SPACE TRAVELERS at Barnwell

Tonight (June 4, 2009) the Barnwell's Jazz on the Red series offered "Space Travelers", a local jazz group. Each Thursday evening, the crowd gets larger, and tonight's large audience was blessed by cool breezes as well as great music. Barnwell mgr.,Freda Powell's selections have been great (OK, not the very first one)
Leader Stan Huffman, on the keyboard, also was the vocalist; a drummer (his son), percussionist (what I know as bongo drums), bass and lead guitars made up the group and each was a super perfomer and musician...yes! there was some dancing, and no one could possibly sit still during their renditions of jazz and calypso numbers. And no one wanted the lively and wonderful session to end...the group can be heard locally at the Tiki.

Great Jazz at the Barnwell

Sorry that I missed the Roster Artists' mtg. and the Trolley Tour, but so glad that I was at the Barnwell to hear Kellye Gray, Erich Avinger and Brendan Nance(?) perform. The evening was perfect with breezes cooling the attending crowd, tho' Kellye commented that she was singing against the wind. The trio enchanted, captured the audience; Erich's classic guitar and Brendan's bass fiddle and later, bass guitar rifs were soaring, heartfelt, creative improv whether classic jazz or bossa nova. And Kellye Gray: what a phenomenal performer! Her styling, skat, the use of her voice as instrument made me feel as though I was again in the Village Vanguard, listening to the early jazz greats:Ella and Sarah, etc. Yes..my feet were tapping, my hands clapping.

And as lagniappe to the marvelous performance, I had the opportunity to chat w. Alan and Debby Dyson, each carrying sketch pads (Erich is Alan's cousin), with Judy Godfrey visiting from Abilene, w.Ed Allen retelling his memorable D.C. experiences w. the local WW2 Vets flight and that he was so impressed w. the welcome they received at the airport on their return from at least a thousand cheering citizens. Ed flew in a B-24 Liberator out of Darwin during that war. And the Murrays, Cynthia and Robert were in the audience...so nice to see them too & of course, Revel's Kip Hollaway and the exuberant Freda Powell, Barnwell manager, who arranged it all.

HISTORY BOOK CLUB

Monday, May 18, Broadmoor Library hosted the History Page Turners Book Club, facilitated by Dr. Cheryl White. This month's tome, Mrs. Lincoln had been touted as a better & new look at the subject by author, Catherine Clinton. Dr. white explained that Clinton had more resources to draw upon than did her predecessor, Ms. Baker(?) 30 yrs. before; that there's a new trove of letters from Mrs. L's asylum yrs. and much more research re the American Civil War. The author believes that Mrs. L's life was defined by the death of her husband; however Dr. White disagrees and pointed to the many traumas this woman suffered and to the fact that she was from a prominent Kentucky family so the war had to have torn apart her family ties. Ms. Clinton does put to rest the notion that Mrs. L. was a Confederate sympathizer & a racist, by citing her as an active Abolitionist influenced by Rev. Sumner, and that her closest friend was Elizabeth Kecklie(?), a black woman from Kentucky. I look forward to reading Baker's book re Mrs. Lincoln and finding one re Eliz. Kecklie..another interesting 19th century woman.

It was a delight to have Dr. White share her scholarship and insights about 19th c.women, Mrs. Lincoln in particular; also to have physicians in the group share their insights as to whether Mrs. L. was bipolar.

Netbook experience

Imagine, a 3 lb. machine w. a workable keyboard, more RAM & HD than my old desktop, camera and ethernet built in, card reader...that's what I'm writing this on.  I look forward to using this on our travels: to keep me occupied on those forever overseas trips, to down load photos, write a journall, get e-mail. I think back to my first 386 machine and Ms-Dos; this is such a miracle of technology...an ASUS 1000.

Jazz at the Barnwell

INTUITION is a young group, a drummer, a guitarist, two keyboarders and a singer, all obviously talented though inexperienced musicians. I thought I was the only one who was becoming bored with the same beat, the same kind of cocktail loounge dance music, but then noted that all around me were chatting, that feet weren't tapping nor hands clapping, that no one was dancing. The only change I heard in the 3/4 hr. I was there, was the songstress leaving the stage for a band instrumental, and then the band played as they had before: noone taking the lead, no one improvising. It was a beautiful evening weatherwise, and the crowd enjoyed its picnic suppers and each others company... I sure hope next week's band sets my feet tapping, my hands clapping.

Mother's Day Surprise

A fabulous, brilliant pink, cyclamen and white bouquet arrived yesterday from #1 son, Keith. He doesn't usually remember such days, so this was unexpected and thus an extra special surprise.

It brought back the memory with joy of the red glass lamp Mother's Day gift, the then 10 year old bought with money he'd saved from his allowance. He and his friend, Fran Maren, after their Ju-jitsu class at the Morristown Y, shopped on the square for "something special". I can still picture them in their white cotton outfits, so aglow with their independence, generosity and their shopping adventure. Now, the special lamp is in his Seabrook home.

ARTS CONGRESS + Tom Murphy

After an explanation of the Arts Congress, how it came about, its principles by Major Brock, Bossier Mayor Walker introduced Tom Murphy, mayor of Pittsburgh 1994-2005 and now with the Urban Land Institute. Mr. Murphy spoke last night at the Strand Theater, about how the Arts Mean Business. He reiterated his own experiences "in a rundown, rust-belt city" and proudly displayed the success Pittsburgh now enjoys as a result of their embracing the Arts. He also gave other examples of Arts as Business success in Denver, Asheville and Charleston and suggested that more cooperation within the arts community and with government would yield good results for our area's economy and quality of life.

I noted that he included a quote about Pittsburgh from Richard Florida's article in the March, 2009 Atlantic Monthly. Florida's premise is that a critical mass of people is necessary for a creative, thriving economy and that large cities will lead the way. He implores us to change the home ownership paradigm that created suburbia and put into place, tax structures, etc. that will reward those who live in the city, whether renters or apt. owners. Imagine if we abolish the Downtown Development Authority, and the city gives tax credits, etc. to businesses and persons to live and work downtown. SRAC started well a few years ago w. providing one building of low cost housing for those involved in the arts, but sans groceries, hardware stores, etc. downtown, these tenants till have to get into their cars and go elsewhere for their needs. Thus there's no downtown community to attract others who'd enjoy a thriving, lively environment within walking distance.