RIFF

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As part of Arts Fest, DRIP dance company unveiled a work in progress for an upcoming show titled RIFF, at the Cameo Theater (1013 East Colonial Drive). Dubbed, a Night of Music, The DRlP performance was preceded by four bands. The first band on the line up featured Britt Daley with her unique brand of electro pop. Next up was Telethon, then The Pauses and Peter Baldwin. Between acts and beers I spoke with Andy Matchett. I had heard of him a number of times and he let me know that I had sketched his wife and child once when I did a sketch at Dawn Schreiner’s “Doodles” opening at Seven Sisters Coffee house. I was fascinated by some club kids who filmed every moment of their experience, voguing in front of their iPhone cameras. I suppose I am not much different as moments of my daily experience are documented with a sketch.

Andy Matchett & the Minks performance was a perfect match to the DRIP experience. The act began with a colorful whirlwind of confetti which was kept alive with fans and hair driers by members of the audience. I already had finished two sketches so I resigned myself to enjoy the experience by dancing and laughing. For the final songs a huge parachute was unfurled over the audience and Andy jumped off the stage to perform in the heart of the maelstrom. This was pure unbridled childlike fun and I’m glad I put my pen down long enough to simply experience it. Now Andy Matchett & the Minks is on my radar and I will follow them until I do a definitive sketch.

The RIFF dance performance happened in a hallway that was created by hanging a huge bolt of clear plastic from the ceiling. Jessica Mariko, Drips founder, CEO and Creative Director announced that the plastic had arrived only moments before the opening of the show thus the dancers would be performing within its limitations for the first time. Nikki Serra choreographed the Hallway piece.At one end of this plastic hall was a fan and buckets of colored salts were waiting for the performers. I knew the dance performance was less than five minutes long so I resisted the urge to sketch. The dancers entered the space and performed a sensual dance that involved tossing the colored salt in the air and showering themselves in pure color. The RIFF band performed the equally sensual music composed by David Traver.

Brass Ensemble

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I have become a fan of attending the free concerts held at Rollins College’s John M. Tiedtke Concert hall. The acoustics inside the new Tiedtke Hall are fabulous. The concerts are seldom very crowded so I am able to find a seat right up front close to the performers. This Brass Ensemble was performed by students and directed by Christopher Dolske. The instruments in the ensemble consisted of 5 trumpets, 2 trombones, a bass trombone, 2 euphoniums, 3 French horns and a tuba. The music was eastern European themed with composers like Moussorsky, Gabrieli, Susato, Kabalevsky and Koetsier. I only recognized the name of one of the composers and all the music was new to me.

The concert lasted just long enough for me to finish the sketch. The music’s tone and timber influenced every line. The warm, full tones filled the hall. With the concert over, I quickly packed up my art supplies to leave. Someone stopped me in the isle and asked to see the sketch. I dug in my bag to retrieve my sketchbook. He asked me if I planned to show the sketch to the conductor. This is rather common, people seem to feel the subject must be made aware when they are included in a sketch. The conductor was already back stage and Terry was waiting for me at home so I ignored his frantic desire to share my work.

Flea Market Blues

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The Renninger’s antique fair and flea market in Mount Dora is a huge event that pulls people in to central Florida from all over the country. Robert Newlen flew here from Washington D.C. and Elaine Pines, drove up from Miami Florida. For them, this is an annual pilgrimage. Terry and I joined them when they decided to shop the flea market. While they hunted for bargains, I broke away in search of a sketch. Very little of the worn and rusty merchandise interested me. The one thing I searched for was an old working fountain pen, but I never found one.

It was at the end of the second row of endless clutter where I found Odell “Bluesman” Maxwell singing the Blues. He had a twangy, sharp, resonant and soulful was of playing. I quietly set up my artist folding chair and got to work. Odell seemed to simply speak the lyrics with the guitar played along in unison. He would shout out to anyone who paused, saying, “Hey, how you doing?” “I got the blues today.” One woman responded, “I am sorry to hear that, but the music is wonderful.” Another woman asked him about his fingering style. He always let people know that they could leave a tip and many people did leave a dollar in the large glass vase. He never seemed to mind me sitting and sketching. He let me know he had been married 7 times and he was still playing the blues. I laughed. His brow was glistening with sweat. As I sketched, I was lost in the moment rocking to his music. Odell was a true jem perched in among the lost and neglected clutter of peoples lives. He is an Orlando Florida native, a true southern home boy. There is something real, raw and true in every song.

Monday Night Jazz

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If downtown Orlando is quiet on a Monday night, I can always county on quality jazz at the Grand Bohemian (325 South Orange Avenue).I heard that an artist was going to demonstrate how he does paintings using only coffee as his medium.The artists name was Steven Mikel and he was set up in the Grand Bohemian lobby opposite the reception desk.I asked him the question I am sure every tourist asks,” Are you wield the whole time you are painting?” “Do you sip the coffee all day?” We spoke for some time. He used a concentrated coffee “tar” for the darkest dark. and then selects different grades of coffee for different hues. Painting with coffee looks very similar to painting with watercolors.I considered sketching the artist at work, but the sound of jazz pulled me into the bar area.

As always the jazz was lively spontaneous and heart wrenching. I relaxed into a front seat ordered a Blue Moon and got to work. Having just watched Mikel paint with nothing but browns, I found myself dipping into the Sienna’s and Umber’s. Different musicians and singers rotated onto the stage. I searched for the moments when performers became completely lost in the music. By doing so I became just as lost in the spontaneous fluid searching rhythms and beats.When my beer was finished, I decided the sketch was finished as well.

Carol Stein at the White House

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Terry knew Carol Stein from Dor Shalom, a local Jewish social group. This concert at Benoit Glazer’s home (2000 south Summerlin Avenue) was one of the monthly concert held in this acoustically superb space. Carol plays light entertaining jazz that often incorporated riffs from classical music. She performed along with Eddie Marshall, Barry Smith and Charlie Silva. Jason Hunt had his detailed photo realistic pencil renderings hanging around the performance space. Carol pointed out that she is the proud owner if several of his pieces. I set up on the second floor balcony and started sketching frantically. Terry joined me on this outing but she stayed on the ground floor while I worked. Carol’s mom was in the audience, and she dedicated a song to her. It was a fun lighthearted evening of jazz.

5 Course Love

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Mark Baratelli,the producer of The Daily City, invited me to attend a performance of Five Course Love at the Winter Park Playhouse (711-C Orange Ave., Winter Park). In this play, three actors each got to play five different parts. The music was fun and the action comical as mismatched couples met at restaurants. Mark was hilarious as a waiter at each of the restaurants and each scene would invariable be punctuated by the sound dishes crashing to the floor in the off stage kitchen and Mark world offer the comic refrain, ” Oops, there is trouble in the kitchen!”

Michelle Knight was absolutely fantastic as the female lead. Her singing voice is amazing. I had sketched her once before when she performed in “My Fair Lady“. As Barbie she played a Saucy Texas gal who would do anything to woo her man, a blind date named Matt played by Christopher Alan Norton. Unfortunately her date was actually at the next table which left Matt frustratingly alone.

I sketched Christopher Leavy on piano and Sam Forrest on drums since I knew the action on stage was going to change often. When Mark came out on stage in lederhosen, I laughed out loud. Michelle, playing Gretchen, was in a hot tight red leather outfit and she had a whip. She climbed up on the piano and sang her lament. Stricken, I stopped sketching and listened. In the final scene, she played kitty who spent all her time reading about love yet never experienced life. It turns out she was perfect for Matt, a young man who was also unlucky in love. When they meet each other, Mark Bartelli came out on stage as cupid with large white angels wings pirouetting like a ballet dancer. It turns out Mark is classically trained in ballet but I was laughing too loud to care.

Five Course Love is playing through February 13th 7:30 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $35 evenings, $33 seniors, $26 matinees, $20 students and entertainment-industry professionals. Bring your love right before Valentines Day. You will laugh so hard it hurts and y0u might fall in love all over again.

Philharmonic Rehearsal

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I went to the Shakespeare Theater to sketch the tech rehearsal for the Playwrights’ Round Table seven short play’s launch for 2011. I hadn’t been given a time so I was guessing what time the rehearsals would start. Peeking in the theater B, I found the space empty. As I walked out of the building I noticed someone approaching with a large cello. I decided to follow him and he lead me to a room where Orlando Philharmonic musicians were gathering. There was twenty minutes before the rehearsal started and so I sat down and started lightly sketching in the space. As musicians arrived I placed them in the sketch using ink. When everyone was present, conductor Christopher Willams suddenly appeared. The musicians all found a common tone, then Christopher raised the baton and the music began.

They were rehearsing Shumann’s Symphony No. 2. There were a few stops and starts but in general the music flowed and I let the lines I was putting on the page flow with the same fluid tempo. When the symphony was complete, Christopher said, “My theory is, that in this room you should just keep playing.” I believe he meant, that in such a small room it might be impossible to gauge proper levels to the various sections. After one moving section, he praised the strings and he remarked that they were pulling together as a unified whole.

When the break rolled around I was finished with my sketch and I decided to talk to Caroline Blice for a while. She had been at my 2 year anniversary party for AADW a few days before so we talked about he party.

Rock Out with Your Cocktails Out!

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Today marks the beginning of year 3 for Analog Artist Digital World. This years resolution is to keep the gears greased and begin work on the first AADW book. Drip dance company held a Fundraiser for their new show called RIFF. They may have found a new permanent home on International Drive and I suspect that in 2011 they will blow the roof off the house. The fundraiser was held at Blank Space (201 East Central Boulevard.) The venue was packed and talent was thick.

Singer, songwriter, Britt Daley took to the stage and performed songs from her recent CD release “Unsupervised EP.” Her vibrant Electro-Pop filled the room and people started to move to the beat. The guitarist, James Christy, stomped on foot pedals and made constant adjustments to his sound. Joey Antrim on bass calmly set down his resonant consistent notes, while Jay Caudle who was hidden from my view with a large speaker, attacked the drums. Britt’s music hit a wide spectrum of emotions from driving hard beats to melodic and soulful . One song, “Its too Late” reflected on the sorrow of realizing that it is too late to expect change from the one you love. I stopped sketching to let the music’s sorrow envelop me. I was a little annoyed I let my mood swing so easily. I had been pumped, working feverishly only a minute earlier.

After her performance some hard core fund-raising began when a date with Britt was put up for auction. Steve Johnson, a semi nude DRIP dancer, acted as the auctioneer. I buried my hands deep in my pockets. Terry was sitting beside me, “but it was for such a good cause” I thought to myself. “Perhaps I should bid just to help drive up the price.” My hands didn’t budge. The bidding started lightly, $25 was soon raised to $50, but then a guy at the bar forced the bid up to $100. The crowd was hooting and hollering at this point with each successive bid. I was clapping and hollering myself, the price too rich for my shy blood. The final bid was $200 and the place went wild! I had a print of one of my DRIP sketches up for the silent auction. It didn’t bring in anywhere near the money Britt did. Next time I auction my work it needs to be packaged with a date with a beautiful woman!

Christmas in the Park

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A free concert in Winter Park’s Central Park was the perfect way to get in the Christmas spirit. It was a very cold night for Orlando. I arrived maybe half an hour early and already the great lawn was packed with families who had come out with picnic baskets, blankets, wine and even fine china and candles for the occasion. I felt a bit unprepared with just a sketchbook, pen and some watercolors. After I set up my stool on the sidelines, Ken Sperduso walked up and said hello. Ken was a former Disney colleague and a wonderful painter. I hadn’t seen Ken in ages, it was a pleasant surprise. His whole family was camped out not far behind me. Ken said he recognized me from behind because of the sketchbook in my lap.

Large shadow box containers were arranged on stage and around the lawn, housing original Tiffany stained glass windows which were created for a church in NYC in the early 1900’s. At the start of the concert they all were illuminated from behind. The instant they blazed brightly, the crowd burst forth with applause. It is rewarding to hear people applaud for visual art. These amazing works had iridescent colors that only Tiffany could perfect in molten glass. This display was made possible thanks to the Morse Museum which houses the world’s largest collection of Tiffany’s work.

The concert featured the Bach Festival Choir and Brass Ensemble. As I sketched, I pulled my hands up into the sleeves of my sweatshirt to try and keep them warm. Periodically I had to blow into my cupped hands for added warmth. It felt like Christmas time. When I finished the sketch I walked around in the crowd for a while looking for a possible second sketch. I walked under a streetlamp so I could see the colors I had just painted for the first time. Mr. and Mrs. Claus were handing out candy to children. They were dressed in vintage 1900’s red wool and white fur outfits. They looked warm as they calmly posed for family photos. I considered a sketch but my fingers were cold, and the jolly couple were constantly on the move. The Park Avenue store windows glowed warm and inviting. With all the families huddling close together for warmth and the angelic voices of the children on stage singing, I started feeling out of place, alone, with only my obsessive compulsion to sketch as company. As I turned away and walked down Park Avenue towards my truck, I pulled the sweatshirt hood up over my head and felt instantly warmer. The children’s voices were still harmonizing behind me and I let the warmth spread as I walked briskly back toward home.

International Cultural Drum Exchange

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I woke up at 6am in order to get down to the UCF Center for Emerging Media (500 West Livingston Street Orlando). I had been given a tip by Dana Mott that a group of Nap Ford students were going to have a live video conference with a drummer from South Africa. As I drove east towards downtown, the sun rose above the horizon and expanded into a deep orange fireball. I don’t get up this early very often so I was delighted, my eyes squinted and misted up to the spectacle.

It was a freezing cold morning. Alright, I didn’t see any ice, but for my thin blood it was cold. The front door at the UCF Center was locked so I fired off several frantic calls on my cell. During the second call, a guard appeared and buzzed me in. I shook off the cold and made my way to the Bridge, a small auditorium on the first floor. The Nap Ford students were already seated in a semi circle around their drums. A piece of audio equipment had been Federal Expressed to South Africa the day before. On that distant continent they were reading manuals and struggling to plug everything in. Since there was no live feed, the Nap Ford students had some time to rehearse. The drums resounded jolting me awake. The room warmed and glowed to the rhythm and young voices.

The image from South Africa flickered live onto the big screen. Introductions were made and the students, most of them around ten years old, performed for the South African drummer named Lucky Paliso. As they found a resounding rhythm and sang, Lucky smiled broadly. There was magic in the moment. This was a cross cultural exchange that needed no words or translation. When they finished, everyone on the big screen clapped after a ten second lapse. Lucky pointed out that drumming is probably the worlds oldest form of communication and it is universal across all cultures. He told everyone how much he enjoyed the performance then he offered advice on interlacing rhythms within a beat. To drive his point home he taught the children a beat which they repeated. Then, as they continued to play, he performed an intricate rhythm that wove in and around their beat. It was playful, spirited, uplifting and inspired.

Jennifer Porter-Smith, the Nap Ford principle, thanked everyone who helped create an experience the students would certainly remember their entire lives. Lucky told the children that they were fortunate to be part of an ancient cultural tradition. In Senegal not anyone can play drums, they must be born a drummer. He said, “You can take an African out of the bush but you can not take the bush out of the African.” The students flipped through my sketchbook hungrily after the event was over. I got one of the best compliments I have had in a long time when a ten year old gave me a high five.

Such multi-cultural exchanges feel like a jolt of collective good will, a promise of fulfilled potential. There should be less reason for misunderstandings or conflict in a world filled with music. On the drive to my next sketch location, I felt happy and oddly at peace. What a great way to start the day!