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Ashland's official Scrabble Club will be meeting again on Sundays
from 2:00 to 6:00 at the Beanery.   For more information, contact
director Travis Chaney.

travischaney@jeffnet.org
541-227-9633

Swingingest. That is Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in a word. Britt Music Festival was graced by the presence of these 15 virtuosi jazz performers (what the late Michael Brecker would call a quindectet). They worked through an expansive repertoire spanning decades of jazz, each piece excitingly different than the piece before.

The group opened with a groovy Horace Silver composition, "Cape Verdean Blues" kicked off with an entertaining trading of flautistic licks between Ted Nash and Sherman Irby. They followed this with a recognizable jazz standard by Fletcher Henderson, "Blue Skies." After getting the spirit with an divine Oliver Nelson tune featuring an sik Sean Smith solo, the group played a sweet Ellington tune, "Lady of the Lavender Mist."

Wynton Marsalis demonstrated true masterliness, sitting at the back row of the orchestra, laying back on most of the tunes. The opening tune featured a solo by the New Orleans native, but he didn't solo again until the fifth tune, "Inner Urge," a Joe Henderson composition. After a Benny Carter piece, "Doozie," the orchestra took a break while I drank a bit more mead and cogitated on the power of jazz at its finest and let my spirit dance with the residual energy of the first set.

The band burst right back to full power with "Appointment in Ghana," a Jackie McLean composition. This tune featured the most exciting Marsalis solo of the night. Swingingest. Also breaking loose on this tune was Dan Nimmer. This is the most exciting young pianist I've heard since Ethan Iverson. I was sitting on a blanket on the lawn right in front of the stage directly behind Nimmer. The crazy thing is that I rarely saw his hands. And he has a small frame. He was wowing me with improvisations in just a couple of octaves! One could hear many influences in his playing; the most salient for me was Cecil Taylor. Anyone who thinks jazz is dead or dying will repent in dust and ashes if they listen to his fingerwork.

And then something unbelievable happened. The group did a couple of modernistic Ted Nash compositions which he wrote for a Museum of Modern Art exhibition for Henri Matisse and Jackson Pollock. I was flabbergasted especially during the second piece: Wynton Marsalis playing free! The look on his face was priceless, as if in disbelief that he was playing this crazy beautiful free jazz. Suddenly, I saw Dan Nimmer's hands. To the left and to the right. The band was all over the place in composed chaos (or perhaps it is better described with the oxymoron kosmos chaos).

Heart still racing from what I just heard, the 15 played a work inspired by the events of Congo Square in New Orleans, "Bamboola" (strangely enough a relatively slow piece) featuring the baritone sax of the elder of the group, Joe Temperley. (Not sure I've ever seen someone finesse a hugeous instrument like that before.)

They finished with a hot tune by the great diminutive Chick Webb, "Harlem Congo." Appropriately, this was drummer Ali Jackson's time to shine, emulating well the sheer power and speed of composer himself.

Swingingest. In a word. But if I may add a couple more: Quantity. Quality.

Tags: Music Review Jazz

After seeing Ahmad Jamal and Regina Carter perform at last year’s Britt Festival and seeing past lineups featuring important jazz artists, I was eager for the release of this year’s schedule of concerts. When I saw that Return to Forever was performing, I was amazed and excited. After 25 years, the fusion jazz quartet of Chick Corea, Al DiMeola, Stanley Clarke, and Lenny White would be reuniting for a tour and Jacksonville, Oregon, would be one of 30 or so stops through the U.S. and Europe.

Mother nature must be a jazz fan. The skies were clear and the weather was warmer than it has been in some time (although it was a bit chilly after sunset).

Unlike other jazz concerts I’ve been to, even getting to the site two hours early was not enough to avoid standing in line. Fortunately, we got one of the last little plots in front of the stage and after some sandwiches and a few glass of wine (awesome that Britt still allows B.Y.O.B.), the concert began. Although these were figures among the pantheon of contemporary jazz artists, they immediately set the crowd at ease. It was obvious from the very start that these guys were having a great time and that they wanted the audience to have fun, too. Chomping vigorously on chewing gum, virtuosic keyboardist Chick Corea started the first set on Fender Rhodes and the music was on. These musicians have not lost their chops. The highlights of the electric set were the call and response interplay of Corea and DiMeola while White and Clarke drove the pulse. The highlight of the first half of the concert was their performance of “Song to the Pharaoh Kings,” which started with Al DiMeola sitting out in the crowd duetting with Corea.

After a brief intermission, we were surprised with a nice treat: the band played on acoustic instruments. Al DiMeola initiated the second half of the set with a rousing acoustic guitar solo of awe-inspiring speed and precision, reminiscent of his work with John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucia on the classic Friday Night in San Francisco album. That was followed by a modernistic solo improvisation on piano (and direct playing on piano strings) by Chick Corea, one of the great masters of the past 40 years. It was quite interesting to see Stanley Clarke playing an acoustic upright. I do have a new respect for him, although I think that 10 minutes was too long a solo for him; he seemed to run out of ideas or enthusiasm after about six or seven minutes. He is certainly no Dave Holland. Clarke’s solo was followed by about eight minutes of unaccompanied drum playing by Lenny White. Unimpressive. While he is fabulous at performing his role at driving the group in a rock-jazz setting, his solo would only be exciting to those who have never heard virtuosic jazz drumming.

After performing three or four acoustic pieces, including a wonderful version of “No Mystery,” the performance ended with an encore in which the musicians returned to their electronic instruments. Once again, Corea was on fire and it was refreshing to see Stanley Clarke return to the instrument on which he is a master, the electric bass. I was close enough to the stage to get to shake Chick Corea’s hand. It was an important moment for me. When I first immersed myself in jazz about nine years ago, a one-dollar clearance-rack Chick Corea cassette was my first acquisition. Little did I know then what an important figure he is in the jazz world. Scores of CDs and—finally—a concert later, I feel privileged to see him live and had five seconds of his time.

Tags: Music Reviews

David Mamet has become one of the great filmmakers of the last few decades. His latest film, Redbelt, is no exception.

The great storyteller gives us a great heroic story both intelligent and exciting. Many of his other films (e.g. Heist, House of Games, and State and Main) involve a wonderful writerly interweaving of subplots climaxing in surprises and satisfying resolutions. One gets the sense that Mamet does much research in creating intelligent yet entertainingly dramatic dialogue. In this film, he thickens the plot until we are enervated and then quickly and movingly reinvigorates us with a rousing, classically heroical finale, probably the greatest of any fight film I have ever seen. (And I am not one for superlatives.)

 Chiwetel Ejiofor plays the lead role of Mike Terry, a Brazilian jiujitsu master and instructor who finds himself in a series of trials, some chance, most caused by the greed of those around him. He remains steadfast as an honorable character despite those who conspire and exploit him. Things worsen until he is forced to compete in competition, an act which in itself is against his principles. Minutes before going into the ring, he becomes aware of the corruption of the event and once again does the “right” thing. This leads to a quick succession of events that leaves the heart pounding with excitement in the final struggle. The ending is expected but by no means uninteresting, a true challenge in a fight film.

The film also features Tim Allen in a refreshingly uncomedic role and a bang-up performance by Ricky Jay (who, by the way, is a sleight-of-hand expert who is in the Guinness Book of World Records for throwing a playing card 190 feet at 90 miles per hour). Additionally, actual mixed martial arts fighters Randy Couture and Enson Inoue appear in the film, as well as Brazilian jiujitsu champion Jean Jacque Machado and boxer Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini.

Tags: Movie Review

One of the many wonderful things about the Ashland Independent

Film Festival is that one often has the opportunity to meet the 

filmmakers or get the chance to hear them make post-film 

commentaries and answer questions from the audience.  At the

opening gala reception last Thursday night, I had the opportunity

to converse with Aaron Wiederspahn, writer and director of THE

SENSATION OF SIGHT.   He told me about his influences in Eastern

European film, so I was eager to see his film.

 

The film was stylistically very different than most American films,

very slow and contemplative.  The eight or ten characters in the

film were very well developed;  the movie was a literary success,

helped along by some excellent performances of the actors/actresses. 

They struggle with their burdens in different ways, burdens which

are only alluded to.   Brilliantly, the character's lives are interwoven.

The filmmaker rewards the patience of the viewers by revealing

specifically what those burdens are and explaining some of the

whys that whirl around in their minds.   At the same time, there are

some questions and connections which are left unanswered, leaving

room for the viewer to fill in the blanks. 

 

Besides the narrative enjoyableness of the film, there is some

very beautiful cinematography, especially the black-and-white

sequences which refer to the past.    The film's music is also

very effective.  (I was especially pleased to hear some Modest

Mouse in an important scene in a bar near the end of the movie.)

This choreography of elements makes me give this film four

stars out of five.   I look forward to more films from Wiederspahn. 

Tags: Movie Review

It is very easy to become complacent about the world's water

situation in a country where water is presently in plentiful supply.

The film FLOW: FOR THE LOVE OF WATER is very sobering and

is a film that every person should see and think about then act

upon.    The director presents various situations from around the

world to let us know that water shortage is not something that

will reach a critical state soon;  it already has.

The film exposes the privatizers of water and how big corporations

are taking advantage of the disappearance of clean water to

make themselves richer by controlling these resources.   Even in

the United States, big corporations like Nestle are profoundly

affecting communities by pumping huge quantities of water, 

depleting water supplies for big profit.    FLOW debunks the idea

that bottled water is necessarily cleaner water.  It educates about

the detrimental effects of unnecessary damming.    It 

unpropagandistically presents the seriousness of the waning

water resources even right here in the United States.

 

Thankfully, the film does not leave us with a total state of

hopelessness.   The bleakness of the potential for death and

warfare is balanced with some uplifting examples of how some

communities around the globe have improved their own situation

and how inexpensive technologies can actually provide vital

clean water.   It ends with the idea that we can do something

about this despite the seeming unstoppableness of juggernaut

corporations to be ultraprofitable at the expense of human life.

 

Personally, I never want to buy bottled water again, even though

our tap water is not 100% safe.   Not that I ever bought much

anyway.   I never really tasted the difference to tell you the truth.

Tags: Movie Review

One thing is certain about film festivals.   Altibajos, as it is expressed in

Spanish.   A rollercoaster of emotions.   After seeing the inspiring and

uplifting film THE GATES, I went to see one of the more heart-wrenching

films I've ever had the experience of viewing, ONE MINUTE TO NINE,

made even more powerful because it hits close to home;  it is about

a family in Grants Pass.

 

Despite some less-than-amazing editing, and at times unnecessarily

nauseating shaky filming, the film told a rather extraordinary story of

abuse survival and the lengths that persons will go to in the interest

of their loved ones.   In a style not dissimilar from CAPTURING THE

FRIEDMANS, director Tommy Davis used a mixture of home videos

and his own filming to adumbrate at the conditions in the Maldonado

household.   Wendy, the mother, finally kills her husband in a state

of desperation to spare her family further abuse.   The story of the

last days of freedom before imprisonment is one that is fascinating

and has been used by many filmmakers.   When it is a documentary

about a real person, it is exponentially more moving.

 

There is audio of the 911 call made after Wendy had bludgeoned

her husband to death with a hammer.   The scene is accompanied

by still images of the murder scene.    Intense.  I was squirming.

The woman next to me in the theater was crying. 

 

If there is such a thing as justifiable homicide, this movie presents it.

It is an interesting study in human psychology.   It is an important 

film for victims of domestic abuse, demonstrating the potentially

tragic consequences of covering up the acts of abusers.

 

Wendy Maldonado's children and mother were on-hand for a question-

and-answer session after the film, adding to the reality and poignancy

of what the film documented.   The children had admirable strength

despite everything they had gone through.   Bravo to the Ashland

Independent Film Festival for putting this film on its schedule! 

Tags: Movie Review

I love films. I especially love documentaries. Now I have a new favorite

documentary: THE GATES. From the first aerial view of Central Park in

New York City, it is obvious that the filmmaker has an eye for beauty.

 

The film follows the efforts of two lovelily eccentric artists, Christo and

Jean-Claude, to temporarily change the landscape of Central Park with

a characteristically enormous project: setting up thousands of large

structures from which hang orange curtain-gates. It begins in the

1970's by showing various meetings with city officials and committees

and the accompanying dissent--and initial rejection--that ensued.

One could understand what was going on even without the dialogue

(which was often barely intelligible from the lips of Christo anyway).

The portraiture in the Maysles' classic style of close-up (at times

ultra-close-up) shots perfectly captured what was going on in the

brains behind those faces.

 

The film skips ahead a couple of decades to 2003, when New York

City mayor Michael Bloomberg finally approves their audacious

request. The dissent continues, except that this time the outrage

is expressed by the regular people who frequent the park. You

begin to commiserate with their reaction that the park is being

violated. Despite the skepticism and outright anger of the people,

the project continues.

 

Then, there is a beautiful selah moment accompanied by the tenor

saxophone music of Pharoah Sanders. You begin to see that the

bright orange colors of the structures are not so unnatural after all.

There are gorgeous matutinal skyscapes/cityscapes of yellow and

orange. It is unveiling day, February 2005.

 

Suddenly, the grousing voices disappear. The onlookers are awe-

stricken. Skepticism turns to admiration. Scores of images of the

curtain-gates show the myriad ways they are beautiful. Moreover,

the beauty is reflected in the smiling faces of old and young. The

work of art gathers people together and makes them dance in

the quiet, simple grace. Christo and Jean-Claude are ecstatic,

ascending to apotheosis, perceived as magnanimous and

beneficent instead of as egoistic. They wind up as true exemplars

of persistence.

 

Still reeling from the joyfulness in my heart at the lyrical heights

of the film verite, I was privileged to be in an audience that was

graced by Albert Maysles himself. Before he even spoke a word,

I could already see the love and light emanating in his aura

and reflected on his masterly, smiling face. He recounted many

wonderful experiences and anecdotes of filmmaking through the

years, but one thing he said will always stick with me: "The

essential element in making films is love." And he was not

talking about love of the art; he was talking about love for the

subject, the person one is documenting. That is why he is

a nonpareil in his field. He encourages us all to capture it, whether

or not it involves looking through a lens.

Tags: Movie Review

Southern Oregon University's student-run college radio station, KSOC, has

been around for about a decade now, but still suffers from a lack of listenership

that it deserves.   I present a number of reasons why you should give it a try:

 

(1)  The station is blessed with great, high-quality equipment, resulting in a

crystal-clear sound.

(2)  You don't have to listen to commercials or a bunch of public service

announcements.

(3)  The shows are archived so that if you miss your favorite show, you can

listen to it another time.

(4)  There is a great variety of shows.    Plenty of electronica.   Classic rock.

A talk show that includes interviews with some of the more interesting

thinkers of our time. Indie rock/pop.  Folk.  And, of course, one of the

greatest jazz programs on the west coast.   Some of the shows are hosted

by some of the more witty and humorous DJs I've had the pleasure of

listening to. 

(5)  It's local!

 

The website is www.radioksoc.net .    We don't have an FM signal yet, but

we may soon, especially if we have more support from the community.

Tune in today! 

Travis Chaney 494--Julius Chaney 183

Travis Chaney 409--Julius Chaney 354

Travis Chaney 514--Julius Chaney 227

Travis Chaney 428--Ron Gideons 354

Nancy McLeod 388--Jill Iles 383

Nancy McLeod 432--Julius Chaney 253

Travis Chaney 392--Jill Iles 283

 

Name YTDRec W% YTDSpr Pts--OppPts AvgPts--OppAvgPts Bingos BPG*

Travis Chaney 43-8 .843 +6119 22155—16036 434.4—314.4 107 2.10

Julius Chaney 19-20 .487 -1564 11911—13475 305.4—345.5 34 0.87

Ron Gideons 7-16 .304 -518 8709—9227 378.7—401.2 35 1.52

Mitzi Loftus 5-15 .250 -1420 5222--6642 261.1--332.1 0.00

Adam Johnson 4-13 .235 -1734 4651—6385 273.6—375.6 6 0.35

--------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------

Nancy McLeod 2-0 1.000 +184 820—636 410—318 3 1.50

Rich Martin 3-1 .750 +79 1318--1239 329.5--309.8 3 0.75

Kelly Martin 3-3 .500 +64 2046--1982 341--330.3 4 0.67

Barbara Feinstein 2-3 .400 -112 1288—1400 257.6—280 0.00

Russ Rippa 0-2 .000 -106 567—673 283.5—336.5 0.00

Jill Iles .....0-2 .000 -114 666—780 333—390 0.00

Richard Blines 0-4 .000 -461 1255—1716 313.8—429 1 0.25

Bingos of the session:

Travis Chaney: TUREENS, PANTILED, DIORAMA, UNTILLED, CENTAGE*, FORMALIN, RECREATE, AEROLITH, ASTHENIC

Julius Chaney: PATTIES, TRAILERS, SUITERS, SEALENT*

Nancy McLeod: ALGEBRA, GUIDERS, RENTERS

Tags: Scrabble Club

This was definitely the weirdest club session ever.   Not only did

it involve our smallest attendance yet, it involved the most lopsided

game in the club's history followed by the greatest upset in the club's

history.   Congratulations to Julius for beating his dad for the first time

ever! 

 

Travis Chaney 516--Julius Chaney 181

Julius Chaney 333--Travis Chaney 325

 

 

Name YTDRec W% YTDSpr Pts--OppPts AvgPts--OppAvgPts Bingos BPG* 

Travis Chaney      38-8    .826    +5283  19918—14635  433—318.2    98  2.13

Julius Chaney       19-16   .543    -732   10894—11626  311.3—332.2  30  0.86

Ron Gideons         7-15    .318    -444   8355—8799    379.8—400     35  1.59

Mitzi Loftus         5-15     .250   -1420   5222--6642    261.1--332.1       0.00

Adam Johnson     4-13    .235    -1734    4651—6385  273.6—375.6    6  0.35

--------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------

Rich Martin           3-1      .750     +79    1318--1239   329.5--309.8   3    0.75

Kelly Martin          3-3      .500     +64    2046--1982    341--330.3     4    0.67

Barbara Feinstein  2-3      .400    -112    1288—1400   257.6—280         0.00

Russ Rippa           0-2       .000    -106     567—673     283.5—336.5       0.00

Richard Blines      0-4      .000    -461     1255—1716   313.8—429    1    0.25

 

Bingos of the session:

Travis Chaney:  IMBIBING, DELATES, SOIGNEE, ANSATED, SESTINA

Julius Chaney:  TEMPERS 

Tags: Scrabble

Our first club meeting at the coffee shop above Bloomsbury Books. 

 

Travis Chaney 409--Ron Gideons 378

Ron Gideons 371--Travis Chaney 331

Adam Johnson 263--Julius Chaney 237

Travis Chaney 431--Ron Gideons 361

Julius Chaney 383--Adam Johnson 339

Travis Chaney 377--Ron Gideons 365

Travis Chaney 477--Ron Gideons 389

Julius Chaney 404--Adam Johnson 279

Travis Chaney 551--Ron Gideons 319

Adam Johnson 283--Julius Chaney 244

 

Name YTDRec W% YTDSpr Pts--OppPts AvgPts--OppAvgPts Bingos BPG*

 

Travis Chaney      37-7    .841    +4956  19077—14121  433.6—320.9  93  2.11

Julius Chaney       18-15   .545    -405   10380—10785  314.5—326.8  29  0.88

Ron Gideons         7-15    .318    -444   8355—8799    379.8—400     35  1.59

Mitzi Loftus         5-15     .250   -1420   5222--6642    261.1--332.1       0.00

Adam Johnson     4-13    .235    -1734    4651—6385  273.6—375.6    6  0.35

--------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------

Rich Martin           3-1      .750     +79    1318--1239   329.5--309.8   3    0.75

Kelly Martin          3-3      .500     +64    2046--1982    341--330.3     4    0.67

Barbara Feinstein  2-3      .400    -112    1288—1400   257.6—280         0.00

Russ Rippa           0-2       .000    -106     567—673     283.5—336.5       0.00

Richard Blines      0-4      .000    -461     1255—1716   313.8—429    1    0.25

 Bingos of the session:

Travis Chaney:  SAUNTER, RETILED, OUTBAKE, ERECTOR, ISOGONE, BANIANS, TISSUED, KILTIES, CEASING, AERIEST, TEASING, MINUTER, DOODLES

Ron Gideons:  FASTING, HALTERS, FRETTED, TUMPLINE, IDEATES, DINEROS, AUNTIES, SANTERA, SUASION

Julius Chaney:  TREENAIL, ATONIES, MANITEE*

Adam Johnson:  REATONE* 

Tags: Scrabble

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