Monthly Archives: April 2015

The 2015-16 ASO Acxiom Pops Live! series

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aso_2-colorThe Arkansas Symphony Orchestra returns to the Connor Performing Arts Center on the Pulaski Academy campus for the 2015-2016 season.

Things get started on October 24 & 25 with “Cirque Musical.” Debuting this summer at the Hollywood Bowl, this evening will feature contortionists, balances and jugglers providing a visual feast for the eyes while the ASO will play classical and contemporary music.

From December 18 to 20, it will be “Holiday Pops with the ASO.” This long-running tradition will feature Christmas carols and other holiday songs

February 13 & 14 will be “Broadway Rocks!” Featuring soloists Christiane Noll, Carpathia Jenkins and Rob Evans, this evening will feature songs from such Broadway shows as Rent, Wicked, Mamma Mia, The Lion King, The Wiz and The Phantom of the Opera. 

The Pops season will conclude with “The Movie Music of John Williams” on May 7&8.  The ASO will play selections from some of Williams’ mist famous movies. He has win 5 Oscars, 6 Emmys, 25 Golden Globes and 22 Grammys.

Bennie Wallace Quartet closes out 2014-15 Jazz Series at South on Main

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bennie_wallace.jpg.190x140_q60_cropTonight at 8, the Oxford American magazine presents the final concert of their 2014-2015 Jazz Series at South on Main, featuring the Bennie Wallace Quartet!

The OA jazz series is sponsored by the University of Central Arkansas College of Fine Arts and Communication. Doors open at 6:00 PM with dinner and drinks available at that time. The concert begins at 8:00 PM.

Single tickets are $30 for reserved seats at tables and $20 for general admission. Purchasing a reserved seat assigns you to a specific guaranteed seat at a table. However, seating at tables is family-style, and unless you purchase the entire table, you will be seated with other patrons. General admission tickets are good for barstools and standing room, available on a first-come, first-served basis. For ticketing questions, please contact Metrotix at (800) 293-5949.

An improbable combination of the old masters’ deep, impetuous sound on one hand and a nearly avant-garde approach to phrasing and intervals on the other, Bennie Wallace has been hailed by the New York Arts Journal as “the most important reed player since Dolphy’s and Coleman’s startling work in the early sixties.”

In January 1999, DownBeat magazine described Wallace as “a modernist who understands the past.” Wallace possesses an uncommon knowledge of the music of his predecessors—not just Dolphy, Coltrane, and Coleman, but their mentors as well. Wallace has spent a great deal of time studying early saxophone masters such as Hawkins, Johnny Hodges, Ben Webster, and Don Byas. Assimilating much of the history of his instrument, he has remolded it into a unique personal style that defies easy categorization. It is a style that, while reflecting its heritage, is fresh sounding and contemporary. Wallace’s tone is full and resonant, whether articulating a post-bop expressionism or a quiet romanticism. His prodigious technique is indispensable to an approach that, at fast tempos, explores the extremes of the instrument with virtuosic arpeggios, scales, and melodic fragments, but on ballads transforms into a warm, often delicate lyricism.

Bennie Wallace the composer complements Wallace the performer. While Wallace’s written music reflects many of the myriad streams of twentieth-century composition—including the French Impressionists and American classical composers, as well as Ellington and Strayhorn and such songwriters as Gershwin, Porter, and Kern—it, like his playing, is also informed by improvising jazz musicians, from Armstrong to the present.

Little Rock Look Back: Special Election to finish funding Robinson Auditorium construction

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jtrma-c.jpgThough Joseph Taylor Robinson Memorial Auditorium opened in February 1940, there was still money that needed to be raised to finish the construction and the building’s furnishing.  Ten days after the auditorium opening, the City Council approved an ordinance to call a special election on April 2, 1940, for the purposes of approving bonds for three separate projects.  One of these was for $30,000 for the completion of the auditorium; the bonds would not require any additional tax levy.

At the same meeting, a letter was read from the Young Men’s Business Association expressing support for the auditorium in the election, which was to be held in conjunction with the annual municipal general election. The Auditorium Commission had previously asked the City Council to consider issuing the bonds to pay for additional equipment for the building.  In their request to the aldermen, the members stressed that due to the current bond structure, these new bonds would not necessitate any tax increase.

The campaign for the new bonds used a similar structure and message as the 1937 election to build the auditorium.  There were newspaper ads by the steering committee (this time simply called the Citizen’s Committee and led by Omar Throgmorton) and support from civic organizations.  One thing very different from the 1937 campaign was the presence of an actual building.  On Sunday, March 31, just two days before the election, there was an open house for the public to explore the edifice.  From 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., members of various Little Rock Boy Scout troops led 4,000 visitors on tours of the auditorium.  Visitors were shown all over the building; one scout calculated that the walking tour equated to two miles.  Though most people were from Little Rock, the guest registry indicated visitors from California and Pennsylvania.

On April 2, 1940, Little Rock voters approved the new bonds 1,413 to 423.  Every precinct in every ward of the city voted in favor of the new bonds.  Shortly after the election, the bonds were issued.  The auditorium construction which had first been broached in 1904 was now completed in 1940.

Tonight at Wildwood Park – The Mulligan Brothers

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tmb-final-proof-porch-2The Mulligan Brothers, based out of Mobile, AL, are an emerging band known for their lyrical Americana folk songs. They first brought their unique blend of Americana and folk music to Wildwood in 2013, and now they’re back on April 2 at 7pm.

Via Portland is the second album from the band that met playing in bars in Mobile and took a name that means second chances. Expectations are high for the follow-up to The Mulligan Brothers, their popular debut album released in June 2013 that created passionate fans across the country and was in the Top Ten of CD Sales at the 2014 New Orleans Jazz Fest.

The lyrics in Via Portland are built on lead vocalist Ross Newell’s poetic imagery and storytelling in a warm, sincere voice that is full of feeling whether it is relaxed or strained. Touring the country and playing together most nights of the week sharpened harmony, background vocals, and dynamics in the instrumentation.  New songs evolved in front of audiences, giving each musician time to develop his parts and how they fit together. “This album is honest and sincere from the ground up,” lead singer Ross Newell says.  “We stayed true to ourselves.

Other members of the band are Gram Rea (fiddle, mandolin, viola, harmonica and vocals); Ben Leininger (bass and vocals) and Greg DeLuca (drums and vocals).

During the concert, the lobbies of the the Cabe Festival Theatre will host a pop-up shop by Domestic Domestic, a local retailer specializing in goods only made in the United States.

Leocadia Zak of USTDA will lead discussion on international trade at Clinton School

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LzakToday at 12 noon at the Clinton School, Leocadia Zak will participate in a discussion on international trade and economic developement.

She is the director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, which helps U.S. businesses create jobs through the export of their goods and services for priority infrastructure projects in emerging economies. USTDA links U.S. companies to export opportunities by funding project planning activities, pilot projects, and reverse trade missions while creating sustainable infrastructure, development, and economic growth in partner countries. For the sixth year in a row, USTDA’s export multiplier increased in FY 2014 — for every dollar the Agency programmed, an unprecedented $76 in U.S. exports were generated.

Zak will participate in a discussion on international trade and economic development, including President Obama’s trade policy agenda and trends in emerging markets, moderated by former Arkansas Economic Development Commission director Grant Tennille.

Leocadia I. Zak was appointed by President Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate as the Director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, which helps U.S. businesses create jobs through the export of their goods and services for priority development projects in emerging economies. USTDA links U.S. companies to export opportunities by funding project planning activities, pilot projects and reverse trade missions while creating sustainable infrastructure and economic growth in partner countries. For the sixth year in a row, USTDA’s export multiplier increased in FY 2014 — for every dollar the Agency programmed, an unprecedented $76 in U.S. exports were generated. Further, the $5.8 billion in new exports identified last year brings USTDA’s total exports generated to over $51 billion.

Prior to joining USTDA, Ms. Zak was a partner in the Washington and Boston offices of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., practicing in the areas of corporate, municipal and international finance. Ms. Zak was also an Adjunct Professor of Law and has taught International Project Finance at the Boston University School of Law, Morin Center for Banking and Financial Law Studies and at the Georgetown University Law Center.

Ms. Zak received her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College and her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law.

ARKANSAS GIVES today!

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Arkansans have a heart for giving. On April 2, 2015, let’s join together to grow the love for our state’s nonprofit organizations. Between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., we’re challenging all Arkansans to give to the charities of their choice.

During this one-day event, each donation you give will help your favorite nonprofit organizations qualify for additional bonus dollars from Arkansas Community Foundation. All participating nonprofits will receive a portion of a $250,000 match pool; the more a nonprofit raises, the more of the bonus dollars it will receive.

There are many worthwhile non-profits participating.  But since this is a Little Rock culture blog, here is a listing of cultural non-profits serving Little Rock which are participating.

RJ Mischo & His Red Hot Blues Band heat up Local Live tonight at South on Main

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rj_m.jpg.190x140_q60_cropThis week’s installment of the Local Live concert series features R.J. Mischo & His Red Hot Blues Band! They take the stage at 7:30 pm at South on Main.

Presented by the Oxford American magazine, Local Live showcases the best of local and regional music talent and is always free and open to the public. Call ahead to South on Main to make your reservations and ensure a table: (501) 244-9660. Local Live is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Cosmic Cowboy Music.

R.J. Mischo is an award-winning blues singer, harmonica player, and band leader. His music is a combination of originals and obscure gems that create an exciting mix of grooving boogies, bump & grind shuffles, and electric Chicago blues. Mischo is endorsed by Hohner Harmonicas and has nine albums out to date. He can also be heard on twenty-one additional CDs as a guest or on compilations with Jimmie Vaughan, James Cotton, G. Love, James Harman, Kim Wilson, Candye Kane, John Mayall, among others.

Mischo’s harmonica playing is on nationally-aired television commercials, as well as documentaries on the Discovery Channel and independent movie scores. He has contributed his harmonica expertise to two published harmonica instruction books, and has conducted workshops at music schools in the U.S., Europe, and Brazil.

In addition to fronting his own bands, Mischo has been hired in bands alongside Grammy Award-Winning Pinetop Perkins, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, Jimmy Thackery, Earl Cate, Junior Watson, and more.

R.J. Mischo & His Red Hot Blues Band has toured in eighteen countries and appeared on major festivals including, the Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival, the San Francisco Blues Festival, the Monterey Jazz & Blues Festival, the Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival, and many more.