unlawful Entry (1992), a crazed criminal being air-transported to prison in Turbulence (1997), or a cop who plays by his own rules in Narc (2002), may as well have been borrowed from the mafia (Liotta did play a mob boss in the 2010 comedy Date Night, but mainly as a playful parody of his image). The actor doesn’t explicitly say why he’s kept his gangster parts to a minimum, but he does offer tidbits as to why he may have wanted to distance himself from the genre, such as pitiful, post-Goodfellas run-ins with real-life mob snitch Hill. “I never kept in touch with Henry,” Liotta says, “but once in Venice, I remember I was walking with my friend, and we had parked and we were going to go to a Sunday brunch. And we were walking, and hear this guy go, ‘Hey Ray!’ And I look over, and this guy’s, like, still drunk, and its 10 o’clock in the morning. He says ‘Ray, it’s Henry!’ And it was. It was Henry Hill, and he was just blotto. And every time I saw him over the years in California he was wasted.

W W W. I C O N D V. C O M

■

W W W. FA C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

He was really messed up.” [Hill died of heart trouble last year at the age of 69.] For the most part, Liotta seems to want to keep things light, but with a strong demeanor that shows playful intimidation and an utter lack of fear. An assistant finally, almost magically, appears with that Band-Aid he requested, and he turns to the writer he queried at the start. “That’s good news for you, captain,” he teases. “You’re lucky I didn’t take the one off of your face. Who knows what you’re covering over there.” Like many (occasionally typecast) tough guys, Liotta has proven highly effective at comedy, not least because of the irony his presence can provide. He’s repeatedly (and deftly) channeled his singular intensity into lighthearted fare, like Operation Dumbo Drop (1995), Heartbreakers (2001), and Observe and Report (2009). The same vigor that’s let him master the art of pointing a gun with hair-raising conviction can be applied to the rapid-fire delivery of a punchline. As plenty of his co-stars would surely attest, getting cut down to size by Liotta is something of a privilege, so much so that seeing him goad a fellow journalist elicits a tinge of jealousy. “You really just read the script,” Liotta says, humbly, about his process. “After a while, the script gives you all you need. When I was younger, I held onto things more and I was more method-y. Because you’re finally getting your chance and you want to come across strong. So you have a tendency to hold onto things longer. But you realize, the more you do this, and the more experience you gain, that when you’re filming and you’re locked into what you’re supposed to do, you’re really just thinking about that.” There’s still, of course, the matter of getting amped up for a scene that requires some of that trademark Liotta aggression. Is he just downing espresssos on set before the director yells “action”? “Nah, you find things,” Liotta says. “There’s always something around to piss you off.” ■ R. Kurt Osenlund is the managing editor of The House Next Door, the official blog of Slant Magazine. He is also the film critic for South Philly Review, and a contributing writer for ICON, Slant, Details, Filmmaker Magazine and IndieWire. Twitter @AddisonDeTwitt. Email: rkurtosenlund@gmail.com. Opposite: Ray Liotta in his star-making turn in Goodfellas, with Robert DeNiro, Paul Sorvino and Joe Pesci.

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

■

JULY 2013

■

ICON

■

film roundup

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

Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy in Before Midnight.

The Hunt (Dir: Thomas Vinterberg). Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Annika Wedderkopp, Lasse Fogelstrøm, Susse Wold, Anne Louise Hassing, Lars Ranthe, Alexandra Rapaport. It’s only a matter of time before the brooding good looks and somber sexuality of Mikkelsen (currently starring on TV’s Hannibal) become the permanent property of big studios with small ideas, so cherish his riveting performance in this unsettling, gripping character study from Denmark. He plays Lucas, a divorced, middleaged kindergarten teacher on the verge of professional and personal peace when a snubbed student (Wedderkopp) falsely accuses him of sexual assault. No one is willing to hear Lucas’ side of the story as concerned adults protect the child without hearing her pleas to correct herself. The tightknit community shuns Lucas, including his best friend (Larsen), who is also the child’s father. Vinterberg’s bitingly observant drama examines how the values that govern suburban harmony can turn exclusionary and toxic. It is a psychological face slap. We leave not knowing if we ever get the chance to define ourselves or if we are doomed to play the roles others assign to us. [R] ★★★★ Blackfish (Dir: Gabriela Cowperthwaite). In 2010, veteran SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed while performing with Tilikum, a usually happy 12,000-pound orca that was a longtime staple of the amusement park’s shows. Sadly, this was not the first time Tilikum had lashed out. Housed in conditions befitting an oversized goldfish and 26

■

ICON

■

JULY 2013

■

subjected to abuse from other orcas, “Tillie” had killed another trainer during his stint at a Canadian park in the early 1990s, a fact that SeaWorld’s powers-that-be conveniently overlooked at purchase time. Cowperthwaite uncovers that and loads more in this stirring documentary that boasts the organization and narrative allure of a great magazine feature. The director stays out of the way and lets her subjects (countless former SeaWorld employees) and expertly abbreviated video footage (we see Brancheau in her final moments alive) do the talking. Blackfish is a devastating examination of what happens when man thinks it can corral nature to fit the parameters of a business. [NR] ★★★★ The Bling Ring (Dir: Sofia Coppola). Starring: Katie Chang, Israel Broussard, Emma Watson, Claire Julien, Taissa Farmiga, Leslie Mann. Modern-day youth-gone-wild tale chronicles the real-life exploits of a group of wealthy suburban LA teens that robbed the houses of celebrities (including Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan) before the authorities got wise. The attitudes on both sides boggle the mind. Some people have no problem leaving a mansion full of jewelry, cash, and clothes unlocked; “who” a person is wearing matters more than the person sporting the clothes. Coppola doesn’t delve enough into those mind-sets or skewer this new era of conspicuous consumption. We need five more scenes like Mann’s vacuous mom home-schooling her kids based on the wish-upon-a-star idiocy of The Secret and two more characters like the beautiful, self-flagellating mope

W W W. I C O N D V. C O M

■

W W W. FA C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

played by Broussard. Coppola focuses mostly on the brazenness of the kids’ partying thug life, which grows old pretty quick. Watson is terrific as one of the burglars, an aspiring actress whose bimbo monotone speaks volumes about her character—or lack of it. Based on Nancy Jo Sales’ article for Vanity Fair, which became a book. [R] ★★1/2 Before Midnight (Dir: Richard Linklater). Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy. How many times have the sequels in a series been released because there was a story to tell? That’s the beauty of the nearly 20-year odyssey of Jesse (Hawke) and Celine (Delpy), who went from meeting on a train in Before Sunrise (1995) to reuniting in Before Sunset (2004) to becoming not-so-young marrieds here. They’re wrapping up their summer in a Greek paradise, but the couple’s chemistry is amiss. Jesse has put his son from a previous marriage on a U.S.-bound plane and feels like he’s falling short as a dad. It’s not helping that the kid is sharing secrets with Celine, who is worried that Jesse wants to move stateside. This prelude of concerns brings up years’ worth of issues, which reaches a crescendo during a romantic night away from the kids. Linklater, who wrote the dialogue-driven script with Delpy and Hawke, offers a touching snapshot of a couple trying to merge the past and the future into a pleasant now, eloquently capturing the romance and realism of married life without making a precious fuss. Before Midnight is an enchanting ode to words, acting, and understatement—exactly like the previous two movies. [R] ★★★★

about life

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

The Critic Within

O YOU HAVE A punishing super-ego? Chances are that you or someone you know has one, because it is much more common than most people might think. Although this is a concept first coined by Freud it is as applicable today as when he first wrote about it nearly one hundred years ago. In layman’s terms a punishing super-ego is like an overactive conscience that assigns hefty amounts of self-criticism, blame and guilt to the thoughts feelings and behaviors of the self.

Imagine having a very harsh parent inside of you that watches your every move with a negative eye just waiting to point out your shortcomings and make you feel bad about them. While the normal functioning of the super-ego is to operate as a restraint against acting on negative or harmful impulses, a punishing super-ego is driven by underlying feelings of inadequacy and/or unworthiness. While there are times when it is necessary to use self-criticism in a positive or growth promoting way to prune undesirable thoughts, actions or feelings, being too harsh with yourself can effectively kill off and paralyze good aspects of the self. There is the myth that being tough on yourself is good for you. Being too tough or harsh with yourself will not make you a better person; in fact, it just makes you better at disliking yourself. At the worst, a punishing super-ego is a manifestation of self-hatred. Where there could be self-acceptance, self-forgiveness or even healthy self-love, there is instead an internal self-critic that does not allow internal peace of mind. If you’re wondering about the origins of this kind of self-abasement, consider prominent figures who were too harsh in your early life to be one place to look. Often, when there is harsh parental criticism, a child internalizes the critical parent as a continual source of invalidating the self throughout the course of life. Being overly self-punitive is a common characteristic of people who have suffered physical, verbal and sexual abuse. Jim Delpino is a psychotherapist in private practice for over 30 years. jdelpino@aol.com (215) 364-0139.

If you suffer from a “guilt complex,” this is a variation on having a punishing super-ego. Excessive guilt often promotes a marked “overdoing” to compensate for feelings of being wrong and inadequate internally. Overdoing to gain approval or be liked is born out of not liking yourself. It’s as though just being you is not good enough. Feeling “not good enough” is a frequent symptom that results from being too harsh with yourself. An easy way to spot the punishing superego in action is to observe people who apologize too frequently, as if they have wronged or hurt another when they clearly have not. This is a projection of the injured self of the apologizer onto those around him or her. If you’ve been with people who have been abusive and/or harsh with you it’s easy to assume that you’re at fault in most things. If you find yourself frequently promising to do a better job in your relationship it may well be that you’re reliving some hurtful scenarios from your past. If you have perfectionist tendencies you may also be suffering from the kind of low-esteem that accompanies being self-punitive. “Perfect” is an unreachable destination, so if you seek perfection you’ll surely fail. Seeking perfection is a way to feel bad about yourself. Perfection may seem desirable as a way to overcompensate for feelings of inadequacy or unworthiness, but the results will provide plenty of ammo for the punishing super-ego. Trying to do more and do it perfectly, in addition to exhausting yourself, will only lower your self-esteem further. Overcoming this kind of self-decimation is not achieved “by doing,” because it is a disturbance “in being.” Being more like the parent who loved you unconditionally is the best way to overcome the caustic nature of being too harsh with yourself. If this were easy to do, you would have figured it out and done it long ago. As with any disturbance in being, it’s very difficult to identify and slowly grind down the power of a punishing super-ego. Sadly, another ramification of the punishing super-ego is manifested in the choice of friends and significant others. It’s all too common to find one of two extremes in relational choices: either you find someone who is highly critical of others to become your externalized punishing super-ego; or you find someone who believes he or she is unworthy and project your own unworthiness onto him or her by being overly harsh. In this second case you become the externalized punishing super-ego and direct your self-hatred onto the other. In both cases the potential for abuse is very high. In the case of parenting, there are also two extremes: either you overcompensate and are too indulgent with your children thinking this will help escape the pain of self-harshness—however, showering your children with undeserved compliments will not make them love themselves; or you repeat the pattern of harshness that happened with you by making sure to remind your children that they are or will be failures. It takes a lot of energy to maintain harshness with yourself. Becoming kinder to yourself requires less energy and produces much better results in the most important areas in life. n

W W W. FA C E B O O K .C O M / I C O N D V

n W W W. I C O N D V .C O M

JULY 2013

ICON

the jazz scene

BRUCE KLAUBER

ED SHAUGHNESSY: 1929-2013 In all probability, the percussion world will never see the likes of an Ed Shaughnessy again. Shaughnessy, who died in May at the age of 84, was astonishing in his versatility, having played with everyone from Charlie Mingus and Count Basie to Ray Charles and Jimi Hendrix. And he was comfortable with them all. Ringo Starr may have been more famous and Buddy Rich more showmanly, but no drummer in history was as visible as the man nicknamed “Shaun.” He joined The Tonight Show band in 1963, not long after Johnny Carson came aboard, and stayed with that group until Carson left the airwaves 29 years later. Think about the concept of playing for several acts—rock, jazz, comedy, country, Latin, classical, dancers, singers, jugglers, magicians and you name it—every night, five nights a week and for 29 years. And all, pun intended, without missing a beat. In those years and by his own admission, Shaun only had real differences with one performer, that being the notoriously prickly Ray Charles. Through it all, he did everything with grace, confidence and good humor. Young players were important to him, and in that regard he was one of the first drummers to become heavily involved in jazz education as a clinician. He was something of a pioneer as well. Along with Louie Bellson, Shaun was among the first to use two bass drums as a part of the standard drum set-up, and was an early student of what is now called “world music.” He evolved constantly. It could never be said that history passed him by. His roots were in jazz, and those roots were never forgotten, no matter what the gig was. A Philadelphian, saxophonist Charlie Ventura, gave Shaun his first “name” job in 1948. In the years leading up to his spot in The Tonight Show band, there was hardly an artist he did not play behind. The list is extraordinary, and included Basie, Mingus, Teddy Charles, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and Tommy Dorsey. Basie loved him so much that he had Shaun record a good half-dozen albums with his band, during a time when the Count’s drum chair was unsettled. Ed Shaughnessy was a friend. He confided not too long ago, that one of the few wishes he had was that the famed “Ed Shaughnessy versus Buddy Rich drum battle” that was performed on The Tonight Show in the late 1970s could be discovered and released commercially, just so his family could see it. It took some doing, but this fascinating clip— now all over YouTube—first appeared in the Hudson Music DVD, Classic Drum Solos and Drum Battles. He was, thank goodness, fortunate enough to see the publication of his charming and touching autobiography, Lucky Drummer, which came out last year. Above all, Ed Shaughnessy was a man who cared. When you listened to him, you could tell.

ICON

JULY 2013

FREE JAZZ NOTES Jazz Bridge is partnering with Friends of Hawthorne Park to present Jazz at Hawthorne Park, a free concert series at 12th and Catharine Streets in Philadelphia on the third Thursday of every month this summer. Bring a chair and prepare to get groovy with the Renaissance Quartet with bassist Tyrone Brown on July 18, drummer Webb T’s Fleet on August 15, and Venissa Santi’s Quartet on September 19. These performers are all in the upper echelon of the Delaware Valley’s jazz community, the park is lovely and the music will be swinging. Concerts begin at 7 p.m. For info: 215-517-8337 or visit Jazzbridge.org/events/sponsored-partnerships. PLAYING FOR A HIGHER AUTHORITY Jazz and the clergy have had a long and special association. Pastor John Gensel, counselor and spiritual advisor to many a jazz musician, was known for years as “the jazz priest.” Father Norman J. O’Connor hosted a New York Citybased television program for years called Dial M for Music that featured the world’s most famous players. Then, of course, there were Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concerts. Locally, there are at least a half-dozen regular Jazz Vespers programs being presented steadily. One of the most active participants in the “jazz meets clergy” area was the late Warren Davis, Jr. Reverend Davis, who passed away in 2006 at the age of 79, was the Rector at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Gladwyne, and also a jazz pianist with firm roots in the swing era. Davis founded a jazz group called The Gabriels who performed often at churches and other venues in the area. The legacy of The Gabriels happily continues with bassist Vince Long, saxophonist Art Lord, guitarist Ron Parker (also a retired priest who, earlier in his career, played guitar behind some pretty big names), and drummer John Ciliberto. The Gabriels recently played, for the fourth time, at the Greenwich Library in Gibbstown, NJ, at the Logan Township Library in Logan Township, NJ, and will soon play Swedesboro Library in Swedesboro, NJ. Hear them if you can. NERO: CONQUERING JAZZ HERO, JULY 3 & BEYOND Peter Nero has wasted no time in getting his post-Philly Pops career in gear, and we expected nothing less. His last formal Pops performance in Philadelphia was on May 12, and after a summer’s rest—save for a surprising guest stint helming the Pops at a free Parkway concert on July 3—he’ll be off and running with a more-than-full calendar of performances beginning with his tour kick-off on September 21 at the Hylton Performing Arts Center at George Mason University in Manassas, VA. Dates follow way into next year, with performances at Lehman College in the Bronx on October 26; the University of Las Vegas Jazz Orchestra on November 2; Folsom Lake College in Folsom, CA on November 12 and 13; and other locales throughout the country until, right now anyway, June 14, 2014. Philadelphia blew it by letting this giant get away and Maestro and those handling his bookings know it, so the closest he’ll get to this town (other than his unanticipated gig on July 3) will be in New Brunswick, NJ, at the State Theater on February 14, and at the Easton, PA State Theatre on June 14, 2014. Regarding his one night, July 3 Pops’ “return” on the Ben Franklin Parkway, as of this writing there has been almost no notice of this gig on the web or in print. Even our

W W W. I C O N D V. C O M

W W W. FA C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

colleagues at the Philadelphia Inquirer had no idea this was happening. Subtitle this, “Suppose they gave an Independence Day Party and nobody came?” JAZZ AIRWAVES Observant readers may have noticed that, beginning with last month’s issue, WRTI radio has joined the pages of ICON as a sponsor. Careful listeners may also notice that from time to time, ICON is promoted on WRTI. And savvy net surfers will likely find out in the near future that several of ICON’s singular columns appear on the WRTI.FM website. It’s a great match, in that WRTI and ICON both stand for and promote the cause of classical music and jazz, as well as fine and performing arts. We’re proud to have this association. BROWNIE FINALLY SPEAKS Don Glanden of the University of the Arts has been working tirelessly on a documentary film about the late and great trumpeter and Wilmington native, Clifford Brown, for what seems like decades. Meticulously researched and detailed, and featuring the only known film in existence of “Brownie,” we’ve been told that Brownie Speaks is being readied for commercial release in the fall. To keep up to date on the progress of the DVD and to access some of the interview clips, visit the Brownie Speaks Facebook page. Glanden has also informed that one of his recently-graduated students, the Korean pianist/vocalist E.J. Park, is now at work on her own CD. A sample can be seen and heard on YouTube. JULY JAMMING Those who maintain that July is an off month for jazz in these parts are just not aware of the whole picture. Here’s just a sampling: The Young Lions of Gypsy Jazz at the Sellersville Theater 1894 on July 2; guitarist Alex Bartlett and bassist Mike Boone at Center City’s Happy Rooster on July 3; Jazz Night at the Prism Brewery in North Wales on Thursdays throughout the month; innovative bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma’s rescheduled CD release party at the World Café Live on July 12; saxophone fiends Larry McKenna and Bootsie Barnes in concert at the Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion in Center City on July 21 (which will also feature drummer Ed Dennis’ quartet); a birthday party concert for Professor Larry at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on July 26; guitarist Phyllis Chapell and SIORA in a free concert in Pastorious Park on July 24; something called the Jazz Celebration Big Band at Newtown’s Temperance House on July 25; blues legend Buddy Guy at the Keswick Theater on July 31. And joining the already crowded jam session fray is the venerable and ageless Bethlehem non-profit, Godfrey Daniels. GD calls their session an “Old Time Jam.” It happens every Tuesday beginning at 7 p.m. For information on all their eclectic events, visit GodfreyDaniels.org. For complete information on times, dates, performers and admission information on all of the above, visit AllAboutJazz.com and click on “Jazz Near You.” This is an invaluable website that has become an essential “jazz natural resource” for the city of Philadelphia and way beyond. n Have a gig? Let the world know. Email “The Jazz Scene” at DrumAlive@aol.com.

keresman on disc Nicola Benedetti ★★★★★ The Silver Violin Decca Morton Feldman/Carolin Widmann ★★★★1/2 Violin and Orchestra ECM

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

man’s music can be like the soundtrack for the Infinity Factory as it manufactures brain cells and snowflakes. Easy listening? Not exactly. Elemental and compelling? Oh yes. ecmrecords.com

Ah, the violin—like the saxophone and guitar, perhaps the most “human-sounding” of instruments. It can shriek, wail, and cry, which may be why The Collective We have heard so much violin as part of film soundtracks throughout the years. Which may account for violinist Nicola Benedetti’s virtual tribute to the violin in movie music…or maybe it’s a

Composer (in the “classical” field), theorist, and artist John Cage (1912-1992) was one of the most influential Americans to come down the pike. To list his accomplishments is prohibitive—suffice to say Cage impacted the musics of Frank Zappa, Yoko Ono, John Cale, and the Beatles (“Revolution #9” was Cage-inspired), along with many other composers in and beyond the classical world. His works for organ are unusual even for Cage—some of his compositions are not attractive in the “conventional” sense but many of these are beautiful indeed. There are very subtle overtones of J.S. Bach’s organ works (think how gothic-ally Bach was used for Phantom of the Opera and the original Rollerball) and some of these pieces are based on—get this—hymns. This is not the place to start with Cage (try his Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano), but those with an abiding interest in cutting-edge 20th century sounds—from Satie to Eno—really should hear this. moderecords.com The Wrong Object ★★★1/2 After the Exhibition Moonjune Someday the general public will realize what a monumental influence Frank Zappa was and remains in rock, jazz, and permutations thereof. But then, not everyone gets a gander at the international scope of FZ’s inspiration—ergo, The Wrong Object, a Belgian combo that began life as a Zappa tribute band. The hallmarks of Zappa are mos def firmly in place—the mostly vocal-free After the Exhibition features wryly pointed and zigzag-ing instrumental passages and cheerfully thorny, bristling guitar and saxophone solos, and complex yet propulsive drumming. Yet this is not Zappa Light—The Wrong Object remember to put their own suave, brisk Continental (that’s European to you, Mac) spin on their lessons learned. This is a must for fans of Zappa’s instrumental/jazz-oriented oeuvre! moonjune.com

Morton Feldman. Photo: (c) Roberto Masotti / ECM Records Nicola Benedetti.

good marketing hook—whatever. The point is The Silver Violin is a glorious sampling of monumental old-school movie music, featuring shorter (mostly) works by 20th century classical cats Mahler (as heard in Shutter Island) and Shostakovich and film composers inspired by orchestral classical music Erich Korngold, John (Star Wars and Schindler’s List) Williams, and Howard (Ed Wood and Eastern Promises) Shore. Along with the luxuriant orchestrations, Benedetti’s virtuosic, passionate violin will transport you to any onscreen adventure, intrigue, and heartache imaginable. deccaclassics.com Composer Morton Feldman (1926-1987) was a pal of John Cage and Jackson Pollock and he looked like a bookie in a Scorsese or F.F. Coppola movie. His style is hard to put an easy handle to—Feldman is not a minimalist like Reich or Glass but his later works—of which Violin and Orchestra is one—involve delicate repetition; they might seem “static” but close listening shows otherwise. Violin and Orchestra (1979) features a very different kind of virtuoso violin-ing, with Carolin Widemann performing long bowed tones with an eerie motif that evokes the theme from TV’s Dexter. Feld-

Tom Jones ★★★★ Spirit in the Room Rounder

The Pastels ★★★★ Slow Summits Domino

Who’d’ve thunk it? Tom Jones, Mr. Tighty-Pants himself, done got “serious” and did it right. This is not the melodramatic sex-god Jones of “What’s New Pussycat” or the randy, hepcat uncle singing a Prince song with Art of Noise. His voice mostly intact (sounding fine, really), he’s to some degree “reinvented” himself here. No swinging, swelling orchestrations or R&B overtones (Jones almost signed with Motown Records in the 1960s, fyi)—Spirit is reserved blues, gospel, country, and folk styles, with songs written by Dylan, Odetta, Paul Simon, and Leonard Cohen, plus a couple cowritten by TJ himself. As Johnny Cash with his American Recordings album, so goes Jones here—stripped-down, crackling, and intimate arrangements of songs with a very introspective bent. At 72, Jones sings confidently but like a guy with nothing left to prove, with darkly reflective wisdom and soulfulness aplenty. Spirit has the feel of Jones singing for himself and some favored friends. rounder.com John Cage/Gary Verkade ★★★★ The John Cage Edition Vol. 47: The Works for Organ Mode

shemp@hotmail.com W W W. FA C E B O O K .C O M / I C O N D V

Some journalist coined “adorkable” to describe actress/singer Zooey Deschanel, to bring into play a mixture of “adorable” and “dorky/dweeb-y.” No slight to Ms. Zooey (she’s actually a fine singer, not an actor dabbling) but the Scottish combo, the Pastels, virtually invented adorkable in the early ‘80s with their charming awkwardness and headstrong naiveté. Slow Summits is only their seventh album since forming in 1982, and while their overall approach has become more accomplished, the hallmarks of their core sound remain. Stephen Pastel’s somewhat flat but gregarious and vulnerable boy-next-door croon (if Dobie Gillis had come from Scotland?) and Katrina Mitchell’s girlish, also-vulnerable warble glide over what sounds like a low-budget attempt (and I mean that in the best possible way) to recreate the classy ‘60s pop of Burt Bacharach (for younger listeners, in the manner of Dusty Springfield, Dionne Warwick, and B.J. Thomas) with hints of Nick Drake, Motown, and Brian Wilson. If you like “good” singers, the Pastels aren’t for you. If you like not-overly-polished music that stirs emotions, and feels comforting as a lazy autumn afternoon meander through the park, give ‘em a try. dominorecordco.us ■

■ W W W. I C O N D V .C O M

■

JULY 2013

■

ICON

■

nick’s picks Noah Preminger ★★★★1/2 Haymaker Palmetto

Gilad Hekselman ★★★★ This Just In Jazz Village

Noah Preminger is a saxophonist of consequence, fully deserving of the positive critical response and appreciative audiences that flock to his appearances around New York and elsewhere. His relaxed, low-key leadership style on the bandstand offers up an easy-going vibe and he hosts his gigs with an affable charm. As a performer, Preminger is all in, sporting a sweetly burnished tone that smacks of classic tenor out of the Ben Webster or John Coltrane tradition, but Preminger speaks his own modern language that’s fresh and exciting.

At his CD release gig at the Jazz Standard in NYC last month, one of the things that guitarist Gilad Hekselman revealed to me about the making of his fourth album, This Just In, was that “all of the pieces were recorded with the band together in the studio, without even the separation of booths,” which is a significant distinction since it creates an immediacy and creative bond between musicians—something that comes through loud and clear on this recording. Central to the album’s success is the communication that Hekselman has with bassist Joe Martin and drummer Marcus Gilmore, two of the most versatile sidemen in New York as well as tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, who plays on Gilad Hekselman. three tracks. Besides his role as an in demand sideman for Anat Cohen, Chris Potter and Esperanza Spalding, the Israeli native has wowed critics and listeners alike with his guitar chops. His strikingly original material creates sounds similar to Kurt Rosenwinkel and Pat Metheny, but Hekselman weaves his own fresh textures and colors into his songs like “March Of The Sad Ones,” a tune with a low-pitched groove under a multi-cultural melody that pulls you into its moment. Hekselman burns on jam-like originals, but his covers of Alan Parson’s “Eye In The Sky” and “Nothing Personal” (by the late Don Grolnick and popularized by Michael Brecker) are bursting with good feelings. Throughout the disc, Gilmore, the grandson of legendary drummer Roy Haynes, plays beats that spill over the soundstage with characteristic aplomb. He’s energized and always tight. The arch concept behind This Just In is that Hekselman strings his tunes along as newsworthy items as if coming across a news crawl, and some of the album’s razzle-dazzle comes from the electro-acoustic dialogue between the guitarist and Gilmore, who create a juicy friction on the five brief “Newsflash” interstitials, a mainstay on hip-hop and pop records that find a natural fit here. Overall, the album gives us a more assertive and looser Hekselman, as if the material was freed from its mooring and boldly steered into choppier waters, albeit with the leader firmly in control. (13 tracks; 51 minutes)

Noah Preminger.

For the last couple of years, the saxophonist has been singularly focused on his exceptional working band comprised of guitarist Ben Monder, bassist Matt Pavolka and drummer Colin Stranahan, work-shopping new compositions at every opportunity. All that creativity, passion and interplay is fully present on Preminger’s terrific third record, Haymaker. The album title comes from a boxing term meaning a “wild, knock punch” and the album accomplishes that with affecting realness and poise. Turns out that boxing is a Preminger pastime. A tune called “Morgantown” has a slippery lyricism that Preminger and crew negotiate with a steady hand, complete with an irresistible drum break for drummer Stranahan. Preminger bobs and weaves through “15,000,” named after his skydiving experience in New Zealand, and twists the feel-good hook of Dave Matthews’ anthem “Don’t Drink The Water” into a rock-fueled thrasher. While the album is mostly a heady brew of originals (plus a particularly good tune by ace-guitarist Monder called “Animal Planet”) Preminger has a way with ballads that few of his contemporaries can match. “My Blues For You,” an after hours track, catches Preminger’s horn floating like helium over an aching melody. And the saxophonist smolders on a fleeting, misty-eyed version of “Tomorrow,” the standard from the musical Annie. Who would have thought that a boxer could play a tune with such tenderness? Preminger sounds both liberated and solidly confident on Haymaker, and more revealing of himself through tunes about life experiences that matter—if you like his music as much as I do, we’re fortunate as listeners that his 27-year-old soul has so many more stories to tell. (10 tracks; 58 minutes)

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

■

ICON

■

JULY 2013

■

W W W. I C O N D V. C O M

■

Geoffrey Keezer ★★★★ The Heart Of The Piano Motema 2013 has seen a bounty of solo piano releases with high profile recordings by John Medeski and Michel Camilo (both for the Okeh/Sony Masterworks label,) the prodigious Marc

W W W. FA C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

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

Cary (a tribute to singer Abbey Lincoln) and West Coast veteran Mike Wofford among the worthy offerings. Each of these players has a unique voice along with a personalized style that produces colors and shadings to their compositions to bring meaning to the material. As ambitious as he is talented, jazz pianist Geoffrey Keezer has made an equally absorbing effort with The Heart Of The Piano, an album that fuses his musical ideas with the many personal connections Keezer has made throughout his career. At 42, his experience is highlighted by sideman gigs for bands by bassist Ray Brown, trumpeter Art Farmer and saxophonist Benny Golson in addition to his own substantial records as a leader and those with vibes player Joe Locke. Heart taps the “melody, energy and groove”—qualities that distinguish Keezer’s versatility. His inner strength, a relentless core of creativity, gives subtle power to unexpected tunes by Rush (“Limelight,”) and Alanis Morrisette (Still”). Keezer even includes “My Heart Is Like a Red Red Rose” based on Eva Cassidy’s beautiful version. His improvisations are gratifying and energetic, slowing down to knock on the door of New Age on Peter Gabriel’s “Come Talk To Me” or seizing the wit and edginess of “New York,” written for Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers with whom Keezer played. His song choices combined with Keezer’s virtuosity and a wonderfully recorded piano equals another unqualified success in Keezer’s discography. (10 tracks; 50 minutes)

recording and his presence lights a small fire within the group sound akin to Art Farmer or Don Cherry according to Mover. Fellow saxophonist, NEA Jazz Master and teacher Phil Woods provides the liner notes, concisely noting each track and Mover’s ample chops as well as the rhythm section to die for. Kenny Barron, who duos with Mover on “Gone with The Wind” and “You’ve Changed” is superlative throughout the two discs and their interplay suggests the glory days when Barron played with Stan Getz—that tightness and easy communication is evident between Barron and Mover. Mover released nine records as a leader, played with a who’s who of jazz greats and keeps his pulse on contemporary sounds (collaborating with Esperanza Spalding, for instance.) My Heart Tells Me is a rewarding session and the perfect introduction to Mover’s heart-and-soul style. Whether you’re in the mood for Cole Porter and after-hour torch songs or straight-ahead bebop fire with an agile band, Mover’s got you covered. (16 tracks; 54 minutes/ 47 minutes) Eliane Elias ★★★★ I Thought About You: A Tribute To Chet Baker Concord Jazz A one-of-a-kind pianist and performer, you never know what Eliane Elias will do next. The Brazilian native is an indefatigable interpreter of song, effortlessly shifting between styles and moods. In concert, she has a story behind every tune and infuses her playing with

Bob Mover ★★★★ My Heart Tells Me Motema He may be off the radar for a lot of listeners, but age and experience sets saxophonist and vocalist Bob Mover apart from other jazz musicians, mainly due to his extensive sideman experience with Chet Baker and Charles Mingus that informs his present day sound—one that’s front and center on his soulful double-disc My Heart Tells Me. As a saxophonist who’s adept on tenor, alto and soprano, Mover crisscrosses straight-up bebop style and no nonsense standards with off-kilter harmonics and makes it all swing in an exhilarating direction. And that should put him on your radar. The set is neatly divided between Mover’s vocals on the first disc covering tunes like the rhumba-inflected “So Near And Yet So Far,” “Penthouse Serenade” and an earnestly expressive version of “By Myself ” with a dream quartet (pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Bob Cranshaw and Steve Williams on drums,) while disc two expands the line up by adding trumpeter Josh Evans, Steve Hall on tenor and swaps out Williams for Victor Lewis on drums. Mover’s sandpaper rasp of a voice does indeed evoke Chet Baker; he has a comforting, late night croon that’s direct and true. Take a listen to his melancholic “You Must Believe In Spring” and you’re reminded of that hopeless romantic character that Baker played so well. Disc two elicits a great deal of traditional bop sounds with five Mover originals, complete with quick changes, tight improvisations and a beautiful spot to hear Cranshaw work his magic on bass on “Chet’s Chum.” Trumpeter Josh Evan was only 23 at the time of this

Eliane Elias.

a party-like groove, yet she remains a consummate musician with a deep, soulful vibe that she always brings to the material. Over the course of many albums, she has dabbled in pop, lounge, Jobim tributes and straight-ahead styles, most recently for the ECM label on the affecting instrumental favorite from 2012, Swept Away. She can still surprise, which happens frequently on I Thought About You: A Tribute To Chet Baker. Produced in part and arranged by Elias, every hit associated with Baker swings with a touch of either Brazilian or bossa nova rhythms, supported by a first rate band of Brazilian and American musicians like bassist (and Elias’s husband) Marc Johnson, bravura trumpeter Randy Brecker and guitarist Oscar Castro-Neves. Besides the rich vamps that fulfill comfy, head-bobbing versions of the title track and “This Can’t Be Love,” the album’s spirited charm speaks directly to Elias’ precise vocals and enthralling piano playing whether on lush ballads or mid-tempo gems like “That Old Feeling.” The biggest surprise is that Elias hasn’t played up on Baker’s innate vulnerability, but rather celebrates his charisma through her own voice and melodic invention. Sultry, sexy and often endearing, I Thought About You is definitely one of the best recordings Eliane Elias has ever made. (14 tracks; 55 minutes) n

W W W. FA C E B O O K .C O M / I C O N D V

n W W W. I C O N D V .C O M

JULY 2013

ICON

singer / songwriter Guy Clark ★★★★ My Favorite Picture of You Dualtone As a luthier, Guy Clark is known for the craftsmanship that goes into the construction of his guitars. The veteran

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

Like the The Road From Memphis in 2011, the CD features a series of guest vocalists and musicians. Mayer Hawthorne sings lead on the hip-hop influenced title track. Luke James is the featured vocalist on “All Over The Place,” which recalls the classic work of Isaac Hayes, Booker T’s former label mate on Stax. Since Green Onions, his breakthrough hit with the MGs in 1962, Booker T has displayed a knack for instrumentals. His Hammond B3 organ takes center stage on “Fun,” a breezy slice of soul/pop that is tailor-made for summer. The Latin-tinged “66 Impala,” featuring Poncho Sanchez and Sheila E,, serves up an infectious groove with echoes of Santana. “Austin City Blues” is an effective pairing of Booker T with rising guitar star Gary Clark Jr. and is a reminder of Booker T’s blues roots and his work with guitarist Albert King. Booker T takes a vocal turn on “Watch You Sleeping” a duet with Kori Withers, daughter of Bill Withers. While Booker T sings infrequently, it’s a reminder of his vocal talents and is worthy of further exploration on a future CD.

“Go Insane” becomes a brooding meditation on lost love, while “Trouble,” his biggest solo hit single, receives a softer, wistful reading. Buckingham’s finger-picking skills come to the forefront on “Never Going Back Again,” a song that sometimes gets overlooked on Fleetwood Mac’s commercial behemoth Rumours. He throws in a surprise with “Stephanie,” a lilting instrumental from the 1973 album Buckingham Nicks, which has yet to receive an official release on CD. Gina Sicilia ★★★1/2 It Wasn’t Real VizzTone/Swingnation Records On It Wasn’t Real, her fourth solo album, Gina Sicilia displays a subtlety and assurance as a singer and songwriter. Working from a foundation in the blues, the Bucks County resident branches out into soul, jazz, and even country. The rhythm-and-blues-oriented title track allows her to display a languid remorse over the failures of love. “Please

John Fogerty ★★★1/2 Wrote a Song for Everyone Vanguard

singer/songwriter brings the same attention to detail in his songs, refusing to rush the creative process. My Favorite Picture of You is the 13th studio album of his 38-year recording career and maintains his high standards. The moving title track is a tribute to Susanna, his wife of more than 30 years who died of cancer last year. “A thousand words in the blink of an eye/The camera loves you and so do I,” he tenderly sings in his distinctive baritone. Clark is also a first-rate storyteller. “El Coyote” tells the tale of a group of Mexicans left to die while trying to enter the United States. “Heroes” describes the plight of a veteran of the Iraq war trying to adapt to life on the domestic front and recalls “Sam Stone,” John Prine’s Vietnam War classic. Clark’s music is a mix of acoustic country and folk and complements his weathered voice. Clarks show his playful side “I’ll Show Me,” co-written with Rodney Crowell and “Hell Bent on a Heartache,” which recounts the joys and pitfalls of following one’s heart. At 71, Clark shows his best work could still be ahead of him. Booker T ★★★1/2 Sound The Alarm Stax Sound The Alarm, the third studio album since 2009 from Booker T, continues the creative resurgence of the keyboardist who was one of the guiding forces of Booker T & The MGs, the house band for Stax Records in the 1960s.

tomwilk@rocketmail.com 32

■

ICON

■

JULY 2013

■

As the primary songwriter and lead singer of Creedence Clearwater Revival, John Fogerty was the leader behind one of the most popular bands of the late 1960s and early 1970s. On Wrote a Song for Everyone, he revisits some of his best CCR and solo songs with help from contemporary stars in country, rock and rhythm and blues. This is no mere exercise in nostalgia as Fogerty and guests put a different spin on the songs. The Foo Fighters amplify the fury and passion of “Fortunate Son,” as Fogerty shows his voice remains a powerful instrument at age 68. Miranda Lambert adds a sense of regret to the title track, a lesser known song from Green River, CCR’s third album. My Morning Jacket puts a soulful stamp on the gospelstyled ballad “Long As I Can See The Light,” while “Proud Mary,” the signature song of Creedence, gets an infusion of soul and jazz, thanks to singer Jennifer Hudson, the Rebirth Brass Band and Allen Toussaint. Some collaborations fall short of the mark, such as Bob Seger’s vocal turn on “Who’ll Stop The Rain,” which lacks the yearning quality of the original. Fogerty also includes a pair of new songs with the melodic “Mystic Highway” being the stronger of the two. Lindsey Buckingham ★★★1/2 One Man Show Buckingham Records/iTunes Lindsey Buckingham is known for his musical experimentation in the studio but gets back to basics on One Man Show, a concert recording featuring just his guitar and vocals with no overdubs. The minimalist approach works as both a challenge and inspiration for him. Buckingham serves up a 13-song set that is also a career retrospective, drawing from his work with Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. He has described his style of playing as “refined primitive” and it is an apt description for the stark intensity he brings to “Big Love,” and his dramatic, if overly extended, workout on “I’m So Afraid.” Stripped of its electronic sheen,

W W W. I C O N D V. C O M

■

W W W. FA C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

Don’t Stop,: takes a different tack, employing a New Orleans-style groove that touts the pleasures of companionship. Write a Little Song With You,” and “Oh Me, Oh My” show Sicilia venturing into pop music territory. Mike Brenner’s lap steel guitar adds a country flavor to the latter tune as she displays her versatility as a singer. The spirited “Walkin’ Shoes” is reminiscent of Johnny Cash’s work with the Tennessee Two. While Sicilia wrote nine of the ten songs on the album, she pays tribute to Etta James, one of her vocal influences on a version of “Don’t Cry Baby,” with an easygoing groove and performance that would make the late singer proud. ■

jazz library

BOB PERKINS

JOHN

LEVY

TO A LOVER OF jazz music, there are few pleasures as satisfying as hearing a favored song, performed by a favored artist. And within that sound, because of certain musical peculiarities in a favored artist’s work, there may be an added bonus: the longing sound of Miles Davis’ muted trumpet, or the rhythmic sound of Freddie Green’s guitar on the Basie band’s mid-tempo toe tappers. Don’t forget the early George Shearing quintet, with several instruments blending a sound that was pure ear candy. And even though the piano, guitar and vibraphone were responsible in great part for the group’s indelible sound, don’t leave out the importance of the thump, thump thump of the walking bass line laid down by John Levy, who was part of Shearing’s first successful American ensemble. Bassist Levy is the focus of this piece—even though his career as a jazz bassist later turned out to be second to another well-established claim to fame. Levy was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1912. The family moved to Chicago when he was six. Not much is known about his formal musical training, but he was good enough to play local gigs around his adopted city. One of his high school teachers suggested that he get a job at the post office which offered job security. He did take heed and worked at the post office for a time. But in a much later interview, Levy said he often pictured himself working behind a desk…and this, too, would come later In the mid-1940s, Levy left Chicago with violinist Stuff Smith’s trio to play on New York City’s famed 52nd Street. Over the next half-dozen years, he made music with jazz greats Ben Webster, Errol Garner, Billy Taylor, and Billie Holiday. He accompanied Lady Day in her comeback performance at Carnegie Hall—she’d had her performance license lifted in NYC, following a conviction for drug abuse. Levy Joined the George Shearing Quartet in 1949. Shearing had heard him play in Buddy Rich’s band at Birdland. He thus became a part of the now legendary Quintet, comprised of Shearing at the piano, Margie Hyams on vibes, Chuck Wayne on guitar, and Denzil Best on drums. But after a few years, the dream of sitting behind a desk began to haunt him, and he asked Shearing if he could serve as the group’s road manager. Shearing must have consented, and the beginning of a new career for Levy began to take form. From road manager, he became the group’s personal manager, and put the bass aside. As his success in bookings for the quintet began to circulate, his roster of clients would soon include the likes of Nancy Wilson, Ahmad Jamal, Herbie Hancock, Herbie Mann, Roberta Flack, Cannonball Adderley, Carol Sloane, and Joe Williams, to name a few. At the height of his career, Levy’s client list numbered close to one hundred. He was not only the man seated behind a

desk, but the man behind dozens of successful careers. In 1997, Levy was inducted into the International Jazz Hall of Fame. When honored as a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 2008, Levy said, “We are put on this Earth for a reason—to help people reach their potential. I’d like to be remembered as someone who made it possible

John Levy on bass and Phil Moore on piano, NYC, between 1946 and 1948. Photo: William P. Gottlieb

for George Shearing, Cannonball Adderley, Nancy Wilson, Wes Montgomery and dozens of others, to bring music and joy into the lives of audiences all over the world.” The John Levy Story is unique for a couple of reasons: he gave up a career in mid-stream to begin another, spanning six decades; and he was an African-American—the first one to become highly successful at managing so much talent so well, and for so long. As family and friends were making plans to celebrate Levy’s 100th birthday in April of 2012, he passed away at age 99, just three months shy of the century mark. Levy left a legacy in the hearts and minds of those who knew him. For those who didn’t know him, he left an account of an informative and interesting life, via his autobiography: Men, Women, and Girl Singers: My life as a Musician Turned Talent Manager. n

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. W W W. FA C E B O O K .C O M / I C O N D V

n W W W. I C O N D V .C O M

JULY 2013

ICON

dining

ROBERT GORDON

FLORENTINO’S FLORENTINO’S TUCKS NEATLY INTO Newtown’s attractive colonial strip along State Street. It tucks in almost imperceptibly—fitting somehow for a restaurant that so rarely blows its own horn. Florentino’s is a hit with the local gentry, a demographic that doesn’t respond enthusiastically to culinary noodling. Restaurants tend to come and go in Newtown. Some talented chefs would concur. In recent years, a few have pulled up their stakes in Newtown and gone on to success in other locales where foodies flock. But Florentino’s

does enjoy a healthy contingent of out-of-town foodies. It’s one of the rare Newtown eateries that does. Much of Florentino’s traditional Italian fare plumbs the gastronomy of southern Italy, although the menu borrows liberally from regions throughout the Italian peninsula. The interplay of fresh, ripe ingredients that underlies Mediterranean cuisine shines in the salad menu. Arugula and Radicchio Salad, accented with Parmesan cheese, swaggers with vinaigrette fueled on fresh-squeezed lemon. Caprese salad pairs traditional buffalo Mozzarella with plum tomatoes over a bed of mixed greens pampered with basil pesto. A recent Fennel & Gorgonzola Salad was tasty. But it was a departure from the simplicity and coherency that marks most dishes. The salad was tossed with plum tomatoes, walnuts and pecans over very finely chopped romaine lettuce. Balsamic vinegar dressing dialed in just-right sweetness. However the chunks of Gorgonzola cheese were too abundant and stepped on the taste of the tomatoes. Nonetheless, the time and care the kitchen invested in chopping the romaine into deliciously small pieces was impressive. Lesser kitchens don’t exercise that kind of care. In Capesante al Brandy, the delicate brandy-sparked light-cream sauce, diced tomatoes, and garlic mixed into a thin marinara base pooled around three tender scallops sings with the same zest as dishes we’ve enjoyed in southern Italy. Whole Wheat Garlic Bread is a longtime house favorite. The bread, which is baked in Trenton, has pleasing texture and crunch. But it’s the accompanying dip that stars. An ambrosial mix of sundried tomatoes, garlic, parsley, Kosher salt, and other goodies, the dip is addictive. There are several pastas on the menu. Most are served with lighter creams and distinguished by ethereal texture. All pastas are made off site, with ravioli the sole exception. Lobster Ravioli ($21), made with black ravioli, has smooth, delectable texture. The accompanying lobster cream sauce is understated and delicate. There were four seafood dishes on our menu, including garlicky shrimp scampi. The red sauce in this dish soars on an undercurrent of crushed red peppers. At $26.50, Linguine al Frutti di Mare Fradiavolo is the menu’s high-water mark. But it’s more than fair given the plentiful catch of shrimp, scallops, clams, and fish that show up on the plate. A recent special, Fluke & Crabmeat Française, brought dozens of white chunks of crabmeat perched on tender, lightly breaded fluke. The spinach sautéed in olive oil and garlic was a tasty choice to counterbalance the sweetness of the fluke and crab. Florentino’s tidy storefront opens into a single dining room. White-linen tablecloths topped with votive candles line each side. The décor is minimalist. The focus is on the food. The clientele is mixed. Twenty-something young professionals rub elbows with the graying, casually dressed L.L. Bean set. Everyone is toting a wine bottle. The wait staff is efficient and greets many diners by name. Chef Mannie Ramirez meticulously orchestrates an appetizing traditional menu long on consistency and reliability and short on surprises or kitchen snafus. Florentino’s is named for the father of Executive Chef-Owner Francisco Argueta, who opened Francisco’s on the River, just south of Washington Crossing, a few years ago and has just opened another in Newtown, Mamita’s, that will serve traditional Latin food from Central and South America. n Florentino’s, 18 So. State Street, Newtown PA (215) 860-1133 florentinosrestaurant.com Please send comments or suggestions to r.gordon33@verizon.net

ICON

JULY 2013

W W W. I C O N D V. C O M

W W W. FA 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. FA C E B O O K .C O M / I C O N D V

n W W W. I C O N D V .C O M

JULY 2013

ICON

S WA N

dining

ROBERT GORDON

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

YANAKO DERIVES FROM YAMATONADESHIKO, a Japanese word that celebrates the idealized woman who is strong and capable within, delicate and beautiful without. Yanako permeates its eponymic eatery. From the glistening knotty cedar of its tranquil interior to delicate fare harvested from nature’s bosom, the substantial melds with the delicate. Chef-Owner Moon Krapugthong is an exemplar of the yanako ideal. Moon is a respected, successful, restaurateur. Her Chabaa Thai located a few blocks further up Main Street ranks among Philly’s finest fooderies. Yanako pays homage to the culinary patrimony of Japan. Sushi Chef Agus Lukito’s creations are often like edible dioramas of fresh ingredients harmonized in color and taste. But he also throws in some contemporary flourishes, like when he caps Usuzukuri, which is thin slices of fluke, with bubbly yuzu foam (Japanese citrus). The fluke nuzzles against grated radish, matchstick cucumbers and cherry tomatoes. The zing of soy-citrus vinaigrette enlivens each bite. The fare from the kitchen is as outstanding as the sushi bar’s. In fact, Negimayak is the most pleasing dish I’ve had this year. Scallions are expertly pan seared and emerge crunchy and crispy. They’re wrapped like a bundle of bamboo shoots with thinly-sliced New York strip steak, then soaked and cloaked in teriyaki sauce—the same teriyaki that sparks sublimely tender sevenounce New York strip steak on the same menu. Gyoza, panseared dumplings served with sesame oil and light soy vinaigrette, is another yummy labor of the kitchen. Nabeyaki is a noodle dish served in a circular bowl. Its wooden lid is removed tableside to unleash an aromatic cloud from an agglomeration of shrimp tempura, fish, egg, nori, scallions, shitake mushrooms and thick wheat-flour Udon noodles. There’s a different chef ’s salad selection each evening. A recent jack fish special was a treat for the eyes. Jack fish is a temperatetropical species imported from Japan. The fish was posed in a semicircular curl with a beehive-shaped mound of ginger speared on its snout. The fileted meat was next to it, poised on a forest of green lettuce bordered by sliced lemon halves and ginger mounds. Email comments and suggestions to r.gordon33@verizon.net

ICON

JULY 2013

W W W. I C O N D V. C O M

W W W. FA C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

Yanako’s tempura dishes are crisp and lively. Yasaiten is a vegetarian mélange of green vegetables. Ebi-ten adds shrimp tempura to the same mix. Sushi and sashimi are cut with finesse. Absent are the unmanageable chunks that emanate from some sushi chefs. Ingredients are inviting, colorful, and served at peak freshness. Tan anago sea eel is a saltwater species possessing a smoky essence lacking in the more ubiquitous freshwater variety. Served slightly warmed and spiked with smoked sea salt and lime zest, the eel is melt-in-themouth tender and tasty. Five full moon-shaped sheets of white escolar rimmed in powdered nori rise above a glimmering orange pool of miso vinaigrette. Another sushi bar favorite, Sunomono Mix is a full net of fruits de mer: King crab, octopus, fresh water eel, white fish, sweet vinaigrette, cucumber, seaweed, and pickled radish. Yanako has some tasty dessert choices, too, like silky textured crème brûlée and creamy ginger ice cream. Three’s an authentic tatami room where diners relax on legless chairs around a wooden table. The sparseness of the décor which includes brightly colored sake serving sets, enhances a tranquil, yet dramatic ambiance. The Feng shui and ubiquitous use of wood is soul-nourishing. Moon Krapugthong has been honored as a James Beard House chef. She has also been inducted into Les Dames d’Escoffier, a prestigious international philanthropic society for professional women leaders in the fields of food, fine beverage and hospitality. Yanako also stages “Ladies Nights Out,” featuring talks and dinner with top regional speakers like Allison Schwartz. The Yanako staff is helpful, engaging, and cheerful. I taunted my sushi-centric son in LA, telling him Manayunk has a sushi place that tops his favorite west-coast haunts. I promised him I’d treat him if he came home. He came home. I made good on the promise. We expect to see a lot more of him this year. n Yanako, 4255 Main St., Philadelphia (267) 297-8151 theyanako.com

W W W. FA C E B O O K .C O M / I C O N D V

n W W W. I C O N D V .C O M

JULY 2013

ICON

regional theater The Importance of Being Earnest 7/10-8/4

King Henry VIII 7/24-8/4

Effervescent romantic exploits meet scintillating social satire in one of the most celebrated comedies of all time. Jack and Algernon pursue countryside adventures and the young ladies who have won their hearts. Mistaken (and falsified!) identities prevail in this delicious comedy of manners until the young gents cross the formidable Lady Bracknell, played by PSF veteran Jim Helsinger, giving audiences laughs to last a lifetime. Recommended for ages 6+. The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Main Stage, 2755 Station Ave., Center Valley, PA. 610-282WILL(9455). PaShakespeare.org

Notorious for his habit of wedding and beheading, Henry maneuvers through the political landscape of Renaissance England, hastening the rise and fall of cardinals and queens. Shakespeare’s extravaganza of the life of England’s most famous monarch mixes history, tragedy, and romance yielding great dramatic dimension and power. Please note: This production will be rehearsed akin to the way Shakespeare’s company would have. Actors arrive with their lines learned, rehearse on their own, wear what they can find and open in a matter of days. (PSF usually rehearses for nearly four weeks!) No director. No designers. Just great actors, a dynamic play, and pure adrenaline, spontaneity, and creativity. Recommended for ages 10+. The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Schubert Theater, 2755 Station Ave., Center Valley, PA. 610282-WILL(9455). PaShakespeare.org

Love, Loss, and What I Wore

Tony Winners Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty have lovingly brought to life all of our favorite Dr. Seuss characters, including Horton the Elephant, The Cat in the Hat, Gertrude McFuzz, lazy Mayzie, and Jojo, a little boy with a big imagination. Presented in a special hour-and-fifteenminute Theatre for Young Audiences version. Recommended for ages 4 and up. Cast members will be available after the show to talk to audience members and sign autographs. Studio Theatre, Trexler Pavilion for Theatre & Dance, Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre, Allentown, PA. 484-664-3333. muhlenberg.edu/SMT

Seussical THRU 7/27

THRU 7/7 This intimate collection of stories by superstar sisters Nora Ephron (Sleepless in Seat-

tle, When Harry Met Sally, Heartburn) and Delia Ephron (You’ve Got Mail, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants), is based on the best-selling book. The show has played to sell-out crowds from London to Los Angeles, using clothing and accessories and the memories they trigger to tell funny, startling, and often poignant stories that every woman can relate to. Suzanne Roberts Theater, 480 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia. 215-985-0420 philadelphiatheatrecompany.org Measure for Measure 7/18-8/4 Must a novice nun sacrifice herself to save her brother? Virtue and sin collide in Shakespeare’s masterful dark comedy. When depravity rules the streets of Vienna, Duke Vincentio deputizes the strict and severe Lord Angelo to restore the city to decency. When Angelo discovers that he too is prone to moral weakness, a good man’s life and his sister’s purity hang in the balance. Mature content. PG 13. The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Main Stage, 2755 Station Ave., Center Valley, PA. 610-282-WILL(9455). PaShakespeare.org

Grease THRU 7/21 Get out your leather jackets, pull on your bobby socks and take a trip to a simpler time with the original high school musical, Grease. Danny is the hunky ‘bad boy’ and Sandy is ‘the girl next door.’ They meet and fall in love. But will their different worlds keep them apart? This new production features all the unforgettable songs from the hit movie, including “You’re The One That I Want,” “Grease Is The Word,” “Summer Nights,” “Hopelessly Devoted To You,” “Greased Lightnin.’” Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut Street, Philadelphia. 215-574-3550. walnutstreettheatre.org

■

ICON

■

JULY 2013

■

W W W. I C O N D V. C O M

Beauty & the Beast THRU 8/3 All stories that begin with “once upon a time” need a bit of magic to make them unfold properly. This traditional, beloved fairy tale comes to life with the help of an Enchantress who brings the magic of dreams, imagination, and romance. When a prosperous merchant loses his way in the forest, he discovers a castle that changes his life and the life of his beautiful daughter forever. Meet the cast after every performance. The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Schubert Theater, 2755 Station Ave., Center Valley, PA. 610-282-WILL(9455). PaShakespeare.org Jesus Christ Superstar 7/10-28 Andrew Lloyd Webber’s rock opera receives its Muhlenberg Premiere, in this production directed by James Peck and choreographed by former Muhlenberg dance professor Charles O. Anderson. Lyrics by Tim Rice, and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Featuring the hit songs “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” and “Superstar,” the play dramatizes the last seven days in the life of Jesus, from his entry into Jerusalem through his crucifixion. A perennial audience favorite, this pioneering rock-and-roll musical is sure to be a big hit with MSMT audiences. Empie Theatre, Baker Center for the Arts, Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre, Allentown, PA. 484-664-3333. muhlenberg.edu/SMT

39 Steps THRU 7/14 A maze of murder and espionage entangles the innocent, mild-mannered protagonist as he navigates a flirtatious blonde, an on-stage plane crash, and death-defying spectacles. Winner of two Tony and Drama Desk awards and the The Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, this madcap spin on the Hitchcock masterpiece adds a splash of Monty Python, and 150 characters played by only four actors. The perfect love-letter to the magic of the theatre. Recommended for ages 6+. The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Schubert Theater, 2755 Station Ave., Center Valley, PA. 610-282-WILL(9455). PaShakespeare.org ■

■

W W W. FA C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

first sip

PATRICIA SAVOIE

A Fortnight in Provence Rosés, Restos and Rants

N APRIL, I SPENT two weeks in Provence—a fortnight if was a revelation. The owner, a lovely woman, had been heavy and not a year. April is an “off season” for the area, which does lost a lot of weight using the approach that she has taken for the not mean that there are no tourists, but that there are menu. The Salade des Fleurs incorporated a half dozen types of flowfewer than the road-clogging, restaurant-jamming, museers, with lavender, sunflower seeds, and cranberries over mache. One um-mobbing hoard that is typical of the summer. I traveled of the flowers tasted like fresh oysters. The local olive oil carried flowith my old friend, Gianni Wine. That is not his real name, but a ral notes. The risotto with shrimp was excellent. moniker dropped on him by two Italian journalists with whom we An adventure was driving north through the serpentine Gorge hung out in Asti before descending on the Cotes d’Azure. But it fits. du Loup, a narrow ravine cut by the Loup River through sheer granWe lucked into a gracious villa situated in the hills 12 miles ite walls towering 200-300 feet overhead. At the village of Courmes, north of Nice, in the small town of Tourettes-sur-Loup (“loup” you take the mountain road—perhaps once a goat path—to the top, meaning wolf). It is near the wild, where the Auberge de Courmes comdeep canyon called the Gorges du mands a view of the Gorges. It is run Loup (more later) and a short drive by a couple from Lyons, and there is to Nice, Antibes, Monaco and other one prix-fixe menu a night at $30 per cities that rim the Mediterranean person (wine ran about $35/bottle). Sea between Marseille and Genoa, The six tables make it a very special Italy. Then, there is a whole second experience. House-smoked salmon strand of ancient jewel-towns like tartare, pig cheeks in red wine sauce Tourettes and Vence and St. Paul de (local specialty) and airy apple-strawVence about 12-15 miles north of berry clafoutis that is one of the best the coast. To me, they are more inI’ve had. (I find most clafoutis made teresting and picturesque. The villa in the U.S. to be dense and too heavy is owned by English friends-ofon gelatin.) Definitely worth the trip. friends. The pool was too cold—this www.aubergedecourmes.com being a cool (and rainy) time of We had been told about a restauyear—for swimming, but the beautirant in Lorgues, several miles northful view from the terrace out to the west of Nice called Chez Bruno that Sea was worthy of much contemplahas a sole focus on truffles. It is set in tion and afternoon naps. a luxurious villa with a yard-full of Needless to say, a focus of the fairly bad metal sculptures. Several Medieval street in Saint Paul de Vence. trip was on food and wine. The wine, menus are offered with prices dedominated by justly famous Rosés, was fine. We learned early to stick pending on which type of truffle is used. We chose the one at $115, to Rosés, the local whites and reds being of less interest. Even an inbased on the Brumale truffle (winter truffle). This meal represented expensive carafe of rose ($5-6) at a bistro was enjoyable. The food in many ways what is bad about French cooking today. It clung to old was less rewarding. We began to wonder if the French had forgotten approaches—more heavy cream than a herd of cows could produce how to cook. From the least-expensive tasting menu (three courses and an excess of shaved truffles which tasted dry and stale. At about for $12-15) to Michelin-starred eateries, meals were almost always un- $260 for two including a half-bottle of local Rose, I would not return. even—a good dish followed by a boring one. www.restaurantbruno.com The proprietors in this region maintain unusual schedules, makLast, but not least is La Colombe d’Or in the hill-town of Sainting it hard to know when a place is open (a rant). Most places close Paul de Vence. Many of the best-known artists lived and worked on daily between 2:00PM and 4:00PM so they can go home, have a the Cote d’Azure, and Colombe d’Or has walls and gardens full of leisurely lunch, snooze and return for the evening opening. But the works by Fernand Leger, Miro, Braque, Chagall, Cesar and Calder complexity goes beyond this. One boulangerie—and the bread is a among others. It was worth the price of about $130 per person (inhigh-point—was open Tuesday through Friday from 10am-12 and cluding tip and two bottles of wine for four people) to sit under the 2pm to 5pm. Next door, the butcher was open Thursday through paintings. The wine list, having been accumulated over almost a cenSunday. The pastry shop kept hours on Monday, Wednesday and Fritury, held some bargains by U.S. measures. The lovely house Chamday through Sunday. How do you shop when you need a computer pagne, Cattier, was $80, and the Nuits St Georges 2009 from Louis Laprogram to know what is open? tour was just $120. The food was mixed. Loved the snails in tomato Here are some favorite (or not) eating places we discovered: sauce and filet of sole in Dijon sauce (sauces here are perfection), We found one of our favorite bistros in the old town of Vences, but the kidneys in a watery sauce fell short, and the dorade had too with its Medieval walls and gates dating back to the 14th Century. Le many bones. Classic desserts like the vacherin, apple tarte and Grand Pigeonnier, owned and run by a young couple, served up a formidaMarnier soufflé were fine. www.la-colombe-dor.com n ble foie gras and fig pate, chicken in morel cream sauce, quail and a Patricia Savoie is a wine and culinary travel writer. She can be chestnut millefeuille at reasonable prices. Nice outdoor seating. reached at WordsOnWine@gmail.com At restaurant Taille de Guepe (Wasp Waist) in Antibes, the food W W W. FA C E B O O K .C O M / I C O N D V

n W W W. I C O N D V .C O M

JULY 2013

ICON

22 / INTERVIEW / TONY BENNETT

to play like Bill Evans.” Not only him, but every other piano player that I know of says they’re trying to learn how to play like Bill Evans. Years ago, it was all about Art Tatum. Everybody wanted to play like Art Tatum. Bill Evans represents another concept and everybody wants to learn to play like Bill Evans. There’s an album he made where he played J.S. Bach with a symphony orchestra. I listened to it a lot, and all of a sudden I realized that he sounded better than the whole symphony. You could hear that. He was just a genius and a wonderful person. He regretted his habit—he couldn’t stand the fact that he got hooked on narcotics. You’ve spoken eloquently and extensively about Duke Ellington and how important he was to you personally and professionally. But I get the sense, even after reading many of the books written about him, that not a lot of us really knew the guy. I think you did. He was a complete genius. He never stopped writing. Every night he composed, and the next day the band would play it at a rehearsal. The band was his sketch pad. An artist uses a sketch pad to plan a painting. That orchestra was his sketch pad. He was so different from anyone and so creative. For instance, any other bandleader would hire saxopohones, trumpets and trombones and a rhythm section. He would search for individual artists like Paul Gonsalves, Johnny Hodges. Everyone in the orchestra was an artist in his own right. They were completely different. Johnny Hodges just wasn’t another saxophone player. He was Johnny Hodges. And the same thing with Paul Gonsalves. Everyone in the band was special. He chose artists that were individuals who knew how to make things work. And that’s how Duke worked. He didn’t write for a saxophone player. He wrote for Johnny Hodges. He respected all his musicians very much. He taught me to do two things. He said, “Don’t do one thing, do two.” I had a passion for painting and Duke turned me on to painting every day, and I’ve been doing that for many years. And that came from Duke EllingTony Bennett and K. D. Lang. Photo: Mark Seliger. ton, and that was important to me, because music and art share the same premise and they feed one another. What you learn when you paint, you learn about music, and what you learn from music, you learn about painting. It’s funny how it worked for me. I’m very content with what I do. There’s a continuity going with the two mediums that I work with, and it’s a pleasure to keep learning that way. My ambition is to keep getting better as I get older, to swing it, and to prove that you don’t have to give up on life just because you’re getting old. If a young person studying music today wanted to be a part of your rhythm section, what would you tell them? What do you look for in your accompanists? I look for a jazz artist. One of the things that interviewers often ask is whether or not I get tired of singing “San Francisco” over and over again, and ask if I get tired of doing the same songs every night. With jazz artists, you never get tired of it. I have Gray Sargeant on guitar and he’s phenomenal. He’s a complete jazz artist, and there isn’t a night that he plays the same solo. It’s always completely different, and inventive. This is what I need in support. 40

■

ICON

■

JULY 2013

■

W W W. I C O N D V. C O M

■

I need jazz artists. I don’t like working big stadiums. I like nice acoustical halls where it’s intimate. And the acoustics change from night to night and that also makes things different for all of us. It becomes a show unto itself, even though it’s the same repertoire. It’s different every night. Because they’re inspiring you, and that makes you sing differently every night? Right. It makes everything like the first time you’re doing it. And that’s good for the audience. They feel that it’s the first time something’s happening and they know that the same thing isn’t happening every night. You’ve said Louis Armstrong was a tremendous influence on you. Not only me, but everybody. Dizzy Gillespie said, “Without Louis, there would be no me.” Everybody was inspired by him. He invented bop. He invented scat singing. The new thing is rap. You’ll find out he did that, too. Whenever anything else catches on, you’ll find it’s something that Louis did a long time ago. He was so humorous. They asked him, “Who’s your favorite vocalist?” His answer was, “You mean after Ella?” He had a wonderful sense of humor, and a great spirit about doing the right thing all the time. Classical trumpet players learned from him. They couldn’t believe what he was doing and they actually changed their method of playing in terms of tonality and attack. He influenced everybody. With him, it was always the right beat and the right feeling. He makes you happy. Like Armstrong, you’ll still be talked about in the distant future. Will people also be talking about Frank Sinatra then? Absolutely. He was my idol. He was ten years older than I was. He was a beautiful, beautiful singer. His work is very impressive to me and will always be. I always loved him so much, personally. He changed my life in many ways by just being a great friend of mine throughout my life. When he called me his favorite singer, it changed my whole career. All of his fans checked me out and I’ve been sold out ever since. He was a big influence on my life. With the state of jazz today, do you think it has a future? Yeah—but jazz has taken a back seat. For example, CBS just did four specials on country music. They’re raving about the ratings, and they’re saying that 65 percent of Americans love country music. And they said contemporary music is about 50 percent. And when they got to jazz, they gave it like 13 percent. You know, there’s still a lot of bigotry about jazz because jazz was invented by African Americans. There still are a lot of people—especially corporate people—who think that people just don’t like jazz. I think it’s a silly and bigoted attitude. Because when you think of it, Fred Astaire spent his whole life singing jazz. He introduced all of the greatest songs that they call the Great American Songbook. I call it the Fred Astaire Songbook. Gershwin, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin would not make a move unless Fred Astaire introduced their songs. You could hear him syncopating and improvising throughout his whole life. All his performances had a beat to it with unexpected moves. And different each time. It was really a jazz attitude. ■

W W W. FA C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

Whoopee! sally friedman

Winner of the

ICON

A little game of catch A BACKYARD. A BALL. A boy. A babysitting grandmother. Not much by most standards. Hardly an eyebrow-raising scene. But there we were: my grandson Danny, clearly ready for some action, and I, buried deep in the next-to-thelast chapter of a Jody Piccoult novel. Piccoult builds to such unbearable plot tension that turning away is unthinkable. But Danny was nothing if not insistent. And charming. And adorable. Back from a friend’s house, he was at loose ends. I still tried several compelling excuses: I couldn’t put down my book. I was too tired. My back hurt. It was too hot, even on this early spring day. Danny was not impressed. “C’mon grandma,” he cajoled. “You can read your book later.” A few more “c’mons,” and I fessed up to Danny. I was a terrible ball player. Always have been. No way could I even catch a ball, let alone run bases. And I wasn’t kidding. I was the kid in elementary school who tried hard to become invisible when teams were being picked. I was uncoordinated. I was short. I was lefthanded. And then, as now, I much preferred reading a book to running. Danny would not be swayed. In his yard, in the gathering dusk, he dug in: It would soon be dark—no problem reading near a lamp, he reasoned, but no way could we play ball in the moonlight. My nineyear-old d grandson was being eminently logical. And I was being the artful dodger. But not for long. Danny played his trump card: “C’mon grandma, soon you’ll go home, and I won’t see you again for a long, long time” Slight hyperbole, that “long, long time.” But effective. So I laced up the sneakers I’d brought just in case we took a neighborhood walk. And I warned Danny once again that he was doomed to playing ball with a woman who literally can’t even catch an easy pitch. That did it. “I can TEACH you, grandma!” said Danny, now all ready to become my mentor and coach. “I’ll make you a champ!”

monthly drawing for

DINNER FOR 2: SHELLEY WEISBERG

I wish I could say that I believed him. Instead, I reverted back to my default position; glass-half-empty. I told Danny that I was hopeless. A lost cause. For just a moment, my grandson’s shoulders sagged. Here he’d been all optimism and hope, the coach ready to inspire the rookie, and I’d gone and spoiled it. At that moment, I was determined to make up for my lack of spirit, my “downer” mentality, and yes, my poor judgment: throwing a ball, even badly, with a red-headed, freckle-faced bandit on a late summer afternoon surely mattered more than business as usual. We agreed that we’d begin at the beginning. A round of catch. Nothing more. Danny began the tutorial. He showed me how to hold my hands so that the ball wouldn’t bounce out of them. He reminded me, again and again to keep my eye on that ball. And in a burst of deep optimism, he demonstrated how I could throw “…not like a girl…” Our sports contract was still tenuous when I actually felt myself surrendering to my drill-master in this game of catch. And about ten minutes in, I actually got better. I forgot the healing clavicle from a long-ago break that usually hinders motion. I remembered to keep my eye on that ball. And Danny and I began a volley. He insisted that we can make it to 50 catches, no misses. I forgot time, I forgot place. I forgot that I’d meant to be on the road by now. The ball whizzed through the air, between us, and Danny did the count. I almost missed at 23. He almost missed at a heart-stopping 47. But we made it to 50! I can’t remember any recent time when I felt more empowered or jubilant. Danny did too, on my behalf, and even permitted me a long hug. A simple game of catch—a profound lesson. In the hope and optimism of the young, there is purity. There is inspiration. There is clarity that shines like sunlight on a summer lake. And on a Sunday afternoon, I realized that something magical can happen when we jaded and weary adults let ourselves learn from the young. They really can be our finest teachers. n

You can win, too. Here’s how: Send an email with the subject line

Glorious Food Write YOUR FULL NAME and send to

trina@icondv.com

Whoopee! Winner of the

ICON monthly drawing for

DINNER FOR 2: JENNY WHITEMAN You can win, too. Here’s how: Send an email with the subject line

Glorious Food Write YOUR FULL NAME and send to

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.

W W W. FA C E B O O K .C O M / I C O N D V

n W W W. I C O N D V .C O M

trina@icondv.com

JULY 2013

ICON

The Los Angeles Times SUNDAY CROSSWORD PUZZLE

TEE TIME By Gail Grabowski Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis 91 92 95 97 98 99 100 101 104 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120

ACROSS 1 Put one’s hands together, in a way 5 Apple products 9 Concert memorabilia 14 Preserves, in a way 19 Hip dance? 20 “Summertime,” for one 21 They’re forbidden 22 Genre of Vasarely’s “Zebras” 23 Before thou know’st 24 Many a cheerleader 25 Golf green border 26 South-of-the-border residences 27 Really old deck of cards? 29 Feline in the headlines? 31 Catamaran mover 32 WWII torpedo vessel 33 “Uh-uh” 34 Guarantee 37 Like skilled negotiators 39 Perch in a pond 43 __ Robert: nickname for pitcher Bob Feller 44 Watchdog breed 45 Go bad 46 From Athens to Augusta, Ga. 47 When some deadlocks are broken, briefly 48 Thief who begs to be arrested? 52 Word alphabetizers ignore 53 Get stuck for, as a cost 54 Stroked tools 55 Mouth piece? 56 Sunrise service occasion 58 Jazz nickname 60 Wrecker’s fee 63 Hickman who portrayed Dobie Gillis 64 Decade divs. 65 Frogumentary? 68 Where Hillary was a sen. 69 Miss the beginning 72 Macadamia product 73 Quitter’s words 77 Tampico pals 78 Union agreement? 79 Epitome of virility 80 Excessively 81 Christmas cupful 82 Price tag on a toilet for tots? 87 Initial step 88 Ultimate power 89 Certain suit top 90 Deduce

■

ICON

■

JULY 2013

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 28 30 32 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 44

■

1980s attorney general Uncaged Cuddly companion It’s not good to be over one Dawn deity Northern Scandinavians Mark’s successor Humongous harbor wall? Sitcom with spiteful scripts? Sweetheart Trying to lose, after “on” Share a border with Makeshift swing Saxon leader? Old laundry soap Start over They’re drawn in bars Saunter Conservative IRA asset WWII weapon Traffic sound DOWN Turn black Moon goddess Often Saint Laurent’s Le Smoking, e.g. Chatterbox Serif-free font Copies per day, say: Abbr. Virologist Jonas Edible with a crisp pod Cheap-seats spot Like much small print Leg up Three-part figs. Gregarious Ho-hum feeling Wear Server’s aid Rd. atlas listings Place to play bocce, perhaps Like sweaters “Symphony in Black” artist Taurus neighbor Arabian peninsula capital Flickering bulb? Items on an auto rack “I Will Follow ___”: 1963 chart-topper Twitter titter, and then some Nitpicking kid minder? Visibly frightened Mower handle? Hood’s missile

W W W. I C O N D V. C O M

■

45 48 49 50 51 54 57 59 60 61 62 66 67 69 70 71 74 75 76 79 83 84 85 86 87 91 93 94 95 96 97

Force back Baby or nanny follower Norwegian king, 995-1000 Watch Was about to nod, maybe “Quit worrying about it” Comes out with Mountaineer’s challenge Pete’s wife on “Mad Men” Bismarck et al. Devils Tower st. Santa __ racetrack Carpentry joint Premarital posting Act the wrong way? Anka hit with a Spanish title Capek play about automatons Silly sort Dynamite guy? Surfboard fin Half of sei What one might sneak out on Swing voters: Abbr. Fiscal exec Balloon or blimp Gardener of rhyme What “F” often means Cocktail with scotch Bodega patron Most fitting Symbol of precision

W W W. FA C E B O O K . C O M / I C O N D V

99 100 101 102 103 104

Escorted Scriabin composition Jupiter’s wife Trendy warm boots Lawn game missile They’re sometimes seen in jams

105 106 107 108 109

Partner of aid Big Island port Versatile cookie Wild place, once Avuncular top hat wearer

Answer in next month’s issue.

Answer to June’s puzzle, HAIR MAJESTY

agenda CALL TO ARTISTS DELAWARE VALLEY ART LEAGUE: DVAL Juried Members Art Exhibition Oct. 20, 2013- Nov. 23, 2013. Wayne Art Center. Opening Reception: Oct. 20, 3-5 PM Winter Show Nov. 2, 2013 - Feb. 1, 2014. The new permanent venue at Bryn Mawr Medical Arts Pavilion, 130 South Bryn Mawr Ave, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010. Artist of the Month Series Tredyffrin Township Building in Chesterbrook. 1100 DuPortail Road, Berwyn, PA. Monday- Friday 8 AM- 4:30 PM. Closed Weekends To be considered, contact Monique Kendikian-Sarkessian at monique.kendikian.sarkessianfineart@hotmail.com. Must be a member of Delaware Valley Art League. DVAL, founded in 1947, is a non-profit association of professional artists that exists to promote interest in the fine arts within the community & to advance the skill and creativity of its membership. Check for more exhibits, workshops and information about membership: delawarevalleyartleague.com Portfolio submissions requested for consideration to participate in a new event in downtown Bethlehem this September. ArtINplace, an event that offers a window into the process of developing fine art by giving viewers the opportunity to see a work in development. Merchants design vignettes from which the artist will draw their inspiration for an original artwork. ArtINplace, Sat. Sept. 14,12-5:30. Submissions to atelierdualis.com/search/art or erin@atelierdualis.com. ART EXHIBITS THRU 8/30 French Fridays! Lautrec tour at 2pm, Café plats du jour. Allentown Art Museum of the Lehigh Valley, 31 N. Fifth St., Allentown, PA. 610-432-4333. allentownartmuseum.org THRU 7/5 Manufactured Consent: An evolution in Collaboration. Join us for this important art event and exhibit featuring oil painters Chris Kosztyo, Marlow Rodale, Darrell George, and filmmaker Daniel Paashaus. For additional details on the event please email darrell. unstopgallery@yahoo.com. Opening reception, 6/7, 5-10PM. The Fowler Center, 511 east 3rd Street, Bethlehem (near Steel Stacks). THRU 7/7 “Retrospective”, featuring multiple artists, and Wendy Paton & Stephen Perloff: Two for the Road” continues in Gallery ll. Red Filter Gallery, 74 Bridge Street, Lambertville, NJ. Thur.Sun.12-5. 347-244-9758. inquire@redfiltergallery.com. http://redfiltergallery.com THRU 7/21 Summer Exhibit, Quiet Life Gallery, 17 South Main St., Lambertville, NJ. Open Wed.-Sun. 609-397-0880, www.quietlifegallery.com Thru 7/31 New Work, Schmidtberger Fine Art, 10 Bridge St., Suite 7, Frenchtown, NJ. 908-268-1700, www.sfagallery.com THRU 7/31 Summer Vacation: Artists’ Destinations. Patricia Hutton Galleries. The show will feature some of our gallery artist’s favorite places to paint including Europe, New England and Bucks County and will run through the summer. 47 West State St., Doylestown, PA. 215-348-1728. PatriciaHuttonGalleries.com THRU 9/1 “Toulouse Lautrec & His World:” The art and life of one of the most fascinating artists and personalities of the Belle Époque in France. Preview Party, 6/1, 6-8pm. Allentown Art Museum, 31 North Fifth St., Allentown, PA. 610-432-4333. allentownartmuseum.org

THRU 9/7 Summer Juried Show. Penn Medicine at Radnor, 250 King of Prussia Rd., Radnor, PA. Delaware Valley Art League. delawarevalleyartleague.com 7/5-8/30 French Fridays with a guided tour of Lautrec exhibit free with admission. 31 North Fifth St., Allentown, PA. 610-4324333. allentownartmuseum.org 7/11-9/8 Red Filter Gallery, "Legends of Summer," Bruce Murray, Sr. (1893-1969). "Retrospective" group exhibition continues in Gallery II. 74 Bridge Street, Lambertville NJ. Thur.-Sun. 12-5. 347-244-9758. redfiltergallery.com

flute and a Brandenburg concerto, 7:30 p.m. Wesley Church, 2530 Center St., Bethlehem, PA. Tickets- $15-$35 in advance/at door. 610-434-7811. PASinfonia.org 7/21 The Ultimate Thriller, Michael Jackson Tribute Concert, Sands Bethlehem Event Center. 610-297-7400. Sandseventcenter.com 7/26 Tony Bennett, Sands Bethlehem Event Center, 610-2977400. Sandseventcenter.com 8/11 Jay Leno, Sands Bethlehem Event Center. 610-297-7400. Sandseventcenter.com

7/14 Bastille Day, 1pm. Christine Giviskos, Assoc. Curator of European Art at Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers Univ., presents “French/European Printmaking in the Time of Lautrec.” Allentown Art Museum of the Lehigh Valley, 31 North Fifth St., Allentown, PA. $5 members/$15 non-members. 610432-4333, allentownartmuseum.org

8/18 Valley Vivaldi chamber music concert by principal instrumentalists of Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra. Refreshing sounds of Summer. Featuring harp, flute, cello, oboe and Bach’s “Double” Concerto for two violins. 7:30 p.m.,Wesley Church, 2540 Center St., Bethlehem, PA. 610-434-7811. PASinfonia.org

7/26-9/8 Guy D’Alessandro, The Nature of Things. Quiet Life Gallery, 17 South Main St., Lambertville, NJ. Open Wed.-Sun. 609397-0880, www.quietlifegallery.com

ARTSQUEST CENTER AT STEELSTACKS (Musikfest Café) 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem, PA 610-332-1300. artsquest.org

THEATER THRU 7/27 Seussical, the Dr. Seuss Musical! Theatre for Young Audiences Edition. Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre, Allentown, PA. 484-664-3333, muhlenberg.edu/smt 7/10-8/4 “The Importance of Being Ernest.” Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, DeSales University, 2755 Station Ave., Center Valley, PA. 610-282-9455 PaShakespeare.org 7/10-8/4 William Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, DeSales University, 2755 Station Ave., Center Valley, PA. 610-282-9455 PaShakespeare.org

7/5 7/11 7/12 7/13 7/15 7/17 7/18 7/19 7/23 7/25 7/26 7/27 8/19 8/22 8/23 8/31

DINNER & MUSIC Saturday nights: Sette Luna Restaurant, 219 Ferry St., Easton, PA. 610-253-8888. setteluna.com Thursday nights: DeAnna’s Restaurant & Bar, 54 N. Franklin St., Lambertville, NJ. Live music and raw bar. 609-3978957. deannasrestaurant.com.

9/6 9/7 9/11 9/14 9/16 9/20

GODFREY DANIELS Legendary Listening Room since 1976 7 East 4th Street, Bethlehem, PA 610-867-2390 godfreydaniels.org

Every Thurs.-Sat., Dinner and a Show at SteelStacks, Bethlehem, PA. 5-10:00pm. Table service and valet parking. Information, menus and upcoming events visit artsquest.org CONCERTS Some organizations perform in various locations. If no address is listed, check website for location of performance. 7/7 Michael McDonald, Sands Bethlehem Event Center. 610297-7400. Sandseventcenter.com 7/13 Dave Koz and Friends, Summer Horns Tour. State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton, PA. $60/$50. 610-252-3132 statetheatre.org 7/21 Valley Vivaldi chamber music concert by principal instrumentalists of Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra. Music by Vivaldi, Bach, Boccherini, Tartini and more, featuring trumpet,

Popa Chubby Bill Miller The Music of Simon & Garfunkel by AJ Swearingen & Jonathan Beedle Latin Dance Night Bethlehem Charity Event Auction The English Beat Dennis DeYoung: Music of Styx Splintered Sunlight Andrew McMahon The Temptations Philadelphia Funk Authority Nick DiPaolo Bethlehem Charity Event Auction Classic Albums Live: The Beatles Kenny Vance & The Planotones Big Shot: The Ultimate Billy Joel Experience MewithoutYou Doug Benson Gaelic Storm Billy Bauer Band with Kalob Griffin Band Bethlehem Charity Event Auction SteelStacks Stunner Ball

7/5 7/7 7/12 7/13 7/19 7/20 7/21 8/11

First Friday Series Open Mic Adam Ezra Band Dana Gaynor Band Bakithi Kumalo (Paul Simon’s bassist) Frog Holler Open Mic Join us at Liederplatz Musikfest

MAUCH CHUNK OPERA HOUSE One of America’s oldest vaudeville theaters, built in 1881. 14 West Broadway, Jim Thorpe, PA. 570-325-0249. mauchchunkoperahouse.com 7/6 7/12 7/13

7/19 7/20 7/26 7/27 8/2 8/10 8/15 8/17 8/30 8/31

Led Zeppelin Show Todd Snider Incendio Bennie & The Jets The Elton John Show The Vagabond Opera Marrakesh Express: A Crosby, Stills Nash & Young Experience Forward Motion The Dustbowl Revival An Evening with Larry Coryell, Victor Bailey and Lenny White Billy Burnette Band Deb and Bev’s Blues Night Out EVENTS

7/1-7/31 Experience history aboard Coryell's Ferry Historic Boat Rides located along the banks of The Delaware River in New Hope Pa. Visit us at coryellsferry.com and facebook 7/4 Celebrate our country in style at the ever-popular Rice’s Sale and Country Market. info@rices.com for more info on becoming a vendor. 6326 Greenhill Rd., New Hope, PA. 215-297-5993. rices.com 7/6-7/28 Every weekend in July. Sangria Weekends Olé, 1-5pm. Join our Chaddsford Beach Party featuring tastings of our so cool & rather saucy summertime Sangrias. Tasting fee, $10. Shop #20 Street Rd., Lahaska, PA. 215-794-9655. Chaddsford.com 7/13 Bastille Day festivities in Frenchtown, NJ. Visit Frenchtownnj.org for more information. 7/13 & 14 Peddler’s Village Bluegrass and Blueberries, 10am-6pm. Live Bluegrass & country entertainment, local blueberries, fresh baked goods, and family fun. Route 202, Lahaska, PA. Peddlersvillage.com 7/13 & 7/14 Bluegrass & Blueberries at Chaddsford Winery. Join in the down home fun of the Peddler’s Village Bluegrass & Blueberries Festival with our special slushy drink, Blue Yodel. Shop #20 Street Rd., Lahaska, PA. 215-794-9655. Chaddsford.com 7/27 Victorian Hat Trimming Workshop, hands-on for adults, 1-3pm. Make your own fascinator in 1 of 3 designs: Victorian, Goth, or Steampunk. $15 members/$20 non-members. Allentown Art Museum of the Lehigh Valley, 31 North Fifth St., Allentown, PA. 610-432-4333, allentownartmuseum.org 8/10, 11 Peddler’s Village Peach Festival and Annual Sidewalk Sale! 10am-6pm. Routes 202 & 263, Lahaska, PA. Peddlersvillage.com

8/10, 11 The 2013 New Hope Automobile Show. See different antique and classic automobiles each day. Fundraiser for student scholarships at New Hope-Solebury High School. Visit newhopeautoshow.com. CLASSES THRU 7/26 Banana Factory Art Classes, Summer Camps, ages 4-17. Full and half-day camps in painting, ceramics, photography, drawing, glass and more. 25 W. 3rd St., Bethlehem, PA. For schedule & register artsquest.org. 610-332-3378. n

Ben Taylor The New Riders of the Purple Sage Kashmir-The Ultimate

W W W. FA C E B O O K .C O M / I C O N D V

n W W W. I C O N D V .C O M

JULY 2013

ICON