Harried Potter

Hey, I just finished reading Peter Gould's new novel, "Write Naked," and boy is it a gem. Set right here in Brattleboro, with many references to area sites and history, Gould's novel tells the story of a sensitive, shy teenage boy and the intense, unique friendship he strikes up with a teenage girl.

"Write Naked" has a litte bit of everything — local history, global warming, teen angst, midlife crisis, commune living, nature, literature, mysticism, science — all wrapped up in a very interesting and uniquely crafted story. It also has a very provocative title, but I won't talk any more about that.

Many of us know Peter best as half of the clown comedy team of Gould and Stearns or through his work with young actors at the New England Youth Theatre. He clearly absorbed how young people talk and how they think — the two central characters are both teens and both very genuine.

"Write Naked" is due for release at the end of the month, and it's worth a read. There will be book signings and author stuff soon after.

The most thrilling moment, among many, for me during Saturday's performance of the Howard Brofsky Quintet at the Vermont Jazz Center, came during the final song. Brofsky on cornet and the brilliant young saxman Antonio Hart on alto launched into "Dig" by doubling on an acrobatic bebop riff, and it was a moment of breathtaking authenticity. You could almost, but not quite, imagine that they were Bird and Diz and the scene was Minton's Playhouse and it was the wee hours of some morning in the the 1940s, and the hippest and most brilliant musicians around were energetically inventing a new language — bebop.

As I said, it was a moment of true jazz authenticity, at once honoring the past and alive in the here and now, as if all of us there had dipped our hands into the running stream of jazz history and scooped up enough to drink deeply of real bebop. What a treat.

That was one of many sublime moments in a night of great music in a room full of love. It was billed as Howard Brofsky's birthday concert, and at 81 the guy can still play. If you know Howard, you know he's a man of grace, humility and intelligence. His playing is much the same — thoughtful, inventive, resourceful and highly melodic. Why is it that it was his birthday, but we got the gifts?

Well, Hart did lead the crowd in a rendition of "Happy Birthday" after the show — making it swing — but for the most part, Brofsky deflected the limelight to his fellow musicians. And with good reason.

Hart is a young man who has played with Roy Hargrove and was hand-picked by Jimmy Heath to teach sax at Queens College. His playing has great range, from the hard bite of fiery solos to the creamy sensuality of romantic ballads. The passion he pours into his horn was evident throughout.

Thomson Kneeland is rare in the world of bassists for his gift of melody; he is one of the most lyrical, and nimble, bass soloists I have heard. I loved the lushness of pianist Rob Schneiderman's playing — rich, deep, interesting chords gathered up by the handful. There were many times his playing reminded me of Dave Brubeck's. Not bad company.

I was reminded Saturday how much I love Tony Jefferson's drumming. I'd seen him before at the Vermont Jazz Center was struck by his touch, subtle but very sure. He never overpowered the other players, never stepped on them, but was always present, supplying the right kick and the right fill, stretching his wings on a rare solo. We also got to hear him sing; one of the evening's more charming moments.

All in all, Brofsky, aka Dr. Bebop, was in fine form and so were his friends, and the evening was memorable. Which is nothing new for the Vermont Jazz Center. Why not check the VJC out at its next show, the annual birthday celebration for VJC founder, the late Attila Zoller. featuring Don Friedman on piano, Jonathan Kreisberg on guitar, Martin Wind on bass and Jefferson back on drums. The concert is Saturday, May 31, at 8 p.m. For details and tickets, visit www.vtjazz.org or 802-254-9088.

Perhaps life's greatest simple pleasure is reading to someone (or being read to).

As a Dad of two kids who love storytimes, I get to bask in these pleasurable moments on a daily basis. It's something that connects my kids to my childhood and to my parents' childhoods and so on. We all got read to, we all enjoyed those moments, and those moments were all basically the same for all of us.

This point was driven home for me when we took our youngest daughter to a school visit at Brattleboro Nursery School and got there in time to hear Mary Copans read a story to the kids there. Is there any better way to start a Monday than that?

Beginning this week, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center launches a Thursday afternoon series of Children's Book Readings (and healthy snacks). From 4 to 4:45 p.m., volunteers will read books suited for children ages 5-9, most of which will be authored and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg, whose work is featured in the museum's Activity Gallery.

I think it's a great way for the museum to link its exhibit to a wider (and younger) audience and to show people, once again, that a museum is more than just art on a wall, in the same way a library is more than books.

It also should be fun. The snacks are provided by the Brattleboro Food Co-op. and admission is free. For information, call 802-257-0124 or visit www.brattleboromuseum.org.

I was remiss in not mentioning this sooner, but I caught the debut performance of the Hugh Keelan Ensemble on April 27 and was completely enthralled.

In a program I described as equal parts food for the mind and the soul, the ensemble filled the Hooker-Dunham Theater with a delightful program of lush, romantic, older classical music and ambitious newer pieces — all performed by a great mix of musicians that included performers well known to classical audiences and those familiar to fans of other genres.

Certainly, a highlight was Delius' "On Hearing the First Cuckoo of Spring," but Tan Dun's "Lament: Autumn Wind," a more challenging piece — for performers and audiences alike, was fascinating to take in.

Equally enjoyable was seeing the Hooker-Dunham stage crowded with 18 musicians — who'd have thought that many could fit. The sound was good, too. It turns out the Hooker-Dunham Theater is a great place to watch classical music.

Which is good, because the Hugh Keelan Ensemble will be back. There's a performance planned for the end of May and more in the works for later this year.

Hugh Keelan and his merry band made a promising debut with an innovative blend of performers and programming. Take a bow, folks.

Walking down Main Street in Brattleboro is like running a wonderful gauntlet. You don't make it too far before you invariably run into someone you know, and a wonderful conversation ensues.

It happened to me in spades on Monday when I bumped into, simultaneously, Dede Cummings, Myles Danaher and Zeke Hecker.

Dede always something up her sleeve, and we promised to meet for coffee to discuss her latest ventures, which include emceeing a poetry reading on Thursday night at the Catherine Dianich Gallery. The reading is just one of many in our area which have taken place during National Poetry Month, which most people know as April. Hey, it could be verse.

Myles has a lovely show of artwork at the Dianich Gallery. I'd met him once, but we'd never chatted until Monday. We found ourselves walking in same direction on Main Street, so we chatted, and he extolled the virtues of life in Brattleboro, a favorite topic of Brattleboreans, who I think feel unceasing delight in having found such a funky, wonderful place to live and work.

Myles said he grew up in Burlington, and Brattleboro reminds him of the Burlington of his youth. Let's hope it stays that way.

Moving on to Zeke, it's been a good year for him. In January, the Windham Orchestra premiered his second symphony, and next weekend, the Vermont Theatre Company premieres his musical play, "The Lift."

Zeke said rehearsals are going well for it - his baby is in good hands. He proudly displayed the poster for the it, which he had just had framed. It's a beaut.

That was the extent of my encounters on Main Street, but it's not bad, considering how brief my jaunt on Main Street was. Five minutes running the most interesting gauntlet I know.

It didn't take me long to get really into this "Music for Trains" thing which is happening in Brattleboro and Bellows Falls and points in between. It's a multi-faceted project involving the brilliant young percussionists from So Percussion and other artists and organizations, brought together by the Vermont Performance Lab.

There are a lot of moving pieces to the event, but the grand finale, on Aug. 8-9, will be an event that celebrates the rail link Brattleboro and Bellows Falls. So Percussion will perform and then board the train in Brattleboro with patrons, who will be given an mp3 composed by So Percussion to listen to as they ride the rails up to Bellows Falls. There, in Bellows Falls, So will give a live concert, and then everyone will wend their way back to Brattleboro for another performance and multi-media happening.

It's all very hard to describe, and there are many other facets, including workshops, recording sessions and residencies this summer. What got me hooked already is the sheer boundless enthusiasm and charismatic commitment to the project from So Percussion's members, two of whom were in Brattleboro this weekend for a demonstration and workshop at the Brattleboro Music Center.

Their irrepressible spirit, and the sheer funkiness of the project has me excited. There'll be more on this later, but you might as welll get on board as soon as you can.

In what has to be one of the most unusual and unfortunate reasons to cancel a show ever, Richard Thompson has had to scrub his April tour — which included an April 20 stop at the Latchis Theatre in Brattleboro — because of a scorpion sting he sustained on his right hand while on vacation last week in Mexico.

Hilltown Music is hoping to reschedule the concert for sometime between Oct. 9-29, but for fans of this under-appreciated brilliant musician, the news must be a blow.

Hilltown Music is asking if people would consider holding onto their tickets until a new date is scheduled. If you know you'll be unable to attend in October, tickets purchased via credit card will be refunded through www.brattleborotix.com. In the meantime, check www.hilltownfolk.com for details on when the concert might be rescheduled. In the meantime, don't pet any scorpions.

New Orleans, the Big Easy, is in the local arts spotlight this week in a couple of different ways mixing fun and fundraising, food and food for thought.

One is the New Orleans Benefit Dinner and Dance on Saturday at the Putney Inn, featuring a five-entree New Orleans-inspired buffet, followed by music performed by jazz and blues vocalist Samirah Evans, backed by local favorites Eugene Uman, George Kaye, Tim Gilmore and Barry Ries. For those of you who haven't heard Evans, she's a powerhouse. A New Orleans native who left in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and moved to this area because her husband grew up here. She's a great singer with a warm personality, and the event should be fun. It's also a benefit for two causes — Putney Family Services and the New Orleans Habitat Musicians Village. Tickets are $35. To reserve them, call 802-387-5517.

The other Big Easy-related happening is John O'Neal's appearance at Sandglass Theater's Voices of Community Series. A longtime activist for civil rights and a pioneer in the arts as activism, O'Neal is based in New Orleans. He has been dismayed at the ongoing troubles his city is suffering, but his optimism remains, tested but intact. "New Orleans will be all right," he told me in an interview he gave via cell phone as he walking down the streets of the city. His eloquence and congeniality made me feel as though I were walking down the streets with him, and that seemed to connect me to New Orleans in a personal way. I had been there once and began picture what I had seen there in my head as we talked together.

His program at Sandglass is not about New Orleans, per se, but about larger issues of community, connections between people, civil rights, justice. He will perform in Putney on Friday and Saturday night and will hold story circle workshops at the Putney Public Library Tuesday night at 7 p.m., and at the Rockingham Free Public Library in Bellows Falls on Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. For more information about O'Neal's visit and performances, call Sandglass at 802-387-4051.

Parenting is filled with so many funny moments that it's hard to remember them after they've passed by. Here's one that sticks out, and I just had to share it. My two girls (ages 8 and 3) went to the Brattleboro Home & Health Show on Saturday and each came home with a pink balloon.

On Sunday morning, the youngest, Margot, was sitting on her balloon when it popped. Instant tears. Losing a balloon is sudden sorrow like no other for a kid. Moved by her sister's tears, my oldest girl, Marielle, gave her balloon to Margot. Not to be outdone, Margot offered the limp, wrinkled pieces of her busted balloon in return. I mean fair is fair after all.

To her credit, Marielle accepted the busted balloon in the spirit in which it was given, and she shared a warm, knowing smile with her mom and dad. Who knew a burst, empty balloon could hold so much?

When I was a kid, we fled New York City in the summer to a little farmhouse in upstate New York. TV was never a big deal in our family, but all summer long we didn't have TV at all. Evenings were spent playing parcheesi and cards, reading stories aloud ... and listening to records.

My mother had an old record player and a handful of albums — Arturo Toscanini conducting Beethoven symphonies, Scott Joplin piano rags and, best of all, three albums of Pete Seeger singing American folk songs.

Pete Seeger was my education in traditional music, and he remains a favorite of my family's to this day. I t was through him great songs to sing, like "Godnight Irene" and "Oh Mary Don't You Weep," came to us, and I'm doing my best to pass them on.

So it was with great pleasure that I watched "The Power of Song," the documentary on PBS about Seeger that has been airing recently. Seeger seems like exactly the kind of person we need today — he's principled, and more than that, he's willing to turn those principles into action. Once villified by a culture caught up in anti-communist fervor, he now seems extraordinarily prescient, and I think deep down, he knew all along we'd come around.

And above all, through all the vicissitudes of his life, he's retained a simple, quiet positive spirit, a unshakable belief that change can be made, and that a good song can help bring people together and be a catalyst for change.

If you have a chance to catch "The Power of Song," I recommend it. Seeger's words and music remain forceful today. Seldom does a TV show make me want to go out and lead a better life. This one did.