Harried Potter

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.

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.

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.

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.