Live Jazz: The Playboy Jazz Festival Free Community Concert with Antonio Fargas and the New Jump Blues Band

By Don Heckman

The ramping up to the 35^th annual Playboy Jazz Festival in mid-June got under way with a high spirited kick-off Sunday afternoon at the Beverly Hills Civic Center.  The event, the first of two Playboy free community concerts, featured performances by Antonio Fargas and the New Jump Blues Band and the Beverly Hills High School Jazz Band.

The far-reaching range of music was characteristic of the sort of diversity we have come to expect from Playboy jazz programs.

Fargas, who may be best known from his long run as the character “Huggy Bear” in the ‘70s television series Starsky and Hutch, is also an engagingly dynamic music performer, the sparkplug energizing each of the set’s tunes.

Antonio Fargas and the New Jump Blues Band

Fargas and the New Jump Blues Band, with three electrifying singer/dancers — Adrian Battle, Airreal Watkins and Malakhi Eason — three horns and a four piece rhythm section, are reviving the urban blues styles of such ‘40s artists as Louis Jordan, T-Bone Walker, Jack McVea, Earl Bostic and others.  Rooted in the Swing bands of the thirties, enlivened by the blues, it evolved into one of the great pop music styles.

The New Jump Blues Band

And in the voices, feet and hands of the New Jump Blues Band, it came vividly to life.  Their opening number immediately showcased the essence of their art with fast-stepping choreography and rapid-fire vocals.  The songs were classics from the jump blues era: “All She Wants To Do Is Mambo,” “Cow Cow Boogie,” “One Mint Julip,” “Rum and Coca-Cola,” “Good Rockin’ Daddy,” “Sugar Bum Bum” and more.

Antonio Fargas and Airreal Watkins

Each piece was presented as a choreographed musical story, sometimes – as on “Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean” — with back and forth dialogue interspersed with a song.  And at other times – as on the lyrical “Since I Fell For You” — with dance moves illuminating a song’s inner story.

By the time the New Jump Blues Band polished off their set, one couldn’t help but wonder why they haven’t been booked for the Playboy Jazz Festival itself.  Their irresistible rhythmic charge and all-encompassing musical excitement seemed precisely tuned to the conga-line, dance-in-the-aisles excitement that always seems to surface at the Festival around the six o’clock hour.

But if it’s too late in the scheduling process for the New Jump Blues Band to be included on the 2013 program, they should be added to the list now for next year’s Festival.

The opening set by the young players of the Beverly Hills High School Jazz Band, led by Bob Bradbury, was delivered with enthusiasm and a real love of jazz.  At its best, it offered convincing evidence of the value flowing from Playboy’s continuing presentation of high school bands at every Festival program.

* * * * * * * *

Photos by Faith Frenz.

 

 

Live Dance: Ultima Vez at Royce Hall

by Jane Rosenberg

Simulating the movements of a medium at a Ouija board, a woman presides over the destiny of two male dancers who lie prostrate on the stage before her.  Slamming her hands on an electronically amplified desk, she calls them to life like a malevolent puppet master waking her creations.  Or is it a manic game of Simon Says, in which two playmates obey the call of a sadistic Simon?  References abound in the unique dance universe of choreographer Wim Vandekeybus.

Throughout the ninety minutes of What the Body Does Not Remember in a CAP UCLA concert at Royce Hall this weekend, bodies leapt through space only to land perilously close to others lying prone on the floor.  Blocks were stacked, mounted, climbed, and flung in the air, caught with razor sharp timing.  In a push pull of attraction and repulsion, men and women came together, exploring each other like angry monkeys.  All these acrobatics were danced to delirious effect by the members of Ultima Vez, a Belgian based troop, accompanied by an intensely percussive soundtrack by Thierry De Mey and Peter Vermeersch.

Though dangerous games were afoot, the piece was not without humor.  Much has been written about the violence of Wim Vandekeybus’ choreography in this seminal work, debuted in 1987 and now on a world tour; but there is just enough levity to offer relief.  A line of dancers moved purposely back and forth – disrobing, trading jackets, preening, pickpocketing, wrapping themselves in bright-colored beach towels, mopping the floor, and cavorting amiably.

It was a parade of souls on an urban treadmill – a very human comedy.  In a sequence worthy of Bill Irwin, three dancers, using their bodies and breath, kept three white feathers aloft.  And in a tableau of posing figures, a lone dancer, like a errant child, refused to join in, content to be left to his own devices, and distracting the group from its intentions.  Though tenderness was in short supply, there was a sweet, Chaplinesque moment when a woman clung to her partner, sitting on his lap like a sleepy child or a devoted lover, as he tried to wrestle off his sweater without disturbing her.

Though the dance/drama ended as violently as it began, there was something satisfying about coming full circle.  Always original, without cliché, Vandekeybus’ work succeeded, with one exception:  the sequences were overly long.  A bit of editing and the work would soar, avoiding the tedium of too much repetition and focusing with precision on the ferocious beauty of the stomping, spinning, tumbling, colliding choreography and Ultima Vez’s brave, talented dancers.

To read more reviews and posts by Jane Rosenberg click HERE.

Photos courtesy of CAP UCLA.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

.

Jane Rosenberg is the author and illustrator of  SING ME A STORY: The Metropolitan Opera’s Book of Opera Stories for Children.  Jane is also the author and illustrator of DANCE ME A STORY: Twelve Tales of the Classic Ballets.

Live Jazz: Charlie Haden, Larry Goldings and Tri-Tone Asylum at Castle Press

By Don Heckman

Pasadena CA.  It was a night to remember.  A jazz concert in a printing company. The machine-filled Castle Press in Pasadena, to be precise.  With some of the performers positioned on a stage that consisted of a 460-ton printing press.   Add to that the party-like atmosphere, with listeners scattered across folding chairs and bleacher seats, quaffing wine as they enjoyed the music and the unusual setting.

But  what made last Monday’s program so special — beyond the remarkable location — was the announced presence of iconic bassist Charlie Haden.  Teaming up with pianist Larry Goldings, he was performing a day after he had received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Recording Academy (the Grammys).

Haden was stricken with post-polio syndrome in 2010 (the consequence of a polio attack when he was 15).   Beyond some jamming at home with Pat Metheny,  he has performed rarely since 2011. And some audience members, aware of his physical maladies, apprehensively awaited his appearance as the climactic moment in the performance.

Charlie Haden

But there was no need to worry about the quality of Haden’s playing.  He and Goldings only did one number, but they made the most of it.  And it was a distinct pleasure to again hear the rich, dark timbres and melodic lyricism that have always been the uniquely appealing characteristics of Haden’s bass playing.   Add to that his intimate musical dialog with Goldings, occasionally calling up his classic Jasmine recording with Keith Jarrett.

The evening’s program, presented by MUSE/IQUE, was titled Jazz Laid Down.  In addition to Haden and Goldings, it featured the determinedly contemporary cross-over jazz of the electro-acoustic band TriTone Asylum.  The six piece ensemble included Allen Mascari,  tenor saxophone, Peter Sepsis, bass, Todd Wolf, drums, Jameson Trotter, piano, Andy Waddell, guitar, and Philip Topping, EVI.

TriTone Asylum

And what, you might ask is an EVI?  The initials stand for Electronic Valve Instrument.  Although it contains its own synthesized sounds, it also can be used  with sampled sounds, and is played with the same lip control and three-valve articulation of an acoustic trumpet.

Both the ensemble sound and the players’ interaction were impacted by the textures of Topping’s EVI playing.  Blending the basic acoustic setting of a jazz quintet with the variable tones of the EVI, they brought some fascinating new views to such familiar jazz items as Freddie Hubbard’s “Little Sunflower,” Ralph Towner’s “Icarus” and Hampton Hawes “Sonora.”  The latter item also served as accompaniment for a jazz-driven solo dance by Haylee Roderick.

Ultimately, however, it was Haden’s appearance that was the high point of this unusual evening.  And one left with the hope that his impressive performance was an important step on his road to full recovery.

Photos by Ben Gibbs.

Picks of the Week: Feb. 5 – 10

By Don Heckman

Los Angeles 

Sally Kellerman

- Feb. 6. (Wed.)  Sally Kellerman.  The inimitable Ms. Kellerman is back, this time with an evening of Valentine’s Day songs in a program titled, appropriately, “Love.”  Don’t miss it.  Vitello’s.    (818) 769-0905.

- Feb. 7 – 10. (Thurs. – Sun.)  Robben Ford. Guitarist Ford, who moves easily across boundaries from blues to jazz and beyond, celebrates the imminent release of his new album, Bringing It Back Home.  Catalina Bar & Grill.  (223) 466-2210.

- Feb. 8. (Fri.)  Bill Cunliffe Big Band.  “Bach to the Future.”  Grammy-winning and Grammy-nominated pianist/composer/arranger Cunliffe leads his big band in his jazz imagining of Bach’s Goldberg Variations.  Later, starting at 9:30 p.m., pianist John Campbell will perform in a new Vitello’s weekly event – Piano Night in the downstairs dining room.   Vitello’s.   (818) 769-0905.

- Feb. 8 & 9. (Fri. & Sat.)  Rhythm of the Dance.  Irish step dancing in all its colorful variations, delivered by an expert company of dancers.  Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts  (562) 916-8501.

Wayne Shorter

- Feb, 9. (Sat.)  Wayne Shorter Quartet with Esperanza Spalding and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.  Saxophonist/composer Shorter presents the world premiere of a work for Esperanza and the L.A. Phil, commissioned by the Philharmonic.  Disney Hall.  (323) 850-2000.  www.laphil.com

- Feb. 9. (Sat.)  Rob Lockhart Quartet.  Versatile saxophonist Lockhart, an A-list sideman, steps into the spotlight.  He’s backed by pianist Josh Nelson, bassist Pat Senatore and drummer Mark Ferber.  Vibrato Grill Jazz…etc.   (310) 474-9400.

- Feb. 9 & 10. (Sat. & Sun.)  The Russian National Ballet Theatre. One of Russia’s finest ballet companies presents a pair of classics.   Sat.: Sleeping Beauty.  Sun.: Cinderella.  Valley Performing Arts Center.    (818) 677-3000.

- Feb, 10. (Sun.)  Ann Hampton Callaway.  “The Streisand Songbook”  Pianist/singer Callaway, who moves easily from jazz to pop to cabaret, offers a program of songs associated with Barbra Streisand.  Disney Hall.  (323) 850-2000.

San Francisco

- Feb. 7 – 10 (Thurs. – Sun.).  Dave Holland.  Bassist Holland displays his far-reaching musical versatility in four unique programs.  Thurs: Solo.  Fri.: Duo with Kenny Barron.  Sat.: Quintet.  Sun.: Dave Holland Prism.  SFJAZZ at Miner Auditorium.     (866) 920-5299.

Washington D.C.

Joshua Redman

- Feb. 7 – 10 (Thurs. – Sun.)  Joshua Redman.  The always adventurous, Grammy-nominated saxophonist stretches the musical genre-boundaries in search of new and compelling improvisational ideas.  Blues Alley.   (202) 337-4141.

New York City

- Feb. 5 – 9.  (Tues. – Sat.)  Lou Donaldson Organ Quartet.  He’s one of the still active iconic jazz saxophonist, performing this time in the grooving environment of an organ quartet.  Birdland.    (212) 581-3080.

- Feb. 5 – 10. (Tues. – Sun.)  Ron Carter Quartet.  Carter is not only a brilliant bassist and composer, he’s also a stimulating leader who knows how to assemble an imaginative jazz group.  This time out, he’s with pianist Renee Rosnes, drummer Payton Crossley and percussionist Rolando Morales-Matos.  The Blue Note.    (212) 475-8592.

Paris

Marianne Faithfull

- Feb. 9. (Sat.)  Marianne Faithfull and Bill Frisell.  It’s a fascinating combination.  Pop star/actress Faithfull has been an iconic figure since the ‘60s.  Versatile guitarist Frisell seems determined to try something new in every outing.  The combination should be intriguing.   New Morning.   01 45 23 51 41.

Copenhagen

- Feb. 7 & 8. (Thurs. & Fri.)  Leszek Mozdzer/Lars Danielsson Duo.  The names may be unfamiliar to English-speaking jazz fans, but pianist Mozdzer and bassist Danielsson play together with a spirit of jazz togetherness that reaches beyond the limits of languages. Jazzhus Montmartre.    (+45) 70 263 267.

Milan

- Feb. 7 – 9.  )Thurs. – Sat.)  Billy Cobham. Veteran drummer Cobham has assembled a band of players from France and England into a collective of true international jazz.   Blue Note Milano.    02.690 16888.

Tokyo

Monty Alexander

- Feb. 8 & 9. (Fri. & Sat.)  Monty Alexander: The Harlem-Kingston Express.  It’s a perfectly named band, with Jamaica-born pianist Alexander blending his impressive jazz playing with the traditional sounds and rhythms of his roots. Blue Note Tokyo.   03-5485-0088.

* * * * * * * *

Sally Kellerman, Wayne Shorter and Joshua Redman  photos by Tony Gieske.

Ballet: The Joffrey Ballet “The Rite of Spring,” “Son of Chamber Symphony,” and “After the Rain”

by Jane Rosenberg

It’s hard to believe that one hundred years have passed since Igor Stravinsky, Vaslav Nijinsky, and Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes premiered Le Sacre du Printemps. As famously reconstructed by Millicent Hodson and Kenneth Archer (under the artistic supervision of Robert Joffrey) and in performance by the Joffrey Ballet at the Dorothy Chandler through February 3, “The Rite of Spring” remains startlingly modern and vivid – a breathtaking evocation of pre-Christian Slavic man – still working its magic in the twenty-first century.

Diaghilev, Nijinsky and Stravinsky

By now, dance and music lovers are well aware of the notorious 1913 premiere in Paris, branding “Rite” as one of the most controversial and important works of art of any century.  The music, with its complex rhythms and pounding dissonances, and the choreography, the antithesis of classical ballet with its hunched postures, bent arms, and turned in feet, enraged the audience, eliciting boos and fistfights in the aisles. By most accounts, Stravinsky was in despair. Diaghilev, however, was delighted with the scandal, while poor Nijinsky had to count out the rhythms over the roar of the jeering crowd because the dancers were unable to hear the music.

Seated with a respectful and enthusiastic audience Friday evening, I couldn’t help but reflect on the arc of modernism and its integration into our contemporary vocabulary.  No longer are dance audiences shocked by quaking bodies or the sexual implications of dancers writhing on stage. No longer do music audiences balk at percussive dissonances and polyrhythms.  And no longer are dancers unable to follow offbeat accents and shifting time signatures (as Nijinsky stated, while in rehearsal he had to pound a floorboard so the dancers could feel the cues.).  After all, we’ve absorbed and assimilated Stravinsky’s musical achievements and Nijinsky’s groundbreaking choreography.  Yet when one thinks of what the work must have represented in 1913 – how shocking and advanced it was – it only adds to our appreciation of this seminal piece of art.

Thanks to Archer and Hodson’s exhaustive research, not only does the stage come alive with Nijinsky’s genius, but also with Nicholas Roerich’s sparkling backdrops and costumes.  An archaeologist, folklorist, and painter, Roerich worked closely with Stravinsky on the scenario for the ballet. The result is the perfect marriage of music, visual art, and dance, which stands at the summit of artistic achievement.

The Joffrey Ballet

Under the baton of the Joffrey Ballet’s music director, Scott Speck, the orchestra –composed mainly of L.A. Opera musicians — did full credit to Stravinsky’s iconic score.  First, the plaintive bassoon wove its spell, then as other instruments joined in, the curtain rose on Roerich’s verdant landscape.  As the insistent pulse of the music gained momentum, the dancers, dressed in white, red, and ochre began the foot stomping choreography that so enraged Parisian audiences.  The men, crouched and bent, exploded into motion, their movements emanating from their hips and stomachs; the women raced in with their legs flying and then quickly reverted to flat feet with toes turned inward, their heads slanted on necks like rag dolls.  As I watched Act I, “The Adoration of the Earth” unfold, I felt as if I was witnessing early man’s encounter with the mysteries of existence.

Act II, “The Sacrifice,” features a circle of young girls trudging counter-clockwise in a fatal march towards destiny.  As the music grows ominous, the sacrificial maiden, dubbed The Chosen One, is forced into the center of the circle.  Men, dressed in bearskins, lumber onto the stage and surround her, pawing the earth with their feet like feral creatures.

The Joffrey Ballet

In a bravura performance, Erica Lynette Edwards danced an uncanny range of emotions, cycling from fear to supplication to anger, her body bursting into bent knee jumps, her hands chopping air, her arms flailing, her fists pounding the earth.  With knees shaking in terror, she spasmed into violent arcs and mad spinning – a dance to exhaustion and imminent death.

If the measure of a ballerina’s dramatic abilities in the nineteenth century repertory is Giselle and her mad scene, then surely the twentieth century standard should be the agonized terror of The Chosen One. Here we have a ballet for all time, a moment when sophisticated Western civilization meets the roots of man’s consciousness.

Opening the evening was Stanton Welch’s “Son of Chamber Symphony” with music by John Adams followed by Christopher Wheeldon’s “After the Rain” with music by Arvo Pärt from “Tabula Rasa” and “Spiegel im Spiegel.” Both dances were an intelligent pairing with “Rite of Spring” bringing the radical artistic lessons of the past into the minimalist present.

“Son of Chamber Symphony,” with Adams’ winning score, was securely handled by the orchestra.  The ballet displayed the beauty of classical dance coupled with the geometric abstraction of bodies in space, defined by the elegant lines of legs and arms and the sharply spherical tutus that bounced and swayed, taking on a life of their own.

“After the Rain” mesmerized, particularly when the female corps, exhibiting a strong technique, crouched in a row, each rotating a single leg in unison.  The movement seemed to refer to the hands of a clock, circling the dial, as time and the music flowed on.  The reverence on display in Pärt’s music was at its height in “Spiegel im Spiegel,” when, against a rose colored background, Victoria Jaiani and Fabrice Calmels danced a stirring pas de deux.

With “Rite of Spring” and these two additions to their repertory, the Joffrey dancers once again prove a company worthy of the treasures of the world’s most interesting choreographers.

To read more reviews and posts by Jane Rosenberg click HERE.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Jane Rosenberg is the author and illustrator of  SING ME A STORY: The Metropolitan Opera’s Book of Opera Stories for Children.  Jane is also the author and illustrator of DANCE ME A STORY: Twelve Tales of the Classic Ballets.

To read more iRoM reviews by Jane Rosenberg click HERE.

Picks of the Week: Jan. 21 – 27

By the iRoM Staff

Los Angeles

Vicky Ray

- Jan. 22. (Tues.)  Vicki Ray.  Piano Spheres.  Exploration of contemporary music is at the heart of the Piano Spheres program.  This time, adventurous pianist Ray (with a chamber ensemble of musician friends) interprets the music of Stravinsky as well as new works by composers from Asia, Europe and the U.S.    Zipper Hall, Colburn School.

- Jan. 22 & 23. (Tues. & Wed.)  Shen Yun 2013 World Tour.  Founded by expatriate Falun Gong practitioners in New York, works to “revive the essence of 5000 years of Chinese culture” via extraordinary displays of Chinese classical, ethnic and folk dance.  With Orchestra.  The Fred Kavli Theater in the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.   (805) 449-2787.

- Jan. 23. (Wed.)  The Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour.  High quality music is the basic foundation of the MJF.  And this rare evening underscores how captivating that music can get in the hands of artists such as Dee Dee Bridgewater, Christian McBride, Benny Green, Lewis Nash, Chris Potter, Ambrose Akinmusire.  Valley Performing Arts Center.  (818) 677-3000.

Mike Lang

- Jan. 23. (Wed.)  Mike Lang.  Pianist Lang’s long productive career reaches from Ella Fitzgerald and Ray Charles to Lee Konitz to Barbra Streisand, John Lennon and dozens of stops in between.  He’s also recorded more than 2000 film scores.  But here’s a chance to hear the ultimate inner Lang, musically up close and personal in a trio setting.  Catalina Bar & Grill.  (223) 466-2210.

- Jan. 23. (Wed.)  “A Jazzy Tribute to the Negro Baseball Leagues.”  Film maker and singer Byron Motley and special guests guitarist Phil Upchurch and pianist Corky Hale-Stoller celebrate the remarkable accomplishments of the great athletes of the Negro Baseball Leagues.  Vitello’s.    (818) 769-0905.

- Jan. 24. (Thurs.)  John Beasley Residency III.  The Monk’estra Big Band. Beasley’s impressive skills as a pianist and composer are applied to a fascinating evening of large group jazz.  The Blue Whale.    (213) 620-0908.

Stanley Clarke

- Jan. 24 – 26. (Thurs. – Sat.)  Stanley Clarke Band. The brilliant bass playing of Clarke brings vivid life to wherever he plays.  And it’s even better when he’s leading his own band of talented young artists.  Catalina Bar & Grill.   (323) 466-2210.

- Jan. 24 – 27. (Thurs. – Sun.)  The Los Angeles Philharmonic.  Conductor Ludovic Morlot, leads the L.A. Phil in a program of great classics – Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 25 — and contemporary French composer Henri Dutilleux’s Shadows of Time. Walt Disney Hall.    (323) 850-2000.

- Jan. 26 & 27. (Sat. & Sun.)  The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Helmuth Rilling offers a rare performance of Mozart’s poignant Requiem and  his classic Symphony No. 39. With the aid of the USC Thornton Chamber Singers.  Sat: at the Alex Theatre. http://www.alextheatre.org    Sun: At Royce Hall. http://cap.ucla.edu/visit/royce_hall.asp  (213) 622-7001.

Roger Kellaway

 

- Jan 27, 28 and 29.  (Fri., Sat. & Sun.)  The New West Symphony.    The N.W.S., under the baton of Marcelo Lehninger,  performs the West Coast Premiere of “Visions of America: A Photo Symphony.”  Music by Roger Kellaway.  Lyrics by Marilyn and Alan Bergman.  Photography by Joseph Sohm.  Vocals by Judith Hill and Steve Tyrell. With piano by Norman Krieger.   And a recorded narration by Clint Eastwood. Friday at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center, Saturday at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, and on Sunday at Barnum Hall in Santa Monica.

- Jan. 27. (Sun.)  Ron Jones Jazz Influence Orchestra.  The Jazz Influence Orchestra returns to Vitello’s for yet another banquet of big band jazz, played by the Southland’s finest musicians.  To read a recent iRoM review of the Jazz Influence Orchestra click HERE.   Vitello’s.    (818) 769-0905.

Lisa Hilton

- Jan. 27. (Sun.)  Lisa Hilton.  Her highly personal style, as a pianist, a composer and an improviser, has established Hilton as one of the uniquely individualistic performers on the contemporary music scene.  Vibrato Grill Jazz…etc.   (310) 474-9400.

San Francisco

- Jan. 24 – 26. (Thurs. – Sat.)  Joe Lovano’s Us Five.   Adventurous saxophonist Lovano leads the way for his current Us Five ensemble, featuring Esperanza Spalding, James Weidmann, Otis Brown III and Francisco Mela.  Yoshi’s Oakland.    (510) 238-9200.

- Jan. 26. (Sat.) Turtle Island Quartet.  The Grammy-winning string quartet, always trying out new ideas, offers a program of original works and music inspired by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli.  Freight and Salvage.   (510) 644-2020.

New York

- Jan. 22. (Tues.) Taarka.  The husband and wife leaders of  the acoustic group Taarka – the duo of mandolinist David Tiller and violinist Enion Pelta-Tiller — celebrate the release of their new CD, Adventures in Vagabondia.  Barbes in Brooklyn.    (347) 422-0248.

Ann Hampton Callaway

- Jan. 22 – 26. )Tues. – Sat.)  Ann Hampton Callaway. Callaway not only has a gorgeous voice, she also knows exactly how to use it.  And it’s especially memorable when she applies it – along with her talents as a musical story teller – to the classics of the Great American Songbook. Birdland.    (212) 581-3080.

- Jan. 24 – 27. (Thurs. – Sun.)  Omar Sosa and Paolo Fresu. They seem to be an unlikely combination – Cuban keyboardist Sosa and Italian trumpeter Fresu.  But the stirring results of their partnership attest to the true globalization of jazz.  The Blue Note.   (212) 475-8592.

London

- Jan. 25 & 26. (Fri. & Sat.)  Milton Nascimento. He’s one of the icons of Brazilian music, as a performer and as a composer.  And at 70, he’s still going strong.   Ronnie Scott’s.    +44 (0)7439 0747.

Paris

- Jan. 24. (Thurs.)  Steve Cropper and the Animals. The guitarist in Stax Records legendary house band, Cropper takes his unique blend of soul, blues, funk and beyond on the road with a band of eager associates. New Morning.  n  01 45 23 51 41.

Berlin

Judy Niemack

- Jan. 22. (Tues.)  Judy Niemack presents “New Voices in Jazz 2013.” A gifted, imaginative singer as well as an admired educator, Niemack introduces a collection of talented, if still relatively unknown young vocal artists: Zola Mennenöh, Laura Winkler, Anna Marlene Bicking and Sophie-Charlott Götte.  A-Trane.    030/313 25 50.

Milan

- Jan. 23. (Wed.)  Philip Catherine.  Belgian jazz guitarist Catherine’s resume reaches from the ‘60s to the present with artists such as Dexter Gordon, Jean-Luc Ponty, Chet Baker, Charlie Mariano, Stephane Grappelli and more.  At 70, his playing continues to be as eclectic as it is accomplished.  Blue Note Milan.    02.6901 6888.

Live Musical Theatre: “Anything Goes” at the Ahmanson Theatre

By Jane Rosenberg

Los Angeles, CA.  Tired of the annual parade of Nutcrackers and Messiahs?  Looking for musical entertainment that’s sophisticated, witty, and wall-to-wall fun?  Then pack your steamer trunk and hop on board Cole Porter’s cruise ship sailing for nineteen more performances (including matinees) at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.  It’s the Roundabout Theatre’s 1987 Tony award-winning production of Anything Goes, and it is chock-full of Porter’s best: “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “You’re the Top,” “De-Lovely,” and, of course, “Anything Goes.” Superbly choreographed and directed by Kathleen Marshall, with terrific sets by Derek McLane, and costumes by Martin Pakledinaz, this production sparkles from top to bottom.

Star-crossed love and mistaken identity aboard the luxury liner, the S.S. American, generate the plot. Passengers include a gorgeous nightclub owner and singer, a middle-aged fortune hunter, a gangster masquerading as a priest and an ordinary guy masquerading as a gangster, a sexy gun-moll who has a weakness for sailors, a rich, drunken stockbroker, a debutante, and a goofy English lord.  Also on deck are a missionary and a pair of Chinese converts, and though their roles have been softened from the 1934 original, there is still some discomfort in seeing old stereotypes dragged out.

The music, originally orchestrated by Michael Gibson with additional orchestrations by Bill Elliott, was played to blissful effect under the baton of Jay Alger.  And the talent assembled for this romp into the brilliant mind of Cole Porter (not to mention P.G. Wodehouse who had a hand in the original book) was stellar.

As Reno Sweeny, the “seen it all” nightclub owner and heroine of the piece, Rachel York, with her potent and beautifully modulated voice, delivered the goods.  Seems like there’s nothing she can’t do, whether tap dancing with the cast, belting out the mock gospel song, “Blow, Gabriel, Blow,” or delivering her knowing lines with spot-on comic timing – albeit a bit heavy on the Mae West imitation.  Erich Bergen played Billy Crocker, the lovesick stowaway, who pines for the debutante, Hope Harcourt. In another terrific performance, Bergen managed the singing, dancing, and comedy with a relaxed charm, every inch a Cole Porter leading man.

Other cast members were equally talented, and the strength of the whole ensemble was that they managed to elevate their roles beyond their hilarious stock characters, to deliver a madcap ménage of quirky personalities.  The only flat performance was Alex Finke as Hope.  She possessed a pleasing voice but seemed to lack bounce and individuality.  Edward Staudenmayer was a knockout as the effete Lord Evelyn.  Like a refugee from a Monty Python skit, and with Michael Palin-esque charisma, Staudenmayer transitioned from uptight Englishman to lust ridden suitor while cavorting like a bullfighter in the number “The Gypsy in Me.”

As for the corps of passengers, crew, and Reno’s sexy quartet of “angels,” they made every minute a party – in particular the sailors who provided the glowing backdrop on which all the action was painted.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Jane Rosenberg is the author and illustrator of  SING ME A STORY: The Metropolitan Opera’s Book of Opera Stories for Children.  Jane is also the author and illustrator of DANCE ME A STORY: Twelve Tales of the Classic Ballets.

To read more iRoM reviews by Jane Rosenberg click HERE.

Ballet: The National Ballet of Canada’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”

By Jane Rosenberg

In a rut?  No need for magic mushrooms or secret elixirs to transport you to another mind set.  A trip to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles for the National Ballet of Canada’s U.S. premiere of Christopher Wheeldon’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” ought to do the trick.  And if you think Lewis Carroll would be surprised to see his White Rabbit dive through a wobbly jelly mold to access Wonderland, think again.  With artistry, imagination, and twenty-first century technology, Carroll’s beloved tale of sense and nonsense comes to manic life.

With his first full-length ballet, Christopher Wheeldon, former New York City Ballet principal and resident choreographer, scored a mega-wattage hit.  In collaboration with the playwright, Nicholas Wright, he has conceived of an older Alice with a romantic interest, in order to create an overarching narrative in the tradition of nineteenth century story ballets.  There the similarity ends, however.  This is contemporary sensibility all the way, from Joby Talbot’s eclectic score to Bob Crowley’s stunning sets and costumes to Jon Driscoll and Gemma Carrington’s brilliantly realized video projections.

Opening on a summer afternoon, we are outside an imposing façade in the garden of the Liddell family (Carroll’s inspiration for Alice being the young Alice Liddell) where friends and family assemble for a garden party, among them Lewis Carroll, himself.  Here we meet the gardener’s son, Jack, who becomes the Knave of Hearts in Wonderland and Alice’s love interest. When Jack is banished from the garden by Alice’s domineering mother, Carroll comforts a disheartened Alice by taking her photograph.  Draped under the camera cloth, he twitches and twists, coming to life as the White Rabbit.  Plunging into the ever-expanding jelly mould sitting on a platter, with Alice close on his heels, the Rabbit takes off for Wonderland and we follow for the wild and rollicking ride to come!

Sonia Rodriguez

A puppet Alice, swirling Escher-inspired video of a trip down the abyss to Wonderland, stacks of Edward Gorey-like doors, a rain of confetti on the audience, Alice’s pool of tears conceived as a Baroque opera set with an animal water ballet, a pig butchery with a Sweeny Todd-ish cook, a demented Duchess channeling Frederick Ashton, and near strangulation by sausage links; and we have a visual feast to knock any Disney production off the block.  And this is only Act One.  With so much to see and so much to absorb, the feast was in danger of overfeeding the audience.  More mime than dance, too much information – programmatically, visually, and even musically – overwhelmed the senses. The orchestra, under the baton of David Briskin, met all the demands of the shimmering score brilliantly.

Sonia Rodriguez

It was with a sigh of relief, then, that Act II opened quietly on a darkened stage with a beautiful and poetic Cheshire Cat puppet floating, disembodied, around Alice.  Alice, danced pitch perfect by Sonia Rodriguez, who at forty is uncannily able to portray a teen-aged Alice in all her eager innocence, was never off the stage in a role that required performing choreography both classic and contemporary, lyrical and angular.  No tourist in Wonderland, this Alice participated, injected in every dance sequence.  When she arrived at the mad tea party, she found the Mad Hatter tap dancing inside a re-creation of an English Toy Theater, and jumped up to share the stage with him.  A Mad Tapper – what a marvelous invention – the role originating with Steven McRae, a noted tap dancer.  Robert Stephen, who performed on Friday night, seemed a bit tentative in the tap sequences, his ballet posture unable to adjust to what one assumed should be jazzier body language.

Sonia Rodriguez

Alice escaped the Hatter, the sleepy Dormouse, and the mischievous March Hare to find herself alone and lost, in search of the Knave of Hearts, whom she has glimpsed in the first act.  Knowing from the White Rabbit that they are all headed for the garden, Alice asked the way of a hookah-smoking caterpillar, danced by Jiri Jelinek.  In a sensuously choreographed sequence, the caterpillar and his entourage of female attendants put me in mind of the “Arabian Coffee” divertissement from “Nutcracker.” Jelinek managed the clever choreography, pumping his stomach like a belly dancer, while exuding intensely masculine charm.

Alice found her way to the flower garden, and we finally experienced Wheeldon’s mastery of ensemble choreography.  To a waltz that sounded like Johann Strauss on magic mushrooms, the flowers bent and swayed: part Petipa, part Busby Berkeley, yet overlaid with Wheeldon’s sense of humor.  And in classic tradition, the Knave, as danced by the virtuosic Guillaume Cote, partnered Rodriguez in a tender pas de deux.

When the curtain rose on the fabulous Queen’s garden of Act III, the audience let out an audible gasp of astonishment. This scene was perfection, not only in its interpretation of Carroll’s tale, but also for the clever and hilarious choreography.  An opening pas de trois for three gardeners, who unsuccessfully attempted to paint the roses red; followed by ballerinas bedecked as flamingos; and four small children tumbling across the stage as hedgehog croquet balls was an imaginative delight.

Greta Hodgkinson

But the award for the wackiest, most inspired performance of the ballet goes to Greta Hodgkinson as the Red Queen. In a musical and choreographic spoof of the “Rose Adagio” from “Sleeping Beauty,” Hodgkinson danced, not with Aurora’s four princely suitors, but with four terrified, browbeaten cards.  Alternately posing sweetly in attitude or glaring angrily, she was lifted off her feet, only to be deposited unceremoniously on the ground. And instead of offering roses, the cards handed her jam tarts, as she stuffed her face and danced.

Aleksandar Antonijevic

In the courtroom scene, stacked mile high with cards, we were treated to dancing hearts, spades, clubs, and diamonds, a vaudevillian solo for the White Rabbit danced splendidly by Aleksandar Antonijevic, and a pas de deux of the Queen and Executioner. The Canadian company shines through this and every scene with their high level of craft and artistry.  Though Alice danced tenderly with the Knave of Hearts (Here Talbot’s music, so magical throughout, was at its weakest, conjuring sounds of bombastic movie soundtracks.), the Queen remained unmoved and ordered his execution for stealing the tarts.  With no hope in sight, Alice knocked over a witness, causing a domino effect, as all assembled toppled over.  Alice and the Knave made their escape, and Alice was propelled back into the real world – one with a slightly different spin than the opening scene and rather intriguing in its message: that despite the fact that Carroll’s novel was penned nearly 150 years ago, it’s as fresh and timeless as the day it was published.

The ballet is on view at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles through October 21^st and will travel to the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. in January 2013.

Sonia Rodriguez photos by Bruce Zinger.

Greta Hodgkinson and Aleksandar Antonijevic photos by Cylla von Tiedemann.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Jane Rosenberg is the author and illustrator of  SING ME A STORY: The Metropolitan Opera’s Book of Opera Stories for Children.  Jane is also the author and illustrator of DANCE ME A STORY: Twelve Tales of the Classic Ballets.

To read more iRoM reviews by Jane Rosenberg click HERE.

Live Dance: Akram Khan’s “Vertical Road” at Royce Hall

BY JANE ROSENBERG

A darkened stage, the sound of running water, a translucent curtain covering the breadth of the stage, and a barely perceptible figure behind it.  As the figure pushes his head against the plastic sheeting, desperate to emerge, intent on entering our world, we find ourselves propelled into the mythic world of Akram Khan’s Vertical Road.

Akram Khan Dance Company

The Los Angeles audience for contemporary dance gathered for a CAP UCLA program at Royce Hall Friday night to witness Khan’s company perform a work that grappled with a subject that has engaged the poets, philosophers, and scientists of every generation: man’s place in the cosmos and his need to understand it.  From man’s birth, through the nature of the animal self, to the pursuit of enlightenment, the choreography attempted to reflect man’s struggle to gain knowledge.

The opening of the piece was visually stunning.  Our hero, the dancer Salah El Brogy, moved against the sheeting, and with the sound of water as accompaniment, we witnessed a metaphorical “ultrasound” of the womb.  Then the “child,” in a flurry of movement set the plastic sheeting rippling in concentric waves, and with that gesture, the throbbing, pulsing dance of the tribe began.  Dancers gathered in the foreground like nomads on the desert, while our hero, off to the side, “played” alone, soon to be inexorably pulled into the dynamic of the group.  The music, composed by Nitin Sawhney, intensified, evolving into a roar of pounding beats.  Powdery dust flew spectacularly from the stamping bodies of the seven dancers.  Their movements — rising out of rounded backs and hunched shoulders — grew into violent arcs, rising arms, and spinning torsos.  This was ensemble dancing at its best.

Akram Khan Dance Company

For the first half of the seventy-minute piece, Khan’s narrative intentions seemed coherent.  Though there was no programmatic explanation of his drama, I followed his references, as he seemed to trace man’s evolution in his quest for meaning. Kathak dance of India, a strong influence on Kahn’s work, with its ritualized dance forms and ancient sources, fit neatly into his storytelling bent.  Rumi’s poetry and Sufi traditions were referenced.  And the Mahabharata, the Sanskrit epic that follows the fates of battling princes (alluded to in the costumes designed by Kimie Nakano) lent a mythic quality to the dance drama.

But the very notion of epic storytelling was also the piece’s undoing.  Without any specificity as to what the action represented, after the first half my mind worked overtime to follow the unfolding dance.  Rite of Spring, Nijinsky’s historic work, still startling in its daring dance forms and Stravinsky’s visceral score, had clarity of purpose.  And though the ballet was ritualistic, fierce, and abstract in nature, it’s tribal dances followed an unmistakable line of thought.

The Minimalist principles of abstract dance follow a logic and structure.  Clearly, Kahn was not after abstraction.  He favored narrative where it intersected myth.  And though the dancers’ fine performances drew on movements from world dance, often achieving mythic proportions, it was unsustainable as patterns unraveled, leaving solo dancers and duos dancing beautifully, but unfocused, as the piece unwound.  Towards the end of the work, the plastic sheeting, once again, became a breathtaking canvas for a shadow play of dance, reminiscent of the shadow puppetry of Asia.  I couldn’t help but feel that with the visual acumen of Kahn and his lighting designer, Jesper Kongshaug, the piece was exploring fascinating territory, often achieving heights of beauty, but would have benefited from a shortened, more concise vision.

In spite of my reservations, however, I can’t help but applaud a choreographer, who, in spite of our society’s race to master technologies and speed through existence, feels an imperative to slow down and search for layers of meaning within his art form.

Photos courtesy of CAP UCLA.

.

Jane Rosenberg is the author and illustrator of  SING ME A STORY: The Metropolitan Opera’s Book of Opera Stories for Children.  Jane is also the author and illustrator of DANCE ME A STORY: Twelve Tales of the Classic Ballets.

To read more iRoM reviews by Jane Rosenberg click HERE.

Live Music: “The Philharmonic Dances” — The Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Opening Night Concert and Gala

By Don Heckman

Gustavo Dudamel

The Los Angeles Philharmonic and Music Director Gustavo Dudamel opened the new season at Walt Disney Hall Thursday night with a smartly conceived and beautifully performed program titled The Philharmonic Dances.  Opening nights at Disney have become stellar events over the past few years – musically and socially.  And this one was no exception.

There was the usual fund raising gala, of course, an important destination for L.A.’s social and entertainment elite, with plenty of familiar (and not so familiar, depending upon one’s orientation) celebrities strolling across a red carpet strategically positioned at the Grand Ave. entrance for convenient media access.

But the most intriguing aspect of the night was what took place on the Disney stage.  From the audience perspective, it was a rarely seen Disney Hall vista.  The orchestra was spread out in all its instrumental glory, the players occupying all the far-reaching space that had been designed, specifically, for them.  The broad riser behind them, however, showcased several selections by dancers.  Their presence, closely viewable from every seat, high or low, made for a remarkable music and dance tableau.

The opening work – The Chairman Dances (Foxtrot for Orchestra)–  was a gripping, musical visualization by composer John Adams — inspired by his opera, Nixon in China—in which he imagines Chairman Mao dancing with his mistress, Chiang Ch’ing.  Newly commissioned (by the L.A. Philharmonic) choreography by Barak Marshall, rigorously executed by the ten dancers of BODYTRAFFIC, had an appropriately collective quality.

Veronika Part and Roberto Bolle

Selections by Stravinsky (Variation d’Apollon) and Saint-Saens (The Dying Swan) followed, the former danced by soloist Roberto Bolle, the latter by Veronika Part.  Both dancers then joined together for selections from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Whether dancing as soloists or together, Bolle and Part were exquisite interpreters as well as masters of their craft, especially in the Swan Lake Pas de deux, with choreography modeled on the classic interpretation by Marius Petipa..  The Philharmonic, guided by Gustavo Dudamel, provided a setting as intimate as it was embracing.

The climactic selection from Leonard Bernstein – “Three Dance Episodes” from On the Town – started as a tour de force for Dudamel and the Philharmonic, shimmering with urban rhythms and an undercurrent of jazz accents.  Josh Rhodes’ choreography (commissioned by the L.A, Phil.)  featured four dancers – Sam Cahn, Marty Lawson, Andy Millis and Christopher Vo – garbed in sailor’s outfits.  Their high energy, often acrobatic routines clearly recalled the similar sailors’ dancing from the original On the Town production.

An impressive evening of music and dance.  Most of the headlines and photos emphasize the celebrity presence at the opening night gala.  But the real pleasures of the evening traced to the utterly superb, creatively empathic efforts of Gustavo Dudamel, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and a stageful of gifted dancers (along with a little help from Adams, Stravinsky, Saint-Saens, Tchaikovsky and Bernstein).

All of which bodes well for the 2012-13 season at Disney Hall.

Gustavo Dudamel photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.