Sandra Booker Jazz at LACMA

Tonight I enjoyed the hard driving soulful swing of Sandra Booker at the museum.  She and her band got the crowd swaying, nodding, clapping, and dancing to the music. She is a New Orleans native with an Afro-Cuban beat to much of music.

Last Season Concert from LA Phil

I enjoyed the last concert of the L.A. Phil Season at Disney Hall last night.  It was a fun evening with Brahms Symphony No. 3, Mozart's Symphony No. 40 and Three Hungarian Dances: 1,6, and 5 "written" by Brahms.

The guest conductor was Juanjo Mena from the Basque region of Spain.  This was his first concert at the Disney but he conducted at the Hollywood Bowl last year.  The audience warmed to him gradually and then were sold on him with his dancing on the podium while leading the Hungarian Dances.  We learned from the program and the pre-concert "Upbeat Live" led by Thomas Neenan that the Hungarian Dances were actually Gypsy folk songs arranged and written down by Brahms.  Neenan interviewed Mena during the first part of the pre-concert program.  Mena said he grew up about 60 miles from Bilbao, Spain where there is another Frank Gehry designed auditorium...so it was a bit like being at home at the Gehry designed Disney Hall. 

The audience thanked the orchestra for a great year and a great night and also thanked Mena with a standing ovation and many "Bravos!"

It was great to see the new Principal Celloist, Robert deMaine, leading the cello section and demonstrating great intensity and energy.  Whitney Crockett, Principal Bassoonist, was also outstanding last night with many major parts.

Robert de Maine

Whitney Crockett

Back on the Beach today for Breakfast and Art

The Annenberg Beach House has a small gallery with new works each month.  Today I observed the works of photographer and artist Rebeca Mendez.  She explores how cultures express themselves through the style of nature that they produce.  Her interest is in the nature of matter - in cycles and systems...cross-rhythmic tensions that make natural phenomena emerge.  She grew up in Mexico City and the Mexican jungle where she followed her father in the persuit of Mayan archaeology.  Mendez now lives in Los Angeles but has traveled to Iceland to photograph amazing nature.  Here are photos of some of her work:

Why Does the World Exist? Holt and Carroll discuss at Aloud

Last night I witnessed a discussion between two intellectuals on "Why Does the World Exist?" at the Aloud program sponsored by the L.A. central library.  Jim Holt, author of "Why the World Exists:  An Existential Detective Story" is an American philosopher, author and essayist who has contributed to the New York Times, The New Yorker and others.  Jim pontificated and interviewed Sean Carroll, Cal. Tech physicist and theoretical cosmologist specializing in dark energy and general relativity.  He has written the book "From Eternity to Here." 

They discussed topics that included:  What does reality consist of?  The mystery of existance...not why the world exists but how?  Is the universe eternal and then a big bang came along 13.8 billion years ago and changed it?  Can nothing evolve into something? (Something comes from Nothing is the oposite of a "Sound of Music" lyrics.)  As time goes on, is the universe expanding...space expanding...to?  Nothingness?  Will stars all burn out eventually and then create Black Holes but keep expanding?

Both Jim and Sean try to solve the mystery of the universe without involving a god....using only scientific laws. 

It was an interesting discussion with references to

Sean Carroll

Jim Holt

scientists and the Quantum Theory and other principles and experts in Physics.  By the way both have appeared on The Cobert Report. 

Beyond Brancusi at the Norton Simon

I roamed through the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena to view Brancusi and Beyond....a current exhibit of some of their modern art sculpure collections. I have always appreciated the bronze sculptures by Degas, Rodin, Moore and Lipchitz but today I viewed more of the modern creations. 

"Bird in Space" by Constantin Brancusi, Romanian 1876-1957 Polished Bronze 73"
"What is real is not the external form, but the essence of things."  Bird in Space represents the essence of flight.

"Reclining Form" 1966 Marble by Henry Moore, English, 1898-1986

"Duo" 1973 Marble by Barbara Hepworth, English 1903-1975
Life-long colleague of Henry Moore

"Blue Post and Lintel I," 1965 Plywood, figerglass and lacquer by John McCracken, American 1934-2011

"Small Blue Rocker," 1967 by Charles Mattox, American, 1910-1996, plywood, fiberglass, stainless steel rods.

"Azimuth," 1960 by Gabriel Kohn, American 1910-1975

"Assembly of Sea Forms," 1972 by Barbara Hepworth, British 1903-1975

Pomona College Museum of Art

Last Saturday, graduation weekend, I roamed through the Senior Art Exhibition at the Pomona College Museum of Art in Claremont.  The graduating seniors demonstrated creativity and talent. Here are a couple I appreciated.

LA Phil's "Marriage of Figaro"

Last night was a wonderful night at the Disney Hall for a L.A. Philharmonic production of Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro."  The Hall was transformed with the orchestra in the front of the stage inside a large oval created by a raised stage where all the action took place...behind, on the sides and in front.  I was first struck by the color RED everywhere including the stage floor in a decorative pattern as well as the architectually interesting risers at the back of the stage.  The "French Fries" of the pipe organ were draped and a long stairs led to the organ itself which was furnished with a sofa in front.  Players hung around the risers and layed on the sofa during the performance.  Twenty-four members of the L.A. Master Chorale periodically filed in and out of the back two rows of the seating sections on either side of the organ.  The remodeled Disney stage was created by Jean Nouvel, architect.

It was a very enjoyable and entertaining evening...nearly 4 hours.  The orchestra was great, the singers fantastic and the whole scene was a an eye popping knock out.

Here are some photo's thanks to the L.A. Times and a blury shot from my seat that gives you the general look of the stage. 

Gustavo Dudamel conducting the Mozart sized orchestra

Figaro, Edwin Crossley-Mercer, baritone, caressing his fiance Susanna, Malin Christensson, soprano in the opening scene.

Gustavo conducting the orchestra and Figaro seemingly conducting the audience...while singing his aria.  The production made fun use of the architecture of the Disney.

The Count Almaviva, Christopher Maltman, baritone, and the Countess, Dorothea Roschmann, soprano

Other singers were Bartolo, John Del Carlo, bass-baritone; Marcellina, Ann Murray, mezzo-soprano; Don Basilio, William Ferguson, tenor; Antonio, Brandon Cedel, bass-baritone; Don Curzio, Jon Ervin, tenor; Barbarina, Simone Osborne, soprano.

KCRW's Up Close with Tom Schnabel and Alan Pasqua

On Monday, May 20, I attended "an intimate evening of music, drinks, and conversation with Tom Schnabel and pianist Alan Pasqua" in Santa Monica.  Schnabel formerly with the "Morning Becomes Ecclectic" radio show on KCRW interviewed Alan who played the History of Jazz Piano on the Grand in front of the intimate sized room. 

He began with Jelly Roll Morton's "Tom Cat Blues" from the 1920's, went to Duke Ellington's "A Train" and Sophisticated Lady."  Next he played Thelonious Monk's bebop "Round Midnight" followed by Erroll Garner's "Autumn Leaves."  He said that Garner bround a new style with  cords and rhythm in the left hand.  Next it was Jaki Byard who was in Maynard Ferguson's band, Bud Powell "father of modern jazz piano" and his "How High the Moon" rendition. 

Finally he focused on Bill Evan's classical jazz "Very Early" and "A Sleeping Bee" followed by a bit of John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis  and some of his own music from his new CD "Grace," his twin piano duet with himself. 

Tom Schabel

Alan Pasqua, Jazzz pianist, educator and composer and Professor of Jazz Studies at U.S.C.

Playing on a Friday a week ago

It's been a busy week so will catch up with a blog about Friday May 17.  I met a friend for lunch and a walk around the Huntinton Gardens, Library and Museum in San Marino last week.  The cactus gardens were looking good, the roses were popping and the Jacaranda trees were awash with purple blooms...a beautiful spring day in Southern Cal.  Here are some of my pics:

I know what it looks like...but it only a beautiful big cactus.

After a nap, I was off to LACMA for their free jazz, a beer and supper.  Wolfgang Schalk and his quartet gave a great concert so I bought his new CD called "Word of Ear."  Wolfgang is from Graz, Austria and has traved the world with his music.  His jazz guitar can be calm and moody to upbeat and fun.  I am enjoying the music as I drive through L.A. traffic...keeps me mellow.  "Wolfgang Schalk delivers hard-swinging and emotive compositions on both electric and nylon-string guitar," so says his P.R.  He is said to recall the sounds of Wes Montgomery and George Benson.  Here are some of pics:

Matisse Cut-Outs at LACMA

Henry Matisse turned to colorful paper cut-outs in the last years of his life.  LACMA has a small exhibit now showing that's worth a visit

Japanese Pavilion at LACMA

On Tuesday afternoon, I roamed through the Japanese Pavilion at LACMA and especially enjoyed the prints by Hokusai.  Katsushika Hokusai lived from 1760 to 1849 and is the Japanese artist best known in the Western world because of his his images known as "The Great Wave" and "Red Fuji."  He was the greatest print maker and painter in Japan between 1800 until his death.  For the prints, artisans carved the many woodblocks, one for each color.

Hokusai created over 50,000 prints and paintings in his lifetime...the best after age 60.  He lived to age 88.  He introduced the painting of landscapes.  He also changed his name more than 30 times, taking on the name "Old Man Mad about Painting" later in life.  He also changed his residences almost 100 times.

In 1833 completed the designs for his most famous work, the "Thirty-six View of Mt. Fuji" and began a new series known as "A Tour of Waterfalls in the Provinces."  In the Shinto religion of Japan, nature gods and spirits inhabit trees, rocks, mountains and waterfalls.  Below are prints from the Mt. Fuji series and 8 of the 10 waterfall prints that he made.  The complete set of 10 was donated to LACMA by Max Palevsky. 

"Story of the Nine tailed Fox," 1807

"A Matching Game with the Genroku Poem Shells," 1821

"South Wind," 1830

"Tago Bay near Ejiri on the Tokaido,"1830-33

"Roben Falls at Mt. Oyama, Sagami Province," 1833-34

"Falls of Ono on the Kisokaido"

"Kannon Shrine at Kiyo Falls, Sakanoshita"

"Falls of Aoigaoka in the Eastern Capital"

"Falls of Kirifuri at Mt. Kurokami, Shimotsuke Province"

"Amida Falls on the Kiso Highway"

"The Yoshitsuru"

"Yoro Falls in Mino Province"

"Mt. Fuji Seen From the Minobu River," 1830-32