Laguna Blanca art students got a chance to work with a pop artist Thursday when Russell Young – former photographer and music video director, now fine artist – returned to the school for a final class of instruction and inspiration.
The finished work, a mosaic of a peace dove created by Laguna’s sixth-graders, will join other works from other grades that received a visit from Mr. Young.
As Duke Ellington once opined some eight decades ago, “It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.” And that holds true with this evening of jumping jive coming to The New Vic. Produced by Dauri Kennedy and directed by Miriam Dance-Leavy, “Swing!” — the 1999 Tony-nominated musical — features singing, dancing and live music straight from the music era that couldn’t keep still.
The 90-minute show features the music of the Duke as well as Count Basie, Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller, played by a full swing band led by SBCC’s Chuck “Dr. Jazz” Wood, who was director of bands and jazz studies at the college for 15 years and Music Chair for three.
Another(!) article for OpenCulture publicizing Errol Morris’ six new docs on sports, shot for ESPN.
I have a new article up on Open Culture about this Criterion supercut of Ingmar Bergman’s mirrors, set to a poem by Sylvia Plath.