Monday Night Jazz Jam

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Yvonne Coleman, a radio personality at Jazzy103.com invited me to sketch an evening honoring the Founder of the Monday Night Jazz Jam, the late pianist Billy Hall. After a fabulous four year run between Beluga’s and the Grand Bohemian, “Jazz Jam” had  a Special Premier Night at Terrace 390, (390 N. Orange Ave), on the first floor of the Bank of America Building, Downtown. I arrived a bit late and the place was so packed, that I couldn’t find a place to sit with a decent view of the musicians. I finally noticed a small table next to the keyboard player that had a donation jar. There was no cover, but donated tips would benefit The Steinway Piano Society for Underprivileged Youth. The jar was stuffed full of singles.

Numerous TOP Local and Internationally known Musicians and Vocalists performed.

I knew the singer Jacqueline Jones because I had seen her perform at the Barack Obama campaign volunteer headquarters in Winter Park. Trumpet players, saxophone players and flute players stood on the side lines and periodically a player would step up to the mic for an improvised solo. Joseph Jevanni, at the keyboards, had his Intensity Productions business cards on the table. The evening of Jazz had the place jumping with some of the best of Central Florida blues and jazz. Yvonne stepped up to the mic to let everyone know that the owners of Terrace 390 were ecstatic about the amazing turn out, and that the Jazz Jam will be hosted there again on a regular basis. Specifics had yet to be worked out. The next one will be Monday, December 3rd at Terrace390.

On the walk back to my car, a guy on a bike shouted out to me, “Hey Bob!” as he biked by on the opposite side of the road.”That was odd.” I thought. “He must have mistaken me for someone else.” A few minutes later, he biked up quickly behind me and dismounted. “Let me cut to the chase.” He said as he walked beside me. “If you give me two dollars, I’ll bike off and you will never have to see me again.” There was some menace in his voice as he told me, “I’ve had to rob people in the past. We are all concerned about Democrats and Republicans but we don’t help each other out.”  He had the high ground since he could get away quickly on the bike. I decided it wouldn’t be a good idea to pull out my wallet. Instead I found a fist full of change in a back pocket and I handed it over. I suppose I should have let him know my name wasn’t Bob. I’m glad I didn’t put all my change in the tip jar, since I needed it for safe passage to my car which was another half a block away.

Functionally Literate

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November 3rd was the inaugural episode of Functionally Literate held at Urban ReThink. The quarterly events aims to connect, entertain and enlighten Orlando’s growing community of writers, book club nerds and culturally curious. Each event will feature a visiting author along with thee talented local writers. The series is organized by Burrow Press and The Jack Kerouac Project. When Terry and I entered, a bit late, the place was packed. Large holiday lights were strung from the balcony creating a festive canopy over the audience. For some reason people were shy about sitting in the front row so we scored two front row seats.

Jared Silvia introduced the series and pointed out that Don Pomeroy‘s debut book, Wally, published by Burrow Press last month was available. Don Pomeroy thanked the book jacket illustrator Brian Phillips who had his work on display in the back of the room.  Summer Rodman and Rachel Kapitan then introduced Catlin O’Sullivan who is the resident novelist at the Kerouac House through the end of the month.  Catlin is working on a historical novel called The Kiss Off, involving a gangster on the lamb. She prefixed her reading by letting us know that a petite waitress had rented a room to the gangster. She went out with him one evening and things went from good to very bad. Upon returning home, she heard a raccoon in her attic. She went up to the attic with a hammer in her hand. What followed might upset any readers that despise cruelty to animals so I will end the scene there. If you want to read more, follow this link…

Susan Lilly read some wonderful poems. One was about a summer where she had to go to a camp where she was force fed sermons. A field trip to a rock concert exhilarated her to the point where she said, “If I had been a boy, I would have had a hard on.” She and her friend got in trouble for separating from the group. The other authors were John Henry Fleming and Don Peteroy. A reading versed in old English biblical phrasing told the story of Christ trying to win a basketball game to impress two girls. A large pad was flipped with the verses but the moderator unfortunately blocked my view. The audience would periodically respond with an Amen. It was funny but in time felt forced. Don’s story began to discuss how messy and gutturally funny human sexuality is when it is real. I will not even try to describe the slick, wet, messy, smelly and noisy details.

Afterwards, a large group of us went to The Wine Room a few blocks west of ReThink for some flat bread pizza and drinks. That morning the Kerouac Project had a garage sale that made over $1,400 which will keep the Artist residence running through the end of the year. There was plenty of laughter and barbed conversation to end the night.

Louvre

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The Louvre in Paris is a museum which definitely can not be seen in one day. Vast halls of sculpture and paintings go on and on in this huge palace. It was funny to see the crowds swarm towards the Mona Lisa painted by Leonardo da Vinci. The portrait appeared postage stamp sized when viewed from the middle of the room. Mona Lisa smiled at the endless crowd of tourists who crushed up to shoot photos on their cell phones. Many couldn’t get close enough, so they raised the cameras up over their heads to get a clear shot. Her image echoed across every view screen. One tourist decided to shoot a black and white sign with Mona Lisa’s likeness that pointed towards the room. In the hallway outside there were several more paintings by da Vinci, but they went largely ignored. One woman almost sat in the lap of a statue’s lap when she wanted to rest. Security guards quickly asked her to move.

Terry and I put in a marathon effort, seeing as much art as we could in one day. Terry wanted to see the Napoleonic Apartments which I thought would be a bore, but I was well impressed by the lavish, excessive opulence.  I’m amazed the rooms survived the French Revolution. I didn’t sketch until we left the museum. Seeing so much art left me itching to draw. I immediately sat down opposite this Louis XlV statue as the sun set. I should have thought twice because half way into the sketch, the sun burst out from behind the clouds blinding me as I stared straight at it.  In another way it was a blessing because it forced me to only see bold simple silhouettes. Artists seem able to work in absolute anonymity in Paris. I was surrounded once by a Japanese tourist group. I didn’t understand a thing they said but I have to assume that the chatter was positive. Terry and I went out for a magnificent diner that night, I believe at Un P’tit Coin Du Cuisine. The fine dining and wine helped us recoup from our museum burn.

Hippocrene Saxaphone Quartet

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On November 8th at 7PM The Accidental Music Festival kicked off with performances by the Hippocrene Saxophone Quartet at Urban ReThink (625 E Central Blvd, Orlando). The first pieces were solos titled, Calling and Cradle written by Jay Batzner and Alexis Bacon. George Weremchuk on soprano saxophone and Scott Devlin stood behind music stands on stage during their solos. I ended up sketching them again when they sat with the rest of the quartet.

Composer Stella Sung introduced her Tropicana Suite after a brief intermission. She explained that the piece was written for the Prism Quartet. She dedicated the piece to a friend and co-worker named Stephen Levinson who passed away. Stephen collected blue bottles which were quite beautiful in the way the refracted light. She wrote Blue Bottles Groove based on that collection.

The final piece, titled, We Are Star Stuff Harvesting Star Light featured a guest artist, Pandit Nandkishor Muley on the tabla drums. The music had an ephemeral peaceful quality. The Accidental Music Festival has one more performance featuring, Eladio Scharrón and Carrie Wiesinger performing Latin American works for flute and guitar including Cronicas Del Discubrimiento by Roberta Sierra, Fantasia by Inocente Carreño, and Histoire du Tango by Astor Piazzola. Concert begins today Sunday November 11th at 3pm @ The Timucua White House (200 South Summerlin) .

Round Building Fireside Chat

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Inside the Round Building, John Kaiser introduced a short film about the architect who designed the building which was erected in 1963. Early stages of the buildings construction were shown as well. There were audio technical difficulties which resulted in a Skype audio blazing over the architects audio. Out with the old and in with the new.

After the computer was rebooted, Jeff Stein appeared on the movie screen. He noted that his community was affected by hurricane Sandy and that a generator would have to suffice rather than a comfy fireside. His talk was about The Spirit of Organic Design, beyond Mid-Century Modern. 

Stein is an editor, writer and practicing architect. Formerly dean of
Boston Architectural College and head of architecture at Wentworth
Institute in Boston, he taught at Harvard Graduate School of Design;
Technicum Winterthur, Zurich; and at Ecole de Architecture
Languedoc-Rousillon, in Montpellier, France. He recently completed an
American edition of the Swiss text “The Ecological Aspects of Building”
with his wife, art historian Emilie Altemose. The Cosanti
Foundation, a non-profit educational foundation started by noted
architect and urban planner Paolo Soleri, is dedicated to education and
the ongoing development and preservation of Arcosanti in Arizona.

The primary focus of future architecture would be energy efficiency without urban sprawl. Cars tend to separate people in ways that are profound. People don’t recognize each other as they commute. People end up living isolated lives of hermits. Any sense of community is lost for many. Arcosanti is an urban laboratory focused on innovative design,
community, and environmental accountability. Our goal is to actively
pursue lean alternatives to urban sprawl based on Paolo Soleri’s theory
of compact city design, Arcology (architecture + ecology). Built by over 7,000 volunteers, Arcosanti provides various mixed-use
buildings and public spaces where people live, work, visit, and
participate in educational and cultural programs.

Tonight at 5:30PM I will be doing a digital sketch which will be  projected live on a movie screen as part of the Accidental Music Festival. The concert is titled “Ghost in the Machine”, and it features works from Central Florida Composers Forum presenting new works for electronics by Orlando composers. The concert will be held at the Timucua White House (200 South Summerlin Avenue).

Round Building

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The Round Building, also known as the American Federal Savings and Loan, across from City Hall, will stand for just one more year before is is demolished to make way for the Doctor Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. The building is still standing today because it is being used by the Doctor Phillips Center of the Performing Arts, Public Relations and Financing staff.  The top floor offices have a magnificent view over the construction site.

The building took form back in the idealistic times when John F. Kennedy was elected President. Man was striving to reach the moon and this building took on the futuristic form of a cylinder. Orlando was just coming of age, as Disney and Martin Marietta set up shop.  The honeycomb shaped cement band around the base of the building acted as a sun screen for the banks windows. This cement honeycomb, reminiscent of “The Carousel of Progress“, is known as a Brise Soleil. The glass upper floors were added years later. Today, what is futuristic about the site is that curbside electric car charging stations are across the street.

Commissioner Patty Sheehan is spearheading a privately funded effort to save the Brise Soleil by re-purposing it as sculpture or a sun shield in a public park. A design competition was held that asked local architecture students to envision the re-purposing of the precast concrete curtain pieces. The winners of the competition were, Felix Chad and Jarod Lopatky for their submission “Reflections of Orlando.” Their digital rendering showed the Brise Soleil in two pieces standing on end and separated as two identical semi circular arcs in a public park. The students were awarded $360 dollars for the concept.

Patty Sheehan formed the not-for-profit corporation, Strengthen Orlando, Inc. – Round Building Reuse, to raise funds to get the Brise Soleil moved and displayed somewhere in Orlando. She has pledged to match any donations made to the project up to $70,000.

Marriage of Figaro

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On election night, I went to a dress rehearsal for The Marriage of Figaro written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. This Italian Opera premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienna on May 1st, 1786. When I entered the Bob Carr Theater, it was virtually empty and I sat in the second row and immediately started sketching the stage. The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra was also on stage behind the limited set pieces. Soprano, Maureen O’Flynn, who played Susanna, walked on stage and arranged a wedding dress she placed on an arm chair. Baratone, Maurian Pop who was playing Count Almavia checked the set door to see how is swung open.

Count Almavia was bored with his idyllic marriage to his Countess, played by Twyla Robinson, and he decides to exert his feudal privilege of  droit de seigneur, the lord’s right to enjoy the bride of his servant on their wedding night. His engaged servants, Figaro, played by Robert Gierlach, and Suzanna, as well as the Countess, object to his plan. A comedy unfolds as the Countess, Figaro and Susanna make plans to dupe the Count. Identities are exchanged, oaths of undying love are pledged and even accomplices became confused in this “day of madness.”

I didn’t understand a word that was sung and since I was sketching and I didn’t have time to read the projected subtitles. Some things are so beautiful they don’t need to be understood, just felt. The music is memorable and timeless. In the end  there is forgiveness and absolution, every lover finds their mate. There is a performance Friday November 9th at 8PM  and on Sunday November 11th at 2PM at the Bob Carr. Tickets run between $17 and $70.

Basilique du Sacre Coeur

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Terry and I took the Metro to the Paris hillside neighborhood of Montmartre. This area has been known to be a sanctuary for artists through the years. When we walked up the staircase of the metro we were surprised to find ourselves in a seedier part of Paris. A Policeman on a bicycle saw us trying to get our bearings and he directed us to a staircase that climbed up the hill. He warned us about pickpockets and sent us on our way.

The staircase went up forever. Several tourists were lugging their luggage up to try and find a bed and breakfast entrance half way up. They were still searching as we passed them. We were completely winded when we got to the top, but this was our view of the Basilique du Sacre Coeur once we reached the top. Terry wanted to explore the inside of the Cathedral so I walked her up the last set of steps to the entrance and then I returned to this spot to sketch. A woman sat half wan up the steps begging for change. Another woman sat at the entrance to the cathedral begging. She looked just like the woman I saw begging at another church and I wondered if she was following us.

The spot where I sat was surprisingly peaceful. About 100 yards to my left, street performers, and musicians were doing their acts for a large crowd of tourists. Terry was annoyed that the musicians didn’t have much talent. It was a zoo. From right in front of the cathedral we had a view over all of Paris. Wandering the side streets we found a boat load of artists selling their pallet knife paintings of Paris. We found the art studio where Pablo Picasso first started painting his cubist paintings. Then we relaxed in a cafe as it started to rain.

Toyota Dealership

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My Toyota Prius has the annoying habit of reminding me when the car is due for maintenance. The dashboard throws up a message that says “Maintenance Required”, blocking the fuel efficiency gauges I’m used to seeing daily. This could be something very serious. Like the boy who cried wolf, I may in time become immune to these warnings. Since it happened at the 5,000 mile mark, and because maintenance is free for the first 25,000 miles, I made an appointment at the dealership. I had to wait outside for about half an hour for a service manager to become available. Once the paperwork was done, I was assured that the service would be a top priority rush. He threw in a complimentary car wash to make up for my wait outside.

The waiting area had a flat screen TV, couches, tables and even a cafe.  This is a brand new Toyota Dealership and no expense was spared. I started to sketch the Toyota Camry parked in the dealership lobby. Sales agents all had on red polo shirts. I sketched quickly. Before I was done, my service manager let me know that my car was ready. That was fast!

Sunday in the Park With Voci

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Genevieve Bernard, the founder of Voci Dance, gave me a heads up about a croquet game the Voci dancers were going to play on Sunday October 28th as part of the Creative City project. The Creative City Project had free clandestine performances staged at public places throughout the city on every day of October. The croquet game was held on the green beside the Red Japanese Pagoda in Lake Eola. When I arrived, the players, or dancers, were promenading around the court arm in arm in pairs. Each dancer was had on a primary colored dress that matched their ball color. Blue Doug Rhodehamel paper bag mushrooms marked the outer edges of the court. There were orange lines painted on the grass, probably left over from a football practice.

The Park was rather crowded on this Sunday. There were food trucks and tents set up at the band shell for an event I didn’t get a chance to make out. There was also a stage set up on Orange Avenue for a concert I wasn’t aware of. A large group was picnicking next to the croquet court and they were curious once the game started. A mom and her son sat in front of me to watch the game as well. The dancers circled up when music began to play and they gracefully began to play. I was sitting under the shade of a large oak tree while most of the audience sat on blankets on the opposite side of the court. It actually started to get chilly and I wished I had a sweater to cover my Dog Powered Robot T-shirt.

The performance seemed to be over in a matter of minutes as I struggled to catch each dancers proportions and gesture. More of a dance than a competition, Genevieve informed me that everyone won. Some audience members took to the court after the game was over trying out the mallets for themselves..