twi-ny recommended events

TRUTH, REVISED HISTORIES, WISHFUL THINKING, AND FLAT OUT LIES

john Jasperse’s latest, playing at the Joyce June 16-19, features a pair of bathing beauties and much more (photo by Sylvio Dittrich)

JOHN JASPERSE COMPANY
Joyce Theater
175 Eighth Ave. at 19th St.
June 16-19, $10-$39
212-242-0800
www.joyce.org
www.johnjasperse.org

For more than twenty years, Manhattan-based dancer-choreographer Johnn Jasperse has been creating unique works that explore both the human body and the psyche. Commissioning experimental music and often incorporating multimedia and multidisciplinary elements, Jasperse is always up to challenging himself as well as the audience. In 2007 he presented the environmentally conscious MISUSE LIABLE TO PROSECUTION at BAM, which was trashy fun, and last May he staged the very intimate BECKY JODI AND JOHN at Dance Theater Workshop. Back at the Joyce this week for the first time in ten years, Jasperse will be holding the New York premiere of TRUTH, REVISED HISTORIES, WISHFUL THINKING, AND FLAT OUT LIES, featuring a commissioned score by Hahn Rowe played live by the International Contemporary Ensemble.

Erin Cornell and John Jasperse go at it in the choreographer’s latest work (photo by Sylvio Dittrich)

Review: In his latest evening-length piece, John Jasperse explores the social, political, and personal aspects of the history of performance, with forays into adagio tango, the flappers fad, classical ballet, and experimental contemporary dance. He mixes fantasy with reality, truth with fiction, playing with illusion while testing the audience’s patience and its ability to acknowledge quality. At one point Neal Beasley, Erin Cornell, Eleanor Hullihan, and Kayvon Pourazar stumble about, unable to complete a move correctly, while at another they slide gracefully across the stage, in total control of their bodies. Jasperse makes occasional appearances as well, serving as comic relief, including one stint as a lousy magician. The glitz and glamour of the first part, which features sequined outfits, a colorful beach backdrop, and songs by Ginuwine and Barry White, is offset by the much more serious second act, with everything bathed in bright white, from the International Contemporary Ensemble, who play Hahn Rowe’s beautiful score live onstage, to the doily lampshades the four dancers and Jasperse don during a long, nearly motionless section following a scene of unexpected violence. While a handful of people left early on opening night (June 16), many more gave the company a rousing standing ovation at the end of a challenging, diverse, exciting, and intriguing night of unusual dance theater.

MAD. SQ. MUSIC

Bluesman David Bromberg brings his quartet to Madison Square Park on July 14

OVAL LAWN SERIES
Madison Square Park
23rd to 25th Sts. between Madison & Fifth Aves.
Wednesday nights at 6:00 or 7:00 from June 16 to August 4
Admission: free
www.madisonsquarepark.org

Every year the free music lineup at Madison Square Park gets better and better. This year, the Mad. Sq. Music series, held on the beautiful Oval Lawn, gets under way June 16 with Grammy nominee Ruthie Foster. Unlike other summer festivals, this one tends to not get overcrowded, so there’s usually room to spread out with a group of friends and have a great time. However, please remember that people are primarily there to listen to the music; if we see that large party again that comes to the park, sits in the middle of the crowd, and allows their kids to run wild while the men loudly discuss business and refuse to quiet down whether asked nicely or, eventually, not so nicely, we’re going to give them a piece of our mind. They were so loud that Ollabelle nearly said something from the stage last year. Enough of our rant; we love coming to Madison Square Park for any reason, and the music series is a damn good one. And if you feel like you’re being watched, you are; the park is surrounded by dozens of Antony Gormley’s “Event Horizon” statues, both on the ground and on rooftops. The series continues with Solas on June 23, the legendary Mose Allison on June 30, Alecia Nugent and the Farewell Drifters on July 7, the amazing David Bromberg Quartet on July 14, Somi and John Ellis & Double Wide on July 21, the Wailin’ Jennys on July 28, and the too-cool James Carter Trio on August 4.

JOCK DOCS: ONCE IN A LIFETIME

Plenty of nasty rain falls on superstar Giorgio Chinaglia in Cosmos doc

ONCE IN A LIFETIME: THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF THE NEW YORK COSMOS (Paul Crowder & John Dower, 2006)
Maysles Cinema
343 Malcolm X Blvd. between 127th & 128th Sts.
Tuesday, June 15, $10, 7:30
212-582-6050
www.mayslesinstitute.org

The 1970s was a crazy time in New York City: President Ford told the Big Apple to drop dead, David “Son of Sam” Berkowitz went around shooting strangers, a blackout led to looting and rioting, and a powerful CEO fought to bring the foreign game of soccer to the New World. The vastly entertaining documentary ONCE IN A LIFETIME details the story of Warner Bros. chairman Steve Ross’s determined, desperate attempt to make soccer a major sport in America. And he did it the old-fashioned way: with a lot of cash. Backed by music moguls and big-time soccer fans Ahmet and Nehui Ertegun, Ross put together the New York Cosmos, one of the greatest teams to ever play the world’s most popular game. As the name says, he filled the Cosmos with international stars that would have made Carl Sagan proud: Giorgio Chinaglia, Franz Beckenbauer, Carlos Alberto, Steve Hunt, and, of course, the magical Pelé, who was signed to a multimillion-dollar deal at a time when such numbers were unheard of even for baseball. When the Cosmopolitans started winning, the city adopted them, following their exploits from the green AstroTurf of Giants Stadium to the silver disco ball at Studio 54.

Directors John Crowder and John Dower talk to all the major players, both behind the scenes and on the field, except for Ross, who died of prostate cancer in 1992, and Pelé, who declined to participate (most likely because he wanted money to talk). Among the people telling tales out of school are such Cosmos stars as Beckenbauer, Alberto, Werner Roth, Shep Messing, and Chinaglia, who is painted as the villain responsible for eventually bringing down the franchise. (But Chinaglia doesn’t care; he sits self-assured behind a desk or in a chair, proud of what he accomplished.) Marv Albert, David Hirshey, Cosmos mascot Mario Marianni, Ross’s son Mark, superstar Rodney Marsh, Mia Hamm, Phil Mushnick, Ahmet Ertegun, and numerous executives put the fascinating tale in perspective, often seeing things very differently. Historical archival footage of the Me Decade is mixed in with terrific soccer moments, set to a 1970s soundtrack that includes songs by Kool and the Gang, Junior Walker, the Jam, Donna Summer, the Pretenders, Steely Dan, the Commodores, Parliament, Sparks, and the Main Ingredient. Cosmos fans must stay through the end of the credits for a sweet little coda that goes something like this: clap-clap / clap-clap-clap / clap-clap-clap-clap / Cosmos! (ONCE IN A LIFETIME is screening at the Maysles Cinema in Harlem as part of Jock Docs, a three-day series of soccer-related films in honor of the start of the World Cup that also includes RED CARD: SOCCER AND RACISM, SOCCER AS NEVER BEFORE about George Best, and ZIDANE: A 21st CENTURY PORTRAIT.)

CLEARWATER’S GREAT HUDSON RIVER REVIVAL

A MUSIC & ENVIRONMENTAL FESTIVAL
Croton Point Park, Croton-on-Hudson
Saturday, June 19, and Sunday, June 20
Tickets: One day $65 in advance, $80 at the gate, weekend pass $90 in advance, $115 at the gate, weekend plus camping $125
www.clearwater.org

Pete Seeger celebrated his ninetieth birthday last spring with a big bash at Madison Square Garden featuring so many luminaries performing live that it’s easy to see why this pioneer of folk music can truly be called an American folk icon. The stage set-up that night was nautically themed, suggesting an enormous replica of the sloop Clearwater, the boat that Seeger helped restore back in the 1960s to sail the waters of the Hudson River — in those days an environmental disater area contaminated beyond belief with the industrial run-off of corporate polluters. Making his home in the river town of Beacon for a good chunk of those ninety years, Seeger and a diverse group of local residents succeeded in building and launching the nineteenth-century-style sailing vessel, turning the Clearwater into a sustained presence on the water, offering day trips and spreading a message of education and environmental advocacy to generations of Hudson Valley natives and visitors.

The Felice Brothers will play the Rainbow Stage on the first day of the Clearwater Festival (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

A series of concerts hosted by Seeger to raise money for this venture — and the subsequent founding of the nonprofit Cleawater Foundation (full name: Hudson River Sloop Clearwater Inc.) — were held over the course of the following decade, eventually becoming an annual event consisting of folk music and its offshoots, held at the scenic Croton Point Park on the shores of the Hudson each June. In the decades since Clearwater’s launch, passage of key environmental legislation has had a profound effect on the cleanliness of the river, and the message of conservation and environmental awareness still rings out — like the proverbial bell in Seeger’s anthem “If I Had a Hammer” — all over the land (or at least up and down the Hudson.) The Great Hudson River Revival continues as a benefit for the foundation and as a textbook example of a green event, highlighting sustainable power, recycling, and a generally friendly atmosphere encouraging environmental awareness and social responsibility. In the wake of this type of successful event have come popular nationwide events like Denver’s Green Festival and North Carolina’s Festival for the Eno, and Clearwater still maintains a distinct homegrown flavor with local acts and artists exhibiting each year alongside performers of wider renown. And of course there is the man himself, Pete Seeger, still playing at ninety-one, always asking the audience to join in and sing along.

Hazmat Modine will get things shaking on the Rainbow Stage on Sunday (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

As for the scores of other acts on the bill, this year’s roster includes an especially strong and diverse lineup of entertainers from across the musical map. Singer/songwriter Steve Earle bridges the Americana gap between country, folk, and rock; David Bromberg is a folk legend; Railroad Earth meld bluegrass with great songcraft and aren’t afraid to explore improvisational journeys; Shawn Colvin is the reigning doyenne of Austin folk; Slavic Soul Party brings manic energy to a gypsy/klezmery horn-heavy mishmash; Buckwheat Zydeco is the eponymous master of his craft . . . and there are many, many more on tap, from virtuoso Kerouac contemporary David Amram to local folk-gospel legend Tom Winslow in addition to the next generations: Winslow’s daughter Thomasina, Woody Guthrie’s granddaughter Sarah Lee, and Seeger’s grandson Tao and goddaughter Toshi Reagon, creating a family vibe throughout the weekend. (Among the others on the massive bill are Hazmat Modine, Joan Osborne, Steve Forbert, Rhett Miller, the Subdudes, and Jonatha Brooke.)

This vibe extends to the grounds of the event itself, which is especially kid-friendly, expanding beyond music and art to offer dozens of other activities such as kayaking, song circles, storytelling, and environmental displays about the Hudson River and its aquatic inhabitants. And the ecological vibe is also evident in the food, the vendors, and the green -powered restroom and stage facilities. The festival, less than an hour from Manhattan, runs June 19-20, and tickets are significantly less expensive if you pick them up now instead of at the gate. Expect the sloop Clearwater to be on hand, along with the eternally young Pete Seeger, welcoming in a weekend a celebration and music for a great cause.

THE HEAVY

British band the Heavy are back in town for two more gigs at the Bowery Ballroom (photo by Will Cooper-Mitchell)

Bowery Ballroom
6 Delancey St.
Monday, June 14, and Wednesday, June 16, $15, 8:00
212-533-2111
www.boweryballroom.com
www.myspace.com/theheavy73

Read any article or review about British band the Heavy and you’ll be hit with a flurry of musical references, from the White Stripes, Massive Attack, and Sam Cooke to PFunk, Bo Diddley, and James Brown, from the Stooges, Tom Waits, and Little Walter to Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Jimi Hendrix, Gnarls Barkley, and, believe it or not, Bing Crosby. But this foursome from Noid, England — lead singer Swaby, guitarist Dan “T” Taylor, bassist Spencer “Big Daddy Spence” Page, and drummer Chris Ellul — are no mere human jukebox regurgitators. They burst onto the indie scene with 2007’s GREAT VENGEANCE AND FURIOUS FIRE, which featured such groovy hits as “Coleen” and “That Kind of Man,” and followed it up with another rousing sonic blast, THE HOUSE THAT DIRT BUILT (Counter, October 2009), ten songs that will blow your mind while you shake your booty and get plenty filthy. Tunes such as “Oh No! Not You Again!,” “Sixteen,” and “Cause for Alarm” channel garage rock, R&B, funk, blues, rap, hip-hop, and reggae, attacking your senses while satisfying your soul. The Heavy, who passed our way in January, is back on the road, supporting Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, but they are also headlining their own gigs, including June 14 and 16 at the Bowery Ballroom; Wednesday night’s show with Mount Carmel is sold out, but there are still some tickets left for Monday night with Penguin Prison and the Black Hollies, but you better get them quick.

RACHID TAHA

Rachid Taha wows ’em at SummerStage back in 2008 (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Highline Ballroom
431 West 16th St.
Sunday, June 13, 8:00
Tickets: $20
www.myspace.com/taharachid
www.highlineballroom.com

Algerian star Rachid Taha defies categorization, playing an exciting mix of North African instruments, power pop, French cabaret, punk, techno, and raï folk to create his own intriguing sound. As evidenced by his July 2008 performance at SummerStage, in which he was deluged with love from an adoring fan base who knew the words to every one of his songs, he is an ultracool, hip, compelling melding of Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Serge Gainsbourg, Charles Aznavour, and Frank Sinatra. He arrives at the Highline Ballroom on June 13 touring behind his latest album, the solid if overly melodramatic BONJOUR (Knitting Factory, June 2010), which features such tunes as “Je T’Aime Mon Amour,” “Mabrouk Aalik,” and “It’s an Arabian Song” GlobeSonic DJ Fabian Alsultany opens the show.

YIDDISH CLASSICS AND YIDDISH CLASSICAL

Symphony Space Peter Jay Sharp Theatre
2537 Broadway at 95th St.
Sunday, June 13, $25, 4:30
212-864-5400
www.symphonyspace.org
www.thejppc.org

The Jewish People’s Philharmonic Chorus will play a special performance at Symphony Space on June 13, consisting of such classic Yiddish songs as “Avremele melamed” and “Lomir ale zingen a zemerl” in addition to classical pieces by Handel, Mendelssohn, Shostakovich, and Tchaikovsky — in Yiddish. Originally known as Freiheit Gezang Farein upon its formation in 1922, the JPPC features more than forty members, between the ages of fifteen and eighty-five, and is conducted by Binyumen Schaechter. The two-hour concert, which will highlight soloists Joshua Breitzer, Matthew Klein, Shinae Kim, and Temma Leeba Schaechter, will also include works by Ben Yomen, Bialik, Goldman, Lapin, Posner, Rauch, Reisin, Ronch, and Teitelbaum, with English translations of all the lyrics.