Gallery owner Karin Bravin with Baltimore sculptor David Hess, and Guggenheim development officer Jessica Healey at their Dartmouth reunion, June, 2011
A Typically Oblique Ode to My Classmate Karin Bravin, The City of New York, and Certain Artists and Artifacts, and Dartmouth
I had never heard of Michelle Blade until three minutes ago but am so impressed that I wish to link to her blog here:
Kudos and Mazel tov to my classmate Karin Bravin in New York who is showing Michelle’s work.
edit to add, October, 2011: Karin Bravin and I had a fairly extensive correspondence about our Dartmouth reunion, especially about trying to commission our classmate David Hess to create a gift (an idea shot down by then-director Brian Kennedy of the Hood Museum). We did sit on a panel at the event. I look forward to visiting her gallery some day, next time I’m in New York. She’s worked with some great emerging artists and some stalwarts, plus does good and inspiring work in the public art realm. “Brave blade cuts both ways” is an oblique way of saying “Karin Bravin rocks the New York art scene!”
And speaking of New York, I was pleased to see that the Richard Serra Drawings exhibition, that I read about in The New York Times, and even ordered the catalog, will open in SF this weekend: good things come to those who wait.
Here is Dartmouth’s sculpture by Mark DiSuvero, “X Delta”:
Another highlight from the Hood was a Lucien Freud piece called “Lord Goodman in his Yellow Pajamas” an etching from 1987 with yellow tinting.
I founded Earthwise Productions in 1994. During the preceding eight years, since my college graduation in 1986, I was pursuing a career in advertising. I denote a shift in my intentions upon the discovery of the writings of Jerry Mander, a former advertising executive who more recently has worked on issues related to analysis and reaction to corporate power; he advocates a type of media literacy or resistance. He is the director of the International Forum on Globalization. He wrote a book called “In The Absence of the Sacred: the failure of technology and the survival of the Indian Nations.” While reading this book, I was asked (by Dr. Cindy Russell) to produce a section of Bay Area Earth Day at Stanford pertaining to indigenous views on the environment(it was called “Earthwise Traditions”), and from then on I started putting on events under the name Earthwise Productions (which has since also morphed into a management company, meaning I have worked directly with certain artists and bands, helping them manage their business, reach an audience, navigate the labyrinth).
Here is a video I just viewed with Jerry Mander explaining the basics of the consolidation of power in the media, and how that relates to the problem of consumerism. It is from Big Picture dot tv:
It’s a little ironic that Jerry Mander is on the internet because he famously argues against the beneficence of computers. It is less ironic that I have started a blog; I consider myself a Luddite.
His main point is he wants people to think about the fact that seven corporations control 70 percent of the media in the world. He also says that the average person watches 30,000 commercials per year. To what extent does this limit consciousness, change basic human instincts (corrupt them), or constitute a type of brain-washing and mind-control (in the Orwellian sense)?
*”Luddite” could be read here as “idiot” or “ignorant” or “lazy” in that I am leaving the code to the embed link, which is not actually a link. RTFM. Generally I think of this blog as a notebook to keep track of, and sometimes sort out or elaborate on, articulate, my own thoughts on topics of arts, culture and maybe politics, rather than a deliberate attempt to share my ideas or influence others. Or is that just being an idiot as well?
I am watching the National League playoff game, Cincy Reds at Phillies, and pinch hitter Mike Sweeney loops one into left field for a base hit. The left fielder bobbles the ball slightly as the runners advance and I find myself humming “Bemsha Swing” by Thelonious Monk.
In my thread here about how the brain works — if mine is at all typical or exemplary, and it may not be — I marvel at this because I had just been thinking, some time over the last few days or weeks that I used to be able to whistle that tune but that I could not recently recall how it goes:
“Duh-dunt, dun, dun donna donna, dunt dah// Duh-dunt, dun, dun, donna donna, dah” or something.
Meanwhile: the first thought that went through my mind when Sweeney ball was fielded was the word “dropsies” meaning the Reds seemed to have trouble catching the ball cleanly — they had committed four errors so far in the game and had squandered a four-run lead to fall behind 6-4, most egregiously when the right fielder missed a ball in the lights and then the relay man had the ball slip out of his hands, to let the go-ahead and tying runs score.
From “dropsies” I thought of the song title “Doxy”, a standard by Sonny Rollins (I had to look that up — All Music has 242 occurrences of “Doxy”, and 358 for “Bemsha”). And when I thought of “Doxy” — which for the life of me I could not now this minute hum for you, although I would say 6-to-4 I could name in it three bars if you give me a multiple choice “Name That Tune” pop/jazz quiz — I heard “Bemsha Swing”.
And my explanation: both of those songs were new to me until 2004 when Jack Walrath was visiting me in Palo Alto and we cut a proposed live album (with Jeff Pitson on keys, as a duo) at a little dive bar in Pacifica called “The Octopus” (which Billy Cohen booked us into as a last minute deelio — we actually played there twice and dragged a little rig to record the second session). Further: around that time, I started dating a woman in Philly and would go back there quite often, like 20 times in two years, for about six or seven months cumulatively (enough, for example, that I joined NARAS there, took a class from Aaron Levinson at UArts and discovered Man Man — well, because Jim Romeo was their agent, and Ryan “Honus Honus” Katner was my barrista of choice at Last Drop, he had a day job — I also frequented Ars Nova and met Mark Christman and first heard, for example, Mary Halversen playing with John Tchai, but I digress). Maybe I dredged up the melody of “Bemsha Swing” (or my version of it, at least) because seeing the Phillies triggered that part of my brain, my tunes from 2004-5?? I remember I used to make a point of whistling this melody rather ostentatiously in public feeling I was doing my little part to spread the word about Monk — not that anyone ever stopped and asked me what I was doing.
Actually I wrote a note to a grad student at Penn (I think her name was Bethany Levy or Bethany Klein) who posted a flyer around town asking people to describe “their song” — I never heard from her so I assume she thought I was some kind of flake. (she may have been fishing for people who like either “Celebrate” by Kool and the Gang OR the Celine Dion song from “Titanic” (is it “Our Love Will Go On”? — whatever, I prefer the Straitjackets version…I was off her charts, most probably, no pun intended).
Here is a link to Either Orchestra’s version of “Doxy”, from their debut album. Amazon here lets you get a 30 second sample of the performance. Notably, this, from 1986, features band leader label founder Russ Gershon on tenor and Josh Roseman in the trombone section — although their homepage credits Ken Freundlich for the arrangement “New Orleans style”.
But here’s a version of “Bemsha Swing” by Medeski Martin and Wood, from their 1993 release “It’s a Jungle in Here” with additional horns by Steven Bernstein, David Binney and Josh Roseman among the section. It’s actually a medley into “Lively Up Yourself” which I am just learning is appropriate perhaps because according to a wiki post “Bemsha” –actually by Monk and Denzil Best, is a variation of the word “Bimshire” which is a geographical reference to Best’s homeland, Barbados. I did not know that, I am hearing, in a Ed McMahon tone. (I just, for yucks, tried to quickly dredge that soundclip out of the archive, to no avail; although who knew Woody Allen guest hosted “The Tonight Show”?)
I found myself on a blog called the discriminating viewer TDViewer watching James Franco’s stint on General Hospital and it reminded me of the case in San Jose a few years ago in which someone broke into an art gallery and destroyed all the components of a show because he thought the pieces were sacrilegious. Later I recall seeing a flyer for a local rock band’s show that used the press photo of the perpetrator. I also told that story once from the audience at a panel on digital rights by saying that peer to peer sharing (stealing) of music is like breaking other people’s art. I was actually trying to sound off against too strict property rights by claiming that once an artist has finished his or her work she relinquishes control of it and what people think of it; I’m a proponent of both the “intentional fallacy” and “property is theft.” I also once made a fake flyer for a fake band called Stanford Fair Use Project and passed it under the door of the Stanford Law Professor who headed a project on fair use under the same name. but I digress.
You know I am a big fan of John Ellis even though we have not spoken in five years — our management-client relationship ended in a less than perfect fashion — although he did end up with three cds on Hyena (and thanked me in the credits to the first).
Likewise I am a fan of yours (this is a letter to Alexis Cuadrado, a Spanish-born bass player now bassed in New York/Brooklyn, who sent his list a link to TINO which had a modest blurb on his upcoming gig there with Donny McCaslin and Dan Tepfer) and am always happy for you to hear news of your doings, although I have been a little shy about saying so.
Buena suerte a Alexis y John y todos de los revolucionarios de jazz de brooklyn y nueva yorke los que llevan los knitcaps. si se puede. viva espana. viva puyol. copa mundial!! viva bardem y almodovar y cesar manrique aunque murio en un choque como en “broken embraces” en frente de su esculputura….
ok, if they post the item about Jacob Sacks in the neurology blog i will report back…
mbw
— On Thu, 10/7/10, Alexis Cuadrado <info@alexiscuadrado.com> wrote:
From: Alexis Cuadrado <info@alexiscuadrado.com>
Subject: Re: AC Trio @ Bar Next Door tomorrow Thursday.
To: “mark weiss” <earwopa@yahoo.com>
Date: Thursday, October 7, 2010, 11:37 AM
Hi Mark
She called him Jacob Sacks, who is a NY piano player.
Yeah, music and the brain… overwhelmnig topic
Great to hear from you
Take care
Alexis
On Oct 7, 2010, at 2:06 PM, mark weiss wrote:
Hey, Alexis.
I looked at your tweet and was wondering about your comment on Bach helping your
brain. Also, what did you and Matana talk about — her tweets are private. I am guessing
that
she called him “Oliver Sax” and you corrected her.
My friend Dr. Brian Moore has a neuropathology blog but I try to get him to mention music
topics — for instance, he blogged about Woody Guthrie and Huntington’s disease. Also,
his boss the Dr. Doug “Scout” Shevlin has a folk music blog — they like music in this
one lab.
I was curious enough to submit a message to Matana, who I do not know.
(I met you when I use to manage John Ellis). (NB: they lived in the same building in Brooklyn.)
Good luck on your gigs and cds.
Mark Weiss
Earthwise Productions of Palo Alto
hi, matana. i’m a fan in san francisco. this is kinda dumb but: can you reveal or repeat your pun on “oliver sacks” that is referenced on alexis cuadrado’s twitter feed?” My buddy dr brian moore has a blog of neurology and I am always trying to get him to blog on the arts there. his boss, dr. doug shevlin actually has a music (folk and rock) blog so maybe we can get your and AC’s little joke on both blogs. I am assuming you said “Oliver Sax” which would make sense. AC was tweeting about how working on Bach was helping his brain…mark weiss in palo alto
say hi to donny. he is west coast dude. santa cruz. my girlfriend’s sister took classes in high school with donny’s father, who was also a street musician (xylophone). Donny tells a great story of the day he decided to become a musician while hanging with dad and friends.
— On Wed, 9/29/10, Alexis Cuadrado <info@alexiscuadrado.com> wrote:
From: Alexis Cuadrado <info@alexiscuadrado.com>
Subject: AC Trio @ Bar Next Door tomorrow Thursday.
To: “Alexis Cuadrado INFO” <info@alexiscuadrado.com>
Date: Wednesday, September 29, 2010, 3:06 PM
Hello Friends, hope this email finds you well.
I’m playing a nice trio gig tomorrow with the great Donny McCaslin on Tenor and Dan Tepfer on keys. Should be great fun… Hope to see you all there.
My very best,
Alexis
When: This Thursday October 30th. 2 sets at 8:30 and 10:30
NB: He probably meant Sept 30…but check back later in the month
Where: Bar Next Door at La Lanterna 129 MacDougal St New York, NY 10012 Tel: (212) 529-5945
How Much: $12 cover for all 2 sets, with 1 drink minimum per set.
Is this work? I did do laundry today. I walked the dog. I’ve been on the computer for about three hours now. I meant to go sit in a cafe with a notebook and a stack of clippings, then check out the Giants game.
I did make progress on someone else’s problem — two phone calls, about 60 minutes cumulative elapsed. I won’t get paid but money will probably change hands. I did a good deed, I think. I will have to write it up, and connect their dots.
I had a great conversation with an old associate. He told me in detail his good news. I guess that is work: interacting with artists in some way.
I wrote fragments of three or four different blog entries, in my head (but not in that notebook). I sent three or four emails. I had an idea or two.
What do you mean by work? Word count, work count. Don’t confuse me.
Who wrote: “In another mental universe whose associations orbit outward infinitely…”?
I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness.
I started a project called “Beat Hotel Rm 32 reads Howl.”
It is a live reading, staging or tribute to the famous once-controversial poem by Allen Ginsberg. The project performed twice so far, at Palo Alto- World Music Day (Fete de la Musique) in Palo Alto in June, 2009 featuring Steve Rothblatt on drums and Mark Weiss on vocals, and then in August of 2009 at Bell’s Books in Palo Alto featuring Weiss on vocals and Beth Custer on clarinet.
The project is basically a live reading of the poem — it takes about 25 minutes — with improvised accompaniment. The name came somewhat randomly; I saw a picture of a beautiful young woman who lived in Room 32 at the Beat Hotel, in France. The idea is that I will continue to produce or perform in this piece and that it will have a rotating cast of accompaniment.
Meanwhile, I’ve been pleased to see that there has been a lot of activity about Ginsberg. For instance, Palo Alto’s James Franco stars in a film called “Howl” which opens next Friday, Sept. 24, and is generating a fair amount of buzz. Also, I recently bought and read Harvey Pekar’s graphic novel about the Beats. Also, I noticed last week in the New York Times a review of a photography show of Ginsburg’s photos of his peers; it was at the national gallery.
I saw a picture of Allen Ginsburg and Thelonious Monk and it made me think about inviting Scott Amendola, Ben Goldberg and Devin Hoff, who perform as Plays Monk, to be part of a Beat Hotel Rm 32 event. Scott said I should try to get Joe Goode, the choreographer (and coincidentally, one of Beth Custer’s collaborators) to do the vocals part.
Also, on this thread, my friend Craig Baldwin of ATA in San Francisco says he is a contributor to a film being made about the Beat Hotel.
Further, I had a chance meeting with Lawrence Ferlinghetti a few months ago at a cafe in Dog Patch and it has sent me on two or three related paths of inquiry.
edit to add, July 1, 2011: Cartoon Art Museum is hosting the artwork of Eric Drooker, used in the recent James Franco “Howl” film. Also, there is a special event July 14 that is a reading of excerpts of the text.
I’m thinking about Leonard Cohen today. Not thinking too hard, mind you. I’m holding my copy of Leonard Cohen, “Live in London” (Sony, 2009) while sitting this morning at Printers Inc and asking myself a couple questions. To wit:
1. What is it that I can learn about Leonard Cohen?
2.What is it that I can learn from Leonard Cohen?
3. How will it shape my future to invest some time in Leonard Cohen?
4. Will it help me to live to be 73?
5. How am I like Leonard Cohen?
6. How am I unlike Leonard Cohen?
7. Is Leonard Cohen, the study of, a sufficient way to spend Yom Kippur?
8. Does he actually look like my grandfather?
9. Could we actually be related?
10. Would he submit to a 23andMe “spit” session?
11. Will I someday wear a fedora (my grandfather did. When I was 16 my mom gave me money to buy a fedora for my birthday and in the card commented that Pops like hats)?
12. When will I visit Montreal and why? (when I was last there — I’ve been there twice — Brian and I caught an Expos game and saw an unknown pitcher named Pedro Martinez strike out a dozen batters. I also remember the artificial turf looked like crap. The previous time I was in Montreal was “spring break” in 1986. I just last week wore my Schwartz smoked meat shirt and wonder if they are still in business. I like to check out Jewish deli’s where they still exist in urban cities. Schwartz’s I recall was by a Jewish tombstone maker. Smoked meat is there version of corned beef. It was, I recall, the week before the Montreal Jazz Festival; I could see the bandstands. I think I recall that Action Plus or maybe the Orange Symphonnete — local bands, both feature Joe Gore, were to appear).
13. Should I read his — Leonard Cohen, not Joe Gore’s — books and poems?
14. Should I at least do a close reading of his lyrics?
15. How many artists have covered “Hallelujah”?
16. Which artists?
I think I saw it on “Glee” and “American Idol” — 17. What kind of performance rights fees do the writers of such songs get and or do they stimulate downloads and sales? I wondered this when I heard Matt Nathanson’s song on “Idol”
18. Will I learn to spell “Hallelujah”? I first wrote hallejlelaedslja or something. I recall reading something interesting about the etymology of that word. Also, I should dig into my research on the word “Yiaweh” and why I think it is related to “yud yud” which, when I was in Hebrew school was a way of denoting the Almighty — to the uninitiated you might try to pronounce it “Yih-Yah” which to me is suspiciously close to “Yiaweh”. Also, “yud yud” to me looks like ” “” ” like “ditto” or “air quotes”. When did the concept of quotation marks — as empty sets — begin to be used for a substitution for an unmentionable or questionable term? Around the time of alegebra?
19. This is not Cohen but I found it interesting that I was reading a comic book about Jack Kerouac and then noticed that a Sports Illustrated columnist did a Kerouac column in the football preview issue. He used a quote about Kerouac stating that he felt he could score on every play, the optimism and energy in a new start, a new season, shana tovah. Also, I am meaning to look into the oft-repeated statement that JK earned a football scholarship to Columbia? Did his career pre-date the Ivy Agreement or are people para-phrasing the terms of his agreement with Columbia?
20. What did Steven Bernstein do with or for Leonard Cohen?
21. Did he notice that I texted him a photo of The Webb Sisters — Charley and Hattie Webb?
22. How did Laura Thomas meet the Webb Sisters?
23. Who was Sharon Robinson before?
24. Is “Democracy” inspiring?
25. What did my former client CB see in Leonard Cohen? (Truth be told, I don’t think I had heard of him before she spoke of him as an influence. This was 2002 or so. “Heather” era).
26. What do The Conspiracy of Beards?
Mateo Romero, Mark Weiss, Terry Acebo Davis, Melissa Talachy Romero
I’m on an art bender. I meant to be on the way to the gym, but I somehow could not stop myself from logging on for a minute. I meant to check on someone named Anna Maria Hong, who was in residence at Djerassi Resident Artists Program — Terry had visited their open house recently and skimming the notes from that event, this named popped out at me. She is a poet from Yale with a MFA from Texas Austin, who will be a fellow at Harvard. Calls to mind: Terry Hong, my Dartmouth classmate now at the Smithsonian, plus all my Austin literary artsy set, especially my former client DS.
But when I logged on I was curious about the Jemez Pueblo potter Lorraine Chinana, who I met recently at SWAII Indian Market in Santa Fe. My parents, Paul and Barbara Weiss, the pot collectors, bought a beautiful silvery slip scriffito humming bird pot from Lorraine. I bought a wee rosebud mini thingy that is signed L Chinana Walatoma Jemez that I was told was actually a collaboration between Lorraine and her daughter who I also met Angela Chinana. I didn’t actually meet but saw there also in their booth I guess it was Tito Chinana, the father. My mom spotted Lorraine’s masterpiece at the Friday judging and we sought it out on Saturday and they closed the deal. The Weiss’s added generously but judiciously to their collection in this expedition. Terry and I each made purchases from the gift shop at the Wheelright Museum, where she also befriended the young potter Julian Coriz, who was there to be honored as a scholarship fellow to continue studying and learning his craft.
Next I found myself digging or searching (but not actually G——-, I’m trying to avoid using the corporate name) next for Redwing Nez. Terry and I bought a great little oil at the Wheelright Museum silent auction — very much in our price range, perhaps donated by a collector, not the artist directly. It is called “Perphelia’s Trailer Home” (fr0m 9/08) and shows a beautiful colorful sunburst sunrise or set (but not “the set of all sets”) with a humble abode (but not adobe) in the foreground and desert flowers lining the driveway. We spoke to a woman at the auction and she wasn’t bidding against us, merely admiring the piece. She said she owned a couple Redwing Nez pieces, which we found reassuring.
I hope it is not a slur to, instead of the ubiquitous big corporate name, to try “search-injuning” especially regarding Native Americana.
I found a vimeo of Redwing installing a mural in Flagstaff, AZ for their Centennial. Maybe we can contact him and tell him of our admiration and suggest he apply for a public arts work here in Palo Alto. Someone named Gaby Lampkey I think was singing along as they worked, is credited in the clip, a worksong.
I had a fun but intense time in Santa Fe. Terry and I probably swallowed more art than we can digest.
Meanwhile, back in the real world, I popped in on Smith Andersen Gallery in Palo Alto to say hello to Paula Kirekeby and her lovely and talented assistant Melissa — I wore my Cody Sanderson cuff in her honor. They have hanging a group show of San Francisco collage artists including my friend Matt Gonzalez, Gustavo Romero, Theophilus Brown, Kathryn Kain — apparently they gather and do work together. I bought one of Matt’s pieces — he has three red dots now, and it was the show’s first day, off to a good start. It is my fifth piece of Matt’s in my little horde, but the first I bought at market prices — too long to explain how I ended up with the first three. Well, okay, he donated a piece to my Earthwise 15th Anniversary concert at Bottom of the Hill and it didn’t sell, then likewise to my one-day political art show last fall at Smith Andersen, part of my campaign for Palo Alto City Council — I was running on an arts platform. My first I bought cheap at an auction for Beth Custer’s tour; another piece Matt gifted each of us one day Beth and I visited him at this office. I asked Paula if she has considered having a clarinet player at the party coming up.
Not to jump around too much more but Tommy her preparator also showed me some amazing and wacky and scary John Beech monotypes her created there recently. I said that I cannot afford them but maybe someday I will be able to and they might not all have sold through.
Ok, now to the gym to actually jump around, or at least stairmaster, universal, dumbbell curls and elliptical cardio. But no “Everlast.”
Another highlight from the Hood was a Lucien Freud piece called “Lord Goodman in his Yellow Pajamas” an etching from 1987 with yellow tinting.
Plastic Alto with Mark Weiss 