|
|
HOT SEVEN
|
|
| Best Bets of the Week |
12 14 04 |
|
| hotpick |
|
Big Warm Fuzzy
Un-ironic and velveteen, Jim Brickman is to New Age music what Iggy Pop is to punk: unrepentant, insistent and curiously addictive. (Come to think of it, what a duet that would be!) Now, we'll be the first to concede that the crass commercialism and pathetic-sheepism of the holidays is grating. The suicide rate shoots up for more than one reason, after all. So it's understandable that holiday fatigue can inspire such cynical backlash pop-cultural moments as Bad Santa, as much a middle finger to "season's greetings" as you'll find.
And yet, Jim Brickman (pictured, at right) keeps coming at you, with a piano that sometimes sounds like an instrumental version of Perry Como (in a good way): warm, fuzzy, reassuring, serene. It's no wonder that Brickman's 2003 holiday release, Peace (Windham Hill), was nominated for Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Album. The album features an array of guest stars, from the Blind Boys of Alabama (on a rather subdued "Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!," with the exclamation marks wholly unnecessary), Anne Cochron and Tracy Silverman on "Do You Hear What I Hear?" and Kristy Starling on the Brickman-penned, former No. l Billboard holiday hit, "Sending You a Little Christmas."
Brickman will be joined by Starling, Cochran and Silverman as well as Jeff Timmons (of 98 Degrees fame) in this special holiday concert Jim Brickman & Friends -- The Holiday Concert, which will be held Saturday at the Orpheum Theatre (129 University Place, 522-5555; www.ticketmaster.com). Timmons (pictured, at left) is out on tour promoting his 2004 release, Whisper That Way. Brickman's "Sending You a Little Christmas" was chosen as the United Service Organization's "Operation USO Care Package" campaign to support the U.S. military forces overseas.
Brickman is a heckuva success story, rising from the ranks of commercial jingle writers to soft-pop superstar with a decade of albums, best-selling concert DVDs and even a book (the appropriately titled Simple Things, co-written with Cindy Pearlman). His follow-up, Love Notes: 101 Lessons From the Heart, is due out in January. His other passion is public television; he has starred in two PBS specials. Tickets range from $42.50-$46.50 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster. Showtime 8 p.m. -- David Lee Simmons
|
|
Like so many indigenous entertainments, Crescent City has its own, curious, ragged charm. Originally pitched as a New Orleans-inspired version of A Prairie Home Companion, Crescent City sometimes feels like such an inside joke one feels lost if they didn¹t grow up in the real Ninth Ward (as opposed to the modern-day, hipster version). The flipside, more positive outgrowth of this is the show¹s uniqueness; while Garrison Keillor¹s voice has always had a certain universality about it, Crescent City host, personality (and Gambit Weekly contributor) Ronnie Virgets could come from nowhere else but New Orleans. And while the y¹at accents that dominate the Live Nude Radio Players¹ sketches border on the grating, they do spawn a laugh or two. And the music -- this week in the form of songbird Ingrid Lucia and trombonist Mark Mullins -- always delights. Jazz historian Bruce Raeburn and house band Astral Project also appear. (WWNO, 89.9 FM, will broadcast the show at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 24.) Tickets $19. -- Simmons
|
- Ye Olde Madrigal Feaste
- 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 16
- Vintage Court, 7052 Hwy. 25, Covington, (985) 792-1392; www.npas.ino
The Northlake Performing Arts Society (NPAS) presents its annual holiday treat that promises to be a feast for all the senses. Ye Olde Madrigal Feaste, a performance of dinner theater served in an atmosphere recreated from 15th century England, offers a hearty meal, with the menu paired to the entertainment. Such blending leads to the overall effect of a 'masque' -- a story within the story. NPAS, celebrating its 10th anniversary season, presents its Chambers Singers to convey stock characters such as the king, queen, jester and town crier, plus assembled lords and ladies of the court, in a cast of 30 actors. The program is a mix of carols, skits and comedy. Meg Frazier directs. Tickets $50 per person, and seating is six per table, with cash bar provided. Reservations required. -- Frank Etheridge
|
- Better Than Ezra
- 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Dec. 17-18
- House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE; www.hob.com
The demise of Beyond Records left Better Than Ezra without a label and kept 2001¹s Closer from reaching the audience it deserved. The pop band recently signed a new deal with Artemis Records and has an album in the can ready for a spring release. The new material has a little harder edge, and fans will likely expect a sampling from that as well as many of the Ezra hits featured on the Live at House of Blues New Orleans CD and DVD (both on Sanctuary). What both discs demonstrate is Kevin Griffin¹s gift for lyrics that are just specific enough to sound real and just general enough for many in the audience to feel that the songs are telling their stories. Tickets $25. -- Rawls
|
- Kidd Jordan's Avant-garde Jazz Party
- 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 17
- Alley Katz at the Blue Nile, 532 Frenchmen St., 948-2583
The 2004 Big Easy Entertainment Award winner Kidd Jordan is one of New Orleans¹ great treasures. As the music of his contemporaries in the avant-garde generation has mellowed in their music, his is still as forceful as ever. Two of his compatriots in the Improvisational Arts Council, Elton Heron and Alvin Fielder, have been joining him on the bandstand for 30 years and will perform with him Friday in celebration of jazz impresario Eduardo Young¹s birthday. Their ensemble playing seems telepathic, which makes this specific brand of jazz without a net less chaotic and more coherent. Jordan¹s saxophone playing encompasses a great range from fiery overblowing to passages of immense beauty. There is soul in every breath. Kidd doesn¹t just play notes; he plays music. Call club for cover. -- David Kunian
|
- Delta Festival Ballet's The Nutcracker, with the LPO
- 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18; 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 19
- Mahalia Jackson Theatre of the Performing Arts, Armstrong Park, 522-5555; www.ticketmaster.com
Needless to say, Tchaikovsky¹s classic is one popular nut crack during this holiday season -- is it just us, or were there five productions of The Nutcracker presented last week? Well, consider this one sweet exclamation mark, as the Delta Festival Ballet presents its 24th annual production, with Glen Langdon conducting the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. (Langdon, some may recall, was the musical director and conductor of The Phantom of the Opera; his wife, Laurie Volny, will make her second consecutive appearance as the soloist in 'Waltz of the Flowers.') Speaking of traditions, there will a slight tweak to this year¹s proceedings: Maxim Belotserkovsky will return as the guest artist, but his wife, Irina Dvorovenko, will bow out due to maternity leave. She will be replaced by Xiomara Reyes, who has received the gold medal at the International Ballet Competition in Chiclayo, Peru. Tickets range from $19-$55. -- Simmons
|
- Fess' Birthday Bash
- 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18
- Tipitina's, 501 Napoleon Ave., 895-TIPS; www.tipitinas.com
 |
|
Keyboard whiz Davell Crawford honors a New Orleans piano professor at Fess' Birthday Bash on Saturday at Tipitina's. |
Tipitina¹s owes its very existence to the maestro of New Orleans R&B, Henry Roeland Byrd (aka Professor Longhair), whose bronze bust greets all who enter the hallowed club. Every year, Tip¹s throws a special bash in Longhair¹s honor around the time of his birthday with a band assembled for the occasion. This year¹s group will feature two of the most accomplished keepers of Longhair¹s legacy, Davell Crawford and Jon Cleary, on keyboards, backed by an all-star New Orleans rhythm section of George Porter Jr. on bass, Johnny Vidacovich on drums and Renard Poche on guitar. Special guests such as Henry Butler usually join the fray, so there¹s no telling who might wind up onstage saluting Longhair, who would have turned 86 this year. Cover $10. -- John Swenson
|
|
Some of the best rock ¹n¹ roll moments of our century have been fake -- consider the Rutles, the Fabulous Stains and Spinal Tap, to name a few. Rock ¹n¹ Roll Suicide¹s tongue-in-cheek celebration of rock excess courtesy of DJs Vanwreck and Kiki OD comes with sluttish go-go girls, flashing lights, a ¹70s punk-glam-garage heavy soundtrack and a new, one-time-only cover band each month made of members of local rock groups. This anniversary special features a throwdown of all previous R ¹n¹ R Suicide bands -- the Teenage Gunslingers, the Black Panties and Drug Gang -- culled from the Scripts, the Detonations, Rock City Morgue and others. The rock ¹n¹ roll masquerade will be judged by Malcolm McLaren¹s second cousin by marriage, MC Buttkiss, and measured by a special applause-o-meter designed by Mr. Quintron. No cover. -- Alison Fensterstock
|
|
 |
| Tanya Tucker proves her "outlaw" status with two shows Sunday, Dec. 19, at Harrah's New Orleans Casino. |
If Tanya Tucker¹s icon status wasn¹t already recognized when CMT named her an 'outlaw' for CMT Outlaws, aired this fall, Gretchen Wilson name-checking her in 'Redneck Woman' certainly did the trick. Since she had a hit at age 13 in 1972 with 'Delta Dawn,' Tucker has been country music¹s wild child, then wild woman, seemingly equal parts celebrity and singer. Her 2002 album, Tanya (Capitol) featured her softening a bit with a more personal album and a few more ballads, but live, her voice has all the growl and rock ¹n¹ roll personality it has always had. Her shows survey her career, and she¹s not afraid to stop and tell a few stories along and the way. With her past, those stories alone are worth the price of admission. Tickets $35. -- Rawls
|
- Margaret Witherspoon: Portraits From Seven Decades
- Through December
- Ogden Museum Of Southern Art, 925 Camp St., 539-9600
Yes, she's been at it for more than 70 years. A New Orleans native and rather reclusive figure in a community famous for flamboyant personalities, Margaret Witherspoon is best known for her ethereal portraits of other artists, all rendered in her characteristically wispy style that sometimes seems to penetrate beyond the flesh to reveal a kind of inner aura. Over long decades during which she was a student, wife, mother and, finally, elder matriarch, Witherspoon has consistently pursued her unique vision, currently reflected in this Ogden exhibition of 70 portraits. Over the years, her portraits got smaller and smaller until they finally depicted only a solitary eye of her subjects. Noting that she likes "to have some feeling of mystery" in her work, she continues to paint today in her studio behind her Uptown home. -- D. Eric Bookhardt
|
|
|
|
