June Newsletter: A Review of the Month’s Culture, Arts + Trends

JUNE AND SUMMER’S IN THE AIR

 

RADIO, ROBOTS, AND REMOTE CONTROL

“Invention is the most important product of man’s creative brain.
The ultimate purpose is … the harnessing of human nature to human needs.”

Elon Musk named his company for Nikola Tesla, Elon’s forerunner genius super nerd. In Richard Munson’s illustrated biography, Tesla: Inventor of the Modern, we learn that engineer and physicist Tesla was born in Croatia in 1856, stood at 6’2″, weighed 140 pounds, was a germaphobe, dressed to the nines, spoke eight languages, slept three hours a day, memorized and wrote poetry, filed 300 patents, was a superstitious numerologist, and wowed Wall Street investors with Jedi light tubes arcing between eight-foot electrically charged plates. The Tesla coil laid the foundation for wireless technologies! … Tesla’s inventions transformed our world and they continue to inspire great science and technological inventions today. Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, David Bowie played him in the movie The Prestige (20016). Pretty cool, Mr. Tesla.

 

BEAUTIFUL MUSIC

A flirtation, a courtship, a complex marriage, a productive working relationship, parenthood. Hmm, sounds like a modern day romance … In Robert and Clara (Master Performers), Robin Freund Epstein reveals the Schumanns’s remarkable music-making, despite a life together filled with secrets, sacrifice, loss, love, and illness. In Robin’s dynamic piano playing and enthusiasm for her subject, we are caught up in a world of romance and joy. Get the CD or stream it at Amazon and iTunes.

 

CAN YOU SAY CARAMEL?

“Mr. Willy Wonka can make marshmallows that taste of violets, and rich caramels that change colour every ten seconds as you suck them, and little feathery sweets that melt away deliciously the moment you put them between your lips.” (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl)

Did you know that June is National Candy Month? A caramel is that delicious, sweet, soft, sticky, chewy, light-brown candy made from butter, sugar, and milk or cream. Bite into a Milky Way, it’s the gooey stuff at the center. So how do you pronounce caramel? Some people pronounce it car-mel, others say care-a-mel, and some claim it is pronounced car-muhl ... The word caramel is derived from the Latin word cannamellis. Canna means cane and mellis means honey. In the 18th century, the Spanish changed that to caramelo. Then in 1725, the French changed that to caramel, pronounced care-a-mel, as in English … The different pronunciations of caramel are based on your accent, putting different emphasis on different vowels. So there is no correct or incorrect way to pronounce the word caramel.

CARAMEL CANDY RECIPE

Ingredients: 2 cups white sugar, 1 cup packed brown sugar, 1 cup corn syrup, 1 cup evaporated milk, 1 pint heavy whipping cream, 1 cup butter, 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract … Directions: 1) Grease a 12×15 inch pan. 2) In a medium pot combine sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, evaporated milk, whipping cream, and butter and stir. Using a candy thermometer, at 250 degrees, remove the pot from the heat. 3) Stir in vanilla. 4) After 30 minutes, dust the candy with salt flakes. (You don’t want the salt to melt completely into the candy.) Transfer mixture to the pan and let it cool completely. Then cut the caramel into small squares and wrap them in wax paper for storage.

 

O’KEEFFE’S MUSICAL ART

Early in her career, Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986) painted a series of abstract paintings using, as she put it, “the idea that music could be translated into something for the eye.” The title alone of her 1918 painting, Music, Pink and Blue No. 2 (1918), hanging in NYC’s Whitney Museum of Art, references her belief that visual art, like music, could convey powerful emotions. The rounded, rolling forms suggest lyrical textures and the lush colors and shaded contours create a harmonic effect. Precisely the rhythms and harmonies that O’Keeffe perceived in nature … One teacher had played music in his class, directing the students to “draw what they hear.” Perhaps it was the abstract quality of music that seemed pure, and freed from the superficiality of representational art. Whether we are realizing it or not, as we listen to music we are making our own pictures in our heads. O’Keeffe’s flowing shapes and rich colors, both smooth and austere, express passionate emotions, exactly like the sumptuous and expressive classical sonatas, symphonies, and operas that she listened to.

 

SAY WHA!??!?!?!

You are looking at a $16.50 bagel. Really. The restaurant Eleven Madison Park’s chef Daniel Humm made it. A celery seed bagel with black truffle cream cheese, smoked sturgeon, pickled celery root, pickled shallots, and sliced celery. So fancy schmancy! At $16.50, where’s the novie?

 

DOG NEWS

June is World Avocado Month and the World Avocado Association is promoting avocados in venues and menus around the world. And there is a link to dogs … “Agri-dogs” are saving Florida avocado groves. A dog has a highly sensitive olfactory system, capable of detecting extremely minute odors. A beetle transplanted from Asia is spreading laurel wilt, a disease that is destroying avocado groves in Florida. Florida International University researchers studied three dogs, a Belgian Malinois and two Dutch Shepherds, which were trained to detect the onset of this disease and to alert by sitting in front of the infected tree. Their findings suggest that with proper training, these dogs could use their natural talents to help the ailing avocado industry. In fact, it’s noted that this “technology” is the best way so far to detect a diseased tree before external symptoms are visible. Good news for guacamole lovers!

 

ENDNOTE: MAYA ANGELOU’S TRUTH

Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928–May 28, 2014) composed A Brave and Startling Truth for the 50th anniversary of the United Nations in 1995. President Clinton chose her to speak at his first inauguration. And she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama.

We, this people …
We must confess that we are the possible
We are the miraculous, the true wonder of this world
That is when, and only when
We come to it.

 

WE CAN HELP

June is also a good time to remind ourselves about the beauty of the arts, the privilege of creativity and freedom, and the power of our voices to stand up for those things we cherish. The American Civil Liberties Union has worked for almost 100 years to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and its laws. That includes freedom of speech and religion, a woman’s right to choose, the right to due process, and citizens’ rights to privacy. A champion for people of color, women, LGBTQ people, prisoners, immigrants, and those with disabilities, the ACLU operates within the court system to enact change and protect our basic human rights as American citizens. By making a donation, we help them to continue fighting for our freedom and the protection of our constitutional rights now and for the next generations.

 

Soundtrack to this IssueThe Four Tops’
I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) 

Yep, that’s me. I was their music-marketing agent. They were the greatest guys, joyous and funny. These four original members were together for 41 years (1956-1997). Berry Gordy of Motown Records called them, “the epitome of loyalty, integrity, class.” They sure were. And this song? You’re smiling already, right? 

C’mon, sing along, you know the words:

Sugar pie, honey bunch
You know that I love you
I can’t help myself
I love you and nobody else 

In and out my life
You come and you go
Leaving just your picture behind
And I kissed it a thousand times 

When you snap your finger or wink your eye
I come a-running to you
I’m tied to your apron strings
And there’s nothing that I can do
I can’t help myself
No, I can’t help myself 

Sugar pie, honey bunch …
Sugar pie, honey bunch
You know that I love you
I can’t help myself
I love you and nobody else

Who rescued whom?

So grateful for Barkley coming into my life.
Thanks to Westie Rescue of New England.

Buddha, stay. Good dog. z”l

“…live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”
(Buddha)

 

Sources:
By a stream pic: From Open House for Butterflies by Ruth Krauss with illustration by Maurice Sendak
Black Seed bagel pic: Alex Ostroff via Black Seed
Dog News pic: A dog pinpoints an avocado tree infected with laurel wilt disease in a Miami-Dade County grove. (Courtesy Florida International University)
Soundtrack lyrics: Brian Holland, Edward Holland, Lamont Dozier ©Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group

June 27, 2018
All Rights Reserved

 

May Newsletter: A Review of the Month’s Culture, Arts + Trends

MAY MAKES SWEET MUSIC

HAPPY 75^th BIRTHDAY, BOB DYLAN!

“He was completely different than anyone, I remember the first time I saw him at Gerde’s Folk City in New York City. I snuck in because I didn’t have the money to buy a ticket. I listened to him and I thought, ‘…I can sing better than that. What’s all the fuss about?’ Then I started listening to the words.” (David Crosby)

GOOD VIBRATIONS: PART ONE

Peacocks not only show their spectacular tails, or trains, they rattle them, and scientists are studying the physics of feather vibration. They have found that the tail feathers vibrate at their natural resonating frequency — like a guitar string. During their courtship, they display their feathers often, and they vibrate only when females are around.

BEAUTIFUL MUSIC

A flirtation, a courtship, a complex marriage, a productive working relationship, parenthood. Hmm, sounds like a modern day romance … In Robert and Clara (Master Performers), Robin Freund Epstein reveals the Schumanns’s remarkable music-making, despite a life together filled with secrets, sacrifice, loss, love, and illness. In Robin’s dynamic piano playing and enthusiasm for her subject, we are caught up in a world of romance and joy … Did you see HBO’s Mildred Pierce? Remember when Veda’s daughter played piano? Well, she was “performing” on a silent piano while the soundtrack was actually recorded by Robin. That was movie magic. Now you get to hear Robin’s real magic. Available at CDbaby and iTunes.

ANOTHER MOZART SUMMER!

The new exhibition, Mozart Forever at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts celebrates 50 years of the Mostly Mozart Festival. This fabulous annual New York summer tradition, takes place across Lincoln Center from July 22 to August 27 … The exhibit is special, too, with artwork, photos, memorabilia, interviews, and concert excerpts to discover. Check it out now through August 27.

REMEMBER MAX’S? CAN YOU REMEMBER?

Yvonne Sewall-Ruskin is the president and founder of Max’s Kansas City Project, providing emergency funding to artists in need. Her husband, Mickey Ruskin, founded Max’s Kansas City, where Bob Marley opened for Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith had their first New York show, Deborah Harry waitressed, the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, and Led Zeppelin visited, and Iggy Pop, Andy Warhol, and Lou Reed were regulars. Max’s was the place to be – there was always new music to hear and interesting people to talk to. Yvonne’s mesmerizing compendium of rare photos and first-hand stories of legendary performances might as well be a textbook called Music History 101.

HEY, LOOSEN UP!

Maestro Esa-Pekka Salonen, Composer-in-Residence at the New York Philharmonic and curator of the second NYPhil Biennial, is interested in finding new approaches to appeal to younger, artistically inclined people who do not often listen to classical music. On the need for the music world to adapt:

“We should loosen up a bit, and accept the fact that there are so many experiences available that loftiness doesn’t get us anywhere. Self-improvement is not a reason to buy a ticket, which is not cheap. It has to operate on a totally different level. It has to be: O.K., here is an experience you won’t forget.”

GOOD VIBRATIONS: PART TWO

Is there a secret link between music and the structure of the universe? That’s the idea behind Stephon Alexander’s new book, The Jazz of Physics (and its subtitle). “If the structure of the universe is a result of a pattern of vibration, what causes the vibration?” Is the universe acting like an instrument? … Physicist and sax player, Alexander uncovered the connection between the fundamental waves that make up sound and the fundamental waves that make up everything else … The “reason music has the ability to move us so deeply is that it is an auditory allusion to our basic connection to the universe.” Whether musicians or fans, we can all relate to that.

FORGET THE COWBELL, MORE PIANO!

Steinway & Sons’s new flagship in New York is no ordinary piano store. An artistic and modern two-level retail and performance space, there’s a 74-seat recital hall, a state-of-the-art custom sound system, live-streaming capabilities for musicians and audiences from around the world to connect, rehearsal studios for artists and students, and a recording studio. And they sell their awesome pianos there, too.

DOG NEWS

Barkley was chosen as a finalist in Pottery Barn’s Dogs of New York Cutie Pageant contest … I’d say photographer Thomas Parker caught Barkley’s Mr. Big Shot Westie attitude. Do you agree?

WE CAN HELP

MusiCares provides help to music people who don’t have safety nets for emergencies. The legendary Smokey Robinson was honored this month for his dedication and support of the MusiCares MAP Fund, which provides members of the music community access to addiction recovery treatment regardless of their financial situation. There are free recovery support groups in LA, Nashville, Austin, New Orleans, New York, Seattle, and Fort Collins, CO that offer a safe environment to face the challenges of staying clean and sober in the music industry … Says Robinson, “I’m not ashamed to tell people because I want to be of help if I possibly can.”

Soundtrack to this Issue

Cream’s Sunshine Of Your Love

Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker. Cream is my all-time favorite band and this is my #1 favorite song. In honor of my May birthday, check out this live version … Oh yeah, Jack Bruce’s birthday? Same as mine. Meant to be.

C’mon, sing along, you know the words:

It’s getting near dawn,
When lights close their tired eyes
I’ll soon be with you my love,
To give you my dawn surprise
I’ll be with you darling soon,
I’ll be with you when the stars start falling

I’ve been waiting so long
To be where I’m going
In the sunshine of your love

I’m with you my love,
The light’s shining through on you
Yes, I’m with you my love,
|It’s the morning and just we two
I’ll stay with you darling now,
I’ll stay with you till my seas are dried up

I’ve been waiting so long
To be where I’m going
In the sunshine of your love

Who rescued whom?

So grateful for Barkley coming into my life.
Thanks to Westie Rescue of New England.

Buddha, stay. Good dog. z”l

“…live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”
(Buddha)

 

Sources:
My Girl lyrics: Smokey Robinson and Ronald White ©Universal Music Publishing Group
David Crosby quote: Rolling Stone, May 24, 2016
Peacock tails: New York Times, May 3, 2016
Salonen pic: Los Angeles Philharmonic
Salonen quote: New York Times, April 26, 2016
Robinson quote: @MusiCares
Barkley pic: Thomas Parker
Soundtrack lyrics: Eric Patrick Clapton, Jack Bruce, Peter Constantine Brown, Peter Ronald Brown ©Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.