Harried Potter

What a cool scene it was Tuesday night at Gillies. I finally went there to catch Howard Brofsky play jazz there (he plays every Tuesday from 6:30 to 9 p.m., joined by a special guest). It's a mellow scene, but the music is good, the food and service are the tops and the crowd is eclectic, but friendly. Brofsky was in fine form, sounding really good on the cornet, and he was joined by an old friend, guitarist Jay Messer. Together, the two engage in musical dialogues as well as everyone. It was a real treat, and I recommend it for anyone, even if you don't totally dig jazz. If you see Howard today, May 2, wish him a happy birthday. He is 80 years young. He will be featured in Thursday's Ovation section of the Brattleboro Reformer, and you can celebrate his birthday with him on Saturday when he plays at the Vermont Jazz Center in a special concert in his honor. Brofsky is one of the treasures in our area. Don't miss him.

When I first moved to Brattleboro almost nine years ago, one of the things I dug about life here was the fact that radio free brattleboro was around. The thought of independent radio was appealing; they were a great David to root for in a world too full of Goliaths. I remember my ol' drinking buddy Chris Nixon and I were always threatening to start a show at rfb that would go on the air as soon as we finished closing down McNeill's. Somehow we never followed through on that idea. Probably a good thing.
I bring all this up because out of the seeds of rfb grew WVEW Brattleboro FM 107.7, an independend, community-based, but fully licensed 100-watt station. Their studio is in the Brooks House and overlooks Main Street, an unlikely location, yet somehow perfect, a great vantage point to keep an eye on a humming downtown and to reflect it.
I bring all this up, because on Friday, May 4, during Gallery Walk, WVEW is holding an open studio for people to come in, check things out and hopefully be inspired to get involved in some way. I had a chance to check out the studio a couple of weeks ago, and they exhibited a powerful pull. There's something romantic about being involved with grassroots radio, doing your thing and having a hand in shaping so elementally democratic as community radio. Why not check it out Friday?

Take Robin Williams and feed him Skittles and Mountain Dew. Then, take Lucille Ball and pump her full of Red Bull. Then put them on stage together, and you still might not equal the energy I saw at the New England Youth Theatre last night in its production of the Moliere farce "Scapin." There has been a pretty good buzz about this show, which features most of NEYT's most seasoned, accomplished actors, so I expected a good show. But this one far exceeded my lofty expectations. The cast had the audience — and I mean all ages, from kids to seniors — in stitches with its devilishly good blend of many styles of comedy, crisp timing and unerring sense for hitting the funny bone. Performed in comedia dell-arte style, which I think is Italian for "hilariously over-the-top," "Scapin" is a high-octane riot, well worth seeing. Tickets are still available for performances which continue tonight (Friday) at 7:30 pm., Saturday at 3 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 7 p.m. For tickets, call 802-246-6398. I think I pulled a muscle laughing so hard, but it's worth the risk.

Howard Brofsky should turn 80 more often.
A large and warm-hearted crowd turned out the Vermont Jazz Center Saturday night to help VJC President Dr. Bebop, aka Howard Brofsky celebrate his 80th birthday and to hear some great jazz - in that order. Joined by the Charles Davis Quartet, Brofsky was in fine form, playing a mix of standards and compositions of his and arrangements by Davis. It was particularly thrilling to hear saxophonist Davis and Brofsky doubling each other a la Bird and Diz in the early days of bebop. It was not neat to catch a glimmer of what that sounded like from two men who were there, or nearly there, at the beginning. Brofsky sounded good - we should all play so well when we're 80 - both on cornet and mellophone. Mellophone? I hear you ask. My theory is that the mellophone is the product of a one-night stand between a trumpet and a French horn. It has the sweet mellow sound of a French horn but the same valves as a trumpet, and it's a nice sound. Anyhow, the music was great, but people had really come there to express their love for Howard. All that and cake, too.
Saturday's concert kicked off a busy month for the VJC, which also has its annual Big Band gala the Friday night of Heifer weekend (June 1) and its annual concert honoring the memory of VJC founder Attila Zoller on what would have been his 80th birthday.
If you haven't checked out the VJC, why not do it. If you have, I'll see you there.

Last fall, when the new New England Youth Theatre was under construction, NEYT founder and head dreamer Stephen Stearns told me he was confident that once the new theater was built, people and arts organizations would knock down the doors and each other to use it. He was right. In the five months or so since it opened, the NEYT facility at 100 Flat St. has hosted everything from book readings to film screenings, lectures to circus performances, not to mention a busy slate of NEYT productions. The new facility has also fueled collaboration. This Saturday, NEYT joins forces with the Weston Playhouse (now there's a power combo, a la the rock band Cream) to present a mini-Shakespeare festival. I've long been a fan of both organizations, and the thought of them working together is an exciting prospect. Saturday morning features workshops for actors, but beginning at 1 p.m., there will performances open to the public. At 1 p.m., Sam Lloyd presents a brief look at classical Shakespeare performance, followed by student samples from "Mid Summer Night's Dream," "Taming of the Shrew" and "Hamlet." I'm intrigued by these performances, but even more so by the prospect of future NEYT/Weston Playhouse collaborations.
This could be the start of something big.

An old curmudgeon I know is always going on about "these kids today." They don't have any respect, they don't have any work ethic, all they care about is the latest gadget, their language is filthy ... whatever. We've had a long-running argument because I think differently. I'm constantly impressed by what young people are accomplishing, what they are saying, what they are thinking ... by who they are. Not that there aren't a few bad apples, but there always are anyway.
My faith in young people was reinforced in a mighty way Tuesday when I went to the Community High School here in Brattleboro to catch a workshop by M.U.G.A.B.E.E. — Carlton and Maurice Turner — with the students there. Things were going on well enough, the Turners' messages of love, harmony, empowerment and personal responsibility were going over well, and then they blew it, or so I thought.
The Turners stopped their program of music and message and asked the students to do a writing exercise. I thought they were nuts. Here we were, hanging out outside, basking in the glorious sun, chilling to some music and you want us to do WHAT? A writing exercise?
As it turned out, the students rose to the challenge beautifully, spinning in 10 minutes some truly beautiful, eloquent thoughts about themselves that came straight from the heart.
Some of those thoughts will be published on the Click page of Thursday's Ovation section of the Brattleboro Reformer.
I was really impressed. It's a testament to the Turner brothers who have a gift for moving people in gentle but powerful ways. But mostly it's a testament to a group of kids who probably have all felt at one time or another that nobody cares about them, who have made mistakes and who have felt marginalized and disrespected. They have responded by becoming stronger and more beautiful. My world was rocked.

As Maurice and Carlton Turner tell it, they chose the name M.U.G.A.B.E.E. as a lark, at the suggestion of a friend who was in the car with them as they headed out to seek their fame and fortune in the music business. They liked the sound of "Mugabee" and made it into an acronym later to fit the letters (Men Under Guidance Acting Before Early Extinction).
Little did they know the name would be so much trouble. They get asked a lot what their connection is to the notorious president of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe, a man whose regime was likened yesterday by the Australian Prime Minister to that of the Nazis. The Turner brothers are quick to disavow any connection to Robert Mugabe, and considering their commitment to peace, love, harmony, personal responility and accountability for one's actions, they couldn't be farther apart philosophically from Robert Mugabe.
Still, their name does land them in hot water. At a workshop a couple of years ago at Virginia Tech, students there protested their appearance, assuming they were connected with the Zimbabwean regime. It all worked out eventually, and that is testament to the Turner brothers' ability to reach out to audiences and move them with just the right touch, respectful and powerful without being preachy.
You can see M.U.G.A.B.E.E. in action at Sandglass Theater tonight and Saturday with their theatrical piece "Batteries in the Killing Machine." I wholeheartedly recommend it. Call Sandglass Theater in Putney at 802-387-4051.

The first time I encountered "Tuesdays with Morrie," it almost led me into crime. A friend of mine lent me the book, and Mitch Albom's touching account of conversations with his mentor, Morrie Schwartz, who is dying of Lou Gehrig's Disease, moved me so much I almost went right out and xeroxed the whole book, so I would always have it.

I resisted the urge to commit a crime and instead bought the book. I've read it five or six times since, about once a year. I've read passages from it at a friend's wedding and have come back to it when times are tough in my own life, It's like scripture to me.

On Saturday, "Tuesdays with Morrie" moved me to tears again, this time in its stage version, an adaptation Albom wrote with playwright Jeffrey Hatcher, performed skillfully and warmly by the Oldcastle Theatre Company in Bennington.

Tim Dugan as Mitch and J.C. Hoyt as Morrie are the only two actors on stage, and they are terrific, able to wring all the sweetness and sadness out of the script without oversentimentality. The technical work is top-notch, particularly the lighting of Keith Chapman and Richard Howe, and all in all, it's just a wonderful, inspiring night of theater. Judging from the sniffles I heard around me, it's quite a touching night, as well.

If you've never ventured over to Oldcastle Theatre, it's worth a trip. It's a beautiful venue, and there are no bad seats. I have the utmost respect for Oldcastle founder and "Tuesdays with Morrie" director Eric Peterson, and I recommend you go. "Tuesdays with Morrie" continues through May 20. For information, call 802-447-1267 or visit www.oldcastletheatreco.org.

Two great CDs came across my ears recently, and, what a coincidence, the artists who created them will be performing together in Brattleboro this Saturday.

Matt and Shannon Heaton have a keen sense for taking traditional Irish/folk tunes and spicing them with contemporary rhythms, sounds and soul. Their 2006 CD "Blue Skies Above" is just plain fun to listen to and features fine musicians Sam Amidon (a Brattleboro boy on banjo and fiddle), Laura Cortese (vocals), Paddy League (drums), Jamie McClennan (fiddle) and Emily Smith (accordion).

Lissa Schneckenburger, a Brattleboro-area musician, dropped a copy of her 2005 eponymous CD, and it's a beaut. Hers is a more traditional sound, but it's no less fun to hear. The CD shows a high degree of musicianship, with a little help from Brattleboro-based bassist Corey DiMario, Stefan Amidon (another Amidon) on percussion, local musician Keith Murphy on guitar and mandolin and the Heatons, as well as Natalie Haas, Eric Merrill and Ted Davis.

The Heatons and Lissa Schneckenburger will be sharing the Hooker-Dunham stage in Brattleboro on Saturday night. Tickets are $14 general, $12 for students and seniors. Call 802-254-9276. For information about the musicians, visit www.lissafiddle.com or www.eatsrecords.com.

Hey we all could use a good laugh, right?
Stand-up comedy is a rare thing in this area, but on Saturday, not one, but two such performances are featured.
Deaf comedian John Maucere will perform at the Austine School for the Deaf in American Sign Language, with voiced interpretation. The performance is at 7 p.m., at the school on 209 Austine Drive in Brattleboro and is a benefit for the Yolande Henry Communty Fund of the Vermont Interpreter Referral Service. The fund provides sign language interpreters for events not covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act. It's a good cause, and Austine is a community which has a special place in my heart, going back to the days when I covered their sports teams. Why not venture up the hill to get in touch with this special place within our community. The event is family friendly. Come early at 5 p.m. for a pizza party. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for kids. Call 802-254-3920, 800-639-1519 or e-mail virs@sover.net.

Or you could venture up to Bellows Falls Saturday night to catch stand-up comedy night at Bocelli's on the Canal at 46 Canal Street. Featuring Boston area comedian Jerry Caruso and local yucksters Michael "Stretch" McCoy, Michael Delaney, Diana Abath, Sean James, Maridee Serebrou and Ezra Veitch. The event starts at 7:30 p.m., but leave the kids at home; there may be some adult content. Call Jeanne Levesque at 802-463-9791 for information.

I love going to events in the Cotton Mill in Brattleboro. As you may have guessed, it's an old mill that's been carved up into dozens of studios, venues, offices and light industrial spaces. To get to arts events there, you have to go up this corridor, down that one, follow signs that don't quite tell you if you're headed in the right direction and hope for the best. It took me several trips to the Vermont Jazz Center before I knew how to get there. Mostly, I just followed the crowd and hoped we were all going to the right place.

Yet somehow, that journey is half the fun. It adds an air of mystery and adventure, kind of like Alice and the Looking Glass or the Narnia children and their wardrobe. The journey there adds intrigue and builds the sense of anticipation.

With that sense of adventure in mind, why not head to The Loft this Saturday to catch the 35th Parallel MediterAsian Jazz Ensemble at 7:30 p.m. The musicians are top-notch and play ain intriguing repertoire you won't hear anywhere else — a distinct blend of Middle Eastern, Asian and Western genres. And you'll have a chance to cheer Todd Roach on. He's the founder of The Loft, and I respect what he's doing there a lot. He's also a first-rate percussionist, who has devoted much of his time to teaching. Todd is one of the good ones here in town. Why not support his venue and his music.

For tickets, call 802-380-6360 or e-mail loftarts@yahoo.com. Tickets are $10. The adventure of getting there ... free.

A shady but romantic character who spent his life pursuing gold and silver all over North and Central America, from the Badlands to Mexico.

A sea captain who fought during the French and Indian War and who brazenly offered his services to General George Washington in the early days of the Revolutionary War.

A heroic and dashing youth who left Yale to become a flier in World War I and who was shot down by Germans, earning a posthumous Navy Cross.

Not to mention an evangelist preacher, an industrial baron, a passenger on the Mayflower and possibly the bastard child of a French nobleman several centuries ago.

These are some of the characters uncovered as various relatives of mine researched the geneaology of my family. And my family seemed so middle class and humdrum. You never know.

While the work of genealogists may seem dry and academic, but the results may reveal veritable gold mines.

On three Mondays, June 4, 11 and 18, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., the Rockingham Free Public Library is offering a genealogy workshop, facilitated by Wesley Nies. This is free, and the results may be fascinating and surprising. Space is limited. Call 802-463-4270 to sign up.

A few minutes of a blacksmith's time made my daughter's day a couple of years ago.
It was Memorial Day weekend, and she was 5 years old. We were visiting family in northern Vermont, and we decided to venture out to see whose studios were open during the annual Open Studio Weekend. We stumbled upon a blacksmith in Huntington (my apologies, I've forgotten his name).

We watched in awe as he stoked his fire, put irons in it until they glowed and then hammered them into a clothes hook. Then he looked at my daughter, smiled and went to work on something else. In a few minutes he had finished a fish, which he set aside to cool and then gave her. The smile on her face was his reward, and she kept the fish as a kind of talisman for some time afterward.

That is the kind of experience possible at the Open Studio Weekend, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this Saturday and Sunday. Studios all across the state, including dozens in our area are open to the public. For information, visit www.vermontcrafts.com or call 802-223-3380.

Regime change, pre-emptive attacks, civil war, the seductive qualities of political power, powerful political allies giving questionable advice, religious justification, the right to try foreign nationals.

If these issues sound pretty familiar, they're supposed to. And I suspect that's why the New England Youth Theatre and Sandglass Theater's Eric Bass joined forces to present "Mary Stuart," Schiller's play which was written 200 years ago but still echoes with great resonance today.

That should be no surprise considering Schiller wrote "Mary Stuart" around 1800 to examine the "the crimes of the mighty" of his day, using the true-life power struggle of Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I as his setting.

In the hands of Bass and a veteran NEYT cast, I have little doubt that it will be compelling theater and will shed a little more light on the doings of our own bereft leadership. Eat you heart out, Jon Stewart.

"Mary Stuart" runs from June 7-17 at NEYT, 100 Flat St. For information, visit www.neyt.org or call 802-246-6398.

One of my favorite people in our area is Scott Ainslie, a remarkable man, whose intelligence, grace and passion for what for he believes in make him a forceful voice and a cherished friend.

And then there's his music. Known primarily for his work in the blues, Ainslie's music reflects a scholarly curiousity and a poet's heart. He is compelling in performance, able to move you both to tears and to action.

If you haven't seen him, you have a chance soon. Ainslie is one of the performers on the opening night of the Roots on the River Festival in Bellows Falls on June 7. The four-day festival continues with a great many acts including Fred Eaglesmith, the man who has attracted a cult following for his from-the-gut honesty and unusually close rapport with his fans. I'd recommend you catch Ainslie and then return to the festival for performers such as Iris Dement, the Sandra Wright Band, Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, Eileen Jewell, the Dan Whitley Band, Red Molly, and many others, including, of course, Fred Eaglesmith.

I've never been the festival, but you can bet I'm correcting that oversight this year. For information, visit www.rootsontheriver.com.

One of the things I'm looking forward to at this Friday's Gallery Walk, aside from the Turkey Hill ice cream for Strolling of the Heifers, is the "Words & Images" show opening up at the Windham Art Gallery.

I love the spirit of this thing. Local artists and writers got together over the winter and worked to create collaborative pieces. Some are paintings and poems side by side, some are images inspired by a short story, some are, well who knows ... I'm curious to find out. Some of the collaborations involve old friends who decided to create something together, but others involved total strangers who met for the first time to work together. What a way to get to know someone!

Every year, I try to identify a particular trend or theme in the local arts community as I write my Year in Review piece for the Ovation section in December. It became clear early on that "Collaboration" was a strong contender for this year. This exhibit only seems to strengthen the case.

Not that there aren't collaborations every year. That's one of the hallmarks of this arts community - the extent to which artists are engaged and willing to embrace other artists. We're not perfect here, but we're more perfect than other areas, and this year seems to be a strong one in terms of collaborations.

I know in my own relationship with art - whether it's literature, music, theater, visual arts, whatever -- part of the value of engaging with the art is the inspiration I get from experiencing it. That's a separate value from the enjoyment I get from it, and it's the seed of why creative endeavors are important. At its best, art is not a passive experience.

For all those reasons -- as well as sheer curiousity and passion -- I will be at Windham Art Gallery this Friday ( "Words & Images" also spills over into a nearby artist's studio). Why don't you join me and see what your neighbors are doing together.