The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

At 6:30 we stopped by the TKTS booth and by 7:00 we were ten rows back from the front stage in the Ethel Barrymore theatre.

Broadway!

The play was The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. I loved the book when I read it years ago, and wondered how the adaptation would work - would they be able to tell the story from the first-person point of view of the 15 year old autistic boy? The point of view changed but the meaning and themes of the story were brilliantly dramatized.

Christopher sets out to solve the mystery about the curious incident of the dog in the night-time, and his detective work leads him to confront truths people have been hiding from him, with seemingly good intentions.

The set was remarkably spare, making use of black grid lines and rear projection to evoke the inner state of Christopher's mind. Rich, vast, complex, stark, filled with facts and details.

When Christopher became especially agitated or lost in reverie, the other actors would lift him up and into space, where he appeared to tumble weightlessly, lost in a world of his own making.

Christopher can't tolerate physical contact, so the visual became a powerful metaphor of transcendence.

I don't think there was a dry eye in the house when the teenager hugged and played with the puppy that is brought on stage in the second half.

Uncomplicated joy.

The audience sees the same uncomplicated joy when Christopher tries to explain prime numbers and complicated mathematical problems to the audience. Something most of us will never grasp, but the happiness in the trying was contagious.

How to Work Better

When we visited the Guggenheim we saw the Peter Fischli/David Weiss exhibit, How to Work Better. Quirky, funny, and subversive are words that come to mind. I hope this exhibit, or a part of it,  eventually finds its way to Toronto, so I can go again (and again).

Hundreds of clay figures, hundreds of polyurethane sculptures of ordinary objects, thousands of postcard images, kinetic sculptures, videos...  The sheer volume of the works on display was impressive, and the Guggenheim a perfect venue to show them off.

From 1979 to 2012, Swiss artists Peter Fischli (b. 1952) and David Weiss (1946–2012) collaborated on a body of work that offers a deceptively casual meditation on how we perceive everyday life. Discover how their sculptures, photographs, videos, and installations juxtapose the spectacular and the ordinary, questioning our understanding of reality and inviting a state of wonder. catalog description

I half expected these clay figures to start dancing, they were so animated. Suddenly This Overview
The guys in front are labelled 'Popular Opposites: Silly and Funny'

Fischli and Weiss fabricated each and every one of these objects. Perfect visual replications that have absolutely no utility, flawlessly rendered. Useless?

Practical advice 
also includes
8. Accept Change as Inevitable
7. Admit mistakes
8. Say it simple
9. Be calm
10. Smile

(I'm using the numbering on the exhibit)

All that Jazz

Our visit to Manhattan was a great excuse to check out jazz clubs. We started the official Jazz Safari Friday evening and managed to squeeze in three venues.

I really enjoy live music in smaller settings; the condensed visuals, tight sound, and the intimate and personal interaction between players and audience.

So many memorable moments.

Alfredo Rodriguez, at the 'Jazz Standard', with fingers spreading over the piano keys, powerfully and precisely striking, and then switching in the blink of an eyelash to barely caressing. Occasionally I have to remind myself that the piano is a percussion instrument but after his performance this realization will never be lost.

Then the tiny but vibrant 'Zinc Club' where the waitresses could barely navigate the crowd, yet the audience found room to dance and swivel to the Latin beat.

At the iconic Birdland, linen white table cloths and candle light set the stage for beautiful Molly Ringwald. With an actress' sense of timing she surprised the audience between songs, by reading Billy Holiday's letter to her former lover, Tallulah Bankhead. Before Billy published 'Lady Sings the Blues,' the publisher sent a preview copy to Tallulah, who then threatened to sue. Molly read from the letter,  "Read my book over again. I understand they sent you a duplicate manuscript. There’s nothing in it to hurt you. If you think so, let’s talk about it like I wanted to last month. It’s going to press right now so there is no time for monkeying around. Straighten up and fly right, Banky! Nobody’s trying to drag you.... And if you want to get shitty, we can make it a big shitty party."

Saturday night started in Tribeca at the Roxy Hotel, hosting a classic trio of piano, sax and drums in the atrium. Downstairs was Django, with a big Latin jazz band.

Later, to the Rum Bar at the Edison Hotel. Just three hours earlier I had watched the movie Birdman, so the scene where actor meets movie critic was fresh in my mind. Jaymz Bee pointed out this was the same bar, and suddenly I could see Michael Keaton sitting on a stool delivering his diatribe.

Smalls Jazz Club was the tiniest club we visited but it had the biggest band, the Justin Mullens Octet - French horn, 2 tenor sax, bass clarinet, bass, piano, drums. All the musicians had the score in front of them, but they were clearly improvising within the structure. The drummer did a physical warm up before starting, massaging his forearms and rolling his shoulders, which I thought was a bit theatrical, but after watching the physical strain of his performance, and the endurance it required, it was so clear the drums were just an extension of the real instrument -  his body.

Experience is the best teacher, and visiting these jazz clubs brought new appreciation, insights and learning about music.

Unfortunately, this trip we didn't make it to the Village Vanguard, Bluenote, Dizzy's Coca Cola Club, or Marie's Crisis Cafe. Woody Allen was playing with his New Orleans band at the Carlyle on the Upper East side, but it was sold out. Maybe next time!

my new uke! (on the left)

During our walking tours we also happily stumbled past the Chelsea Hotel and the Brill Building. The Chelsea, where Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Janice Joplin hung out. The Brill, which by 1962 contained 165 music businesses and hosted one of my favourite composers, Carole King.

In Greenwich Village I bought a new ukulele at Matt Umanov Guitars. This is the first uke I've actually purchased as my own, the others have been borrowed or stolen from Rob. As soon as I walked in the store I saw it posing on the counter, and it was love at first sight! A perfect souvenir for the NYC trip.

- this blog was guest-edited by Rob -

Friday Itinerary:

Jazz Standard - Alfredo Rodriguez....Cuban pianist. 

Zinc -Gregorio Uribe Big Band

Birdland - Molly Ringwald

Saturday's clubs:
Roxy
Django
Rum Bar (Edison Hotel)

Sunday

Kitano - Ms. Blue

Monday:
Smalls - the smallest club and biggest band!

New York!

What a great trip!  I am just recording the list of some of the things we did so I can remember highlights for future musings. The trip seemed full of synchronicity, like watching the film Birdman and then just three hours later watching a trio at the Edison Hotel, in the very same bar that was in the movie. Did a lot of walking, recording triple the steps of my normal routine. Little sleep, running on adrenaline, hardly stopping for meals. I am looking forward to my own pillow tonight.

FRIDAY - Kitano Hotel (Park Avenue) Jazz Safari! (Jazz Standard - Alfredo Rodriguez, Cuban pianist + Zinc - Gregorio, Uribe Big Band + Birdland, Molly Ringwald)  SATURDAY - Grand Central Station + New York Public Library (Gutenberg bible! Map Room!  Dicken's study!) + Guggenheim (Peter Fischli David Weiss: How to Work Better) + Central Park (crocus! cardinal! witch hazel!) + Jazz (Roxy + Edison Hotel's Rum Bar) SUNDAY - walk to Chrysler and Chanin Buildings (both closed but saw the lobbies) + Chinese foot massage + Jazz Brunch at the Kitano (Ms. Blue) / change hotels to Belvedere (Hell's Kitchen) / Big Bus Tour of Downtown  (St. Paul's) + Brazilian Grille dinner + Big Bus Night tour MONDAY - tour of Greenwich Village with a Big Apple Greeter (bought a new uke!) + lunch (A.O.C.) + High Line walk + Chelsea (Chelsea Hotel!) + Staten Island Ferry + Smalls Jazz Club TUESDAY - Big Bus tour of Uptown  + Katz Deli + Tenement Museum +  Coney Island + Broadway Play (Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time) + Top of the Rock WEDNESDAY - Liberty Skyline water tour before heading to the airport and home (love Porter Airlines).

New York, New York

Our jazz safari to New York City is just three weeks away!

We've been listening to jazz and exploring The Essential Jazz Recordings. Reading a little, listening a little, and enjoying it a lot.

I've always loved jazz and played it often, but usually in the background. These last few weeks have been a great motivation to listen more consciously and marvel.

About how Django Reinhardt developed his hot gypsy style because his fourth and fifth fingers were paralyzed in a fire, and how few with all their fingers can match his virtuosity.  About Billy Holiday's  early recordings, her voice beautiful and uncomplicated, and then hearing her last album, the timbre rich and deep and layered with suffering.

Being introduced to artists like saxaphonist Wayne Shorter, and then having the playlist shuffle into The Song Goes On with lyrics inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke, and the recent album Imagine Project, by Herbie Hancock. Favourites like Pat Metheny, Diana Krall, Brubeck.

Discovering and rediscovering and hearing things with fresh ears.

We haven't received our itinerary so don't know the different clubs we'll be visiting yet, but have since found out that a couple from BPYC, Ross and Ann, have been on a few of these safaris and have enjoyed every one. Ross said that he was amazed at how small and ordinary some of the more famous NYC clubs are, where the giants got their start. He's cautioned us that people there take the music seriously, and come to listen, with chatting during dinner being a serious offense.

We've decided to extend our stay a few days to see some other sites, but music will have brought us to explore.



 illusttration: NYC Jazz by Felix Concepcion