Bookend Books

I just finished reading two books that quite accidentally are perfect bookends for each other. Paul LaFarge's Luminous Airplanes is a wistful coming-of-age story. I usually avoid coming-of-age stories, I find that my own was quite enough, but this one slipped through. A young man goes to his recently deceased grandfather's home to clean it out. He begins a search for his dead father who he never met. He was raised by his mother and aunt, a fun pair of eccentric characters. He encounters a childhood friend, and begins a repeat of his father's failure. He had been a graduate student of history, always a good setup for characters looking back. History, memory, loss and finding you self.

In Lily Tuck's I Married You For Happiness a woman's husband dies unexpectedly after many years of marriage. She takes us through a stream-of-consciousness of memories as she sits through the night. Her husband was a mathematician, but not a recluse: he loved good food & wine, and sailing. There are fun math anecdotes, for example the story of "amiable numbers" and lots of travel references, especially in France. The two books make a good pairing, which I have not encountered in this way before.

Anonymous 4 at St. Francis Cathedral

Anonymous 4 performed at St. Francis Cathedral Basilica, as part of their 25th anniversary tour. They sang acapella music that spanned 11 centuries, including the 21st: a commission-in-progress by Pulitzer Prize-winner David Lang of Bang on a Can. This type of singing is not my usual cup of tea, but they were extraordinary. They are described as angelic and it is true: tight harmony, clear tones, perfect pitch, and....hooray...no vibrato! The Basilica was a perfect setting for this ethereal singing. They sang for 1 hour & 15 minutes in this dry climate, kudos to them! Speaking of centuries, the St. Francis parish is in its 401st year, which precedes the landing of the Mayflower! This town is old!

Rebecca Newberger Goldstein at Santa Fe Institute

The novelist/philosopher Rebecca Newberger Goldstein spoke at the Santa Fe Institute on "Why Einstein Wrote a (Bad) Love Poem to Spinoza". Her wonderful lecture was mostly about Spinoza, but also about his influence on some heavy weights, such as Einstein and Antonio Damasio. His work paved the way for "The Age of Enlightenment" after his death. As a non-dual meditator, I loved her comments about Spinoza the "great collapser", who sought non-dual unity, quite contrary to his older contemporary Descartes and his famed/dreaded duality. Salon.com's review of her book Betraying Spinoza: The Renegade Jew Who Gave us Modernity called Spinoza the "atheist Jew who was drunk on God". The definition of God, discussed in the lecture was quite interesting. I originally knew Ms. Goldstein from her novel Properties of Light: a Novel of Love, Betrayal and Quantum Physics, which I recommend. After the lecture, the SFI physicists cleared out quickly, so we got to have a nice chat with her. She was kind enough to listen to my story of how Spinoza influenced my cousin when she discussed him with her father as a young girl. By the way, Ms. Goldstein is the Miller Scholar at SFI, a chair funded by DRZ's old nemesis, Bill Miller!

Some new elements in painting

Trying something new with the background. Also, a looser touch with the "falling" accents.

Gerhard Richter Retrospective at Tate Modern



We had the good fortune to see the Gerhard Richter retrospective at The Tate Modern. It was doubly good since we had seen a show of similar scale at MOMA a few years ago. Richter is certainly the most highly regarded painter living today. His work cuts a broad swath, but I don't view it as ground breaking as were many artists from the early and mid-20th century. He is famed for being one of the first German artists to acknowledge and deal with the elephant in the corner, the collective Nazi history. His painting Uncle Rudi brought this home with a bang in 1965. This piece is typical of the period in which Richter did large realistic black and white paintings based on photographs, in which the edges of forms are smudged. This has a haunting effect. By contrast, he did a large body of abstract conceptual work that dealt with monochromatic color, sorry, of little interest to me. He later did a series of realistic paintings based on German terrorist groups, leaving ambiguous commentary to the viewer. In the realistic department, Richter did several color portraits, usually with the subject's face away from the viewer. The Reader is a great example of these insightful works. He is today most well known for large abstract oil paintings made with squeegees, that are...just plain gorgeous. I have watched a person walk into a gallery room, see one of these works, and drop their jaw. Maybe that was me. The internet is chock full of images from all of his periods of work, so give a look next time you are surfing!

The Have-Nots by Katherina Hacker

Katherina Hacker's The Have-nots is dense with ideas and sharp insights, about....property reparation in Germany, the FDR and the GDR, loss and memory, the Iraq war, domestic violence, love, and sexuality. Yes, it's not a light read and takes a bit of effort, but is worth it. It is well written and structured, with good character development. The Have-nots won the German Book Award in 2006 for best novel. It is published by Europa Editions, a great press for contemporary European novels.

Danish Director Susanne Bier

I've been on a Danish film kick for the past year. Recently I did a Susanne Bier mini-fest: In a Better World, 2010; After the Wedding, 2006; and Brothers, 2004, the original of this title, by the way. She's a great director who doesn't flinch. She works with lots of big social and cultural issues without preaching, and usually finds the edge of the envelope. She's able to book great actors: Mads Mikkelson, Ulrich Thomsen and Mikael Persbrandt. Two of the best were young teens in In a Better World, Markus Rygaard & William Johke Nielson, from whom she coaxed great work. These films also have good cinematography, plot, and pacing. They're all intense. Check them out!

Getting my hand back into it

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

I waited far too long to read this novel, which is a function of my long to-read list! Junot Diaz's writing is a wild ride. He tells a multi-generational story of a Dominican Republic family living under a fuku, or curse, and they are. If the term "multi-generational" is a turn-off, as it is to me, please take another look at this book. It is set in contemporary Patterson, NJ in an ex-pat DR community, and in the DR over many years. There is a lot of detailed history, both in the story and in in footnotes, of the brutal dictator, Trujillo. All of this is told in a crazy, hip lexicon. Oscar of the title is an over weight nerd finding his way in life and in this crazy family.

Michael Ward-Bergman in Santa Fe

Michael Ward-Bergman did a phenomenal accordian performance at a home in Santa Fe of folk music from around the world. Michael studied piano at the Berklee College of Music, the best jazz school on the planet, and this was evident in his performance. He also used folk percussion instruments, at times with a stereo tape loop that produced extraordinary results! He is in the middle of a 365 day tour, in which he plays a minimum of 35 minutes of music in a concert each day in a wide range of venues, including prisons and hospitals. Part of this journey is to accumulate more folk music of every variety. Michael also plays in concert halls, such as SF Chamber Music Festival's recent performance of Golijov's song cycle Ayre with Dawn Upshaw.

Caroline Goulding Wows Santa Fe, August 2011

Eighteen year old Caroline Goulding gave a passionate performance of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto with the Santa Fe Concert Association. She displayed extraordinary technique AND great feeling, a rare combination at any age. There was some additional drama in the last movement. She was playing furiously, turned to the concertmaster, and leaned towards him. Hmmm, looks like jazz or rock? Then, they did a split second exchange of violins, and she did not miss a beat. Cool under fire! We learned later that a string had popped off of the bridge of her violin, which no one noticed in her playing. I look forward to great music from her!

A new twist

Mixed media on panel, 10 X 10 inches

Dawn Upshaw & Golijov's Ayre

I heard two SFCMF concerts that featured this year's artist in residence, Dawn Upshaw. I have always been a big fan of Upshaw, in part because of her support of new music, like this. The song cycle, Ayer, was written in 2004 by the Argentine composer Osvoldo Golijov. This is a extraordinary collision of Jewish klezmer, Arab, Sardinian, Christian & Sephardic folk music. It is full of verve, drama, complex rhythms, lament and surprises. The soprano vocals are demanding & wide ranging, from soft lyrical singing to bloodcurdling cries. Upshaw did a remarkably dramatic and genuine performance. This was the first time that I have seen tears in the eyes of the musicians at the end of a performance as they joined the enthusiastic audience in applauding Upshaw.

Christopher Rouse: New Music? Not!

I attended a "New Music" program at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, including this season's headliner commission, Christopher Rouse's String Quartet No. 3. I do not share many people's aversion to new music, in fact, I have commissioned new music. However, Rouse's work was not "new", rather it took us backwards 40 years to the academic compositions of the 1970's that we all had to suffer through. How many different screeching sounds can a violin or cello make? Apparently quite a few, to my horror. In the composer's words: "something akin to a schizophrenic having a grand mal seizure." There was no emotional content or meaning (1970's callling!) One might consider it an intellectual exercise, but there was little intellect involved. Is this 2011 or 1971???

Another

"The Taste of the Campari", June 2011, Watercolor, acrylic, mixed media on panel 10x10 inches.

Notice the new background which employs automatic writing, similiar to what I used in a number of paintings five years ago.

3 More Mixed Media

"Tat Tvam Asi" Mixed media, watercolor, acrylic, paper. 10X10 inches, on panel.

"Markets" Mixed media, watercolor, acrylic, paper. 11X14 inches, on panel.

"Intuition" Mixed media, watercolor, acrylic, paper. 8x8 inches on panel.

Mixed Media

Mixed media, watercolor, acrylic, photography. 8X8 inches on panel.

Two Dark, Thought Provoking Films, and One Light

Incendies explores the layers of hatred and violence in a fictitious Middle Eastern country over the past 30 years. As the movie opens, two 20-something siblings are hearing their mother's will. They are given two envelopes. One to give to their brother, who they didn't know existed, and the second for their father, who they thought was long dead. From the safety of Canada, they are thrust into the dangerous world of the Mid-East to honor their mother's will and discover a bizarre outcome.

In a Better World is directed by one of my fave Danish film makers, Susanne Bier. The Danish title is, aptly enough, Revenge. Bier examines violence and revenge in two parallel stories: one set in medical camp for refugees in an un-named African country, the second in a Danish grade school. It also casts a sharp eye on families under intense stress. Lots of good acting from Mikael Persbrandt, Trine Dyrholm and the young Markus Rygaard. Also, check Bier's earlier work After the Wedding, with a great performance by my fave, Mads Mikkelson.

The story for In a Better World was written by Anders Thomas Jensen. For a more lighthearted film, see Flickering Lights, which he directed. Here some bumbling crooks try to escape from the mob, fleeing into the countryside, buying a run down house, and eventually opening a bad restaurant. It has a sweet vibe and a happy ending, whew!

Two Good, One Dud

I finally read Penelope Lively's Moon Tiger, 25 years later. After a bumpy start I found an insightful examination of History, with a capital H, and history, and of different kinds of families and love. The story is told in the death-bed reflections of an extraordinary woman. Lively was born in Cairo and spent her childhood there. Her chapters placed in the desert battles of WW2 were incredibly evocative. I was not so captivated by her recent Consequences, but, I loved The Photograph from a few years ago, which had a great conceit that was wonderfully developed.

I read another of Eliot Pattison's mysteries set in modern Tibet, Beautiful Ghosts. These books are really about the people, culture & religion of Tibet, and the brutal oppression of all things Tibetan by the Communist Chinese. In this volume, Pattison develops the true story of the 1904 incursion into Tibet by the British Army and the officers who stayed behind to become lama artists. If you care about Tibet, Pattison's books are a must read.







Charlie Smith's Three Delays got rave reviews last year for its "hallucenigenic prose". What I found was druggie ramblings of disfunctional characters who repeatedly washed down 'ludes and meth with gulps of rum. Oi vey, you can skip this one.

Back to Collage

I'm getting back to collage after a respite of a few years. My previous collages had evolved from a series of paintings that evoked calligraphy. That served as the background for the collages. They used watercolor over images from my life: worksheets from portfolio management, Sanskrit texts, & musical scores.

"Intersection" Mixed media, watercolor, acrylic, paper, on canvas. 16x20"

My first venture this year is completely different. The origin was a gift for my brother in thanks for his work on our mother's estate. So, it is a bit scrapbookish, using photos & memorabilia, but similar compositional elements.









My latest piece uses materials from both of these previous approaches. The background is watercolored worksheets, Sanskrit & music. I composed a design of travel related images on top of that. I like carefully composed collages that allow your eyeballs to rest peacefully on them.

"Reading Line" Mixed media, watercolor, acrylic, photography, on panel. 12 x 9".

Racism & Immigration in Two Good Novels

I randomly read two completely different novels which both dealt with racism & immigration. They are set in.... Arizona? Nope, in France and Italy. France? Isn't that where black jazz musicians used to flock? Yup, and it is, also, where 140 cities were in flames during coordinated demonstrations a few summer ago to protest the lack of economic opportunity for Arabs & other minorities. Unfortunately, it's everywhere. Jean-Claude Izzo's Total Chaos puts the socio/political microscope on racism in France towards Arabs and Nabs, Neapolitan Italians. It's wrapped around a tight mystery story & extraordinary descriptions of Marseilles. Worth a read.

Amara Lakhous' Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio takes a comedic bent to look at prejudice against immigrants in Italy, especially in the North. Cited are problems of people from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iran, AND from Southern Italy. It's a well written comic novel about a serious subject.

These selections were not totally random. Both are from Europa Editions, a great press for contemporary European writers.

Keith Miller Master Class

Keith did a Master Class with four lucky UCF voice students. First, the student sang and then Keith made incredibly insightful suggestions and comments, all tailor-made for the singer. He asked the student to sing part of the aria using his advice. The impact on their singing was immediate and noticeable. Then, he would take his observation to another level, the student would sing, and another level, and sing. His work with each of the four was completely different and individualized. He also spoke about the business of singing. To paraphrase: If you want to make your living singing, i.e. to be paid money to sing, then you have to do a great job. If you don't, then you'll be fired and you won't be making money singing. So, you must WORK, WORK, WORK. This Master Class was as remarkable as his recital.

Keith Miller and Debbie Ayers Recital

Debbie did a recital with Met Opera bass-baritone Keith Miller, as a fundraiser for the UCF Opera Dept. Keith has an extraordinary voice, huge and warm, which filled the auditorium. The program was varied and Keith captured the audience. The dialogue between Debbie and Keith was palpable, and everyone commented about it after the concert. He spoke at length with dozens of students in the lobby. Keith has had quite a journey: he was a pro-football player who fell in love with singing after taking a date to a Broadway musical and then taught himself how to sing & read music. This led to a scholarship to the Academy of Vocal Arts, the Mt. Olympus of vocal schools, and his turning down a great contract with a football team. He was tapped by the Met, skipped the apprentice program, and has now sung in 200 opera performances. Keith has developed a fitness program for singers, which is used at the Met and is being rolled out this spring at Santa Fe Opera. Yes, his biceps are like tree trunks, and he is a friendly and modest man.

Running Away: Maybe. Buddha's Orphans: Don't Bother

Running Away by Jean-Phillipe Toussaint has some extraordinary descriptive writing set in contemporary China and a big contrast in Elba. Some might say it is over-written. This is wrapped around a bare bones story and a slight plot. A young man delivers an envelope of cash to a mysterious Chinese man for his girlfriend. He travels to Beijing with a young woman he meets, & the silent Chinese man tags along, all chock full of vivid descriptions of the city. He goes to Elba for the funeral of his girlfriend's father, more vivid descriptions. They go swimming in the sea. The end. I can't give a hearty recommendation, but there is some tour de force writing. You can knock it off on a long airplane ride.

Buddha's Orphans by Samrat Upadhyay: I was hooked by a review's mention of the book's description of the political turmoil in Nepal over the past two decades. Many of my Tibetan friends have made their way to the U.S. via Nepal, so I was very interested in this book. Unfortunately, that's all the political situation gets in the book: a mention. Most of the other 420 pages are devoted to a sophomoric story of a lifelong romance between two young people from broken families. There is some treatment of the grueling poverty in the country & the social system that keeps people trapped in it, but only cursory mention of the political turmoil that rocked the country. The book is mostly "shy glances" and "aching hearts". Oi vey. Avoid this book unless you need a big dose of melodrama.

Losar Tashi Delek

We had the privilege of celebrating the Tibetan New Year at the Tibet Association house in Santa Fe. It was a wonderful afternoon of prayer, great food, singing and friendship.

Tibet Uprising Day

March 10th is the 52nd anniversary of Tibet Uprising Day. This is marked by demonstrations around the world to remind us of the torture, genocide and the literally demolished culture of Tibet at the hands of the Communist Chinese. Since the State Department won't do anything about it, how about you? Boycott China.

John Rangel and the Tribute Trio play Bill Evans

Pianist John Rangel and the Tribute Trio played a program of Bill Evans' compositions. John totally owned this music: he gracefully flew through complex structures, deftly improvising around them and back. Evans engaged the bass & drums in his music in a groundbreaking way. Michael Glynn and Cal Haines were there in force, skillfully interacting with the piano. The audience was completely energized by the performance. Rangel had both classical and jazz training, and this was evident in how he handled this music. From the opening piece, "Displacement", he effortlessly blended multiple key modulations, meter changes, and syncopation. Of course, it isn't effortless, it is very hard work. This brings to mind the word used in Italian art history, sprezzatura: doing something technically very difficult with ease and grace, so that it seems effortless. Thanks, John!

Check him out at http://www.johnrangel.com/

Honor Crimes & My Sisters Made of Light

Jackie St. Joan did a reading at Garcia Street Books from her novel My Sisters Made of Light. Jackie is an attorney who focuses on domestic violence issues. Her novel is based on women victims of "honor crimes" in Pakistan. She spoke about the complex cultural issues involved. Thousands of women & girls are killed or abused each year by family members who believe their behaviour has brought dishonor to the family or community. Honor crimes are illegal in Pakistan, yet they continue to be common. They are often approved beforehand by local citizens and are thus very difficult to prosecute. She is donating half of her proceeds from the novel to the construction of a safe house in Pakistan for abused women and girls. Her website is: http://www.mysistersmadeoflight.com/. You can contact her there to made donations for the safe house.

Serenata with Krista River

Debbie performed with Serenata on February 6th in a chamber music program that featured mezzo-soprano Krista River. Krista's lyric mezzo was lovely in songs from Beethoven's Four Ariettas and Brahms' Zwei Gesange. The program had an unusual offering of oboe and voice, from Ralph Vaughn Williams' Ten Blake Songs. It was a wonderful pairing, with Pamela Epple playing oboe. River's rendering of Noel Coward's If Love Were All and A Bar on the Piccola Marina was a real crowd pleaser! Debbie and Krista's photo appeared the following day in the local paper....at a restaurant cheering on the Green Bay Packers in the Superbowl!

If you love movies, please read this book!

Steve Erikson's Zeroville is an homage to Film, with a capital F. Here is an extraordinary exploration of film-making and film-makers, through the eyes of a young man obsessed with Film. Yes, he has Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift, from A Place in the Sun, tatooed on his shaved head. Zeroville has a clever structure and plot. It is also filled with fascinating characters and wonderful insights into great movie making. The title is from Godard's ground breaking film, Alphaville. Erikson's writing is edgy, without going over the edge, a big plus among young writers today.

The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog, and of his Friend Marilyn Monroe

A long title for a fun, clever, short book, by Andrew O'Hagan. Maf is an erudite, opinionated dog who weighs in on the Arts and Politics, with capital letters, during the early '60's in the US. There are some great cameos by Lee Strasberg, Leo Castelli, Frank Sinatra, John Kennedy, Carson McCullers, Lillian Hellman, a host of critics & scholars. Once past the first 20 pages of set-up, Maf finds his stride and it's a romp!

End of a Dry Spell

Jane Gardam is new to me, and I'll be reading more. She has written 16 novels and is a two time winner of the Whitbread Award, so where have I been? I just finished Old Filth, written in 2004. It is delightful reading: wonderful characters, great writing, and beautifully structured & paced. It is the story of a "Raj orphan", abandoned by his father, raised by Malay natives & then an abusive foster home in Wales. He is tossed by life for years, gets through Cambridge, & becomes a successful lawyer & judge in Hong Kong. Filth is his acronym for Failed in London Try Hong Kong. There are some great early developments that are saved for the very end the book. The soft cover was published by Europa Editions, always dependable for a good read!

One out of Three

I read three highly praised recent novels by young authors. Two of them were completely lost on me. Poorly plotted stories of misfit main characters and their even more dysfunctional, horrid families: what's the point? Perhaps it is a new genre, misfit ennui? You Were Wrong topped it off with edgy, often annoying, writing. Erased was filled with absurd characters that toppled into goofiness. The Hidden by Tobias Hill was a welcome relief, good writing, well drawn characters. It reminded me of Don Delillo's The Names in many respects, which is a compliment. A recently divorced anthropologist washes up at an archeology dig in Greece. He tries hard to be accepted into the secretive inner circle here.This conceit did wear thin, but the accelerating pace of the ending freshened it up. Be careful what you wish for.