Date: Saturday, April 20, 2013
Time: 9:30pm
Venue: Howard Gilman Theater (144 West 65th Street, New York, NY 10023, 212-875-5610))
Ticket: buy tickets
Date: Monday, March 4, 2013
Time: 7:00pm
Venue: Bam Rose Cinemas (30 Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11217)
Ticket: $12
Inspired by the aesthetic of the intrepid recordists at film and record label Sublime Frequencies, Saharan Frequencies series explores the sounds of North Africa as captured by two of the label’s key directors Hisham Mayet and Olivia Wyatt and their influences. Presented in conjunction with Mic Check on BAM’s mainstage.
“The entraining beats and politically engaged music of famed Moroccan quintet Nass El Ghiwane is the subject of director Ahmed El Maanouni’s 1981 concert-doc Trances, which opens BAMcinématek’s three-Monday Saharan Frequencies series dedicated to the music of North Africa. The film has been restored by the World Cinema Foundation at the behest of Martin Scorsese, whose Last Temptation of Christ it influenced. Nass El Ghiwane’s immense popularity also permeates Hisham Mayet’s Musical Brotherhoods From the Trans-Saharan Highway, a 2008 look at the spectacular traditional and contemporary ensembles kicking out their sacred jams night after night in Marrakech’s crowded, colorful, and fragrant Jemaa Al Fna square. Past and present dovetail dynamically in the two films, which will be discussed by Mayet and music journalist Byron Coley following Brotherhoods’s screening.” — By Richard Gehr
Poetry by Steve D. Dalachinsky
1.
Butch: his mischievous smile > stern look > open laugh > dapper apparel >
a real dandy > like back in the days when > his midrange slightly twanged voice >
everything I’ll say is clichéd pompous emotional > rubbed in ashes at times > such elaborate performance we produce sometimes for no one > the wind > trees > the rushing water > walking on hot coals to emit a portrait of pain > among the last & first budding flowers & weeds > his baton / those lighter than air dancing shoes > gentlemanliness > his overall attire that gruff little me admired so much > his NEATNESS > those dancing shoes those dancing shoes > that held him firmly in place > he passed the way neighborhoods pass yet always sustain their quality > personality > somewhere in the brick > the way seasons pass & are replaced always by hosts of new hustlers > new lovers> & he one of the last of the real of the real > a unique lover of the unique & loved by all > the unique & mundane alike > come again next fall > winter > spring > summer > come again in storm & dust > those dancing shoes that I wanted so much > last of the real of the real > dancing on indifferent waters…
2.
it’s warm grey > a partial of a bridge floats between 2 buildings > bare trees blanket the river > a lifetime’s profound effect inspires the music’s language > qualities > progress >
shared experiences on & off the bandstand > intelligence > compassion > passion > courage > contact > appreciation > special > gifted > interpersonal > shrewd > sharp always zeros in on feelings & strengths > brought out the best in all > presence > worked with nurturing > worked til the end > gave as he danced in those special shoes > baton wave(r)ing > all for the flight the stage the flow the all the legacy for the future to be taken > remarkably dignified > professional > though sometimes lost his cool > always taught with his presence > treated all as equals > a prime element of conduction > open direct validation > hey I’m with the band I’d feel sometimes > those dancing shoes that held him in place rooted to the NOW > truly always in the instance > makes you get it > get what he gets > the essence of the process > challenging > demanding > draining > gotta get it right > you knew when he knew he got it right > that smile the body relaxing > though he never felt secure > gave more than enough > but when he felt he failed or that he didn’t go far enough you saw it on his face & when he succeeded you saw it on his face > that smile > the baton relaxing > worked with every type of person > instrument in completely unique ways developed a new concept of world music taking it far beyond that simple term > far beyond the world creating a world of worlds > a clinician bridging 2 worlds 3 worlds endless worlds > how he made the musicians & instruments react/interact > musician & instrument becoming one > helped folks connect with their inner voice > understand & tap into their strengths > mixing their personal languages with his > travelling around the world like running up & down stairs > room heart mind journey commitment > the work always first > well maybe not always >
nothing can stop this force even up to the end > radiates > a special relationship with everyone > heartbreaker with the skill to be a real human being > & so CHARMING >
a charmer a lover > the more one let one self go the more one understood the concept he put forth both audience & orchestra > world traveler dandy handled his illness positively privately maturely > a mature guy this Butch > a child a dandy a flirt > the band became his family as did his friends & his audience > we all became his lovers of sorts > this perfectionist who rehearsed performed demanded > he left me his extra food coupons in Marseilles & a drawer full of vitamins too > & when I finally got the process his concept what conduction was wow I was up there with him expecting laughing scowling relaxing tensing up getting frustrated or getting HIGH > he was a one of a kind > his contributions will live on > he will & does have imitators but not duplicators > disciples even > filled with exploration > fiery dancey > shoes I want those shoes that dignified presence on the dance floor > as I said he was a hard task master but when he got the results he wanted everyone knew it everyone felt it everyone got it > transcendent > like dancing on different waters > bridging > expanding > building > a life partially hidden by the seasons > like dancing on different waters > last of the real of the real > spirit genius > genuine > scraping the sky with his wand > wandering into the void a partial of a bridge suspended between 2 buildings sunset a lifetime blanketed by a river of trees……………………. Continue reading
Asia Society New York announces the presentation of a film series to celebrate major screen divas in the history of Chinese cinema. The title of the series, Goddess: Chinese Women on Screen, is inspired by one of the selections, the 1934 silent classic The Goddess, featuring Ruan Lingyu—the “Chinese Greta Garbo.” Nine films from China and Hong Kong will be screened in 35mm print format. The series will run from November 9 to December 8, 2012 at Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue (at East 70 Street), New York City.
Clockwise from top left: Gong Li, Ruan Lingyu, Maggie Cheung, Xie Fang, Xue Jinghua, Brigitte Lin.
Chinese cinema has produced some of the most memorable and mesmerizing female screen icons. This film series pays tribute to the most significant divas in the industry’s over 100 years of history, beginning with the silent period. It includes unforgettable performances by Li Lili (1915-2005), Ruan Lingyu (1910-1935), Xie Fang (1935- ), Liu Xiaoqing (1950- ), Brigitte Lin (1954- ), Maggie Cheung (1964- ), Gong Li (1965- ), among others. The series recognizes the achievement of Chinese actresses, surveys the representation of women on screen across generations, and highlights the strength, resilience, beauty, love, and desire of Chinese women. The films in this series are all major Chinese classics, each with at least one woman in a prominent role.
Text by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi
Augusta Palmer – a filmmaker, painter, scholar, a DooBeeDoo writer and a very good friend of mine – made it possible that her documentary film The Hand of Fatima (2009, 75 min.) will be screened as part of this fall’s Meet the Maker series at the New York Public Library’s Library of the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center on October 25th at 6pm. She will screen and also discuss her documentary.
The Hand of Fatima features the writing of music critic Robert Palmer, who is his father, terrific performances from The Master Musicians of Jajouka, a stunning voice-over by the fabulous Ned Sublette, and interviews with Donovan, Anthony DeCurtis, Genesis P. Orridge, Randy Weston and more. Here are few things people have said or written about the film:
“A combination of personal history and glorious music that is deeply compelling.” – New York Magazine
