Roomful of Blues kick off Joe’s Jazz and Blues Fest weekend at The Armory

Rhode Island’s Roomful of Blues specialize in the “jump blues”, R&B and early rock ‘n’ roll of the 40s and early 50s. It’s a big, energetic sound with the lustre, sparkle and pop of brass, and it’s a sound that the ever-changing cast of musicians have somehow conserved for the last few decades while constantly touring their rockin’ blues. The band has been around for almost 45 years, and has shed most original members except Rich Lataille on tenor and alto sax, who joined the band in 1970. Successors continue to flock to this welcoming institution-on-wheels to fill the places of hard-working musicians who keep their brand of blues alive. Chris Vachon is the band leader and guitarist, a member for 22 years, and there are 8 other members in the band. The band were nominated for 5 Grammies and numerous blues awards.
Roomful of Blues play the Armory this Thursday 20th of June as part of Mayor Curtatone’s Jazz and Blues fest. Mayor Curtatone was a Somerville High School Band trumpet player and the festival has been a yearly staple since 2009. Everyone knows that Thursday is the weekend by another name – so make it happen early with Roomful of Blues.

“Japanese Knotweed does not deserve its bad reputation or give a damn about it either…” Somerville Cafe Blog shop Herbstalk and stalk Somerville gardens

If you’re anything like me, you live in the city, you don’t have a garden, but you’re an armchair garden enthusiast, meaning you enjoy the results of the work all those other city gardeners put in. On my neighborhood walks, I get my fix by squinting up through Japanese maple-leaves, I pluck the occasional flower off a stooping branch – and I appreciate the scent of a mature suburb in springtime when the gardeners work starts to pay off in armfuls of abundance.

So you can imagine my delight/awe/straight up nosy curiosity when I heard that the last weekend would be a double whammy of plant-related events in Somerville. Arts at the Armory hosted Herbstalk for the second year running, and the Somerville Garden Club held one of their occasional fundraising garden tours.

The Japanese Garden

Herbstalk and SGC’s events plucked members from either group (sorry) – so it was nice to do a post that covered both events – indoor and outdoor. It’s hard to believe that Herbstalk is only in its second year, as it was so packed with a variety of vendors and customers. Yes, it was an indoor event, with seated classes on aromatherapy and herbalism, and shopping in the hall, but there were also outdoor “get to know your neighbors” tours, which made foraging in gardens and public parks seem as classy as browsing the aisles of Wholefoods. Here are some things you might not know about some common plants, in my own words with the contributions of our guide Felix Lufkin:

Mugwort is in the Artemisia family with plants like sage. “It can be smoked or put under the pillow.” “It can make our dreams intense & visually colorful so that they often take place in outer space.”

Grapes: Grapes store sap in spring or summer that can be used for survival purposes if you happen to be stranded anywhere without food but with access to a grapevine.

Roses: Rose seeds are high in vitamin E and you can eat them. Rose Hips are particularly high in vitamin C and are used in commercial supplements.

Hostas: In Japan, Hostas are prized as a delicacy, and before they have opened they can be eaten.

Japanese Maple: Our guide describes their leaves as a “fractalized version of a maple” which “look nice in salads.”

Juniper: Again, very high in Vitamin C. Their berries take nearly two years to ripen and they are medicinal, stimulating the digestion.

Bergamot: edible, and tastes “like oregano dipped in burning metal”, according to our guide’s palette.

Mugwort: Mugwort is in the Artemisia family with plants like sage. “It can be smoked or put under the pillow”; “It can make our dreams intense & visually colorful so that they often take place in outer space”, says Felix.

Japanese Knotweed: According to our guide, Japanese Knotweed does not deserve its bad reputation or give a damn about it either, since it can survive anywhere, even growing out of car batteries in swamps, “It is not evil”, though “it cannot be fought with aggression.” It also has human-friendly properties as its roots can cure lyme disease, and its leaves can safely be eaten.

Our tour finishes up with a helpful list of references: Euell Gibbons’ Stalking the Wild Asparagus and Samuel Thayer’s Nature’s Garden or The Forager’s Harvest - and the basics of tree identification. The first step is to recognize the branching pattern of trees – opposite or alternate. The rarity of opposite branched trees eliminates some common species and makes identification easier.

The laid back men of Somerville are evidently not as concerned with stocking up for the love apocalypse as their women.

Kristin in her shade garden on Porter Street

The backyard music venue on Cedar Street

After the tour is over, we are free to disperse among the stalls, where I get sidetracked by pretty much every product, after stopping for a delicious vegetarian peanut noodle salad from Red Lentil. I learn that some herbalists have been doing this for as long as 22 years, such as Carol Joyce of White Buffalo Herbs. At Carol’s stall, two little baskets of love potions for men and women illustrate the difference between the sexes like a pithy New Yorker cartoon. Carol is all out of women’s love potions, though the little display basket is full of vials for men. Evidently the laid back men of Somerville are not as concerned with stocking up for the love apocalypse as their women.

I also stop by Sister Spirit Herbals,who make delicious-smelling botanical cosmetics in their kitchen – without them I’d have no idea that Shea Butter – an ingredient we take for granted in cosmetics – is often produced by women working in exploitative conditions. Sister Spirit imports their Shea Butter from a women’s co-operative in Togo called Agbanga Karite.

The Somerville Garden Club tour was a gentle reminder about Somerville’s main cosmetic difference from its sister, Cambridge: hills. Hiking up and down its undulating streets and avenues I managed to see a good cluster of gardens. My first stop was “The Menagerie” at Cedar Street. This was a small wedge-shaped space with grass, deck-chairs, grape-vine and chicken-coop , but it was a haven indeed. Khrysti Smith is known as “the chickenness” because she keeps chickens and educates about rearing them in a urban backyard setting. The backyard is also an informal music venue during the summer every second Monday, where Greg Klyma, a regular at the Armory lives and performs. Greg is  playing June 22nd at the Armory with Mark Whitaker.

Lisa’s climber rose, Eden

Next I stopped at Porter Street, to look at a garden with a water feature and a 15 year old kiwi vine arbor, that is repaired lovingly and frequently by Scott. The vine develops small and smooth fruits, a variety of kiwi that apparently survives better in Northern climates. Then there was Kristin’s garden, a long cool alley of shade-plants. My last stop was a Japanese Garden which attracted much oohing and aahing. Were the owners inspired to create their garden out of reverence for Japanese style? No, the garden got its water features because of the necessity to innovate against the challenges of having a steeply sloped backyard. The first water feature was a pragmatic way of collecting the runoff water from a neighbor’s backyard – the second was added to balance the first. The platform under the treehouse was a way of consolidating the dirt left over from digging the first water feature. I pictured the development of the garden as being like a long-running game of Jenga, and Gerry Cronin laughed and agreed that it was a lot like that. Ironically, for a garden that was born through physical upheaval, Gerry wanted a garden that was low maintenance.

He was inspired by the Japanese garden in the MFA: “you don’t have to mow gravel” he explained. And yet the garden was as stylish as a carefully furnished room. Japanese style music piped out from the gate, red lanterns were hung across the deck, mirrors gave the illusion of additional wings beyond the hedgerows – even the neighbors’ back balconies, stacked up the slope, suggested a Japanese theme. Goldfish swam in the water and an ivy covered tree stump added an extra level to the garden with a platform treehouse. But just like Jenga, Gerry says they might well tear the garden down and start anew one day.“There’s always room for improvement” he says. Gardening is definitely a game for hardy perennials (I really mean that). Most of the gardens I saw were at least 15 years’ in the making.

The final stop on my tour was organizer Lisa’s Hawthorne Street garden. Lisa is a rose connoisseur. “Yes I do like roses”, she said modestly when I commented on the caliber of her rose garden. Her backyard was a dappled bower of elegant varieties – amongst others an Austin rose and a beautiful pale pink climber called Eden. She prefers cool silver/blue leaves to complement the shade. She moved into her house 20 years’ ago, and has been involved in the Somerville Garden club for about 15 years. She explains that the tour raises money for speakers’ fees at the Garden Club events. This is how the club keeps events free. And by the way, if you’re a Cambridge resident, you can join too.

Summer is the time when people start to venture out of doors, thinking about farmers’ markets, beach-trips and stuff like that. Judging by this weekend there’s no need to go on long trips seeking communion with nature, as hidden Somerville is blossoming right under our noses.

Photo by Snowshot

David Prum wrestles with problems of crime and punishment while Local and Regional Gladiators battle it out in the next room.

It’s a coincidence too good to miss, and the double-booking happened by accident: Ask the Detective is BACK this Friday at the Armory the same night as UFO Wrestling. Anyone who attended Prum’s last talk or who read our interview will be familiar with his thoughts on the connection between crime and performance. Prum and his biographer John Thompson worked together as Private Investigators for many years. Both were artsy types, who still seem amused that they stumbled into the world of crime-fighting. Prum was an actor and Thompson was a writer, and both still pursue a patchwork of contrasting professions and hobbies – from private detection, to writing to modern dance. So what’s the connection with wrestling? Well by complete coincidence Ask the Detective and UFO Wrestling were booked on the same night several months ago too, and Prum and audience members remarked then on the connection between polite discussions about the spectacle of crime and the organized violence that was going on next-door. I got the opportunity to wander between the small intimate cafe, where John Thompson and David Prum mused on criminal cases – to the visceral world of UFO wrestling where local and regional gladiators crashed in and out of the ring wearing super-hero underpants on the outside, but no superhero costumes underneath… It was a pretty wild contrast, summing up the dramatic difference between the hours of chatting and gossiping that Prum and Thompson say make up the most part of private detection, and the “bust out” moments of crime, when suddenly something ugly happens. The joke of the evening was that, as Prum put it, “what’s happening in the next room is a crime scene.” But, because, as Prum says, “we will never be rid of crime unless we limit the human imagination”, sports like boxing and wrestling, or the drama programs that do well with prisoners can be constructive outlets for crime’s most theatrical tendencies.
What’s the best outlet for crime though? According to Prum it is “musical comedy.” Failing the likelihood that the government will replace drug squads with a network of glee-clubs in the next few days, hear Prum underline his talk about crime and performance with a rendition of “The Lush Life.” Or for less talk and more action head next door to see local and regional wrestlers battle it out.

“When I went and brought back the birth table, these women broke into a spontaneous call and response…it was incredible”

Women singing and dancing in celebration at the Kabaya clinic

1998 was a crazy year for Andrea Chitouras. It was the year in which her charity, World Connection was set up. It was also the year in which she and the villagers of Kabaya built a clinic from scratch in 3 months with 20, 000 handmade adobe bricks. And in 1998, she made a pop-song about the hygiene benefits of hand-washing with the famous Malian musician Toumani Diabiate.

Diabaté is a griot – an official storyteller and music-maker who, according to his own research, comes from a hereditary line of 71 griots. He’s not just influential in public awareness projects because of his celebrity, but because of his role – to preserve song traditions that carry the oral history of Mali, a country where illiteracy is high.

Since the coup in Mali last year the threads of musical connection have been slashed by the aggression of Islamic extremists and reactionary government forces who claim they’re shutting down musical events to guard against extremist tantrums. It is a complex situation, but one thing is clear: Malian musicians, respectable professionals – some griots, the traditional advisors to kings – can’t work any longer. Wedding entertainment, musical celebrations of any kind – musicians’ traditional gigs – are closed for business. The New York Times’ headline was a eulogy: “the day the music died in Mali”. But is it really time for a eulogy?

As someone who travels back and forth regularly to Mali, this lament from afar raises awareness but doesn’t have much bearing on Chitouras’ own message. She prefers not to untangle the threads of the situation, describing it as a “mess”, and hopes that the exhibition and the concert will pay for basic relief.

“The first thing is the food and the second thing is instruments and equipment so they can continue practicing the craft…” she says of World Connection’s relief effort.

Chitouras has played with many of the internationally renowned Malian musicians – like Toumani Diabaté and Babatunde Olantunji – but these are not the musicians in desperate situations – people like Khaira Arby – who has a name from history and legend: the nightingale of the north.

Khaira Arby, the nightingale of the north

“She’s not a griot but she’s a singer.. .she’s lost everything… “ says Chitouras. “All her instruments were destroyed, and taken out of her house… She can’t go back… she’s from Timbuktu: there are extremists who say they would cut out her tongue….”

“The nightingale of the north has lost her voice” adds Chitouras, using the tone of high epic, which in this case is genuinely appropriate to the blatant destructiveness of the attack on Arby’s calling.
Though World Connection’s fifteenth birthday celebrations are being held because of an urgent appeal, the exhibition and concert are clearly intended to be a positive retrospective of a collaboration that was as fruitful for Chitouras as for the people she met – 1998, and the subsequent years spent visiting Mali, were also the years she began playing the bass in public.

“If you wanna learn something… it’s just the best place to go, because there’s more encouragement – even if they’re lying to you… !” Andrea jokes about her experience of being a female bass player in Mali.

“You play two notes…and the fact that I’m female – a white female – and I’m playing their music… blows their minds… I’m the only female bass-player in the country… one of the few female bass players in several African countries…”

Of the Kabaya project she says: “It was completely grassroots… every section of the town made bricks and brought their section… the women’s association brought the sand and they donated money” – She says that she always made it clear that as much as she was there to help, it belonged to the people, it was their “baby.”

“When I went and brought back the birth table, these women broke into a spontaneous call and response…it was incredible…and that was history happening, so in the history of Kabaya, I was in there somewhere”

Chitouras gives the impression that music in Mali is a vital infrastructure that sustains life, just like a water source. You often hear of roadblocks, phone-lines cut, children prevented from going to school during wartime – but the story of music’s suppression in Mali is a new, and particularly sad one.

There is some good news though: the Kabaya clinic is still standing. The music is still being played. And you can hear Chitouras play with Balla Kouyate and Boubacar Diabate at a benefit concert this Thursday in The Armory, where music benefits the cause of music. If music is not just an art that entertains, but an art that can speak for itself, than surely it stands a chance of survival.

The exhibition of photos runs through the 14th of June, and the concert is Thursday May 30th. See Arts at the Armory website for details.

The teenagers got to dissolve their identities behind the yellow masks of traditional Tibetan Opera for one evening. Everyone else got to enjoy the energy of their dance.

Jessica Monk at the Tibet Culture Festival and Mali Exhibition

The paintings of Ngawang Jordan

The Armory’s own Rachel Park in front of a traditional Prayer Tent

As anyone who follows this blog and the Armory Events Calendar knows, the hall and the café are temporary homes for any community that wants to fly its colors for a while. And by colors I mean what’s considered “colorful” about a community – its art, its literature and its craft. You could say this is what’s merely decorative about a culture. Or you could think of it as the evidence of a community’s substance – their rootedness here in Somerville, and their deeper roots abroad.

In the last few weeks a blooming crop of international events has appeared on the calendar – and the common thread is that the Haitian, Malian and Tibetan communities involved are overcoming community hardship with cultural initiatives. For the Haitian community, the earthquake is still a pressing trauma as rebuilding is, for World Connection hosting a benefit and art-show for disenfranchised Malian musicians is an urgent message for people who don’t know that music is a serious, threatened industry in Mali – not only that, but it’s a fragile form of oral history for Malians who can’t read or write.

If Ngawang Jordan, painter and Free Tibet activist, can tell me that he would like Tibet to be  known for more than “Demonstrations and Buddhism” , then it must be time to celebrate culture as more than just color. Jordan has been down in the trenches for the political and religious struggle long enough: he organizes a weekly Free Tibet vigil in Harvard Square Pit and in 2009, he helped to organize the visit of the Dalai Llama to Boston. There was no religious or political occasion for the Tibet festival, just a free slot at the Armory and a lot of enthusiasm from a proud community.

A fast, skillful Tibetan script, by Kelsang Lhamo. The word spelled is ‘compassion’

The art exhibition featured Ngawang’s paintings, framed photos of Tibetan people and landscapes – but also skateboards decorated with intricate art by a non-Tibetan Somerville artist. His qualification? He plays in a band with some of the organizers, and he was there to represent the ties between the Tibetan community in Somerville and other Somervillians.

Employees of the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Library at the Calligraphy stand

There was no way that “demonstrations and Buddhism” could be avoided entirely at this event, but it didn’t take away from proceedings. A beautiful traditional chant opened the program, and a well-known Tibet activist (Lhadon Tethong) spoke about her work on behalf of her country in the ongoing struggle for independence. Teenagers performed the wonderful Tashi Shorpa, a good luck dance. This was a masked, hollered stampede, accompanied by rawhide drums. The teenagers got to dissolve their identities behind the yellow masks of traditional Tibetan Opera for one evening. Everyone else got to enjoy the energy of their dance.

Then there was Mr Pema Tsewang, who spoke about translating Charles Dickens into Tibetan. Mr. Tsewang found that Tibetan children learning their native language at schools in India needed to read books they could relate to in order to learn. So he wrote a few of his own and translated Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations.

There were also musicians from the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts in Dharamsala, and there were the exhibits too – including a traditional prayer tent, hot food, and Tibetan calligraphers. Kelsang Lhamo showed me a selection of the 8 different types of Tibetan Calligraphy. She is a senior librarian at the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center – a major digital library in the making. The library acquires and preserves texts – and eventually hopes to offer digital access to all.

Bailey Payer at “Strings of Hope”

Just recently, the Arts at the Armory hosted “Strings of Hope”; a musical journey featuring some of Haiti’s most cherished song-writers and musicians. Presented by the Haitian Artists Assembly of Massachusetts (HAAM), the show featured classical pieces of music written by Haitian artists.

Hope on a String is an organization based in Haiti that seeks to foster social transformation and economic development through participation in music.

The HAAM frequently uses the Armory space for their meetings and presentations, most recently using it for their poetry demonstration. This time, the sounds of violins, flutes and violas filled the performance space. While all the pieces were written by members of the HAAM, the performers were not members, nor were they Haitian.

I spoke to one of the song-writers, Gifrants, who was showcasing six pieces: three from his book titled Because of Love and three from his other book titled How I Heard the Rain. Gifrants moved to Boston in 1994 and has always been a musician.

“My music brings people together. It bridges the differences between cultures and showcases the Haitian culture.”

When I asked him about the significance of the performance, in relation to the timing of the Boston marathon events, he said, “We need to keep the spirit of unity, friendship and community alive.”

The Mali Exhibition is open until June 14th, and a Benefit Concert is being held on May 30th.

Recycling: a big production, in a good way.

Martha Friend wall piece

Urban Dictionary returns the result that a bash is (amongst other things), “a giant party.” I was expecting several subtle interpretations besides this one, but nope, “bash” is authoritatively deemed by the internet to be a juggernaut of a party.
So for all lovers of elephant-size events, it’s a happy fact that Deb McLaughlin, the organizer behind Trash Bash, is renowned for throwing parties – in fact it’s her job at 3 Graces Productions, a company that sculpts events with an emphasis on conviviality, creativity and charm.

McLaughlin is also an Arts at the Armory alumnus, with Jennifer Lawrence, who is helping to bring Somerville’s first Recycled Art Competition to the Armory. This event has grown so huge, in fact, that it was moved to the Armory from another location. Trash Bash will be the largest party that 3 Graces Productions have ever held.

Mutant Vehicle # 2, by William Turville

And though it may be the first of its kind in Somerville, it is not a new idea to marry art and sustainability in this way. But it is something that Somerville – known both for its creativity and its sustainable outlook – is uniquely equipped to fuse.

“it was my idea to bring a Recycled Art competition to Somerville to celebrate the rich creative spirit here while raising awareness about how we can reduce our carbon footprint”, McLaughlin says. In return for your recycled five dollar cover charge, you’ll get to participate in workshops and mix a weekend education about sustainability with food, live music and Slumbrew. Entries have now closed for artists, but tickets are available at the door. The Trash Bash organizers have given us a few teasers about what we can expect at Trash Bash. Check out artist Martha Friend’s website for example:

Harley, the Homeless Unicorn Bison, by Minimum Wage Art

“I come from an old New England family who saves everything and totally believes in picking the trash. My family has sheds, barns, and outbuildings bursting with stuff that “someone could use someday”.”

It’s recycling at its best – not just stuff, but a thrifty old New England attitude that was bound to come in handy someday!

Date: Sunday May 19th
Admission: $5.00 from 11 AM to 5 PM at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA. See Trash Bash and 3 Graces on Facebook, or Arts at the Armory for more info.

“God I’m sophisticated”, said Daisy Buchanan, carelessly. Lana was taking notes.

My inherited copy of The Great Gatsby

After moving to the US, I approached The Great Gatsby as a project to tackle. I didn’t even know what the physical book looked like – its size, its shape, its meatiness. But I expected ‘The Great American Novel’, to be big, optimistic and swashbuckling. So I was surprised to find in my second-hand school copy more of a short fable: fast, flashy, sparkling, unnerving, like the blurred memory of a wild party.

You have been warned: the lifestyle of Gatsby is fleeting, ephemeral and will bring you a fancy kind of happiness that will be followed by a sober hangover. But The Great Gatsby is a beautifully written novel, set in the spring of the American dream, and there are plenty of reasons this spring to celebrate it.

Saloon, Davis Square

Gatsbyesque girls at Saloon Social

Let’s get this party started then, as I hear people say nowadays: I enjoyed a great night at The Saloon Gatsby Social with Literary Traveler, our sister site working out of The Armory. Literary Traveler have been filming scenes in The Saloon for their new Kickstarter video, and I was there to prop up the bar in my 20s outfit. This in turn fed into the idea for making a public interest article about Gatsby events in Somerville and Boston – an “enjoy Gatsby sensibly” announcement, with a kick.The Saloon Social may have passed us by (it was a blast), but the bar’s reputation as Davis Square’s only speakeasy is as strong as ever. It’s the kind of place where you could probably show up in 1920s gear anytime, and the strange looks would be ones of admiration. With flowered carpets spread across a floor limber for dancing, dark wood and a menu stocked with updates of prohibition cocktails – no bathtub gin – the place is all atmosphere. But Beverage Director Manny Gonzalez describes its appearance as like a “Disney set”, where the polished surface gives way to the kitchens and cloakrooms of activity behind. There is a lot of substance behind Saloon’s style, and for a bar that’s only been open for a couple of years, it is a place of lore and mystery. Manny tells me that the furniture, lamps doors and archway were rescued from V8 Capitol grill when it was closing. This includes – just by the way – carved wooden doors from a 17th century monastery.

“I don’t think you can take over a continent without being drunk”

“People are coming here to forget” says Manny, as he performs the verbal science of mixology, contradicting his comment with a few twists that suggest Saloon is aiming for excellence over effect. First of all, there are the cocktails: Manny, who is of Mexican wine-growing/bar-owning descent tells me about mezcal, one of the key ingredients in the ‘smokestack’, a cocktail that Saloon serves poured into a glass smoked with rosemary. “I don’t think you can take over a continent without being drunk”, he says of mezcal, the Conquistadors’ own bathtub spirit, the ancestor of modern tequila.
And then there is his own experience. He is a serious drinker. This generally means somebody who treats drinking like a contact sport that you need a helmet and nerves of steel to survive. But Manny drinks seriously because it’s his job, and it’s an interest that developed later in life. He tells me a story of how after a wine-tasting event he experienced a hang-over from just inhaling wine at a tasting event (I believe him, I think). He learned his trade at a restaurant where the manager had personal relationships with the winemakers in France and encouraged staff to develop their tastes. “After a while you taste so much it becomes second nature…” he says. “This is an industry neighborhood” he adds, explaining that the people who come to the Saloon are in the food and wine business and living in Somerville and Cambridge because of its affordability. These are the customers who keep bars like Saloon on their toes, and raise the standard for rest of us. It’s comforting to know that Saloon holds itself to such high standards. If it really were a Speakeasy serving bathtub gin, you might stand a chance of surviving a night here.

Literary Traveler, On the Trail of Gatsby

Francis McGovern, Antoinette Weil and Amanda Festa of Literary Traveler

I’m testament to this, as I survived the Saloon Gatsby Social night – just about – after celebrating the launch of Somerville based Literary Traveler’s Kickstarter drive. What Literary Traveler are aiming to do – just in time to satisfy anyone whose curiosity about The Great Gatsby goes beyond the film and the book – is to explore the origins of Fitzgerald’s Gatsby by shooting an episode ‘on the road’ in search of Gatsby’s places of inspiration. It’s really surprising how enmeshed this short book is in Fitzgerald’s life: his habit of chasing moneyed girls – not just Zelda, but Ginevra King, reportedly the inspiration for Daisy’s character – his sudden, surprising success with This Side of Paradise, his Mid-Western origin, his habit of using the personal diaries and letters of his girlfriends as material for his stories. Literary Traveler are launching a funding drive to make Gatsby, the first episode in a projected series about writers’ origins. Check out the Literary Traveler blog in the coming weeks for articles and posts relating to all things Gatsby.

Emmanuel Music presents John Harbison’s Great Gatsby Opera

Emmanuel Music presents The Great Gatsby

Though it’s not often that there’s a reason to go outside Somerville for your culture, occasionally it is justified and we can condone it. John Harbison’s Gatsby Opera (this Sunday 12th) is one reason why we won’t frown upon anyone transcending city limits and parking angels. John Harbison has been involved with Emmanuel Music from its founding. The Opera, like Baz Lurhmann’s film, uses original songs, written in the style of the times with lyrics provided by Murray Horwitz. This is a one night only show, so get your tickets while they’re still available.

Baz Luhrmann’s Gatsby, the Movie

And then, of course, there is the film… At time of writing the movie has received a 46% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is all the more reason to go see it so you can get opinionated about the success/failure of this spectacular adaption. Such is the film/book’s association with style that the costumes were designed by Prada. Fittingly, Lana Del Ray, elusive internet-pop beauty, is providing one of the movie’s main theme songs. Some of you may remember Del Ray slinking through 2011 and 2012 in flowered pagan headdresses, singing about the plastic nature of the American Dream (in both senses of the word), pumping up her lips with actual plastic surgery and doing moneyed self-loathing in a way that hadn’t been seen before since about, well, 1928. “God I’m sophisticated”, said Daisy Buchanan, carelessly. Lana was taking notes.

And so I learned that this skinny (mocha, soy) novel has always been quite the Gala cultural event. It’s almost impossible to consider The Gatsby phenomenon without the Gatsby spinoffs – the parties, the operas, the craziness. And may we remind you that this public service announcement comes at a time when spring weather leaves you with no excuses to stay inside – except perhaps to curl up with the Great American Novel itself.
Enjoy sensibly!

My glamorous evening at Beyond the Pattern consisted of sculling back a restorative ginger tea experimentally mixed with some affordable yet decent scotch, eating a plate of fish sticks, and then running out the door.

If I could share my “beauty” regime in the run up to most big events in my life, it would turn your hair white (might suit you, too). It’s generally a pretty grueling marathon of sleepless nights, coffee, vitamins and snatched bowls of breakfast cereal for dinner. From all the reports that I hear, this is how the busy-busy fashion world works too. Glamor, so it seems, is all about the performance on the night and not about any process of sacred purification, preservation or preparation. So forgive me while I ramble a little on this topic, because it’s just struck me how interesting it is that holier-than-thou beauty regimes and gutsy fashion performances are fundamentally opposed, and yet we think of them as existing in the same world.
While you’re with me on that, spare a thought for the high school students who worked overtime to contribute to Beyond the Pattern’s young designer’s challenge. Or Maria Marks, an accessory designer, who described herself as “oil painter by day, bathmat bag-maker by night.” Or Su Red, who was among the photographers at the show working hard in the aisles, snapping the models in difficult light. Rather than trying to perfect, purify, preserve – or whatever the wintry, thrifty beauty people will tell us we must do, the flesh and blood Somerville artists who threw open their doors this spring, worked with whatever they’ve got – lumps, bumps, bathmats, vintage, new.

“the giraffe suit is vintage, the make-up is self and the shoes were 19 dollars.”

I was happy to hear witty, disco attired presenter Nicole Pierce get a well-deserved cheer for her honest breakdown of her outfit: “the giraffe suit is vintage, the make-up is self and the shoes were 19 dollars.” I myself had ventured out with some trepidation in a green tunic and pointy velvet shoes with bows that I hoped would communicate ‘hot elf’ rather than manic leprechaun. My glamorous evening consisted of sculling back a restorative ginger tea, experimentally mixed with some affordable yet decent scotch, eating a plate of fish sticks, and then running out the door. I thought I’d keep it odd when I pitched up to the bar, ordering the Armory’s famed chamomile mead. If that’s the strange story of how I got there, I can only imagine what the people who have worked for months on their fashion collections and gallery offerings have to tell.
Some of you might remember Joolie Cahill from an earlier post in which we got a magpie fixation with her sparkly stall at the Local is for Lovers market. Joolie sent models down the ramp in funky, sexy, Moulin Rouge style gear. There was a metallic-red flouncy baby-doll dress that was one of the most cute and wearable pieces I saw that night. Joolie was also one of the main organizers of the show. Rachel Mello, co-ordinater of Somerville Open Studios, reminded us that SOS has been going for 15 years.
Pampi raised spirits with her procession of scantily clad male and female models, dressed in futuristic forager styles, vibrating in a frequency between tribal and modern that I’m just going to call “cyber-vegan.” Risque body-paint and the ballsy confidence of the male and female models made this one of the most fun moments of the night.
The show wrapped up pretty early, and I wandered out with Su Red, a photographer and poet who I met in the queue for the best spot to snap the models. Rather than compete in that aggressive fash-photographer way, we worked together and she told me a little of her story about moving to Somerville and her experience taking photos at live gigs and open mic nights.
It’s quite daunting I’d imagine, to turn your kitchen or dining room into an open shop for the day. The Beyond the Pattern show was a good way to kick off Somerville Open Studios with the tip that a little bit of exhibitionism – wearing what’s inside on the outside – turns art into the performance it must be. Whatever the dedication and compromises that go into it year-round, eventually, like the birds and flowers in springtime, art needs to spread its peacock feathers and be seen.

All photos by Su Red. See http://www.wellredcreations.com/.

“The biggest thrill came when I heard some of these folks introduce themselves like this: ‘Hi my name is ____, I am an artist.”

I had read the Outside Sound event description: art created by artists with special needs set to music. I visualized the event as an art gallery with some live music accompaniment where people could walk around at their own leisure and meet and greet the artists. I was wrong: “Outside Sound” is much more than a traditional setting for art; it is a research project that consists of artwork created by people with developmental disabilities as an inspiration for music. Project Director and Composer, Chris Coyle, developed this project as a way to foster his love of blending music with other mediums. He partnered with three art programs, including Outside the Lines, an art studio for adults with developmental disabilities based in Medford, MA.

The presentation of the artwork was so unique; I can only describe it as one part live music performance, one part documentary and one part DJ mixing. Coyle introduced each segment with a short description and then cued up the band and played original music while the artwork flashed on the projector screen.

“This population, adults with developmental disabilities, is hidden away in our society, at times. Outside Sound gave them the opportunity to shine”

I spoke to Else Eaton, Director of Outside the Lines, about the importance of such programs in the community. “This project gives the rest of the world an idea of our studio. These people really influence other artists,” she said. “It also gives our folks the opportunity to contribute.”

She continued, “This population, adults with developmental disabilities, is hidden away in our society, at times. Outside Sound gave them the opportunity to shine in their own special way. It was really powerful.”

Outside the Lines is part day program for people with developmental disabilities, part art studio. Eaton emphasized the two-way learning exchange between the participants and artists. The organization functions as an artist collective.

Music is also a huge part of the program, a part that Eaton thinks is one of the most important. She said music really brings out the participants’ unique personalities in a way that it only can. It is especially important for these participants because many of them are completely non-verbal. Some of the clips showed program participants singing, writing music and, most often, sitting at the most honored spot in the room: the piano. During one of his introductions, Coyle explained, “The piano lends itself well to the artists because of how it’s laid out.”

“This was a great opportunity for them to define themselves as artists and use art as the tool to define themselves,” explained Eaton. “The biggest thrill came when I heard some of these folks introduce themselves like this: ‘Hi my name is ____, I am an artist.”

Coyle described some of his favorite parts of this year-long endeavor:

“I love bringing creative music to these types of programs. Most programs of this nature have some kind of music therapy, but this involves more creativity and discovery. Some of these people have never seen an upright bass before so being able to witness some of that discovery was amazing.”

Currently, Coyle is touring with an indie band.

On May 3, Outside the Lines is hosting an open house at their location in Medford. The event is from 5-9pm and is free.

Please visit www.chriscoylemusic.com, notsosilentcinema.com and outsidethelinesstudio.org for more information about these groups and programs.

They shimmied, pulsated, popped and locked to their hearts’ content and to the delight of their very enthusiastic audience. Some dancers wore traditional finger symbols; some wore gold chains around their midriffs and all danced barefoot

It starts with the kind of bass you can feel through the floor. Then everyone is clapping as the familiar horns from Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ ultra-popular song “Thrift Shop” blare through the speakers. The show has begun.

Café Raqs, named after raqs sharqi, a classical Egyptian style of belly dance that developed during the first half of the 20^th century, is a cabaret-style dance revue that features different types of belly dancing. The Arts at the Armory Café hosts the group, led by Bevin Victoria, every fourth Sunday of the month.

“I started the group because I came from an active belly dancing community in Portland, Oregon and didn’t feel like Boston had as strong of a presence,” explained Victoria. “The genres were segregated.”

Active belly dancing community? Different genres? I quickly learned that belly dancing is a pseudo underground phenomena with a sort of cult following. And like most niche trends, you either know about it or you don’t. Most people have an excuse – but as someone who prides myself on being in-tune with my surroundings and as an active member of the performing arts community, it was quite disconcerting to find that I know next to nothing about this ancient dance. In my head, belly dancers are unique entertainers at high-end Indian restaurants and fun additions at fancy parties. I had no idea about the intricate isolated moves, breath-taking costumes and sense of culture and community that accompanied this dance form.

Victoria explained to me the three most common styles of belly dancing: cabaret, American tribal style and tribal fusion. Cabaret is the classical belly dancing style that most people imagine when they think of belly dancing. American tribal style is a group style that is all improvisational. The dancers perform as a group and take turns taking the lead role. Tribal fusion is a unique blend of the two other styles. It incorporates contemporary dance and hip-hop and combines them with traditional belly dancing moves.

“We want to showcase the beauty of belly dance, the empowerment, sensuality,” explained Victoria.

And that is exactly what the performers did. They shimmied, pulsated, popped and locked to their hearts’ content and to the delight of their very enthusiastic audience. Some dancers wore traditional finger symbols; some wore gold chains around their midriffs and all danced barefoot.

Victoria also shared a brief history of the dance form, including its strong roots in Eygpt. Belly dancing made its way to America in the 1930s, bringing with it an awareness of the different styles of belly dance. The cabaret style continued to evolve through the 1970s, which is around the time tribal style became popular. In the late 90s, with the emergence of belly dancing pop divas, such as Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, tribal fusion left the “underground” and showed its face to the world.

Generally, someone who begins belly dancing classes can expect to be at the performance level once they can “produce a responsible product” worthy of a paying audience. For some, this might mean a few months of lessons, for others it could mean years of practice. With Café Raqs, Victoria tries to honor people in all points of their dance journey in an intimate setting. It gives novices a chance to perform in front of a live audience and veterans an opportunity to stay active when they’re not preparing for a show.

Victoria and two gal pals teach tribal fusion belly dance in the Armory on Monday evenings. Fundamentals is from 7-8pm and Beyond Basics is from 8-9pm. Drop in classes are $20, ten classes for $150, six classes for $90 or four classes for $60.

Please check out facebook.com/UrbanNomadDanceCo for more information.