Author Archives: Scott

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About Scott

A cultural thinker with a life long interest in the arts and humanities: theatre, music, architecture, photography, history, urban planning, etc.

At the Wildwood Pavilion tonight – House Concert with Dan Weber

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WW WeberA gifted storyteller and inspired performer, Dan Weber’s songs have been described as “timeless” and “authentic.” In 2015 Weber begins a new chapter with “What I’m Lookin’ For,” a 14-song CD of classic Americana that includes the stirring Folk tribute “Oh Woody,” Country-Roots on “Cowboy Style,” and the crowd sing-a-long favorite “(I Deal with) Crazy ALL Day,” an everyman’s anthem that is poised to be a break-out hit.
The concert, which is hosted by Melissa and Martin Thoma, will take place at the Wildwood Pavilion.  It will start at 7pm, doors will open at 6:30.
Beer, wine and snacks will be available for purchase, and there is a suggested $15 donation at the door to support the artist during his 2015 tour.

A second season of Jazz at South on Main set for 2015-16

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2e6b4_1320267846-oxa_logoAfter last season’s successful Jazz on Main series, the Oxford American is bringing more Jazz to South on Main next season.  
Things kick off on September 3 at 8pm with Anat Cohen.  Clarinetist/saxophonist Anat Cohen has won hearts and minds tAnat Cohen [Jazz Series]he world over with her expressive virtuosity and delightful stage presence. Anat was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, and raised into a musical family. She began clarinet studies at age twelve and played jazz on clarinet for the first time in the Jaffa Conservatory’s Dixieland Band. At sixteen, she joined the school’s big band and learned to play the tenor saxophone; it was this same year that Anat entered the prestigious “Thelma Yellin” school, where she majored in jazz. After graduation, she discharged her mandatory Israeli military service duty from 1993-1995, playing tenor saxophone in the Israeli Air Force band.
Doors open at 6:00 PM, with dinner and drinks available for purchase at that time.
Aaron Diehl [Jazz Series]
In an era revolving around celebrity hype and mediocre entertainment, Columbus, Ohio native Aaron Diehl seeks to stand out as an artist in his generation that exemplifies excellence, sophistication, and a fluency in the American musical vernacular. The 2011 Cole Porter Fellow of the American Pianists Association, Diehl has been hailed by the New York Times as “a smart young pianist with a fastidious grasp of Jazz traditions.” He is committed to unearthing the treasures of a musical aesthetic through collaborative efforts with musicians across generations.
The Oxford American magazine is excited to welcome Aaron Diehl to Little Rock on November 5 as the second show in our 2015 – 2016 Jazz Series! Doors open at 6:00 PM, with dinner and drinks available for purchase at that time.
Victor Goines [Jazz Series]
On January 21 at 8:00 PM, Victor Goines takes the South on Main stage! This is the third show in our 2015 – 2016 Jazz Series!  Clarinetist, saxophonist, and educator, he is one of the most respected and multi-faceted musicians in the jazz world today. He is also an acclaimed and sought after solo artist who leads his own quartet and quintet.

Adept in a bevy of instruments, Mr. Goines has also collaborated, recorded, and/or performed with many noted jazz and popular artists.  Victor Goines has played the clarinet since the age of eight and continued his studies with Carl Blouin, Sr., who introduced him to the saxophone at St. Augustine High School. In 1980, he entered Loyola University in New Orleans where he studied clarinet and saxophone, receiving a Bachelor of Music Education Degree in 1984.

Doors open at 6:00 PM, with dinner and drinks available for purchase at that time.

Bria Skonberg [Jazz Series]
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Jazz when Bria Skonberg perofrms on the South on Main Stage at 8:00 PM.   This is the fourth and final show in our 2015 – 2016 Jazz Series!  Hailing from Chilliwack, BC, and now living in New York City, award-winning trumpeter / vocalist / composer Bria Skonberg is “poised to be one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation.”Best known for her knowledge of classic jazz and instigative nature, she is now creating an adventurous style rooted in New Orleans jazz and blues, world percussion, soul, and cabaret. She currently tours the world, headlining major clubs and festivals, as well as programming music education workshops for all ages.

Doors open at 6:00 PM, with dinner and drinks available for purchase at that time.
This series is made possible by presenting sponsor, the UCA College of Fine Arts & Communication.

Arkansas at 179

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1935_arkansas_centennial_silver_half_dollar-dOn June 15, 1836, Arkansas was admitted as the twenty-fifth state of the Union.  The flag did not get an additional star until July 4, 1836.

Today, she turns 179.

In advance of the 1936 Centennial, the U.S. Mint struck a Centennial Coin with the value of fifty cents.  The original 1935 design depicted a Native American male chief and a female with a Liberty cap.  The reverse side featured an eagle in front of the insignia from the Arkansas flag.

arkansas-robinson_half_dollar_commemorativeIn 1936, a second version was also authorized.  This was the only time that a design change was ever authorized for a commemorative coin.  The second version was a bust of Senator Joseph T. Robinson.  He was the Senate Majority Leader at the time and had been the 1928 Vice Presidential nominee for the Democratic Party.

The Centennial coins were actually issued up through 1940.  Today these coins can be valued well over $150 depending on their condition, the year of their issue and the location where they were struck.

Flag Day with QQA at Curran Hall tonight

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american-flag-wavy.jpgTonight at 5pm, bring the family, meet Uncle Sam and visit Historic Curran Hall for a southern picnic to celebrate Flag Day. The Little Rock Visitor Foundation recently acquired the original 1859 square grand piano that belonged to the Woodruff family and sat in Curran Hall from the 1860s to the 1990s. Come take a look and listen to Arkansas music from the past 150 years.  

This is part of the Quapaw Quarter Association’s Summer Suppers program.

MENU: BBQ, traditional summer side dishes, beer, and ice cream

HOSTS: (Little Rock Visitor Foundation and Board of Directors): Aaron Ruby, Lauren Bridges, Joanne Hinson, Shannon Treece, Larry Carpenter, Brendan Monaghen, Jim Montgomery, Jim Rule, Barry Travis, Carolynn Coleman, Cherry Light, Jason Campbell

Stars & Stripes & Rock

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Today is Flag Day.  Here are a few of my favorite photos of the Stars and Stripes taken in Little Rock.

Flag outside of Tipton & Hurst main store in Heights

The red, white and blue stand out against the night sky and limestone of the Arkansas State Capitol.

The stars and stripes unfurled from the balcony of the Capital Hotel.

Flag Day 4

Three times the films at Ron Robinson Theatre today

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Today at 2pm, 7pm and 10pm – the Ron Robinson Theater will be showing films from three film series.

10293551_442168355955975_3022379310636653597_oFirst up: Honey I Shrunk the Kids.  It is part of the KidFlix series continues with this classic summertime film.

The scientist father of a teenage girl and boy accidentally shrinks his and two other neighborhood teens to the size of insects. Now the teens must fight diminutive dangers as the father searches for them.

Rated PG
94mins
$5

11411691_442455602593917_2545526596582798755_oNext (at 7pm) is the Oscar winning Annie Hall.  Woody Allen’s signature film of wit and intellect stars Diane Keaton, Allen and Tony Roberts. It is part of the new Great Directors Series at the Ron Robinson Theater.

Neurotic New York comedian Alvy Singer falls in love with the ditsy Annie Hall.

Rated PG
93mins
$5

11357394_442496422589835_8505962773701526998_oThe day is capped off with “You talking to me?” in Martin Scorsese’s chilling and riveting Taxi Driver.  It kicks off the ReWind Series.

A mentally unstable Vietnam war veteran works as a night-time taxi driver in New York City where the perceived decadence and sleaze feeds his urge for violent action, attempting to save a preadolescent prostitute in the process.

Rated R
113mins
$5

Red, White & Music – Wind Symphony Flag Day Concert

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The Little Rock Wind Symphony’s annual Flag Day concert will take place this evening in MacArthur Park at 7pm.  Sponsored, in part by the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, the concert is the LRWS’s annual salute to the red, white, and blue.  Picnics are encouraged. There will also be free ice cream and free American flags to wave throughout the concert.

The musicians of the Little Rock Wind Symphony will perform the following selections:

arr. John Higgins: Back in the Good Old Days
Adam Gorb: Away Day
Aaron Copland : A Lincoln Portrait
      Brent Walker, narrator
John Philip Sousa: Washington Post
Edwin Eugene Bagley: National Emblem
Edwin Franko Goldman: The Chimes of Liberty
John Philip Sousa: Fairest of the Fair
Henry Fillmore: Americans We
Edwin Franko Goldman: On the Mall
Bob Lowden: Armed Forces Salute
Samuel Ward / Carmen Dragon: America the Beautiful
John Philip Sousa: The Stars and Stripes Forever

In case of rain, the concert will be played tomorrow evening.