Global Around Town

The 2011 Global Around Town Holiday Gift Guide

2011-12-15T09:44:00.001-05:00

Welcome back Dear Friends.

With the Holidays upon us,

here are some last minute gift ideas that I hope you'll enjoy!

1. First up, something I'm dying for,

The Theme and Variations 2005 Teapot and Coffee Service

by Fornasetti.

How surreal, and Dali-esque!

I love all things Fornasetti!

The plates are really nice too!

2. Do you want something delicious to fill that gorgeous coffee pot with?

I've been enjoying the coffees from George Howell's Terroir for years.

His recent roasts of Aged Sumatra

have been some of the purist

expressions of that

varietal.

"Notes of brandy and tawny port, fresh sweet tobaccos,

roots, leather, autumn leaves and butterscotch..."

Last time this limited release was available

I ordered two packages.

You may want to do the same.

3. Up next a very exotic incense that you or your loved one

may love wafting around your home.

I splurged on a small pack of this

Minorien Fu-in Kyara Ryugen

a while back, and will occasionally

treat myself to some.

This very special incense

will transport you to faraway lands whether lit

or simply sitting in its beautiful

Paulownia box.

"This is Minorien's Masterpiece. It has a wet smell of Kyara that is very deep. You will also note an excellent tone that reflects, in abundance, the very nature of the incense tree. You will enjoy a gentle aroma of the highest quality of pure "Kyara smell."

4. I could not put down Michael Ondaatje's newest novel

The Cat's Table.

"In the early 1950s, an 11-year-old boy in Colombo boards a ship bound for England. At mealtimes he is seated at the “cat’s table”—as far from the Captain’s Table as can be—with a ragtag group of “insignificant” adults and two other boys, Cassius and Ramadhin. As the ship makes its way across the Indian Ocean, through the Suez Canal, into the Mediterranean, the boys tumble from one adventure to another, bursting all over the place like freed mercury. But there are other diversions as well: One man talks with them about jazz and women, another opens the door to the world of literature. The narrator’s elusive, beautiful cousin Emily becomes his confidante, allowing him to see himself “with a distant eye” for the first time, and to feel the first stirring of desire. Another cat’s table denizen, the shadowy Miss Lasqueti, is perhaps more than what she seems. And very late every night, the boys spy on a shackled prisoner, his crime and his fate a galvanizing mystery that will haunt them forever.

As the narrative moves between the decks and holds of the ship and the boy’s adult years, it tells a spellbinding story—by turns poignant and electrifying—about the magical, often forbidden discoveries of childhood and a lifelong journey that begins unexpectedly with a spectacular sea voyage."

5. A few months ago I was lucky enough to have attended

a concert by this brilliant trio

at our stunning

Finnish Embassy.

The setting,

the generosity,

the food, the drink, the company,

and above all the music...

spectacular.

Psalms and Folk Songs by Kuara

Markku Ounaskari drums
Samuli Mikkonen piano
Per Jørgensen trumpet, voice

just may be the

Best Record of 2011.

Much of the music here is based on

"Russian Psalms and folk songs

from displaced Finnish peoples

(Karelians, Udmurtians, Vepsans)

- all approached from improvisational

perspectives. It feels like a voyage over unfamiliar terrain,

or as Markku says

"like a journey through the night"."

Just a few thoughts for you my Dear Friends.

Wishing you

a warm & wonderful

Holiday!

Famous Aire's Fabulous Strawberry Shortcake

2011-11-13T17:45:00.000-05:00

Let's see.......Shortcakes

1st buy a box of Bisquick.

2. Follow the instructions on the box , EXCEPT : use MORE sugar than the recipe. Like 1 1/2 extra tbsps. Maybe throw in a little extra butter. You'll only need to use a big wooden spoon to mix.

3. the recipe says to make 6. They're huge ! Make 8.

4. The box says to bake the shortcakes , split and serve w/the strawberries and whipped cream , but you can also make them the day before . Then, to serve, split , using a bread or other serrated knife and great care as they're a bit crumbly.....and place split-side down on a cookie sheet and heat in the oven @ like 250 for a few minutes to toast them up a bit. You may want to pick them up using a spatula to plate them.

5. The recipe suggests a kind of sandwich approach : 1/2 shortcake, layer of strawbs/top 1/2 of shortcake/ more strawbs and whipped cream. BUT I like to serve them more like Eggs Benedict. 2 1/2s of shortcake , side by each, both topped with loads of strawberries and......

WHIPPED CREAM

1. The recipe calls for Cool Whip or some such . Of course you can do that. Or, even canned. I prefer to make fresh. It's so easy and yummy too. You probably know how to make whipped cream, but if you don't , then here you go :

2. A pint of heavy whipping cream will make a boatload .

3. Take a mixing bowl. Tall and narrower is way better than lower and wider. Use metal,glass or ceramic , NOT plastic. Slosh a tiny bit of water around in it and dump it out. Then put it in the freezer for a little while 5, 10 min. whatever... just until it's nice and cold.

4. Pour cream into bowl. Add a couple or 3 big tbsps of confectioner's sugar with a couple of capfulls of vanilla extract. Whip with whatever kind of mixer you have at very high speed until thick and gloppy enough.... to taste. CAREFUL !!!! This should only take a few minutes, so DON'T OVERDO IT !!! If you overbeat, it'll get all liquidy and soupy. So when you think you're almost done, just stop and see if it's thick enough. If not yet... just give it a couple of quick poofs with the mixer and check again. Repeat a few times if necessary.

5. Slather on top of strawbabies on top of shortcakes. I like mountains !

Strawbabies :

1. Follow recipe on box if you like. I like to make lots. So you can certainly use more than 4 cups if you like. I do. More is often....more. And for a change I actually use LESS sugar than the recipe calls for. But sugar to taste.

That's it !!! So load 'em up....either sandwich or benedict style... and PIG OUT !

Does Hollywood Do It Again?! David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2011-10-07T08:50:00.000-04:00

If you are like me

you read and loved all of

The Millennium Trilogy.

You then raced to see all

of the movies

as soon as they were released.

Since then I've been reading everything I can by

Henning Mankell,

Karin Fossum,

Jo Nesbo,

Camilla Lackberg,

and other fine Scandinavian authors.

It has been a pleasant

if chilly

ride.

When I heard that there would be a

Hollywood version of

The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo

I was nonplussed.

The Scandinavian version

was just fine with me.

Why did we need another,

Hollywood version?

Well the previews are out

and quite frankly

the new version

looks better than I had thought.

Perhaps

Stieg Larsson's works stand up to

numerous interpretations.

The preview above has

peaked my curiosity.

What do you think?

Old Friends, New Friends - Serge Gainsbourg

2011-10-03T14:21:00.001-04:00

Serge Gainsbourg

was

hip,

quirky,

fun,

charming & romantic.

His music was too.

You can often hear wonderful tunes of his like

Comic Strip

Viens petite fille dans mon comic strip
Viens faire des bull's, viens faire des WIP !
Des CLIP ! CRAP ! des BANG ! des VLOP ! et des ZIP !
SHEBAM ! POW ! BLOP ! WIZZ !

J'distribue les swings et les uppercuts
Ca fait VLAM ! ça fait SPLATCH ! et ça fait CHTUCK !
Ou bien BOMP ! ou HUMPF ! parfois même PFFF !
SHEBAM ! POW ! BLOP ! WIZZ !

Viens petite fill' dans mon comic strip
Viens faire des bull's, viens faire des WIP !
Des CLIP ! CRAP ! des BANG ! des VLOP ! et des ZIP !
SHEBAM ! POW ! BLOP ! WIZZ !

Viens avec moi par dessus les buildings
Ca fait WHIN ! quand on s'envole et puis KLING !
Après quoi je fais TILT ! et ça fait BOING !
SHEBAM ! POW ! BLOP ! WIZZ !

Viens petite fill' dans mon comic strip
Viens faire des bull's, viens faire des WIP !
Des CLIP ! CRAP ! des BANG ! des VLOP ! et des ZIP !
SHEBAM ! POW ! BLOP ! WIZZ !

N'aies pas peur bébé agrippe-toi CHRACK !
Je suis là CRASH ! pour te protéger TCHLACK !
Ferme les yeux CRACK ! embrasse-moi SMACK !
SHEBAM ! POW ! BLOP ! WIZZ !
SHEBAM ! POW ! BLOP ! WIZZZZZ !

streaming from my windows.

If you're lucky

you might hear strands of

Bonnie And Clyde...

Docteur Jekyll Et Monsieur Hyde.

Don't miss his music

and a glimpse into his life when

Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life

comes to the screen

or your DVD player.

I've been dying to see this ever since I saw the 1st preview.

Great Jewish Music: Serge Gainsbourg

is another fine recording

and a nice way to experience

Gainsbourg's music interpreted by others.

Elysian Fields, Fred Frith, Blonde Redhead, John Zorn, Cibo Matto, Marc Ribot

and others...

make sensitive, fun contributions.

I recently picked up a copy of

Monsieur Gainsbourg revisited,

which...

"Features 15 total tracks from the likes of Franz Ferdinand with Jane Birkin, Portishead, Cat Power and Karen Elson, Michael Stipe, Jarvis Cocker & Kid Loco, The Kills, Cat Power with Karen Elson, Tricky, Marc Almond with Trash Palace and more." - Amazon

... and couldn't listen to it.

It was hard, and angular and loud.

It wasn't fun.
It didn't groove.
It didn't sway,
and I had to turn it off!

Do treat yourself to

The Music of Serge Gainsbourg.

And while you're at it

keep your eyes peeled for the movie

Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life.

You'll be glad you did!

The Best Meatloaf In The World

2011-09-06T16:05:00.000-04:00

My Dear Brother Aire

recently bestowed upon me

the frequently requested recipe for

The Best Meatloaf in the World.

Here it is:

Now as you know, this and all my recipes are whatever that yiddish phrase is that sounds like " shit-a-rind ".......and therefore are unstructured and always sketchy or vague in terms of quantities or amounts, so you'll have to use your own imagination and native ingenuity.

You will NEED the following :

1) however much meat you want to loaf. I ALWAYS use "meatloaf mix" , which is 1/3 pork,1/3 veal,1/3 beef (ground) .I usually make 2 at a time cause I usually have 2 - 8 diners whenever I make meatloaf ( by POPULAR demand !) and who doesn't love a meatloaf sandwich from leftovers??? I'd rather make too much than too little. So I use between 3 and 6 lbs.

2) Dry onion soup mix. I usually use 1 1/2 - 2 packs for 3 - 5 lbs.

3) Eggs: 2-3 ? beaten

4) something cruchy....I like PLAIN croutons smushed up smaller. They're always like " Caeser Salad Croutons" or " Italian Garlic & Herbs". I like plain or as simple as I can find. Or you can toast Pepperidge Farm or Arnold's white bread, 2-3 slices, and cut it up into tiny little cubes. Or use something of you own devising....french bread or whatever. I hate just using breadcrumbs. Mom used to tear up little pieces of white bread. That's where I got using toast and graduated to croutons from. However much you think you need. I probably use like 2 or 3 hand scoops.

5) KETCHUP , WORSTERSHIRE SAUCE , ( must have ) and optional but recommended: Peter Luger's Sauce , Pickapeppa , Heinz 57 , Tiger Sauce .......etc. I recently used Kech & Worst and added Luger's and Pkpa...... very good...BUT use way more kech & wors than others. I always use alot of everything. BUT remember this has to be firm enough to make into a loaf and you're using eggs in this too, so remember not to get it too goopy.

6) optional.....chopped parsely , paprika , pepper ( I use these ) or as I like to refer to them " The 3 Ps".

I think that's everything .........

Mix all this together and hopefully come out with a mixture that will be firm enough to form into loafs.....and will not dry out while baking but come out moist...BUT that also won't fall totally apart when you slice it. It's a delicate balance. Achieved only through trial & error , sheer genius or just plain old dumb luck.......but achieve it you must if your meatloaf must be firm yet MOIST !!!

Form into loaf or loaves. I'm very precise with mine. I like them to be more brickesque than domed. Mine can vary from 1 1/2 to 3 lbs per loaf. Put them in something that has sides. Not like a flat something . As they will create lots of liquids and goos. I like to use one baking dish per loaf but you can use 1 big one for 2.

Ice with lots of Ketch. I also sprinkle on alotta the 3 Ps.

Pop them into the oven @ 350 and bake for 55 minutes. I don't mean an hour. I mean 55 minutes. For some reason this is the correct time for almost all meatloaves except very large ones. Remove after 55 min. Hopefully you can hoist them out of there goo and put them on a platter. This can get tricky if they're not real firm and will probably require 2 spatulas. Either way...in goo or on platter, let sit for 7 - 30 min before slicing. A few extra min is good. But if your guests are very late it doesn't matter cause it's still good even at room tempish , especially in the summer if you're also serving Aire's Famous Potato Salad.

And there you have it . Use it wisely. The Power of the Loaf should only be used for Good. Never take it for granted. Too round out the meal I suggest a simple lettuce and tomato salad and of course Aire's World Famous Strawberry Shortcakes.

Bon appetit !!!

Old Friends, New Friends - Jean-Pierre Rampal and Marielle Nordmann

2011-08-15T13:08:00.000-04:00

Welcome back Dear Friends,

Dear Readers.

More and more, as life goes by,

I feel as if I'm bombarded with noise.

Who really needs more depressing news of our economy,

of hooligans looting our cities,

of Middle East turmoil?

I frequently just have to turn it all off!

Jean-Pierre Rampal and Marielle Nordmann

team up for a soothing balm

on their 1990 recording

Music for Flute & Harp.

Here you'll find music by

Saint-Saens, Faure, Ravel and others

that is

calming,

plaintif,

and lyrical.

You may want copies for

the home and the car.

A Memorable Meal

2011-07-07T08:25:00.013-04:00

Dinner For The Steins

(My beautiful cousins Carrie Jo, Matt, and Zane were in town to remember my Dad.

This is the meal I created for them. It was the 1st time they'd visited my home. My dear friend Paolo Caserotti joined us for the evening as well.)

2009 Vietti Roero Arneis

Jumbo Lump Maryland Crab Cakes served with a Tomato & Fennel Coulis and a Lemon Mayonnaise

Cannelini Bean Salad with Shaved Radish, Asparagus, Scallions, and Zucchini

2004 Fattoria dei Barbi Brunello de Montelcino

Broiled Loin of Lamb served with Farroto con Funghi, and Grilled Radicchio & Endive

Frommage - Gorgonzola Dolce, Taleggio, and Reggiano Parmesan

served with warmed Olive Fougasse & Ciabatta, and Strawberries in Balsamic with Black Pepper

La Praline Walnut Dacquoise

Sumatra Espresso

Paolo's Parade of After Dinner Drinks - Limoncello, Cognac, Aquavit...

La Praline Assorted Macaroons

Dad - May 15, 1922 - May 29, 2011

2011-07-05T08:11:00.004-04:00

I was chatting with my brother Eric the other day

and I told him,

that for Dad's service,

I'd like to rise from the grave

seated at a grand piano

playing the Aria from

Bach's

Goldberg Variations.

This stunning piece of music is

an example of the exquisite

thought & beauty

that my Father was so fond of.

Sadly, a piano could not be arranged in time.

Dad grew up in The Bronx

where he used to play stickball,

eat Chinese Food,

and read

Science Fiction.

Dad was a curious lad

and always had an enquiring mind.

He loved games and puzzles,

was a wordsmith,

and as he grew older

his games and puzzles grew increasingly

more complex and into complicated equations, patterns,

languages, and systems.

Dad, until his last days,

could be seen cocking his head to the side, and seemingly,

by tapping his fingers together, or waving a hand,

or patting his chest,

was making various calculations.

Considering String Theory no doubt.

All that Dad really wanted to do

was contemplate these beautiful truths

and their variations, and to share them with

whoever was interested.

T'was a noble pursuit.

A noble life.

Dad

was

Thinker,

a Writer,

and a Painter...

Here are

A Few Words My Father Lived By

"Sums are not set as a test on Erasmus."

"Drawn I sit, Serene rest is inward."

and he sometimes asked...

"Are we not drawn onward, we few drawn onward to new era?"

Or more recently, during some of his hospital stays...

this could be heard...

"Nurse, I spy gypsies. Run!"

Yes,

and with Dad's

fondness for puzzles, patterns, and words

it is no surprise that he enjoyed a good

palindrome now and again.

Tough Times

2011-07-03T14:58:00.000-04:00

Welcome back

Dear Readers,

Dear Friends.

As some of you already know,

things around here have been rather tough lately.

My Dad,

who suffered a stroke around four years ago,

was hospitalized a number of times

in the past couple months.

Then,

at around 8:00 AM Sunday May 29th,

with Juliana, his loving caregiver

holding his hand,

and singing

"You Are My Sunshine"

to him,

he just kinda hiccuped a couple times

and closed his eyes.

We'd just celebrated Dad's 89th Birthday

on May 15th.

We will miss my Dad,

Dr. Joseph Henry Engel,

and I will continue to try to celebrate him & my Mom,

by sharing my

love for

The Arts

with you.

Old Friend, New Friends - Painted From Memory

2011-06-07T11:53:00.001-04:00

Once upon a time, around twenty five years ago, I lived in a lovely apartment just off Lake Merritt. As in most apartment buildings, tenants' could easily hear other tenants' goings on. It was during this time, that in addition to listening to quite a variety of Classical, Jazz and Pop, that I felt impelled to re acquaint myself with some of the wonderful music I had heard growing up in the 60's and early 70's. Namely, the music of Burt Bacharach with a young Dionne Warwick. This glorious music, tunes like: Alfie, Are You There (With Another Girl), The Windows Of The World, I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself and many others, seemed to play on happily and continually for months. While I listened contentedly, my neighbors could be heard screaming, "Put something else on already!" I could listen on and on to these arrangements, orchestrations, and beautiful vocals, but may have over estimated my neighbors' appetite. Now I live in a charming apartment in Bethesda, where the sounds of the new Burt Bacharach/Elvis Costello release Painted From Memory, has filled the air and begun seeping through the walls. I fear this may continue for a long time. Painted From Memory was composed and produced by Bacharach and Costello. In it they combine moving lyrics with tuneful melody for great emotional impact. Gorgeous orchestrations of lush, sweeping and vibrant strings, along with soul filled singing define these songs of love, loss and longing. On tunes such as In The Darkest Place, I Still Have That Girl, and This House Is Empty Now (the obvious sequel to A House Is Not A Home), Costello pleads with former, present and future loves. This is an exceptional work. A rare one, without misstep. In recent years a lot of attention has been paid to the music of Burt Bacharach. McCoy Tyner and his Trio recorded a fine CD of Bacharach's music accompanied by symphony orchestra. Bill Frisell, Joey Baron, Marc Ribot and other somewhat avant musicians recorded an eclectic take of his music for a CD titled Great Jewish Music: Burt Bacharach. And his influence is unmistakable in the works of pop greats Pizzicato Five. Particularly on tunes like Fortune Cookie from their The Sound Of Music CD. This music should be appealing to you as well. Along with Copland, Gershwin, and Ellington, Bacharach is one of the most important and prolific American Composers of this century. His collaborations with Warwick and Costello have been particularly fruitful. So, if by any chance, you hear these sounds wafting in through your home, pay careful attention. Better yet, run do not walk to the closest CD shop and buy a copy or two. Pick up a new Costello and an old Dionne Warwick. You will be amply rewarded.

Old Friends, New Friends - The Joe Farrell Quartet

2011-05-16T17:32:00.002-04:00

Many, many years ago...or once upon a time if you prefer, I was a wee lad. And I ventured forth to visit my dear brother Aire in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. That lovely summer, in this unlikely place, I stumbled upon this wonderful record with it's colorful jacket. When I played it, I was absolutely taken with it. The beauty, the impressions that came from Song of Wind and Molten Glass. The hip late night groove of Follow Your Heart. Hearing this I was forever changed. I'd grown up, to the age of about 12 at this point, having been turned on to jazz by my Uncle Alan who used to hang out at Birdland and other NYC haunts. He'd played a lot of great stuff for me when I was little. But this Joe Farrell Quartet recording propelled me even further into the world of music. I have become more and more involved with music ever since, and this recording was of the greatest importance. I love this recording. I listened to it yesterday as I took a stroll out in the rather heavy rain. It hasn't changed. It is still one of my favorite things. I recommend it to all. The Quartet was made up of Joe Farrell, Chick Corea, Dave Holland + Jack DeJohnette with special guest John McLaughlin, who appeared only on Follow Your Heart. This is a must have.

Old Friends, New Friends - Well Kept Secret

2011-05-02T21:10:00.000-04:00

Here again we find Norma singing standards we know and love. Music here by Ellington, Kern, Rogers and Hart... BUT do not miss "The Peacocks!" " A Timeless Place" is Norma's version of "The Peacocks." A piece written by her pianist on this date, the distinguished Jimmy Rowles. A piece I first heard years ago when I first discovered the Bill Evans recording "You Must Believe in Spring." Bill Evans is smiling somewhere. And I think Billy Strayhorn would be happy with the performance here of "A Flower is a Lovesome Thing." Nice work if you can get it.

Norma Winstone

Old Friends, New Friends - Cathexis

2011-04-11T17:07:00.001-04:00

Welcome back Dear Friends,

Dear Readers.

A million years ago,

or so it seems today,

I picked up yet another brilliant

ECM recording,

and discovered

a new talent.

When I saw that Charlie Haden

was playing duo

with a pianist,

I knew I had to have a copy.

It was in 1983

Time Remembers One Time Once

that I discovered

Denny Zeitlin.

Loved the album,

and loved the find.

Denny played beautifully,

but honestly,

and uncharacteristic of me,

I lost track of him for all these years.

How is it possible

that I didn't seek out

everything this fascinating

artist created?!

After all,

we both grew up in Highland Park Il.

And Denny went on to duel careers,

as a clinical professor of psychiatry,

and as jazz pianist

with many fine recordings to his name.

Bill Evans

recorded

Zeitlin's tune

Quiet Now.

Leonard Feather

called Zeitlin

"the most versatile young pianist to come to prominence in the early 1960s".

Zeitlin wrote and performed the music for

Sesame Streets

Jazzy Spies

series.

And he wrote the score

for the 1978

remake of

Invasion of the Body Snatchers!

Denny wrote all this great stuff,

and twice won

The Down Beat International Jazz Critics Award,

and I lost track of him anyway?!

As they say...

My bad.

My loss.

Well I'm back!

I stumbled upon

Cathexis

a few weeks ago

and I am glad I did!

I am hooked!

You will be too.

Denny plays with

Cecil McBee & Frederick Waits

on this fine recording.

Repeat,

the opening track,

is a rollicking,

Bud Powell -esque

romp.

I-Thou

is a cool, crisp, breeze of a tune

that will remind you of

Bill Evans.

And

Stonehenge

brought a young and only slightly less thunderous

McCoy Tyner

to mind.

Cathexis

is a treasure chest

packed to the gills

with glimmering gems.

Gems

that you

will want to take out

and show off

as often as you can.

A Little Secret!

2011-03-26T19:00:00.000-04:00

Isn't it wonderful

when you stumble upon

a great piece of Art

unexpectedly!

This is precisely what happened to me last night

when I watched the movie

Waste Land.

Run!

Do not walk!

Get a copy of this

poignant film!

Here's what the New York Times had to say about it:

From a Universe of Trash, Recycling Art and Hope

By STEPHEN HOLDEN

Published: October 28, 2010

“We are not pickers of garbage; we are pickers of recyclable materials,” Tião, an impoverished Brazilian catadore, or trash picker, declares to a talk-show host in Lucy Walker’s inspiring documentary “Waste Land.”

Tião, like the other catadores profiled in the film, is far from an emaciated beggar living out a miserable existence on the way to an early death. But he is humble and has few expectations of earthly glory. Although a social outcast, he organized an association of pickers who live and work in Jardim Gramacho, one of the world’s largest garbage dumps, and likes to think of himself as an environmentalist.

The film — co-directed by João Jardim and Karen Harley, and photographed by Dudu Miranda — observes this giant landfill from every perspective. Viewed from a distance, the pickers resemble insects crawling and slipping over the mountains of trash while scavenging birds circle overhead. What appears from afar to be chaos, however, is really a little universe unto itself. Most of the workers, who earn $20 to $25 a day combing through the refuse, live at Jardim Gramacho, which receives 70 percent of Rio de Janeiro’s trash.

Sorted into categories, the garbage is sold to a network of wholesalers and middlemen; recycled metal, for instance, eventually becomes buckets and car bumpers. Tião, whose organization has established a recycling center and a medical clinic as well as day care and skills-training centers for the catadores, boasts about the amount of garbage that is recycled. Zumbi, a board member of the association and its resident intellectual, has turned his shack into a community lending library of discarded books.

Tião is the most prominently featured of several pickers profiled by the film. Their lives are changed forever when they are chosen to collaborate with the artist Vik Muniz, a São Paulo native who is now based in Brooklyn and is well known for his re-creations of famous artworks using unusual materials. Those pieces include two Mona Lisas — one made of peanut butter, the other of jelly — and a “Last Supper” made of chocolate syrup. For his Sugar Children series, he took snapshots of children on a plantation in St. Kitts and copied the images by layering sugar on black paper and photographing the result.

The film observes the creation of his recent monumental series, Pictures of Garbage, for which Mr. Muniz, who grew up poor, returned to Brazil. For the piece “Marat (Sebastião),” a rendition of the Jacques-Louis David painting “The Death of Marat,” Tião is photographed in a discarded bathtub found in the landfill, striking the same pose as Jean-Paul Marat in the 1793 painting. In his nearby studio, Mr. Muniz blows up the picture and projects it on the floor as a magnified outline. Using a laser pointer, he directs from a scaffold as the pickers fill in the images with refuse from the landfill. A photograph of the finished assemblage, taken from the scaffold, is the final work of art.

“Waste Land” is more interested in the subjects of Mr. Muniz’s pieces than in the artistic process, which is barely described. They include Irma, who stirs up stews from the freshest ingredients she can find in the dump, and Suelem, an 18-year-old mother who takes pride in her work because she is not selling her body or dealing drugs.

Mr. Muniz, who seems manically happy throughout the film, expresses his amazement at how “the educated elite really believe they’re better than other people.” He has a mystical faith in the artistic power of transformation, as one thing becomes another and garbage is turned into art. He fervently believes that he is changing his subjects’ lives for the better by “showing them another place,” even if they never make it out of Jardim Gramacho.

When he takes Tião to an auction in London, where “Marat (Sebastião)” sells for $50,000, the young man weeps uncontrollably. Other subjects, confronting images of themselves at an exhibition in Rio, are overwhelmed. It is the first confirmation from the world outside the dump that their lives matter.

Directed by Lucy Walker; co-directed by João Jardim and Karen Harley; director of photography, Dudu Miranda; edited by Pedro Kos; music by Moby; produced by Angus Aynsley and Hank Levine; released by Arthouse Films

Music That's For The Birds

2011-03-21T15:25:00.000-04:00

The winter chill is gone.

And while I might not mind another blizzard,

I fear that I am in the minority on that.

I must admit that it's hard not to like these temperatures

in the 50s, 60s, and 70s.

Sitting in my dining room,

or driving with the top down,

it has been wonderful

to hear that the birds are back,

and full of song.

And in this calm and serene setting,

I am reminded of particular pieces of music,

pastoral works that seem just right for the time.

For some reason,

and perhaps you can tell me why,

I think of the British.

I've been listening to Vaughan Williams and his

The Lark Ascending,

as well as his

The Lake in the Mountains,

and Six Studies in English Folksong,

which has been perfect.

I think Delius'

atmospheric

Florida Suite

and

A Village Romeo and Juliet

would be nice too.

Master Designer - Tapio Wirkkala

2011-03-07T15:46:00.002-05:00

Tapio Wirkkala

is the kinda guy I'd want to have over to

my imaginary dinner party.

Afterall,

what couldn't he do?

As much at home

in the world's most cosmopolitan cities

as in

the heart of Lapland,

Tapio

is one of the Gods of

Scandinavian

and 20th Century Design.

He could build tools

and beautiful flatware.

Gorgeous Venini Glass.

Sculptural pieces.

Finnish currency.

Furniture.

I eat on his Iittala plates,

drink out of his Iittala glasses,

and my espresso sits

cozily in his

fantastical demi tasses,

until devoured.

This Iceberg Vase

is the piece that I lust after.

When I was in Helsinki last,

I found one for around $1500 if I remember correctly.

Sadly,

my finances at the time prevented me from grabbing it.

I really should've just charged it.

Then again...

perhaps I'll just have to venture back to this

wonderful city

where I'll bath in Sibelius and Aalto...

stroll the Esplanade in the afternoon

where I'll be sure to stop in to the Iittala store

for more Wirkkala,

and those soft pappardelle like ribbons of

sea salt sprinkled licorice

laying there

innocently

beside the cash register.

Old Friends, New Friends - Somewhere Called Home

2011-02-20T14:41:00.001-05:00

One of the greatest dreams I've ever had was of singing Tea For Two with Norma Winstone harmonizing in 3rds and 6ths. When I woke up I was so happy! Tea For Two is only one of the many great tunes on this CD that Norma brings her own very personal stamp to. The sound is dreamy and ethereal throughout. Tunes such as Hi Lili Hi Lo, Somewhere Called Home, and even the Egberto Gismonti tune Cafe are all brilliant. Norma is one of the most important female vocalists of the last decade or two in my book. This CD was cemented to my player for a year or so. Her work with Kenny Wheeler, Azimuth and others is also amazing. This music, this voice, is not to be missed.

Valentines and A Cautionary Tale

2011-02-07T14:35:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentines Day

to you all!

May your lives be filled

with undying love.

As you all must know by now,

I love reading.

Some of my recent favorites include:

In The Company of Angels by Thomas Kennedy,

The Snowman by Jo Nesbo,

and

Day For Night by Frederick Reiken.

Haruki Murakami is one of my favorite authors.

I've read and loved most of his works.

Last week I was rereading some of his short stories from

The Elephant Vanishes.

The Second Bakery Attack

had me in stitches!

And

I thought you would enjoy reading his

On Seeing The 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning

for

Valentines Day.

One beautiful April morning, on a narrow side street in Tokyo’s fashionable Harujuku neighborhood, I walked past the 100% perfect girl.

Tell you the truth, she’s not that good-looking. She doesn’t stand out in any way. Her clothes are nothing special. The back of her hair is still bent out of shape from sleep. She isn’t young, either - must be near thirty, not even close to a “girl,” properly speaking. But still, I know from fifty yards away: She’s the 100% perfect girl for me. The moment I see her, there’s a rumbling in my chest, and my mouth is as dry as a desert.

Maybe you have your own particular favorite type of girl - one with slim ankles, say, or big eyes, or graceful fingers, or you’re drawn for no good reason to girls who take their time with every meal. I have my own preferences, of course. Sometimes in a restaurant I’ll catch myself staring at the girl at the next table to mine because I like the shape of her nose.

But no one can insist that his 100% perfect girl correspond to some preconceived type. Much as I like noses, I can’t recall the shape of hers - or even if she had one. All I can remember for sure is that she was no great beauty. It’s weird.

“Yesterday on the street I passed the 100% girl,” I tell someone.

“Yeah?” he says. “Good-looking?”

“Not really.”

“Your favorite type, then?”

“I don’t know. I can’t seem to remember anything about her - the shape of her eyes or the size of her breasts.”

“Strange.”

“Yeah. Strange.”

“So anyhow,” he says, already bored, “what did you do? Talk to her? Follow her?”

“Nah. Just passed her on the street.”

She’s walking east to west, and I west to east. It’s a really nice April morning.

Wish I could talk to her. Half an hour would be plenty: just ask her about herself, tell her about myself, and - what I’d really like to do - explain to her the complexities of fate that have led to our passing each other on a side street in Harajuku on a beautiful April morning in 1981. This was something sure to be crammed full of warm secrets, like an antique clock build when peace filled the world.

After talking, we’d have lunch somewhere, maybe see a Woody Allen movie, stop by a hotel bar for cocktails. With any kind of luck, we might end up in bed.

Potentiality knocks on the door of my heart.

Now the distance between us has narrowed to fifteen yards.

How can I approach her? What should I say?

“Good morning, miss. Do you think you could spare half an hour for a little conversation?”

Ridiculous. I’d sound like an insurance salesman.

“Pardon me, but would you happen to know if there is an all-night cleaners in the neighborhood?”

No, this is just as ridiculous. I’m not carrying any laundry, for one thing. Who’s going to buy a line like that?

Maybe the simple truth would do. “Good morning. You are the 100% perfect girl for me.”

No, she wouldn’t believe it. Or even if she did, she might not want to talk to me. Sorry, she could say, I might be the 100% perfect girl for you, but you’re not the 100% boy for me. It could happen. And if I found myself in that situation, I’d probably go to pieces. I’d never recover from the shock. I’m thirty-two, and that’s what growing older is all about.

We pass in front of a flower shop. A small, warm air mass touches my skin. The asphalt is damp, and I catch the scent of roses. I can’t bring myself to speak to her. She wears a white sweater, and in her right hand she holds a crisp white envelope lacking only a stamp. So: She’s written somebody a letter, maybe spent the whole night writing, to judge from the sleepy look in her eyes. The envelope could contain every secret she’s ever had.

I take a few more strides and turn: She’s lost in the crowd.

Now, of course, I know exactly what I should have said to her. It would have been a long speech, though, far too long for me to have delivered it properly. The ideas I come up with are never very practical.

Oh, well. It would have started “Once upon a time” and ended “A sad story, don’t you think?”

Once upon a time, there lived a boy and a girl. The boy was eighteen and the girl sixteen. He was not unusually handsome, and she was not especially beautiful. They were just an ordinary lonely boy and an ordinary lonely girl, like all the others. But they believed with their whole hearts that somewhere in the world there lived the 100% perfect boy and the 100% perfect girl for them. Yes, they believed in a miracle. And that miracle actually happened.

One day the two came upon each other on the corner of a street.

“This is amazing,” he said. “I’ve been looking for you all my life. You may not believe this, but you’re the 100% perfect girl for me.”

“And you,” she said to him, “are the 100% perfect boy for me, exactly as I’d pictured you in every detail. It’s like a dream.”

They sat on a park bench, held hands, and told each other their stories hour after hour. They were not lonely anymore. They had found and been found by their 100% perfect other. What a wonderful thing it is to find and be found by your 100% perfect other. It’s a miracle, a cosmic miracle.

As they sat and talked, however, a tiny, tiny sliver of doubt took root in their hearts: Was it really all right for one’s dreams to come true so easily?

And so, when there came a momentary lull in their conversation, the boy said to the girl, “Let’s test ourselves - just once. If we really are each other’s 100% perfect lovers, then sometime, somewhere, we will meet again without fail. And when that happens, and we know that we are the 100% perfect ones, we’ll marry then and there. What do you think?”

“Yes,” she said, “that is exactly what we should do.”

And so they parted, she to the east, and he to the west.

The test they had agreed upon, however, was utterly unnecessary. They should never have undertaken it, because they really and truly were each other’s 100% perfect lovers, and it was a miracle that they had ever met. But it was impossible for them to know this, young as they were. The cold, indifferent waves of fate proceeded to toss them unmercifully.

One winter, both the boy and the girl came down with the season’s terrible inluenza, and after drifting for weeks between life and death they lost all memory of their earlier years. When they awoke, their heads were as empty as the young D. H. Lawrence’s piggy bank.

They were two bright, determined young people, however, and through their unremitting efforts they were able to acquire once again the knowledge and feeling that qualified them to return as full-fledged members of society. Heaven be praised, they became truly upstanding citizens who knew how to transfer from one subway line to another, who were fully capable of sending a special-delivery letter at the post office. Indeed, they even experienced love again, sometimes as much as 75% or even 85% love.

Time passed with shocking swiftness, and soon the boy was thirty-two, the girl thirty.

One beautiful April morning, in search of a cup of coffee to start the day, the boy was walking from west to east, while the girl, intending to send a special-delivery letter, was walking from east to west, but along the same narrow street in the Harajuku neighborhood of Tokyo. They passed each other in the very center of the street. The faintest gleam of their lost memories glimmered for the briefest moment in their hearts. Each felt a rumbling in their chest. And they knew:

She is the 100% perfect girl for me.

He is the 100% perfect boy for me.

But the glow of their memories was far too weak, and their thoughts no longer had the clarity of fouteen years earlier. Without a word, they passed each other, disappearing into the crowd. Forever.

A sad story, don’t you think?

Yes, that’s it, that is what I should have said to her.

Happy Valentines Day All!

A Cozy Winter Meal

2011-01-31T14:40:00.004-05:00

Welcome back

Dear Readers,

Dear Friends.

It was a cold wintry afternoon,

and we were

tired and hungry.

And I knew precisely

what my friends

and I needed.

Perhaps you can guess?

Yes, that's right.

A warm

nurturing meal.

I grabbed my baking pan

and turned the oven to 350 degrees.

Into the pan went a few duck legs, that I drizzled

with olive oil and aceto moscato.

I sprinkled them with

sea salt and pepper.

Threw in

a halved head of garlic,

a couple star anise,

cinnamon sticks,

and a generous handful of prunes.

I covered the baking dish

and into the oven this went

for 1 1/2 hours.

The house began to smell wonderful

and when the time came,

I uncovered the dish,

and added a couple quartered Bosc Pears.

Back into a 400 degree oven this went,

uncovered for another 20 - 30 minutes.

Could this have been any easier,

or more delicious?

Served on a

bed of couscous with a

2008 Arterberry Maresh Pinot Noir, Maresh Vineyard

Wine Advocate - Even better is the 2008 Pinot Noir Maresh Vineyard, sourced from 40-year-old vines. Dense ruby red in color, it offers up a sensual perfume suggesting that much more is to come. Asian spices, incense, rose petal, black cherry, and black raspberry aromas lead to a loaded, focused, and impeccably balanced, seamless Pinot...

my friends and I warmed to a stunning glow and couldn't have been happier.

Mary, Mary, quite contrary...

2011-01-20T10:15:00.004-05:00

Welcome back Dear Readers.

Riddle me this...

What do

the painter

Georgia O'Keefe,

author

Louisa May Alcott,

naturalist

Charles Darwin,

and author

Frank McCourt,

have in common?

They all suffered from,

but survived,

typhoid.

One brilliant artist

who wasn't so lucky...

the very talented

young composer

Guillaume Lekeu,

whose birthday we celebrate today.

He died

one day after his 24th birthday

in 1894.

Born January 20, 1870

in Belgium,

and later moving to Paris,

Lekeu studied with

Cesar Franck

and Vincent d"Indy.

Lekeu wrote a number of wonderful pieces,

and in 1891

won a second Second

Prix de Rome.

I stumbled upon Lekeu's works

many, many

years ago.

The first recording that I picked up was

by Quatuor Kandinsky.

It paired

the Chausson Piano Quartet in A Major, Op. 30

with

Lekeu's

Quatour Inacheve

Dans un emportemente douloureux

A number of fine recordings of his works

have become available in recent years,

including this one of the

Violin Sonata in G

that he wrote for Ysaye,

a recording of his award winning

cantata Andromede,

music for

Piano Trio,

and for

Piano Quartet.

One of My Favorite Recordings of 2010

2011-01-08T11:32:00.008-05:00

Social Realism

Art

can be awfully sad.

Consider all the depictions

of a

"sick child"

that we have seen over the years.

And now in the theaters

we can watch

Nicole Kidman

in Rabbit Hole

which

"focuses on a grieving couple
eight months after their young son was killed by a car
while chasing his dog into the street."

In

Lars von Trier's

grim

Antichrist,

a DVD I could not finish,

Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Dafoe,

also attempt to

deal with their

young son's death.

How sad that

we are focused on this

terrible subject.

That said,

tragedy can inspire great Art,

and that is the case with

one of my favorite recent recordings.

On October 7, 2007

Kenny Werner's

daughter

was killed

in a car accident.

One of the ways Kenny tried to deal with this

was by writing a poem

that then became

his brilliant

five-movement work

No Beginning No End.

"The score was radically revised in 2009 and included sections for brass, strings, and percussion. It was recorded by a 37-piece ensemble and his piano. Vocalist Judi Silvano and saxophonist Joe Lovano overdubbed their parts onto the finished work. The poem that serves the root of this piece is gorgeously delivered, one note per word by Silvano. That note becomes the root on whichthe ensemble plays Werner's composition, and for Lovano's and Werner's improvisations. Elements of classical music -- Western and Indian -- dialogue seamlessly with jazz and structured improvisation for nearly 50 minutes, creating a work of transcendent spiritual beauty. It ends not with a conclusion, but an introduction to something beyond the confines of the work itself. In addition to "No Beginning No End" (comprised of five separate titles), there are three other pieces written related to it: "Visitation: Waves of Unborn" is a wordless a cappella for a 36-member choir that deals harmonically with the idea of music not as a noun but as a presence created by the souls dwelling between death and rebirth in the bardo. "Cry Out" was written as a simple, direct, and deeply emotive piece for a string quartet. Less than seven minutes in length, it is nonetheless one of the most memorable works Werner has ever composed; its entwining lyric lines willhaunt the listener long after it ends. "Coda" closes the disc; a spacious yet flowing six-and-a-half improvisation for piano, marimba, vibraphone, and harp, based in the E Mixolydian scale. Taken as a whole, No Beginning No End is a work for which there is no comparison, and few referents. Born of grief, it reflects only beauty, poetic and profound; it is Werner's master work."

This is thoughtful,

intelligent

music

with great writing

and ensemble playing.

Do not miss this.

My First Music of The New Year - A Dream of Love

2011-01-01T10:44:00.002-05:00

Dear Friends,

Dear Readers,

Happy New Year to all!

I'm hoping that your New Year

is filled with great Music, Art, Cuisine,

friends and family.

When I awoke this morning

I had the gorgeous songs of Gabriel Faure in my head.

One of the first songs that I heard

in this New Year of ours was

Reve d'amour

sung by Dame Janet Baker

with pianist Geoffrey Parsons.

A sweet start to the New Year.

Reve d'amour

If it is a nice lawn

That sky sprinkles
Where to be born in all seasons
Some flowers bloom,
Where we gather by the handful
Lily, honeysuckle and jasmine
I want to make the path

Where your foot lands.
If there is one well within magnet
Which has the honor,
Whose tender devotion
Has nothing morose
If ever in this noble
Fighting for a worthy purpose,
I want to make the cushion
Where your brow arises.

If it is a dream of love
Fragrant pink
Where one finds every day
Some sweet thing
A dream that God blesses,
Where the soul is united to the soul,
Oh, I want to make the nest
Where your heart arises.

Sweet.

The Worst of 2010 - What A Waste

2010-12-19T14:54:00.002-05:00

Welcome Back

Dear Readers,

Dear Friends.

A month ago

I read a review

The Washington Post

Chris Richards.

Chris wrote of an

"epic" recording,

of a "gorgeous" world,

by a "petulant genius"!

This was Music,

he added,

that

"may define our time".

I for one certainly hope that it doesn't.

To me this recording could not have been any less interesting. Most of the tunes seemingly constructed from one boring drum machine riff or another. There is no interesting variation in melody, rhythm, harmony, or dynamics. The lyrics, made up primarily of angry ranting, includes the singer telling the listener to "kiss my ass" etc... This seems to be sounds meant to accompany a thug. There is no beauty, no harmony, no love, no subtlety, no interesting lyrics or dialogue among musicians, singers, or characters...

There was one rather pretty cello interlude.

That was it.

All in all, this recording is a waste of space and will take up no room in my library.

Chris's article is pure hyperbole, made even more absurd by the fact that he compares this dreadful noise of no redeeming quality, to the great Art of The Beatles. Comparing his "resonant bloom-blap" to the fine crafting of tunes that have already been enjoyed by generations from all over the world. Think of all the great tunes The Beatles have written. The beautiful lyrics of love, politics, and fun.

Creativity oozed out of them as they evolved from style to style.

They defined the spirit of the time and led so many throughout the world into the future.

I appreciate the sentiment of "All You Need Is Love" .

Sadly, I have no love for Kanye West and his dreadful "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy".

A fantasy he should've kept to himself.

Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood - The Film

2010-11-28T17:28:00.003-05:00

Haruki Murakami

one of my favorite authors.

I've read

and loved

most of his works.

And I enjoyed the film

Tony Takitani

which is based on

one of his stories.

I was thrilled

to see that

Norwegian Wood

has been made into a film.

Here's how Publisher's Weekly describes the story:

In a complete stylistic departure from his mysterious and surreal novels (The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle; A Wild Sheep Chase) that show the influences of Salinger, Fitzgerald and Tom Robbins, Murakami tells a bittersweet coming-of-age story, reminiscent of J.R. Salamanca's classic 1964 novel, LilithAthe tale of a young man's involvement with a schizophrenic girl. A successful, 37-year-old businessman, Toru Watanabe, hears a version of the Beatles' Norwegian Wood, and the music transports him back 18 years to his college days. His best friend, Kizuki, inexplicably commits suicide, after which Toru becomes first enamored, then involved with Kizuki's girlfriend, Naoko. But Naoko is a very troubled young woman; her brilliant older sister has also committed suicide, and though sweet and desperate for happiness, she often becomes untethered. She eventually enters a convalescent home for disturbed people, and when Toru visits her, he meets her roommate, an older musician named Reiko, who's had a long history of mental instability. The three become fast friends. Toru makes a commitment to Naoko, but back at college he encounters Midori, a vibrant, outgoing young woman. As he falls in love with her, Toru realizes he cannot continue his relationship with Naoko, whose sanity is fast deteriorating. Though the solution to his problem comes too easily, Murakami tells a subtle, charming, profound and very sexy story of young love bound for tragedy. Published in Japan in 1987, this novel proved a wild success there, selling four million copies.

I think

Old Friends, New Friends - The Killer of Little Shepherds

2010-11-15T16:13:00.000-05:00

Welcome Back

Dear Readers,

Dear Friends!

I've just finished reading

Douglas Starr's

The Killer of Little Shepherds

A True Crime Story

And The Birth

of Forensic Science.

I enjoyed it immensely

and believe that

you will too!

It tells the tale of two men.

Joseph Vacher,

who terrorized the French countryside,

killing and violating many

near Lyon,

during the Belle Epoch.

And of criminologist

Dr. Alexandre Lacassagne

who was instrumental in

prosecuting Vacher

and in the birth of

Forensic Science.

Anyone wondering what to read

after The Millennium Trilogy

would be wise to pick this up!

From Publishers Weekly

Starr (Blood) eloquently juxtaposes the crimes of French serial killer Joseph Vacher and the achievements of famed criminologist Dr. Alexandre Lacassagne during France's belle époque. From 1894 to 1897, Vacher is thought to have raped, killed, and mutilated at least 25 people, though he would confess to only 11 murders. Lacassagne, who headed the department of legal medicine at the university in Lyon, was a pioneer in crime scene analysis, body decomposition, and early profiling, and investigated suspicious deaths, all in an era when rural autopsies were often performed on the victim's dinner table. Lacassagne's contributions to the burgeoning field of forensic science, as well as the persistence of investigating magistrate Émile Fourquet, who connected crimes while crisscrossing the French countryside, eventually brought Vacher to justice. Vacher claimed insanity, which then (as now) was a vexed legal issue. Lacassagne proved the "systematic nature" of the crimes. Starr, codirector of Boston University's Center for Science and Medical Journalism, creates tension worthy of a thriller; in Lacassagne, he portrays a man determined to understand the "how" behind some of humanity's most depraved and perhaps take us one step closer to the "why."

Old Friends, New Friends - The Don Preston Trio - Transformation

2010-11-01T17:03:00.000-04:00

Imagine Pablo Picasso being widely known only for his "Blue Period", with Galleries, Collectors, Art historians, Writers and the Public, showing only an interest in those paintings, utterly dismissing the rest of his career and life's work. This could be a parallel to the position Pianist, Composer Don Preston finds himself every time he clips on the lapel microphone for an interview, as the three years (1966-69) he spent as a member of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention, seem to be the only part of his musical contribution he is asked about.

It is under the radar, of the Zappaphiles, that Preston's depth as an improvising artist lies. Growing up in a musical family, (Preston's father was composer in residence and director of the Detroit Symphony) by his 20's he had developed a technique at the Piano and Upright Bass so prodigious, that he was working with Yusef Lateef, Herbie Mann, Tommy Flannigan , and Elvin Jones, and held down the Piano chair for a European Tour by Nat King Cole's Big Band, when Nat, himself a fine pianist, began to focus on the show-biz side of music.

Mr. Preston blames his penchant for atonal or "outside" music on teachers who would smack the backs of his hands every time he would make a mistake at the keyboard, but one would suspect that working with Zappa and Carla Bley, likely made an impression too. Compositions by both appear on "Transformation" the 2000 release by the working trio with Bassist Joel Hamilton and Drummer Aaron Cline. Those who have a passion for the piano trio as an art form, won't be disappointed with this disc, as the tradition of interplay between the voices that began with Bill Evan's first trio, continues here, with perhaps more emphasis on a conversational approach as the Bass, and then the Drums step toward center.

The Cole Porter standard "I Love You" is presented with it's melody dissected, the harmony removed, and discussed at length, with drummer Cline toying with the implications of the phrases while mindful of the silences that separate them, a rare quality for a percussionist given full rein.

The sparkling quality of the piano as recorded in the studio, the depth of field of the soundstage, will contrast with the Bley texts first put to vinyl in the mid 1960's, and surely Don Preston's ruminations four decades on, offer fresh facets of what was already there: the desire, and determination to do what true artists must do, go where none have gone before.

Many thanks here to

Global Around Town Senior Music Correspondent

and

Dear Friend

Don Yaffe

for this contribution.

His sensitive insights and observations

are always a pleasure to behold.

Elevation

2010-10-22T11:15:00.001-04:00

Dear Friends,

Dear Readers,

Isn't it fun

when you can take a simple ingredient

and turn it into something special?

I sure think so!

Last night when I got home from work

I prepared a delicious meal

from the possibly

misunderstood

chicken liver.

Could

it be the

viola

of the culinary world?

I started off by sweating half of

an onion & a generous handful

of golden raisins in butter and olive oil

over a low heat.

I seasoned this with salt, pepper, thyme

and a little hot paprika.

This cooked for around 20 minutes,

until the onions were translucent.

I reserved this

and then folded

the tub of rinsed chicken livers

into a medium hot pan.

I cooked the livers

medium,

until there was no evidence of blood.

Next I deglazed with balsamic

and then folded

the onions and raisins back into the pan

with a generous

chiffonade of

raddichio.

After correcting for seasoning,

I folded in

al dente

cooked

papparadelle.

This beautiful dish

was then plated,

drizzled with olive oil,

and

a handful

Parmigiano Reggiano.

Easy and delicious.

Did we elevate the use of a simple ingredient?

I say yeah!

You will too!

Quiz For A Million! Part Deux! Winner!

2010-10-11T13:28:00.001-04:00

Welcome back Dear Readers.

Results from

The Quiz For A Million! Part Deux!

are in!

From

Senegal to Kazakstan...

Mauritius to Reunion...

your voices have been heard.

And the winner

came from just around the corner!

Or, at least,

simply across the country.

Brooke Breton

of Pacific Palisades, CA

won with her answer,

"the novelist Milan Kundera".

Hats off to you Brooke!

Kundera's

new collection of essays

has just been published.

Here's how his publisher,

Harper Collins,

describes

Encounter.

"A brilliant new contribution to Kundera's ongoing reflections on art and artists, written with unparalleled insight, authority, and range of reference and allusion.

Milan Kundera's new collection of essays is a passionate defense of art in an era that, he argues, no longer values art or beauty. With the same dazzling mix of emotion and idea that characterizes his novels, Kundera revisits the artists who remain important to him and whose works help us better understand the world we live in and what it means to be human. An astute reader of fiction, Kundera brings his extraordinary critical gifts to bear on the paintings of Francis Bacon, the music of Leos Janacek, and the films of Federico Fellini, as well as the novels of Philip Roth, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and Gabriel García Márquez, among others. He also takes up the challenge of restoring to its rightful place the work of Anatole France and Curzio Malaparte, major writers who have fallen into obscurity.

Milan Kundera's signature themes of memory and forgetting, the experience of exile, and the championing of modernist art are here, along with more personal reflections and stories. Encounter is a work of great humanism. Art is what we possess in the face of evil and the darker side of human nature. Elegant, startlingly original, and provocative, Encounter follows in the footsteps of Kundera's earlier essay collections, The Art of the Novel, Testaments Betrayed, and The Curtain."

I particularly enjoyed

Kundera's description,

of his fellow countryman/composer,

Janacek's,

beautiful music.

His

lyrical,

evocative pieces

In The Mists

and

On The Overgrown Path

had come to mind

during some of the refreshingly

cooler and rainy weather

we've had recently.

Don't miss this wonderful music,

particularly on

a grey & moody day.

And pick up

a copy of

Encounter.

It will stimulate

your brain.

Quiz For A Million! Part Deux!

2010-10-02T20:38:00.000-04:00

Welcome back all.

A double question quiz this week!

Which brilliant contemporary writer

had this

“Dizzyingly tight juxtaposition of highly contrasting themes that follow rapidly one upon another, without transitions and, often, resonating simultaneously; a tension between brutality and tenderness within an extremely short time span. And yet further: a tension between beauty and ugliness..."

to say

to describe the style of the music of

his fellow

countryman/composer?
And who is this composer?

The hints are all around!

Another hint...

This author just published a new work

containing

essays with insights into creativity.

Quiz For A Million! Part Deux...

2010-09-26T12:31:00.000-04:00

Welcome back Dear Readers,

Dear Friends.

The tallying has been done,

and the results

from all over the world,

are in.

The winner of

Global Around Town's

Quiz For A Million

Samuli Repo

of Helsinki Finland.

His answer...?

It wasn't

Nick Cave,

Jim Morrison,

Nick Drake,

Tom Waits.

It was, in fact,

other.

The

two men

pictured here

collaborated to create

this incredibly beautiful piece of music.

Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen (I am lost to the world, 16 August 1901)

is one of the Rückert-Lieder

The "Rückert-Lieder is a song cycle of five Lieder for voice and orchestra or piano by Gustav Mahler, based on poems written by Friedrich Rückert." (Wikipedia)

This piece seems to incorporate all of Mahler's most beautiful and heartbreaking elements into one

7 minute song.

It always seems to break me up.

There are many fine

performances of this great work.

My favorites include those by

Janet Baker,

Jose Van Dam,

and

Dagmar Peckova.

Quiz For A Million!

2010-09-12T19:08:00.000-04:00

Welcome back Dear Readers

Dear Friends.

Have you ever

felt misunderstood?

Alienated?

Alone?

Many of our finest Artists have.

Today

we ask this question...

Which one of these

20th Century

artist/musician/composers

wrote music to accompany

the following lyrics?

"I have lost track of the world

with which I used to waste much time;

it has heard nothing of me for so long,

it may well think I'm dead.

And for me it is of no concern at all

if it treats me as dead.

Nor can I say anything at all against it,

for in truth I am dead to the world.

I am dead to the hurly-burly of the world

and repose in a place of quietness!

I live alone in my heaven,

in my loving, in my song."

1. Nick Cave

2. Jim Morrison

3. Nick Drake

4. Tom Waits

5. Other

Scents and Impressions

2010-09-06T13:55:00.000-04:00

I walked down the stairs the other day

and thought I smelled Jordan Almonds

which for some reason

reminded me of my Mother.

Driving down the street yesterday

suddenly I smelled Licorice.

Driving back again later

I smelled the Licorice again.

In the same place.

In Jo Nesbo's

The Redeemer

the bad guy takes

"a sip of the whiskey.

It tasted of hospital and ashes."

Through my closed apartment door

I thought I heard

a Gamelan Orchestra.

It's really not surprising when you think about it.

It was

Ivan Morevac

performing

Debussy's

Cloches a travers les feuilles.

A Last Hurrah

2010-08-30T15:13:00.009-04:00

Welcome back Dear Readers,

Dear Friends.

Here in the Washington D.C. area

I've noticed that a few leaves have begun to turn

that with the cooling overnight temperatures

the volume of my beloved,

mesmerizing cicadas

has diminished.

It seems that Summer

is coming to an end.

Could this be the perfect time

for one

Last Hurrah?

Many years ago,

when I was a student in Copenhagen,

I studied

Danish Art History.

It was there that I learned about

the artists' haven

Skagen.

Here's how the Art Directory described

The Skagen School.

Skagen Painters

"Skagen is the name of a small fishing village in Denmark. Toward the end of the 19th century, several artists, the Skagen painters, made up a group of "plein air" painters who observed nature realistically, based on the model of the Barbizon school. Thematically, the artists adapted to the local occurrences of Skagen, which were also very well suited to outdoor painting. At Skagen, the North Sea meets the Baltic, so the Skagen painters worked accordingly with the play of the waves, which break against each other there, as well as with the light reflections on the water. In the same way, they observed the people at work or children playing on the beach. In particular, the bright Nordic light fascinated the painters and constitutes the particular charm of their paintings. As later Impressionists, they colored their shadows, and they also implemented complementary contrasts in order to intensify the luminosity of the colors. However, the Skagen painters did not only represent outdoor scenes in their work; interior settings are also permeated with light, which dominates these scenes as well.

The Skagen painters met regularly in a hotel that belonged to the father of one of the group members, Anna Ancher, in order to exchange ideas. Here they also established their own museum, the Skagen Museum.

The Skagen painters were: Michael and Anna Ancher, Viggo Johansen, P.S Krøyer, Marie Krøyer, Christian Krohg, Karl Locher, Karl Madsen, Lauritz Tuxen."

I've wanted to visit Skagen ever since I learned about it.

So this week is the time!

Drive around 300 miles from Copenhagen

and you can watch

The North Sea

crashing into

The Baltic.

The sunsets

are supposed to be spectacular

as well.

For this

Last Hurrah,

I'd stroll and bike the beaches.

I'd visit

The Skagen Museum.

I would bask in the surf & the fresh sea air.

I might even revel in the fruits of the sea.

How does dinner at

Skagen Fiskerestaurant

sound?

Cremant de Bourgogne Rose

Dune-Smoked Salmon
with horseradish cream and pickled shallots
accompanied by herb salad

Grilled Turbot
with flambeed Norwegian Lobster,
tomato concasse and new potatoes

Chocolate Fondant
with Blackcurrent Sorbet and Coulis

Piston Coffee

Just thinking about all of this,

I am intoxicated

by the sea air.

And I am hoping that you will

join me on

one

Last Hurrah.

Old Friends, New Friends - Come Down In Time

2010-08-22T14:29:00.003-04:00

The other day a friend asked me

what my favorite rock tune was

from long ago.

After telling her that that was impossible to answer

since I love so many different tunes,

Come Down In Time

did come to mind.

Such a stunning tune from

the then young Elton John.

I love Skaila Kanga's harp playing.

Karl Jenkins' oboe.

And there's beautiful acoustic bass playing by Chris Laurence,

as well as sweeping strings.

Tumbleweed Connection,

John's third recording,

is very, very good.

If you've never heard it you must!

If it's been a while,

take the time to revisit this gem.

"In the quiet silent seconds I turned off the light switch

And I came down to meet you in the half light the moon left

While a cluster of night jars sang some songs out of tune

A mantle of bright light shone down from a room

Come down in time I still hear her say

So clear in my ear like it was today

Come down in time was the message she gave

Come down in time and I'll meet you half way

Well I don't know if I should have heard her as yet

But a true love like hers is a hard love to get

And I've walked most all the way and I ain't heard her call

And I'm getting to thinking if she's coming at all

Come down in time I still hear her say

So clear in my ear like it was today

Come down in time was the message she gave

Come down in time and I'll meet you half way

There are women and women and some hold you tight

While some leave you counting the stars in the night."

Do you have any favorite tunes from the past?

A Tale of Two Charles' Part II.

2010-08-09T16:04:00.010-04:00

Welcome back Dear Readers,

Dear Friends.

Our

Tale of Two Charles' Part II.

starts a long time ago in Paris.

On August 7th 1934

a 67 year old composer

attended the cinema.

It was there that he first

caught a glimpse of

the very lovely actress

Lilian Harvey.

Charles Koechlin,

enamored of cinema and many of its' stars

had sought refuge from some of life's difficulties

in these

"unreal worlds".

Who knows

what he might have felt

seeing this beautiful, young actress

for the first time?

Was he in love?

Merely smitten?

We do know that Koechlin

went to see Harvey in that film again the same night.

Following the film,

he wrote the music of

Tout va bien.

"not without covering the paper with tears"

he later confessed.

Later he added another song

Keep that schoolgirl complexion

which was a pastiche of a Palmolive soap advertisement.

These two songs formed the basis of a cycle he called

L'Album de Lilian.

Koechlin had studied with Massenet

and with Faure who had a particularly strong influence

on him.

His music is as beautiful as Atget's Paris,

as lovely as Lilian.

L'Album de Lilian

is written primarily for piano, voice, and flute,

with parts for the exotic Ondes Martenot

and Clavecin.

I believe that this was my first introduction to Koechlin's works.

A very good place for anyone to start.

Koechlin wrote piano music.

I've enjoyed his L'Ancienne Maison de Campagne,
Quatre Nouvelles Sonatines, Paysages et Marines,
and
Les Heures Persanes.

His music for flute, including a version of L'Album de Lilian, is also quite nice.

He wrote songs, for the oboe, quartets, and symphonic works as well.

Koechlin's music is often dreamy but with a dash of chromatic

obliqueness.

That is to say... he throws in a thorn or two now and again.

Like Charles Tomlinson Griffes

who interpreted

The White Peacock,

Koechlin wrote a symphonic interpretation

of The Jungle Book.

And as further evidence of his obsession with Hollywood,

Koechlin wrote

The Seven Stars Symphony

with parts for

Douglas Fairbanks

Lilian Harvey

Garbo

Clara Bow

Marlene Dietrich

Emil Jannings

and the great
Charlie Chaplin.

I have loved the music of

Charles Tomlinson Griffes

and

Charles Koechlin,

my

Two Charles',

for many years.

There is much to love.

And I hope that you too will take the time explore their

varied and colorful works.

You'll be glad you did.