Cozy

1.30-2.6.08
Cozy

In this week’s issue:
* Travelogue A Clevelander on business in China
* Eats Anatomy of a Dinner Group
* Kids Children’s music you won’t hate
* Straight Outta Mansfield MLK is smiling from his grave today
* BFD Twin Cities learning moment debate
* Emissions from the Blogsphere Why Cleveland is the new Windy City
* Sounds A Cloud in the Cathedral by The Unsparing Sea
* Roldo bites back
* Top 5 Culinary tour of Cleveland, Roldo wants naming rights, Lit Chick
* Cool Cleveland Kids podcast click here, CC podcast click here, Brewed Fresh Daily here

This time of year, it’s a good idea to snuggle up with your favorite people & place in Northeast Ohio. The Cool Cleveland e-blast you’re reading should help you discover some new favorites, both in and out of the home. Like how to cozy up with your friends, form a dinner group, and see if it doesn’t turn into a “feasting extravaganza.” Or get comfy with the family and listen to some good kids music that won’t make you insane. Share Mansfield’s pride that our country has “come of age” with their embrace of a black presidential candidate; and share Roldo’s contention that some of our city leaders are self-serving “scoundrels.” Listen to the “ethereal, majestic” sounds of The Unsparing Sea. See why bloggers are calling Cleveland the new Windy City, and join the discussion on BFD about a learning moment from outside the region. Click again on our Top 5, find cool kids events, and scope out this week’s BizTech goings-on. Who would have thought that a few clicks could make you feel all warm & cozy inside? —Thomas Mulready

Power, Ritual, History and Future

A Clevelander on Business Takes in the Wonder that is China

China makes news every day. It’s growing far faster than the U.S., is a notorious polluter, has serious issues surrounding freedom of expression (Internet access is checkered there; you can get Google news headlines but not the stories), it sells us most of our goods (both good and bad), and it’s going to host its first Olympics this summer. It’s a mind-blowing, overdrive place full of contradictions and challenges.

I spent 10 days there in November for my job as Features Editor of Lodging Hospitality, a Penton Media magazine targeting the hotel industry. Wyndham Hotel Group got me there, as it did on a trip last year, when Rich Roberts, its Senior Vice President of Communications, and I checked out Wyndham’s efforts in London, Dublin, Berlin, Budapest, Malta and Dubai.

This year Rich and I went only to China, visiting Beijing, Shanghai, Xiamen and Hong Kong. Facilitated by Anne Tan, SVP of communications for Wyndham/Asia-Pacific, we spent several days in each, ending with three days, largely obligation-free, in Hong Kong, by far the most Westernized city on the trip.

What you can’t grasp until you visit is China’s scale. With a population of 1.3 billion and 171 cities of 1 million-plus, people are everywhere, all the time, and construction goes on 24/7. City traffic? A new dimension. While those fabled bicycles seem mostly used by older folks, the younger and more affluent who personify China’s exploding middle class see cars – apparently dominated by Buick, Audi and VW, along with Hyundai taxis – as key status symbols…

I arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport mid-afternoon of Nov. 9 and immediately swapped US dollars for Chinese Yuan, or renminbi (RMB). The rate is about seven to one, though Chinese currency has been appreciating lately.

The first night, Rich and I were flim-flammed by two “students,” young women who glommed onto us in the outskirts of the Forbidden City around the corner from our hotel, the Days Inn Forbidden City. “Angela” and “Mary” asked us, in functional English, whether we wanted to try some tea. Despite our skepticism, we agreed. At a nearby teahouse, a traditionally attired woman served us sips of about a dozen teas while our hostesses assured us all they wanted to do was make strangers feel at home. They did, until the bill came: 1,245 RMB, or close to $178, rather a lot for essentially four cups of tea. We balked, kind of, paying out only 700 Yuan.

Beware of students bearing the gift of English. Men, keep your wallet pockets buttoned. Women, keep your pocketbook close.

After this unfortunate introduction, my Beijing experience was positive. It’s a sophisticated, somewhat formal city similar in feeling and monumentality to Washington and Moscow. My time there included numerous hotel visits (to Super 8s and the sumptuous Regent Beijing), most of a day at the Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City, a stroll through Tiananmen Square, great Peking duck at the Beijing DaDong Roast Duck Restaurant (along with decidedly odd jellyfish) and a dessert of black sesame paste and peanuts, and a look at the Olympics site.

The weather the day we spent at the Forbidden City, an imposing area built in the 15th century under the Ming Dynasty, was impeccable: crisp, the sky blue and cloudless. It was an exception. During the other days in Beijing the sky was heavy metal grey, the air sour and salty. Whether this city of 12 million-plus will be able to clean up its air in time for the Olympics starting Aug. 8, let alone sustain it afterwards, is a question. (For a better grasp of China’s scale, Shanghai’s population is 15 million-plus; Chongqing’s, in Sichuan province, is said to be more than 30 million).

Before leaving Beijing, we visited the Silk Street Pearl Market, a five-story store stuffed with nothing but bootleg merchandise. Some was great, like the six “Zegna” ties I got for 130 RMB, or about $18.50, and the “Wenger” suitcase acquired for 180 RMB, or about $26. With Anne along, we could bargain. Silk Street was great fun and convincing proof that the notion of intellectual property (let alone copyright) no longer carries weight, at least not in China.

Other Beijing experiences included dinner at a “hot pot” restaurant featuring highly spicy food, followed by a surreal, 90-minute session at the Liangzi Foot Massage Center. There, two uniformed, pretty Chinese girls massaged my feet using pressure point therapy. It hurt so good it led to somnolent bliss, Chinese CNN broadcasting in the background all the while.

The next day, we flew China Air first-class to Shanghai, the biggest but most negotiable city. I loved Shanghai; the side with the Bund feels quite European, with British and French “concessions” dating a century back. Across the Huang Pu River is Pudong, a commercial-technological district that looks to be the size of Manhattan. Gleaming, so modern it feels like science fiction, Pudong has been rising only since 1992, an astonishing factoid relayed to us by Spencer Dodington, an Austin, Texas native who owns and manages apartments in Shanghai and gives opinionated, informative tours wearing his other hat as an executive with the travel website http://www.luxuryconciergechina.com.

Dinner at M on the Bund was delicious; the Ramada Plaza Shanghai was sumptuous, the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel, also in the city’s financial district, by far the grandest HoJo I’ve ever seen. Walk out the door and you’re on Nanjing Road, a pedestrian shopping district three-and-a-half miles long. Packed with street theater, its neon shaming Vegas, it’s a blast. Again, beware of pickpockets and scammers. With so many people around, distractions of all kinds are lurking.

The following morning, we drove through Pudong and took a ride on the Shanghai Transrapid, or maglev. Powered by magnetic levitation, this railroad guided missile doesn’t ride on tracks. It goes between Pudong International Airport and downtown Pudong, for an eight-minute ride – of 19 miles. It reaches a speed of 430 km, or about 270 miles an hour. It’s the fastest I’ve ever traveled on land, and it’s unique to Shanghai.

The following morning, we flew first-class, on Xiamen Airlines, to Xiamen, a city south of Shanghai. Its population is only 2.5 million, a comparative hamlet, but like the other cities, it’s sprouting high-rises and roadways and its traffic patterns are, let’s say, creative (despite the congestion, I saw neither road rage nor accidents). We stayed at the modern, attractive Sheraton Xiamen, and visited Gulang Yu Island, a brief ferry ride away. Gulang Yu is a favorite Chinese tourist spot with a heavy foreign influence. It’s home to numerous jade stores and tchotchke outlets and bespeaks its history as an embassy outpost. A weird, peaceful place – and car-free, to boot.

We ended our trip in Hong Kong, staying at the JW Marriott on Hong Kong Island. Perched atop Pacific Place, a shopping center similar to upscale emporia that stud Dubai, it’s a great hotel. The first day, we checked out the Lippo Building, a skyscraper designed to resemble a Koala bear climbing a tree; I.M. Pei’s Bank of China building, a structure with various cruciforms and knife-like shapes, feng shuied, or countered, by the nearby HSBC headquarters designed by Norman Foster, cannon-like shapes at its top “shooting” at the Pei building.

Rich and I also acquired suits at Pacific Custom Tailors in Pacific Place. You pick fabric, lining and cut; Anne wangled a free tie and free custom-made shirt for each of us in the purchase price (about $525 delivered to your guestroom following a fitting, all within 48 hours). In Hong Kong, jewelry, clothing and leather are a deal despite the weakness of the U.S. dollar.

By this time, we were beat, but curiosity spurred us on. We visited the Western Market, Central District, buying silk scarves for presents, and had dinner in Hong Kong Harbor. The second evening, we went to Kowloon, a bazaar for the latest electronics and optics. The last day, we took a cab to the top of Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island. The view was magnificent, if compromised by the smog that blew in from the mainland to this Special Administrative Region (the other is the island of Macao). On the steep bus trip down, I wound up in pidgin conversation with a troupe of Chinese ballroom dancers.

On Nov. 19, we flew from Hong Kong to Newark, leaving China at around 11:30AM and touching down around 2PM the same day. I spent the next two weeks getting over jet lag so deep I felt like I was gasping for breath every waking hour. I can’t wait to go back and see more of China, a country of power, ritual, history — and the future.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Carlo Wolff carlo.wolffATgmail.com
Photo by Carlo Wolff

SPONSORED: Hot eBay Auction Items Online Right Now! Click that little mouse fast before all the good stuff is gone! United Way of Greater Cleveland’s Seventh Annual eBay Auction offers fabulous items, including Continental Airlines tickets, Cleveland Indians game tickets with suites in Progressive Field, a Peek ‘n’ Peak hotel/lift ticket package, an annual RTA pass, GE outdoor cooking center, gift certificates and lots of other cool “got-to-have” things. The auction is live online now to Mon 2/4. All proceeds benefit United Way. Log on to ebay.com/unitedwaycleveland.

Anatomy of a Dinner Group
Weather Outside Frightful? Cozy Up With Friends and an Extravagant Meal

People are known to snuggle up like bears in caves in the winter. Some call it hibernation. We usually gain a few pounds during the dark months when icy trails, sidewalks, and streets are non-navigable and the temperatures are below thirty degrees. We work out in gyms, but we’re not as active. At times we feel sluggish. We also seem to have a need for social interaction. Outdoor activities are trimmed from our calendars and we feel stuck inside.

During the winter, I look forward to our Dinner Group meals more. Our French-themed January dinner cured five couples of cabin fever. We shared pictures of travels to Paris and Nice and Normandy while sipping Beaujolais and nibbling on brie en crèche with crackers. Later, we went to the table and ate salad with herb-dijon dressing, which was served with French breach with kalamata olives and thyme. Our entrée was orange roughy stuffed with smoked salmon mousse. For dessert, we had mocha custard tart paired with raspberry dessert wine bottled at Quarry Hill Winery in Berlin Heights.

In 1997, a Dinner Group was born. Four couples committed to share their love of food and wine four times a year. The first year we met, we celebrated France, toasted Italy, and picnicked at the Clifton Beach Club with hosts Jim and Roberta Trutko and Jim’s parents. Blackman’s Pizzeria (established in 1991) offered up specialty pizzas the way we wanted them; the Pizzeria closed when we went home that night, but we glimpsed the Blackman lifestyle in sampling Chuck’s special sauce and sitting in their backyard…

It’s been an exercise in creativity, and we rev up the interest with our invitations. Would you like to enjoy a prolonged meal in the Tuscan countryside surrounded by vineyards? How about coming to our house for desserts and appetizers paired with wine? Bring a favorite bottle of wine under $10 in a brown bag to a blind tasting before a gourmet meal. Join us, dressed in character, for a mystery game party and microbrews. We were off and running with themed dinners–Mardi Gras, Valentine’s Day, Chinese New Year, Ohio foods and wines, Russia, Chile, and Scandinavia.

Our Dinner Group turned into a feasting extravaganza

The food only gets better. We recently enjoyed artichoke-stuffed portabellas and tea sandwiches, salad with strawberries; crab legs and steak with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus, and cheesecake. These meals are better than most meals shared in restaurants. And dinner in a home is much more comfortable than being confined to a table in a restaurant.

One of the beautiful things about a dinner group is how we open our homes and lives to others. For our Middle East party, Gayle and John Absi invited John’s parents, who are Syrian and Lebanese. I was greeted at the door by Mrs. Absi who draped a silk robe over me. We were treated to a bounty of authentic Middle Eastern foods prepared over a couple of days in the Absi kitchen and heard stories about native lands on the other side of the world. When one of the original couples dropped out, we started inviting guest couples. We missed Nora and Chuck, but our circle of friends was expanded.

Ten years later, we hosted a Dinner Group Reunion at Clifton Beach Club. Forty people who had previously shared dinner with us brought a smorgasbord of appetizers, side dishes, and desserts served with grilled chicken and ribs prepared by chef John Absi over an open fire. It was a balmy October evening in which we wandered from inside the candlelit clubhouse to the outside patio. It was warm enough to walk on the beach, and the waves lapping the shore were background to conversation. That evening as people told tales about the times they shared with our Dinner Group, the stories were infused with friendship and gratitude. The radius of friends expands as other dinner groups are born, inspired by our guests spending time with our group.

Dinner at home with friends, old and new, is one of the best kept secrets for curing the winter blahs. Cozy up with an extravagant meal and intimate conversation.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Claudia J. Taller ctallerwritesATwowway.com
Photo by Peter Chakerian

SPONSORED: Everything’s Better Dipped in Chocolate! It’s America’s favorite treat, and right now the Great Lakes Science Center has chocolate fever! Chocolate: The Exhibition will run from Sat 2/9 – Sun 5/4. See chocolate science at our Chocolate Bar – our chocolate experiments with a culinary twist include making chocolate ice cream with liquid nitrogen. Browse the Chocolate Store, where you can purchase luxury chocolates from around the world. Which event will be your favorite? Complimentary Chocolate Strawberries: 2/9 – 2/29; Wine and Chocolate: 2/14 (adults only); Sundaes on Saturday: 3/15 & 4/12; Candy Chemistry Spring Break Day Camp: March 22 – 29; Doggone Good Chocolate: April 19 (bring your Chocolate Labrador for a photo opp (proceeds go to the Animal Protective League). Details: www.GreatScience.com.

Children’s Music You’ll Enjoy, Not Just Tolerate

Becoming a parent for the first time was undoubtedly the loneliest time in my life, despite the fact that I had a new BFF who never left my side.

He loved me unconditionally and never talked back, but that was just the problem – I couldn’t bear the quiet of endless days spent with a non-conversational newborn. To quell that feeling that I was utterly alone in the world, I turned to television just to hear the sound of a human voice throughout the day. It helped – it fooled my mind into believing that I wasn’t so alone, that somewhere across the cathode-ray tubes civilization still existed, and that there might one day be life beyond breastfeeding and diaper-changing for me too.

But it didn’t take long before my son began actually paying attention to what was on the television, and I realized that unless I wanted to one day end up on Jerry Springer with him it might be a good idea to turn it off.

So I did. Snapped it off, cold turkey, and never looked back…

But I missed the noise. My house seemed so quiet, so empty, even with a raging two-year-old throwing a temper tantrum in my ear. So instead, I turned to music, making it my mission to find child-appropriate music that the whole family could tolerate.

It wasn’t easy. Any parent who’s been subjected to Barney knows that the repetition and simplicity of children’s music – while great for kids’ developing minds – can make fingernails on a chalkboard seem preferable to us grown-ups. Worse yet, these songs seep into your brain like a virus, nestling there in one continuous and annoying loop.

Yet in this process I also discovered a lot of great music that – just between you and me – I actually listen to even when my kids aren’t around. To save you from the same painful process of trial and error, I offer some of my favorite children’s music CDs:

Next time on Mom’s Eye View, I’ll give you an earful of local artists who are likely to thrill your kids in the very same ways the artists above do — except you’ve got a much better shot at taking your kids to see them live about town!

From Cool Cleveland contributor Jennifer Keirn jenniferkATwowway.com

4-ISH On Fri 2/1 and Sat 2/2, be prepared to be blown away as 4-ISH, part of the 2007-2008 Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital Discovery Theatre Series at Playhouse Square showcases its talent in a “you-must-see-it-to-believe-it” production. Fusing extreme sports, martial arts and high energy dance, the troupe kicks it all to a non-stop hip-hop backbeat. Join 4-ISH, live and direct from the Netherlands for an exclusive two-night engagement at Playhouse Square. http://www.playhousesquare.com.

Teen Night 4-ISH Party Teens are invited to a teen party in the Idea Center at Playhouse Square immediately following 4-ISH on Fri 2/1. The party will go until 11PM, consisting of a DJ spinning tunes and munchies to snack on in a safe & secure spot for teens ages 14-19. Admission to Teen Night is no-cost, but you must show a ticket from that night’s performance (see above) for entry into the party. For specially-priced tickets, call 664-6050. http://www.playhousesquare.org/artseducation.

Pink Floyd 3-D Surrounded by 10,000 watts of concert-quality sound and accompanied by jaw-dropping laser and 3-D imagery, the musical legacy of Pink Floyd will light up Playhouse Square’s Palace Theatre, Sat 2/2 at 7:30PM. A treat for the eyes as well as the ears, Paramount’s Original LaserSpectacular’s multi-media laser and light show spotlighting the music of Pink Floyd, has become a cult classic. Take the kids. http://www.playhousesquare.com.

Coldstream and Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Enjoy an amazing evening of music from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales as the two of the oldest and most respected military bands take the stage for one show only at Playhouse Square! The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and The Band of the Coldstream Guards will perform Sat 2/2 at 8PM at Playhouse Square’s State Theatre. http://www.playhousesquare.org.

Music & Magic Suburban Symphony celebrates the connection between music and “the dark arts” with an all-ages concert of light classics, featuring master illusionist, Neil Rozum. The spellbinding power of music, both mysterious and magical, will appeal to everyone in SSO’s “Magic and Music” concert on Sun 2/3 at 3:30PM. No cost, open to the public. Beachwood HS Auditorium (25100 Fairmount Blvd., Beachwood). http://www.suburbansymphony.org.

SPONSORED: Medieval Mania and More! Learn from the masters — Monet, Picasso and Warhol — in classes that encourage creativity for adults & kids! Spring session runs for six weeks (Saturdays) and highlights the permanent collection and our newest exhibit, “Arms and Armor of Imperial Austria.” Registration for CMA members begins Sat 2/2, general registration begins Sat 2/16. Classes: Mixed Media for Adults; Art for Parent and Child (age 3); Mini-Masters (ages 4-5); Wearable Art (ages 5-6); Art Experiments (ages 6-8); Medieval Mania (ages 8-10); Miscellaneous Materials (ages 10-12); Teen Drawing Workshop (ages 13-17); and Claymation (ages 11 and up). Sessions: Sat 3/15 – Sat 4/26. No class on 3/22. 10-11:30 AM or 1-2:30 PM. For information about classes for children/teens, call 216-707-2182 or email dhanslik@clevelandart.org. Register: 216-421-7350 or 1-888-CMA-0033.

Cool Cleveland Kids Podcast Weekly roundup of cool events for kids & families from 12-year-old Cool Cleveland Kids correspondent Max.

Click here to subscribe to the Cool Cleveland Kids Podcast in iTunes.

Great Lakes Sci Ctr gearing up for first-ever OmniMax Film Fest. Click
Cuy Cty prop tax rate is the tops in the state according to recent story. Click
Holden Arboretum Appoints Clement W. Hamilton as New President/CEO. http://www.holdenarb.org
Lake Metroparks presents “In Celebration” as it commemorates its 50th anniversary this year! http://www.lakemetroparks.com.
Southern Skyways announces seasonal non-stop jet service between Akron-Canton Airport (CAK) and Myrtle Beach, SC. Flights will begin in late May and operate though Labor Day. http://www.akroncantonairport.com. http://www.southernskyways.com.

To ensure you receive Cool Cleveland every week, take a moment now and add CoolCleveland@CoolCleveland.com to your address book, trusted sender list, or corporate white list.

Cool Cleveland Podcast Weekly roundup of cool events.

Click here to subscribe to the Cool Cleveland Podcast in iTunes.

NEO Riot Girls & Rebels, a new award by the Rock Hall, honors businesswomen who work in arts & culture in our region and who make a difference, i.e. they rock. Finalists include the Beachland Ballroom’s Cindy Barber, who won a recent Cleveland Arts Prize, newspaper industry analyst Lauren Rich Fine, musician and activist Tracy Marie, immigration attorney Margaret Wong. Get tix for the ceremony on 2/13 at the Hotel InterContinental, which features music exec Barbara Carr & rocker Joan Jett, at 515-1207 or jmuselinATrockhall.org.

Amazon and Penguin’s Breakthrough Novel Awards feature at least two entrants from Cle area — including Cool Cleveland contributor Susan Petrone! Novel excerpts (5,000 words) will be posted for reading and review until mid-February. Michael von Glahn’s In Your Dreams (Sci-Fi/Fantasy) and Petrone’s A Body at Rest (General Literature) are among the author entrants. Click and Search.

R.I.P. Cassill & Schreckengost Two Cle Heights artists whose influence extends far beyond the community’s boundaries passed on this week, H.C. Cassill and Viktor Schreckengost. Through their respective medias (printmaking, industrial design/ crafts/ painting, respectively) their robust contributions to the artistic landscape will be missed. Listen to 90.3 WCPN-FM’s tribute to Schreckengost by clicking here.

SPONSORED: It’s All Bach, All Weekend! Join us for the “76th Anniversary Bach Festival,” Fri 4/18 through Sun 4/20 at Baldwin-Wallace College. Major Work: St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244. Five concerts throughout the weekend: Fri 4/18 concerts: 4PM and 8PM (Gamble Auditorium). Sat 4/19 concerts: 1:30PM and 4:00PM (Gamble Auditorium). Sun 4/20 concert: 2:30PM at United Methodist Church of Berea. Special performances throughout the weekend by Baldwin-Wallace College Motet Choir, Baldwin-Wallace College Choir, Members of Opera Cleveland Orchestra, Festival Chamber Orchestra and Brass Choir, guest soloists and more. Reserve seats early. Last year’s festival sold out. For info and to reserve tix contact www.bw.edu.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

HOT Cirque du Soleil’s Saltimbanco This is the longest running Cirque production, performed in Cleveland for the very first time including Wed 1/30 at 7PM, in a limited engagement run. Inspired by a metropolis and its residents, the show explodes in a dreamy menagerie of dance, music and theater. CSU Wolstein Center. See the Preview in this week’s Cool Cleveland. Details.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo The Grammy® award winning South African a cappella group returns to NEO with a world music tour de force in a new disc called Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu. Celebrate as they pay tribute to the iconic South African warrior and first king of the Zulu nation, Shaka Zulu Wed 1/30 at 7:30PM. E.J. Thomas Hall at the University of Akron, 198 Hill St., Akron. Call 330-972-7570 or visit http://www.ejthomashall.com.

HOT Double Nickel Blues CSU Factory Theater delivers this world-premiere musical, written and directed by Margaret Ford-Taylor, lecturer in the CSU Dramatic Arts Program. This work of fiction is based on the factual existence of dozens of Black businesses, churches, and social and civic organizations on Cle’s east side during the 40s. The essence of the lives of the people who owned them and their stories are highlighted. See it Thu 1/31 at 8PM, or in performance through Sun 2/10. East 24th St. between Chester and Payne. http://www.csuohio.edu/theater/season.htm.

Kevin Mazur View rock and roll icons in an up close and personal way, through the revealing camera lens of the world famous photographer in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s newest special exhibit All Access with Kevin Mazur. The exhibit will open to the public on Thu 1/31 in the Ahmet M. Ertegun Main Exhibition Hall. In his 25-year career, Mazur has captured legendary rock and rollers in a moment, illuminating the true nature of the artist and the raw power of some of the most memorable rock concerts in history. http://www.rockhall.com.

SPONSORED: Author and Civil Rights Activist, Charles W. Chesnutt, was a legal professional from Cleveland who lived from 1858-1932. Chesnutt was a pioneering author of books and articles depicting the African American experience. He worked with both Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Dubois to improve the social, political and economic standing of African Americans. Chesnutt will be honored by the US Postal Service with a commemorative Black Heritage Series stamp. The First Day Stamp Issuance Ceremony will be held at the Cleveland Public Library on Thu 1/31 at 11AM , Main Library, Louis Stokes Wing Auditorium. The program has no admission fee and is open to the public. An exhibit featuring materials and books from CPL will be available in the Main Library, Fine Arts and Special Collections. For more information: www.cpl.org.

HOT The State of African-American Leadership in the Cleveland Region This engaging, day-long forum features Mayor Frank G. Jackson, Cuyahoga County Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones and others Fri 2/1 from 8AM – 3PM at the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University. The forum celebrates the role of Public Administrators in shaping public policy and provides workshops with insights and strategies for public administrators and those considering careers in public administration. To register call 523-7330 or online here: The State of African-American Leadership.

Mardi Gras w/ C.J. Chenier & Red Hot Louisiana Band Chenier was literally born into the musical tradition of southwest Louisiana and Texas Zydeco, a chugging, accordion-led blend of French Creole and African-derived influences. Get a load of his work Fri 2/1 at 9PM. Wilbert’s Food & Music, 812 Huron Rd. E. http://www.wilbertsmusic.com.

Green Earth Project The Museum Ambassadors of The Cleveland Museum of Art and Valley Forge High School Art Department present The Green Earth Project, an art show to benefit The Cleveland Metroparks “Art & Nature” Fund, Fri 2/1 at Metroparks’ Chalet Toboggan Chutes. No cost, open to the public; donations accepted. Valley Parkway, between Routes 42 and 82, Strongsville. Call 440-572-9990 for details. http://www.clevelandart.org.

Black & Blue 1point618 gallery and Robert Maschke Architects, Inc. welcome acclaimed artist Judith Brandon to the gallery’s exhibit beginning Fri 2/1 at 7PM with an Opening Reception. Get an opportunity to meet Brandon and soak in her black-and-blue hued works, on display through the end of March. 6421 Detroit Ave. Call 281-1618 for more details. http://www.1point618gallery.com.

The Marriage of Figaro belongs to the best-known and most performed titles. Yet Opera Circle’s new take on the story may surprise you. The group boldly claims “We’ll make you laugh or your money back.” Why not check it out? It takes place Fri 2/1 at 7PM and Sun 2/3 at 3:30PM at the Polish-American Cultural Center, 6501 Lansing Ave. Tickets at 441-2822 or by visiting http://www.operacircle.org.

Say YES! Learn more about development and funding plans surrounding out of school opportunities and initiatives being developed to meet the needs of youth Thu 1/31 from 4 – 6PM. Topics include the current funding environment and services available for youth program providers; info comes from key agencies working on the topic. Speakers include Lisa Bottoms (The Cleveland Foundation), Yvonne Hunnicutt (Voices for Ohio’s Children), Billie Osborne-Fears (Starting Point) and a rep from Ohio Afterschool Network. The forum is no cost, open to the public with an RSVP to info@artscollinwood.org. Email questions to the same addy or call 692-9500. Mandel Ctr for Nonprofit Orgs, 11402 Bellflower Rd.

Master Class w/ Mark Morris Dance Group The CSU Dance Program offers, courtesy of DANCECleveland, a master class with a member of the Mark Morris Dance Group on Fri 2/1 from 5 – 6:30PM. This Intermediate/ Advanced modern class will be held in the Cleveland State University Dance Studio, PE Building, B71. Although this class is a no cost event, space is limited. In order to be a part of this special opportunity, please reserve a space via email: dance@csuohio.edu.

Maurice Ashley The first and only African-American International Chess Grand Master speaks on Motivating Urban Youth to Achieve Educational Excellence on Fri 2/1 at noon at the City Club of Cleveland. Ashley has been called the “Tiger Woods of Chess.” A PolicyBridge Community Forum. http://www.mauriceashley.com. http://www.policy-bridge-org.

Julius X Shakespeare comes to Harlem in Karamu’s production of Julius X, an Ohio premiere written by Al Letson and directed by Justin Emeka. History gets a remix beginning Fri 2/1 and running through most of February. Inspired by Shakespeare’s classic, this production splices Julius Caesar with the assassination of Malcolm X in 1960s Harlem. For ticket info and a full schedule, contact Karamu’s Box office at 795-7077 or visit http://www.karamu.com.

HOT 2008 Sustainability Symposium Check out Cleveland Botanical Garden’s 3rd annual Sustainability Symposium in partnership with the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes Sat 2/2 beginning at 8:30AM. Gain valuable insights from a full day of programs and hear how gardening practices have an impact on gardeners and Lake Erie. Speakers include author Page Dickey, gardener/writer Ray Rogers and Dr. Jeffrey M. Reutter, director of F.T. Stone Laboratory and Ohio Sea Grant, the nation’s oldest freshwater biological field station. http://www.cbgarden.org.

Got Cabin Fever? Then hit the Cabin Fever Art Fair Sat 2/2 from 11AM – 6PM at Lock 3, Downtown Akron. More fun than you can shake your paintbrush at. Details at http://www.cabinfeverfair.com.

HOT Brazilian Carnaval Party The fine folks at View Nightclub celebrate Carnaval just like they do it up in Rio. Cool Cleveland partners Tropical Rhythms have lined up a Brazilian band Magia Tropical headlining with Samba and Rio Pop; percussionist Marcus Do Pandiero w/ AfroBrazil and Cleveland’s own bateria Joia Escola de Samba. Party it up at The View Sat 2/2 when the doors open at 9PM. Party lasts till 4AM, so sleep in that morning. 618 Prospect Ave E. Call 664-1815. Special offer: The first five e-mails to EventsATTropicalCleveland.com will each get a pass for two people!

Langston & Lorraine Cleveland Public Library will celebrate Black History Month with a presentation of the Ensemble Theatre play, Lovingly Yours: Langston and Lorraine, on Sat 2/2 at 2PM in the Louis Stokes Wing Auditorium at the Main Library, 325 Superior Avenue. Written and directed by Lucia Colombi, “Lovingly Yours” is an original production based on the correspondence between the poet Langston Hughes and the playwright Lorraine Hansberry. No cost, open to the public. Call 623-2881 for info.

Kaputska Brothers Extraordinary Magical Extravaganza With a name like that, what could this event possibly be? A comedy magic show, and great fun at that. Jack Palur and Mark Colella offer up their show Sat 2/2 at 9PM at the Winchester in Lakewood. They do their (variety?) show with warm up comics Hot Karl and Bill Squires. 12112 Madison Ave., Lakewood. http://www.jppohio.net/Kaputska.html.

Kassaba in Concert Cleveland’s multi-instrumental world jazz group, Kassaba will present their first local concert of 2008 in the Heights Arts Studio (at the Cleveland Heights main library). The group will offer up favorites and some new compositions, on 35 different instruments in an intimate space. Something for audience members of all ages. Call 371-3457 or e-mail register@heightsarts.org for ticket reservations as space is limited. 2340 Lee Rd. http://www.kassaba.com.

HOT Mark Morris Dance Group The brash and profound troupe comes to Cleveland for one performance only on Sat 2/2 at 8PM at the Ohio Theatre in Playhouse Square, co-sponsored by DANCECleveland and Cuyahoga Community College Performing Arts. Mark Morris Dance Group has been riveting audiences worldwide for 27 years with fresh, thought-provoking dances that are acclaimed for their craftsmanship, ingenuity, humor, and eclectic musical accompaniments. The company attracts dance aficionados and mainstream audiences, who delight in its prolific repertory of over 100 works. Read more about them in this week’s Cool Cleveland. http://markmorrisdancegroup.org. http://www.dancecleveland.org. http://www.tricpresents.com.

Michael McDermott The Chicago singer-songwriter performs at Wilbert’s Food & Music with Eileen Rose on Sat 2/2 at 8PM. Best known for his 1991 single “A Wall I Must Climb,” McDermott has released several albums and toured extensively with Van Morrison, Cracker, The Cowboy Junkies, 10,000 Maniacs, and The Wallflowers. 812 Huron Ave. http://wilbertsmusic.com.

SPONSORED: Lovingly Yours Cleveland Public Library will celebrate Black History Month with a program presentation (no admission fee, open to the public) of the Ensemble Theatre play “Lovingly Yours: Langston and Lorraine.” It will be performed on Sat 2/2 at 2PM in the Louis Stokes Wing Auditorium, Main Library, 6th and Superior. “Lovingly Yours” is a production based on the correspondence between the poet Langston Hughes and the playwright Lorraine Hansberry. Hughes is an African American poet and author who lived in Cleveland. Among his works are “The Weary Blues,” “Tambourines to Glory,” “Simple’s Uncle Sam,” and “The Dream Keeper and Other Poems.” Lorraine Hansberry is known for her play, “A Raisin in the Sun.” “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black” was adapted from her writings. Information: (216) 623-2881 or www.cpl.org.

Founder’s Day at Nighttown This Sun 2/3 Brendan Ring, Nighttown’s famous proprietor, will be hosting his annual Founder’s Day dinners, with proceeds benefiting Heights Youth Scholarship Fund. Secure RSVP for a 5:30 or 7:30PM seating and feast from Nighttown’s 1965 menu at 1965 prices! Prez Lincoln gets you a steak or a lobster?? Obscene!!! The Super Bowl will be shown; musical entertainment and a silent auction round out the night. Call 795-0531 to RSVP. http://www.nighttowncleveland.com.

August Wilson’s Fences This fundraiser for East Cleveland nonprofit CDC Winderemere Renaissance presents award-winning playwright August Wilson’s Fences, the story of a former Negro Baseball League star working as a garbage collector in 1957. Support development in East Cleveland Sun 2/3 at 2PM, meet their supporters, hear about our plans, and enjoy the work of arguably the best African-American playwright. East Cleveland Theater, 14108 Euclid Ave. Call 229-9125 for more info.

HOT Richard Thompson first performed 1000 Years of Popular Music at the Getty Museum in LA. He has performed multiple-night stands in Chicago, New York, London, and several other major US cities. His Kent Stage performance Mon 2/4 at 7PM is a one night only engagement. With a set list that varies from night to night, Thompson has been known to start in the 13th century and move to medieval Italian ballads to selections from the songbooks of Gilbert & Sullivan, Stephen Foster, Ray Charles, Hank Williams, The Beatles, The Who, Squeeze, Prince, and even Britney Spears. It’s all strung together by Thompson’s vocals, incomparable guitar playing and dry wit. Brilliant! 175 East Main St., Kent. http://www.kentstage.org.

Grog Musician’s Night w/ the Uncanny XeLa hits the Coventry neighborhood in a big way with local musician/enigma XeLa leading the charge every Monday in January and February. Do you play in a band? Think you’re the next Van Halen? Could Neil Peart learn a thing or two from you? Are you a maniac on the kazoo? Musician’s of all types, shapes, and sizes are encouraged to strut their stuff. There will be an open sign-up every Monday including Mon 2/4 until 10PM. Visit http://www.grogshop.gs or call 321-5588 for details. 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cle Hts.

HOT 10,000 Little (micro) Ideas to Keep You Believing in Cleveland will host its report-out event on Tue 2/5 from 5:30 – 9:30PM at Sammy’s Metropolitan Ballroom, 21st floor, Huntington Building. This event affords attendees the opportunity to hear how ideas have evolved into projects since the March 2007 event, and contribute new ideas at interactive breakout sessions to make the future of NEO a continued success. Featured speaker will be Chris Ronayne, President of University Circle, Inc. Learn more and register at http://www.cleveland365.com/10000littleideas.

Dr. Daniel Pipes The Middle East expert, author, and New York Times columnist will speak on “The Bush Administration and the Middle East: An Assessment” at Cleveland State University on Tue 2/5 at 7PM. His address, followed by a Q&A session, hits Waetjen Auditorium in the Music and Communication Building, 2001 Euclid Ave. http://www.csuohio.edu.

Meet the Artist Art & Jewlery Sale Come peruse new works by Peruvian artist Fernando Cano Olave and others Tue 2/5 at 7PM at North Park Brew & Bistro (formerly Cafe 56). Olave’s paintings are inspired by the culture and mythological figures of Las Incas de Peru. Jewelry features unique seeds from the Amazon. Enjoy beverages, appetizer specials and other tasty treats. 20630 North Park Blvd. (near John Carroll), University Hts. Call 371-5300 for details.

SPONSORED: Who’s Your Granddaddy? Join WVIZ/PBS for a preview/reception (no admission fee, open to the public) for “African American Lives 2” featuring historian Dr. Bernard Powers, tonight Wed 1/30 at 6PM at the Idea Center, Playhouse Square. Become your own genealogist. Reservations: 216-916-6301; Email: nbrown@ideastream.org. “African American Lives 2” airs Wed 2/6 and Wed 2/13.

A Pre-Grammy Celebration for the late Robert Lockwood, Jr. hits Fat Fish Blue Wed 2/6 at 7:30PM. A feast for the ears and the tummy honoring Cle’s late blues maestro. No cost, open to the public. http://www.mikesbarn.com/robertlockwood.html.

Creating and Sustaining Communities of Choice This forum concentrates on the Greening of Northeast Ohio’s Neighborhoods and features Mayor Frank G. Jackson and Tom Hicks, VP-LEED of the US Building Council Wed 2/6 at 4PM. Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs Cleveland State University, Glickman-Miller Hall, Atrium. No cost, open to the public with registration. Call 523-7330 to do so.

Karen Kunc The Mary Schiller Myers School of Art at The University of Akron will host contemporary printmaker as a Myers Artist in Residence beginning with a reception Wed 2/6 at 6PM. Kunc’s residency coincides with an exhibition of her work, Karen Kunc: Prints, in the school’s Emily Davis Gallery in Folk Hall. Kunc will give a free public lecture on her work; a reception will follow. Folk Hall, 150 E. Exchange St., Akron. For more information, call 330-972-5951 or contact dwatt@uakron.edu.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

A hot selection of tech and business news & events from around the region. Got business news? Send it to: EVENTS@CoolCleveland.com

Cle-based Continental Airlines, Express and Chautauqua affiliates served over 3.4M outbound/enplaned passengers on flights from Cle. http://www.continental.com.
Cle Clinic has sights on a formal global branding plan. Click
Hizzoner Jackson finds $60M for a range of projects in Collinwood and beyond. Read
Stark gets combative via email in the development race for downtown. Read. Will this lead Stark to reconsider his planning altogether? Read More
More Nat’l retailers are leaving the Tower City Center complex… no doubt wooed by outlying development by the likes of Stark and others. Read ’em & Weep
GCP gets $1.3M for projects throughout Cle area. Read
Cle ready to name Econ Chief as Tracey Nichols, AD of Dev. Click
Ben & Jerry’s founder to give keynote at Oberlin symposium. Not Cherry Garcia
Chicago mgm’t consultant coming to Cle. Read
Kelvin Smith Library at CWRU enhances online university library model w/ help from local company. http://www.optiem.com.

SchoolOne is now FIT Technologies First they grab Cleveland’s high-energy Tech Czar Michael DeAloia (see his CC interviews here and here), now they change their name to expand into serving the corporate market with customized IT solutions, as well as their traditional K-12 educational niche. So far, it’s been a storybook tale: growing from 2 to 120 employees in 8 years, bringing 75 new jobs to Cleveland in the past 2 years, doubling their revenue 3 years in a row. They even have open positions on their new website. “It’s a great story for Cleveland,” says co-founder and VP Michelle Tomallo. http://www.FITtechnologies.net

Green Jobs for a Blue City? Are we finally feelin’ the love for a green city (state) on a blue lake? Are we beginning to glimpse a future in our region? Now that we see it, let’s get busy! Read More

Avenue District rising Wondering what the 10-story new construction is at St. Clair & E. 12th? Townhomes, lofts and penthouses are selling, and the views of Downtown, the streets and the Lake will be stunning. Nice to see construction cranes in Downtown Cleveland again. http://www.TheAvenueDistrict.com

SPONSORED: Take a Walk on the Wild Side! Are you looking for more from your job than just a paycheck? JumpStart Inc., Northeast Ohio’s venture development organization, has a portfolio of companies in search of a few extraordinary people. The entrepreneurial lifestyle might not be for everyone, but if you’d like to test your adventurous side and reap the benefits of being in a start-up environment, you should take a look at the positions available. For a current listing of these cutting-edge opportunities – and quite possibly the hardest job you’ll ever love – click here.

Champagne marketing for your biz/org on a beer budget? Absolutely! Learn more Wed 1/30 at 3:30PM w/ AAF event at 2515 Franklin Blvd. Details
Web Assoc. examines State of the Web 2008 on Thu 1/31 at 11:30AM with group of panelists, discussion at Windows on the River. Register
Cle 20/30 honors top young professionals with in NEO Thu 1/31 at 5:30PM, CSU Wolstein Ctr. Register
The Next eMarketing Technique Series starts up at Corp Coll East on Mon 1/28. Register
Plexus CIFF Preview showcases the upcoming March event on the Feb Network Night Tue 2/12. Patrick Shepherd and Bill Guentzler will there to talk about it. More
How is advertising changing? Find out Wed 2/20 at 11:30AM w/ AAF networking at Windows on the River. Register

MLK: Smiling From His Grave

On March 25, 1965, The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood on the steps of the State Capitol Building in Montgomery, Alabama after the successful completion of the Selma to Montgomery March and asked, “How long will prejudice blind the visions of men, darken their understanding, and drive bright-eyed wisdom from her sacred throne?” Dr. King then asked again in that magnificent voice, “How long?” Answering his own question he boomed, “Not long!” Over and over again that day, like a mantra, the prophetic words, “How long, not long,” were heard from Dr. King.

Well, it might have taken a while, but the great leader was right. Exactly Forty-two years, three hundred and six days after he posed the question of “How long?” the answer was delivered in the ballot boxes in South Carolina. America finally has taken its first tentative steps toward shedding its racist past, toward growing up.

No matter which candidate you support for the presidency, and no matter who eventually wins the race, the outcome of the South Carolina primary signified to the world that our country is at last coming of age. Did it take longer than Dr. King prophesized? Does it really matter, now that it’s finally happening? And it’s happening in my lifetime — that’s what matters most to me.

There were hints of this maturation — this throwing off of the shackles of bigotry that have for too long bound us as a nation — in Iowa, but it was hard to be sure since that state only held a caucus. In caucuses everyone knows who their neighbor voted for and cynics said that Obama only won there because Whites wanted to be seen in public as fair, but that, in the privacy of the voting booth, things would be different. Well, the cynics were wrong. In the sanctity and privacy of the voting booth prejudice no longer blinded the vision of men … or women either for that matter. America is forever changed.

Could there be a backlash to the racial progress signaled by the South Carolina outcome? Could reactionaries retrench and call for a return to the old, bigoted ways? There certainly is historical precedence for such an occurrence. Once before, during the turbulent 60s, we thought racism was on its deathbed, only to have it come virulently back as the Republicans “Southern Strategy,” which deeply divided the country along racial lines. When Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Bill in 1964 he supposedly turned to an aide and said, “We have lost the south for a generation,” and he was right. But now the generation he spoke of has passed, and there is a new, more racially tolerant generation poised to take its place.

At least for the nonce coded race cards (the ones that Hillary surrogate Bill thought he was so skilled at playing) cannot be used in a national election without consequence. Once an underhanded tactic is exposed and backfires it’s usually relegated to the dustbin of history … and it probably can’t be resurrected. We all should sincerely hope those days are done — finished — repudiated by an electorate that is genuinely ready for change, and that is set to turn out in droves at the ballot box to prove it.

And change of this kind can be leader-driven; top-down in construct. If race is no longer allowed to be a key element in national politics its days as a divisive force in our national life perhaps are also numbered. Let us pray.

A Clinton-Obama ticket is my personal dream team. Their positions on issues of import to me are mirror-images of each other, both are highly qualified, and Obama is certainly young enough to wait four or eight years to ascend to the presidency.

But what the Clintons — especially Bill — has to be careful about at this point is to not overreact to the South Carolina loss and try to regain momentum by taking the campaigning back to the racial gutter. That move will surly backfire. The problem, as I see it, is the fact Bill Clinton is so personally vested … he’s fighting for his wife, and when men do that they can tend to go overboard; at least I know how I am. But the public is demanding that the campaigning remain on a high level from here on out, and anyone who thinks they are clever enough to violate this new unwritten rule does so at their own — or their wife’s — peril.

Of course not everyone will buy into the new racial paradigm we’ve just launched. There will remain pockets of entrenched racists on both sides of the racial divide. Or is it a three, four or multi-sided divide? Sometimes it’s hard to tell.

But racism got soundly routed in the South Carolina primary… it got its butt kicked around the block and back by virtually every demographic. Looking back, we just might one day say that the death knell for bigotry in America was rung out loud and clear (and for the world to hear) by the voters of the Palmetto State on Jan. 26, 2008. Hooray for them; hooray for us; hooray for the world.

And I have the prefect way to thank Dr. King for his vision, his challenging of Americans to outgrow racism over 40 years ago. On the same day of the South Carolina primary I received a mailing from “Build the Dream,” the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation. Yes, it was a solicitation letter. You might have received one also, or perhaps will in the near future.

Believe me, I know money is tight, and about to get tighter, but this is an opportunity to become a “Founding Sponsor.” By responding now and donating $50, your name “will be added to the permanent Founder’s Roll of Honor that will forever be on display in Washington.” Maybe this is a bit gimmicky (and no doubt once they have your name and address you’ll probably be asked again) but the cause is well worthwhile. This is a monument the people, not the government, should build. So I’m asking you to please make a donation if you can; Dr. King is worthy of our honor and praise.

Checks should be made payable to the: Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial (I would put “Founding Sponsor” on the memo line of the check). The address is: P.O. Box 96071, Washington, DC 20077-7599. Or you can go to http://www.mlkmemorial.org for more information.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com

SPONSORED: A Clear and Powerful Voice Beck Center brings back four commanding performances of Wendy Kesselman’s powerful new adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank, now through Sat 2/9 on the Main Stage. Based on the original play by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, Director Sarah May captures the terrifying existence of eight European Jews hiding from the Nazis in war-torn Holland for more than two years. Each day of these two dark years for these eight individuals shines through Anne’s clear and powerful voice and for millions who can’t tell their stories. For tickets or information call 521-2540, or visit their website at: www.beckcenter.org.

This week’s most active post on BrewedFreshDaily.com

Civic leaders in Minneapolis-St. Paul will be launching the Twin Cities Compass, “a new nonpartisan initiative that measures regional vitality, competitiveness, and major trends.” More than 300 business, government, community and non-profit leaders developed the project. Ed Morrison comments “Note the linkage between strategic outcomes and metrics (e.g., Connecting outcome: ‘Our region’s young children enter school ready to learn’ with related metrics: ‘low birth weight, preschool screening’.) BFD readers comment:

Read and add your comment here

A Cle Collaborative Makes Its Mark
DanceCleveland’s Pam Young and Tri-C’s Brian Bethune on bringing in Mark Morris & Co.

Mark Morris Dance Group comes to Playhouse Square’s Ohio Theatre next Saturday in what’s clearly a coup for the presenters, DanceCleveland and Cuyahoga Community College. Like many in the dance audience, we’ve long been familiar with Morris through his subversive version of Nutcracker, The Hard Nut, his collaboration with Mikhail Baryshnikov, White Oak Dance Project, and the company’s only other Cleveland performance in 2000. From the cream of New York City dance critics to Cleveland dance studio gossips, America’s dance audience has long been abuzz over Morris, both for his artistic achievements and for his personal antics.

We contacted Dance Cleveland’s Executive Director, Pam Young, and Cuyahoga Community College’s Dean of Performing Arts, Brian Bethune, in order to get some perspective on the concert. Realizing that some may be less familiar with Morris, we first asked Young and Bethune a question that was perhaps not so obvious: “Why Mark Morris?”

Young’s response acknowledged both Morris’ public persona and his artistic achievement. “Mark Morris is considered by people who know dance as maybe America’s dance company,” said Young. “Morris has always been kind of the bad boy of dance… kind of a Mick Jagger with – you know – long hair, cigarette smoking, the famous photos of him with Mikhail Baryshnikov and the White Oak Project.”

We paused with Young to share memories of the Annie Leibovitz photos of the White Oak collaboration – candid photos of Morris, Baryshnikov and other dancers rehearsing and hanging around between rehearsals: Morris with a cigarette, with a beer; Morris standing in a rather good 5th position wearing a pair of beat up saddle shoe; Morris posed nude, en travesty, on a baroque sofa among the palmettos. We agreed that too often the formality of concert dance obscures the simple humanity of the performers, but Morris’ highly entertaining and eccentric personality shines through not only the press agentry but the formality of the concert presentation itself.

Then Young went on to say that, “as much as he projects that bad boy image, people love his work, and I think they love his work because he choreographs mostly to classical music and – although he claims he’s not a musician – he has a sense of the music that allows him to create works that structure the dances to the music – it’s music made visible. That makes his work extremely accessible; even people who don’t know dance really love Morris’ work. It’s beautiful and you’re not struggling to understand it. It’s not like Merce Cunningham who has the music and the dance happening independently. Morris has the music and the movement completely tied together.”

“And,” Young went on, “he’s very respectful of what came before. He studied ballet and folk dance (an aside: Morris danced in some darned good modern dance and contemporary ballet companies – Lars Lubovitch, Laura Dean, and Elliot Feld) and he’s also very respectful of the creators of modern dance. In our season, Icons and Innovators, he’s a dance icon in that he has risen to become one of the most respected, certainly one of the most successful modern dance companies; Morris performs all over the place, creates dance for operas, conducts orchestras. But iconic as he is, he’s also an innovator, bridging the gap to the next generation.”

We were interviewing Young and Bethune separately, but his answer to the question, “Why Mark Morris?” picked up on Young’s thoughts on Icons and Innovators. “With any presenting,” Bethune explained, “there’s a balance that needs to be reached with traditional companies that have been the forbearers and torch carriers of the form, Martha Graham for example, and the work of those who keep setting brilliant work on dancers in new and innovative ways, such as Mark Morris. Cleveland is blessed to have organizations like Tri-C and Dance Cleveland who have similar missions and together can take a bit more risk than we could by going it alone.”

So, which of Morris’ 100 dances will be on the program in Cleveland? “It starts out with ‘The Argument’ (1999),” Young replied, “set to Robert Schuman’s ‘Five Pieces in Folk Style.’ In his early teens, Morris joined Koleda, a Balkan folk dance ensemble; a lot of his work in this program has traces of folk dance; it’s a comforting place for him. The Schuman is played live on piano and cello – every piece in this concert is played live – Morris will not present except to live music, that’s the way he envisions his work.”

We knew from Morris’ 2000 visit to Cleveland that folk dance is only one of the many prisms through which he views his musical scores. As Deborah Jowitt puts it in a Village Voice review on 1/19/07: “Whatever music he chooses, Morris draws from it patterns of mingling and separating, leading and following, supporting and spurning that are both inevitable and surprising, even mysterious. What did he hear in Schumann’s Fünf Stücke im Volston that made him shape the first duet of The Argument as a dispute? Julie Worden and Charlton Boyd (who will be dancing in Cleveland) bite into their steps as if contention rules their life together.”

So, “The Argument” is not a dance that tells a story but it’s full of human emotion, none the less.

Young ran down the rest of the concert. “The next piece, “All Fours” (2003), is set to Bela Bartok’s String Quartet #4 played live on 2 violins, viola and cello by members of the MMGD Music Ensemble.”

“Then we have “Italian Concerto” set to J.S. Bach’s ‘Italian Concerto in F minor.’” We asked who was dancing the slow middle movement in Cleveland, because we’d heard that Morris originally set it as a solo on himself, 50-something years old, drinker’s belly, and all. Young looked up the answer for us, “Joe Bowie, a senior company member.” Bowie’s been dancing with Morris since 1989, so he should know his way around the repertoire.

“The last piece on the program is “Grand Duo” (1993) set to Lou Harrison’s “Grand Duo” for violin and piano. 14 dancers. What I’ve read about this dance is that you can see the influence of Balkan folk dance in the rhythmic footwork and the floor patterns.”

“The program we have in Cleveland,” Young explained, “is the same program they had last summer at American Dance Festival; you have pieces from 1993, 1999, 2003, and 2007, so you have a nice history of his work. I always think it’s nice, when we bring a company, to be entertained, but to also come away with a better understanding of the choreographer and the breadth of his work.”

See Mark Morris Dance Group at 8PM Saturday, February 2 at the Ohio Theatre. Tickets at http://www.playhousesquare.org or by calling 241-6000.

From Cool Cleveland contributors Elsa Johnson and Victor Lucas vicnelsaATearthlink.net

SPONSORED: MOCA Cleveland Presents the first major U.S. museum exhibition of London-based artist Sam Taylor-Wood. Human vulnerability is a theme in her compelling psychological portraits in photography, film, and video — subjects range from international actors and athletes to self-portrait. Also at MOCA: Surge – paintings from Ohio-based artist Craig Lucas. Both on view through Sun 5/11. Info: 216-421-8671 or www.MOCAcleveland.org.

Links to interesting NEO blogs

A resident of Detroit wonders why they should move back to Cleveland and “its depressed economy”.
Grand Rapids journalist Andy Guy calls Cleveland America’s New Windy City.
Citizen photojournalist MaryBeth Matthews shares photos of the declining neighborhoods along her commute to work.
Here’s five reasons to love the West Side Market.
Frank’s Sunoco in Parma is selling B20 Biodiesel and E85 Ethanol.
The PeeD wraps up its coverage of the foreclosure crisis without answering some basic questions.
The ABJ launches a political blog, closes it, opens it up again.

A Cloud in the Cathedral
The Unsparing Sea

At some point, Northeast Ohio could end up explicitly tied to indie folk and twee-pop. It’s the first time since Cleveland’s rock and post-punk heydays that such a flare-up of original self-expression has radiated like this. There’s some truly transcendent work coming out lately, from the moribund hope found in acts like Bears and jingle-jangle of Afternoon Naps to the recent divine works of Expecting Rain and the Dreadful Yawns. This week’s Cool Cleveland Sounds pick comes from Unsparing Sea – an unfastened indie folk act with an ethereal, majestic sound that recalls acts Neutral Milk Hotel and the Arcade Fire, as well as the post-rock and minimalist acoustic work of Icelandic quartet Sigur Rós and their occasional string accompaniment, Amiina.

Hauntingly meditative, and yet so much more, their full-length effort A Cloud in the Cathedral follows the band’s self-released EP and couldn’t be more aptly named. Smooth, soothing orchestral melodies waft in and out of the ether, with the individual instrumentation varying greatly from track to track. Bows saw out rich, fortuitous chords from strings that simply float above the listener and would be right at home in a contemporary classical record. Alternating shouted and chanted vocals, vocalist J.R. Bennett matches the mood well and might well be our scene’s answer to Jónsi Birgisson. “I Wasn’t There…,” “O! Form O! Place,” “A Lion with No Teeth,” “God Will Protect the Naive” and “Half of Every Year” (which twists with piano and feedback-laden emotion all the way to its resting place) rank clearly among the highlights.

Tantamount to a mid-winter night’s dream, Unsparing Sea’s drama is palpable; Cathedral completes its song cycle and leaves a supernatural calm with the listener. In all, this stunning effort is a must-have, one that absolutely shouldn’t be missed.

Hear “O! Form O! Place” by clicking here. Unsparing Sea performs at the Beachland Ballroom this Friday, February 8 w/ To Be a High Powered Executive, State Bird, Afternoon Naps and others. Learn more about the group at their website http://www.unsparingsea.com. Visit the Beachland at http://www.beachlandballroom.com.

From Cool Cleveland Managing Editor Peter Chakerian peterATcoolcleveland.com

Wanna get reviewed? Send your band’s CD (less than 1 year old) to: Cool Cleveland, 14837 Detroit Avenue, #105, Lakewood, OH 44107

Critic Bashes Roldo, Supports Dick Jacobs

I’ve been whacked again by my critic known as Banshee. Banshee finds my censure of Dick Jacobs off base. Again.

“All your grousing about ill gotten wealth? Nobody’s listening,” wrote Banshee recently on the forum http://www.lakewoodbuzz.com.

Apparently, however, somebody’s reading.

Banshee, I’ll have to say, was also a bit complimentary to me.

Of my response a couple of weeks ago, Banshee wrote, “All I can say is outstanding response.” But, Banshee says, “You are still all wet about Dick Jacobs and his contributions (to) the city of Cleveland…” Banshee believes a winning baseball team trumps all.

However, we really have to be more discriminating about the people we hold up as honorable citizens…

I know Dick Jacobs and he’s not an honorable man.

I’m going to give it one more try, Banshee.

Dick Jacobs is a scoundrel. He’ll be one ‘til he dies…

I think it’s pretty well known that Jacobs had a special relationship with George Forbes, former Council President of Cleveland City Council. It was to Jacobs’s benefit and the city’s loss.

Forbes controlled the spigot that poured money into Jacobs’s pocket for his developments – Chagrin Highlands, the Galleria, Key Center, the Marriott Hotel and even the parking facility under the city’s mall in front of the Marriott Hotel.

So here’s a little story that has never appeared in the Pee Dee or anywhere else, other than a small newsletter (Point of View) that I published.

The headline was: “Jacobs’s $1-million pact to ex-city commissioner – Forbes link looms.” The $1-million dollar contracts involved Jacobs’s Key Center, which was subsidized via Forbes’s power at city hall with a $10-million, 20-year, no interest loan and 100 percent tax abatement for 20 years, worth an added $120-million.

Now that’s favorable treatment.

One would think that Jacobs was indebted to Forbes.

Maybe what I wrote back in 1989 reveals the debt to Forbes was paid. The article outlines contracts of more than $1 million given to Charles “Chuck” Ramsey by Jacobs.

I wrote at the time, Ramsey, a city employee, had been “considered by those who knew him as a delinquent at best as a city official.”

I wrote: “Called at one time or another as an ‘embarrassment to himself (by his boss), and the administration (Voinovich),” labeled as showing ‘poor judgment,’ accused of lying to his boss and misleading his boss, Ramsey now finds himself a hot business property.”

“Curiously,” I went on, “despite his impoverished public record, Ramsey finds himself holding an honor from the city’s top developer, those supposedly illustriously brilliant businessmen – the brothers Richard and David Jacobs.”

I had to wonder why Jacobs would choose Ramsey for lucrative contracts for his Key Center project.

Ramsey at times described himself as a relative of George Forbes and was thought to have the protection of the powerful Council President. He certainly lived a charmed life as a city employee.

The various contracts, including asbestos removal, went from Jacobs to Ramsey despite the poor work record at city hall.

Ramsey’s record included a suspension in 1983 for misleading his boss, Vince Lombardi, community development director under Voinovich. Ramsey was commissioner of rehabilitation at the time.

In 1985 Ramsey again was suspended for seven days for submitting “false weekly reports.” Back in 1981 the Department of Housing and Urban Development gave Ramsey poor marks for his poor management. He continued to hold his job.

Ramsey again was reprimanded by Lombardi, “for falsely giving credit to contracts for being State of Ohio authorized to work on weatherization projects when they were not qualified, again misleading those for whom he worked.”

As I wrote then and repeat now, “Even the least suspicious among us might have to scratch our heads when the Jacobses – out of all minority contractors to select from – pick such a poor and inexperienced candidate as Ramsey for a $1-million plus job…”

Is this the kind of guy you want to spend your efforts defending, Banshee?

The way a man does business tells you something about his character. I don’t like the way Dick Jacobs operates. I think it stinks. Maybe you can take the smell. I can’t.

Ramsey was given another $100,000 contract as a minority contractor by Cleveland State University after Forbes made a stinging attack on the university, labeling it racist. This also was for asbestos removal. Just the kind of guy you want handling asbestos removal, which demands care and responsibility to insure public health and safety.

Forbes also secretly put Jacobs into the Chagrin Highlands deal. This was revealed in a lawsuit by Mayor White against Jacobs. Here’s the testimony of Harry Figgie, the original developer, in a deposition: “I testified the other day that my meetings with Mr. Forbes were preliminary and he asked us if we would work with a Cleveland developer and asked us if he would talk to (Jacobs). That is the meeting I remember and coming from one (Forbes) of the two most powerful men in Cleveland, I took that as a directive to talk to the Jacobses and we did.” Forbes muscled his friend Jacobs into this extremely lucrative deal. In secret.

Ramsey operated as a private contractor even as he held his city hall job. Lombardi, when I questioned him, did not know Ramsey was a private contractor though city regulations required such information to be provided the city.

Banshee, you can draw whatever reasonable conclusions you might from this information.

Here’s the conclusion I drew in August of 1989, an election year: “The cozy relationship between Forbes and the Jacobses makes for an unhealthy situation for a mayoral candidate…” That was pretty mild. Jacobs was a major financial contributor to Forbes’s losing campaign against White in 1989.

Forbes spent a good deal of time stuffing public money into Dick Jacobs’s pocket in the 1980s. Jacobs in turn stuffed some money into the pockets of a Forbes ally, if not relative.

Jacobs isn’t known for being charitable. He rewards those who enrich him.

In checking, for example, Cleveland Indians Charities, I’ve never seen a direct donation from Dick Jacobs in the time he owned the team.

I do see that ballplayers (possibly as part of their contracts) contribute, sometimes very generously. For example, in the last year available, 2006, Casey Blake contributed $25,000 to the Indians charity, as did Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez, who also gave $25,000 in 2005.

But not a penny listed from Jacobs.

Travis Fryman in 2001 gave $50,000. C. C. Sabathia gave $50,000 in both 2004 and 2005 and $25,000 in 2003. Bob Wickman gave $50,000 in 2003 and 2004. Ellis Burks gave $100,000 in 2003.

Yet, in all those years one name hasn’t appeared with a personal contribution: Dick Jacobs. What a skinflint.

That’s not to say that Jacobs never gives gifts. He sent 14 steaks to then Plain Dealer editor Doug Clifton in 1999, currying favor. Clifton sent the steaks to a hunger center. Jacobs also treated Forbes and Plain Dealer editorial boss Brent Larkin to jaunt to an All-Star game on his private jet, rewarding those who can do him favors.

Jacobs protects his profit centers. Jacobs told a lawyer, “I believe in the quantum theory of profit to the nth degree.”

That’s just what I’d expect from Dick Jacobs, a scoundrel of historic proportions in Cleveland’s rich history of charlatans.

Jacobs and Forbes have been destructive of democratic government in this city.

Your move, Banshee.

Pee Dee Localized a Bobby Fischer Story

Bobby Fischer, the world champion chess player, died recently. He may never have played chess in Cleveland but that didn’t stop the Pee Dee from reporting that he did. On E. 6th street, no less.

A bitter memo by currently testy Mike Roberts, pr man and Cleveland Magazine columnist, tells the story. He was the Pee Dee city editor at the time.

The memo started, “ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW… the one that counts the most: Recently a veteran reporter on this newspaper wrote a story in which he spelled the name of a single individual wrong six different ways. Another time we had the reporter who had Bobby Fischer, the chess champion, playing a match on E. 6th Street during the recent Sesqui celebration. This was great, the only thing was that Fischer was in Denver at the time and the man who was playing here was Milan Vukevich. We, however, reported Milan Vukevich as Bobby Fischer.”

The memo, which I’ve quoted before, is, to me, a priceless critique of journalism from the trench.

Roberts went on: “On almost a daily basis, several our people, some of whom are assigned to important beats, turn in copy which has obviously not been read. The stories are filled with misspelled words, awkward sentences and inadequate information. Few reporters read their own copy, fewer yet hunt for proofs, yet most demand their efforts be treated in a professional manner.

“Another reporter on this staff has been told numerous times not to simply rewrite press releases. Day in and day out this person continues to regurgitate the releases. Another reporter has to be telephoned, either at home or in a bar, several times a week so that the desk may clarify his copy. Reporters are sometimes an hour or an hour and a half late for work. Sometimes reporters leave a half-hour earlier if they can get away with it.”

(And my favorite part) “They seem to regard the city room as an imposition upon their lives.

“Some of these people do not bother to read the newspaper, not just this paper but any newspaper. There is barely a handful of people who take pride in their work. Many are too lazy to make the extra telephone call, too unconcerned to research the material, and in general do not show enough interest to do more than a minimal job.

“There are those who scrap the simple things and comfort themselves with the thought that when the big opportunity comes they will rise to the occasion and perform with distinction. On these occasions, such as (a recent major) fire, we general get confusion instead of distinction. Some of the reporting that has come from these occasions includes that famous, ‘no one seems to know’ line which has appeared in three major stories that this paper has covered in the past year. The sad thing about all this is that the attitude is so prevalent that one cannot talk of improving the newspaper. We are to a point where individuals have little or no interest in improving themselves, let alone the paper…”

David Simon, creator of HBO’s The Wire, last week had a piece in the Washington Post. Two paragraphs seem to tell us just what’s wrong with today’s newspapers.

“In place of comprehensive, complex and idiosyncratic coverage, readers of even the most serious newspapers were offered celebrity and scandal, humor and light provocation – the very currency of the Internet itself,” he wrote.

“Is there still high-end journalism? Of course,” he writes, but adds that “high-end journalism doesn’t take the form of consistent and sophisticated coverage of issues, but of special projects and five-part series on selected topics – a distraction designed not to convince readers that a newspaper aggressively bring the world to them each day, but to convince a prize committee that someone, somewhere, deserves a plaque.”

Doesn’t that describe the job the Pee Dee did last week with its series on foreclosures – even to the five parts? I suggest you read Bill Callahan’s Diary for some insight into where the series missed the mark. My read is that the newspaper simply didn’t have the capacity or expertise to really examine such a complex issue. So we get a confusing mishmash for five days. Phillip Morris, moreover, was exactly the wrong person to assign the human aspect of the problem. Morris, as noted by reader reaction, totally lacks the empathy for such a task.

Eckart Too Conflicted as Political Commentator

WKYC’s political editor Tom Beres twice in introducing panelist Dennis Eckart had to preface with a reference to Eckart’s relationship to the subject under discussion. Eckart has too many political, legal and business conflicts to be a regular commentator for such a weekly show.

Opening a discussion on Cuyahoga County’s sales of the E. 9th & Euclid properties, Beres, on his Sunday AM Between the Lines program, noted that Eckart represented Dick Jacobs in the $22 million sale of the property to the County and for the discussion on colleges that Eckart was a Kent State University board member.

I believe it’s impossible to present Eckart, even with the disclaimers, as someone not representing a possible conflicting interest. He has been a Democratic Congressman, president of the Greater Cleveland Growth Association, a principal in North Shore Associates, representing real estate clients, and a promoter of the gaming industry under the guise of promoting “responsible gaming.”

He’s a walking conflict of interest for such a show.

It does Beres’s credibility no good to have as a regular panelist someone who might better be the subject of discussion than someone to give us unbiased comment.

Beres is probably the best TV reporter of local political events in Cleveland, largely because WKYC, Ch. 3, gives Beres more freedom to report on the everyday happenings in political Cleveland. Beres treats that opportunity with skill and responsibility.

However, his Sunday morning show leans too heavily upon people such as Eckart, essentially a corporate lobbyist, and others with political biases as Mary Ann Sharkey, a public relations person and former Pee Dee editor, and Bill Patmon, a former Cleveland councilman who keeps his hand in political doings.

Beres and WKYC should be able to find guests who have less self-serving interests than those who typically are called upon to address crucial civic and political issues.

One of Cleveland’s problems is that the news media go back time and time again to the same voices and personalities, giving new voices no opportunity to develop. There must be academics who can speak to today’s issues. I know there are a number of young City Council members whose voices should be heard.

Time to stop going to the slick and smooth “insiders” to tell us what is happening in our community. Let’s hear some new voices.

Beres keeps himself well-informed and works hard, too hard to be shoehorned into a time slot that doesn’t allow his reporting to be displayed.

Beres suffers from limited time. It seems he has some 15 to 20 minutes to cover a week’s news in our city. In attempting to cover the many issues that need attention, Beres hurries his questioning and that limits the quality of discussion.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Roldo Bartimole roldoATroadrunner.com

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The Diary of Anne Frank @ Beck Center 1/22 The Diary of Anne Frank was adapted for the stage by the husband and wife team of writers, Frances Goodrich and Albert Hacket, who wrote Easter Parade, Father of the Bride, and It’s A Wonderful Life. It’s a powerful play, particularly as adapted by Wendy Kesselman for a 1997 Broadway revival. Some passages from Anne Frank’s diary were only published after the death of her father, Otto Frank, in 1980. The original play did not really convey the tension between the people in hiding, nor the ever-present fear involved in hiding, nor some of Anne’s personal concerns and confusions.

This new version of the play, on a stage designed by Richard Gould, puts the audience right in the middle of the tensions of “Secret Annex” in which the Franks, with their friends, are hiding. The set provides a look into every room in the annex as cramped lives continue through the next thin wall even as the lighting focuses our attention on this room or that one for the immediate action. Jeff Lockshine’s lighting design rivets each change of scene.

Heather Farr convinced me that I’d have strangled Anne Frank within days of being cooped up with her, but also shows Anne’s growth into young womanhood under extraordinarily strange conditions. From annoying to vivacious is a tough acting job; it’s worth seeing.

George Roth dominates this play as Otto Frank. He does a masterful job of portraying a man used to being in charge of a wide life adapting to the confines of self-imprisonment. Roth’s Otto has a steely determination to get through this bad period, to work through the stress, to survive and make sure his family survives. From his first line to his last, Roth makes Otto come alive.

Paula Duesing as Mrs Van Daan is amazing in a difficult role with too few lines. But through body language and attitude, Ms Duesing conveys a good deal more than the play asks, but all that the real Mrs Van Daan must have felt.

Eric Fancher as young Peter Van Daan, who early on looks as if he may actually strangle the annoying Anne, falls in love with her in the second act, and makes us believe both emotional states are true. Well done.

Sarah May’s direction is crisply unobtrusive. She lets the set do its cramping work, and has shown the actors how to use it most effectively. Her crew gets all the effects right, and the production values are excellent.

The rest of the cast is uniformly good: Lisa Siciliano as Margot Frank, Dawn Youngs as Miep Gies, their unpronounceably-named Dutch friend who brings the inmates news and food treats, Brian Bartels as Mr Van Daan, Robert McCoy as Mr Kraler, and Mark Cipra as Mr Dussel. John Stuehr, Jon Fancher, and Gareth Harris are gutterally menacing in their Prince William get-ups, and seem oddly apologetic at the cast bow. Heads up, gentlemen: here’s a play where playing the villain is just no fun.

The new adaptation makes this play a must-see. The stage, the direction, and the actors pull off getting the audience to hope. It’s not Peter Pan, but there’s still good reason to applaud them at the end.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Marcus Bales marcusATdesignerglass.com

Groundworks & Verb Ballets @ Playhouse Square 1/25, 1/26 For a period of time our area’s dance aficionados felt lost when The Cleveland-San Jose Ballet ditched us for the west coast. C-SJB’s place was taken by some small companies, several of whom have matured to the point of gaining recognition by local and national dance critics for excellence. Interestingly, the two premiere companies, Verb Ballets and Groundworks, performed this past weekend on Playhouse Square, each to near sold out audiences. Groundworks performed in the Idea Center, Verb in the Ohio. Both gave their followers, many of whom saw Groundworks on Friday and then Verb on Saturday, fine evenings of entertainment.

GROUNDWORKS (seen 1/25)

The Idea Center at Playhouse Square is a perfect venue for David Shimotakahra’s up-close and personal philosophy of dance.

The program opened with yet another staging of Always as choreographed by Gina Gibney. The piece has became a staple in Groundworks performances. Well danced by Amy Miller, Sarah Perrett, Mark Otloski and Damien Highfield, it uses the music of Patsy Cline to create a country music meets contemporary dance mélange. Clever transitions between dance segments, interesting lifts, creative hand movements, creative carries and touches led to a pleasant program opener.

Know, choreographed by Shimotakahara, was performed to the music of Leonard Bernstein played live by the talented Solaris Woodwind Quintet. Originally conceived for two men—Michael Medcalf and Shimotakahara, it has recently been danced by Amy Miller and Felise Bagley. Though different when performed by two women than by two men, the visual effect is very positive. Strong and powerful Miller is balanced nicely by the cool and delicate Bagley. The two create a mood in which music and movements blend together to create a very appealing action-reaction cohesive piece of dance.

A musical interlude, The Golden Cannon, performed by the Solaris Woodwind Quintet, was met with very appreciative reaction by the audience.

Delayed, a world premiere, was choreographed by Israeli choreographer, Zvi Gotheiner, who has been in residence and was present at the performance. The piece, which was too long, was performed to the abstract atonal music of Terry Ripley. The sound, after a while, becomes unnerving. The bodily movements interpreted well Gotheiner’s concept of established and lost connections, opportunities not fulfilled and interactions never resolved. The company danced effectively, but the music and the choreography did not always grab and hold attention. The audience’s response was polite applause.

Groundworks will next appear at Cleveland Public theatre on March 27, 28 and 29 at 8PM and March 30 at 3PM. For tickets and information, call 631-2727 or visit http://www.notsoobvious.com.

VERB BALLETS (seen 1/26)

Verb opened its program with Heinz Poll’s sensual, precise, mesmerizing Bolero, danced to the music of Ravel. The choreography, which was restaged by Amy Miller, ironically of Groundworks, ended with the audience screaming appreciation. Strong dancing by Catherine Meredith was supported by an inspired corps.

Duet, another Poll piece, was beautifully danced by the lovely Danielle Brickman and Brian Murphy, who seems to have emerged from the shadow of the now departed Mark Tomasic, to become the powerhouse performer among local male dancers. The duo’s partnering was point perfect. Their control and flow, as they moved to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Adagio for Organ, which was played with artistic perfection by David Fisher at the piano and cellist Greg Fiocca, was wonderful to watch.

Songs, originally created by the company’s artistic director Hernando Cortez in 2007, has been reworked. The German vocalization of Gustav Mahler’s heavy Symphony just doesn’t help the audience understand the tone-poem’s message. Though well performed, the piece became ponderous after a while. Highlights included solo performances by Robert Wesner, Brian Murphy and Sydney Ignacio.

The final piece of the evening, Frontrow”, was in its world premiere. Also choreographed by Cortez, it was a compelling visual creation. Trad Burns’ iridescent Mylar columns and creative lighting made the stage shimmer. Brittney and Gina Dudek’s brief Mylar costumes added to the visual excitement. The well conceived and danced piece left both the audience and the dancers happily exhausted. This is a fine addition to the Verb repertoire.

Verb can next be seen at “Nature Moves 4” at the Museum of Natural History on April 5. For tickets and information, call 781-4300 or visit http://www.verballets.org.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Roy Berko royberkoATyahoo.com

Big [Box]: 2 One-acts @ CPT 1/26
The Josie Project: Christopher Johnston brought a strong cast to Michael Williams’ sci-fi one-act about a young man and his futuristic sex-robot mistress. Sarah Kunchik’s sexy-spooky “gyndroid”, Shawn Galligan’s smarmy salesman, and Josh Brown’s conflicted protagonist made this worth watching, though Williams has too many scene changes interrupting the flow.
The Greatest Story Ever Told: Jason Mullin’s outrageously profane excoriation of religious faith is intermittently funny, intentionally offensive, and way too long for its premise: Jesus, Judas/Santa, & Mary Magdalene as con artists revealing their secrets and feuds on a TV talkshow. Yet Nancy Burkinshaw’s impeccably cast production made sparks fly.
Details: Cleveland Public Theatre, http://www.cptonline.org. Big [Box] continues thru 2/24.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein LindaATcoolcleveland.com.

Norman Rockwell’s American Chronicles @ Akron Art Museum 1/26 This coming weekend is the last look for the American premier of the Norman Rockwell exhibition American Chronicles at the Akron Art Museum, One High St. in Akron. It’s also your chance to celebrate the artist’s 114th birthday, this Sun 2/3. Cupcakes and discounts on gift shop items will be available to honor this special day of celebration for Norman Rockwell’s contributions to American art, and the closing of the exhibition.

For 60 years the world renowned illustrator delighted the American public with his every-man look at the foibles, tragedies, triumphs, and controversies of life in the United States. The complete set of covers from The Saturday Evening Post are on display, as well as 41 of the artist’s oil paintings in this comprehensive look at the painters prolific collection of work. The evocative works of Rockwell include two of his best loved paintings, Rosie The Riveter, who’s image has become the emblem, and inspiration for generations of women, representing the courageous, American women, who steps to the forefront to serve her family and country in times of struggle…

Rockwell took on the controversy of school desegregation, in The Problem We All Live Wit, as he put to canvas the angst and turbulence of the Civil Rights era. His classics images had a powerful impact on how Americans saw themselves and how the country managed the sweeping societal changes post World War II. The poignant lens he focused on the heart of American, and the expressive way in which he profiled our joys and quirks with tenderness and humor, has made him the most loved America artist of the 20th century.

By including his personal correspondence and photographs in the collection, we gain an intimate glimpse into the life of Norman Rockwell, a private snapshot, of an American icon.

As Norman Rockwell leaves this weekend for the next stop on his tour, we remember his uncanny artistic genius in the simplicity of daily life. His visual messages helped shape the vision of America for patriots and the world. He leaves us a rich legacy of images that defined and shaped generations of American idealism.

Extended hours for viewing of the exhibit are in place during the upcoming week to allow time to attend this once in a lifetime exhibition. Late hours this week, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday until 9:00pm for more information go to http://www.akronartmuseum.org.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Deb Dockery dddockeryATaol.com

Puccini: The Man & His Music @ Opera Per Tutti 1/27
Music to Swoon Over: This biographical stroll through Puccini’s life and oeuvre had one splendid raison d’etre: to experience 18 of his meltingly gorgeous arias, beautifully sung by four principals. Opera per Tutti founder Andrea Anelli has strong acting chops and a floating lyric soprano, and her Mimi (La Boheme) was touching and tender. Dramatic soprano Madeline Abel-Kerns enlivened Musetta, Tosca, and a superb Madama Butterfly. JR Fralick’s clear, pure tenor made the most of early bel canto Puccini, while young tenor Seungwook Ryu’s leather lungs and huge voice cracked the rafters in Nessun Dorma from Turandot.
Caveats: As Puccini, Kelly Holt’s performance was marred by an overripe Italian accent, inflection, and emoting, and Kelly Ferjutz’s book is more like narrated program notes than a dramatic rendering.
Details: Solon Arts Center, http://operapertutti.org.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein LindaATcoolcleveland.com.

Puccini: The Man and His Music @ Solon Center for the Arts 1/27 There’s a new opera company in town, Opera Per Tutti (opera for all). Music fans pay attention because there’s a definite “Wow” factor here. Andrea Anelli, soprano, formed Opera Per Tutti last year with the mission of bringing professional quality opera to a broader audience, making it more accessible to people from all communities. Anelli wanted to pay tribute to Puccini. This year marks the 150th anniversary (1858-1924) for this great Italian operatic composer. He has left us a legacy of richly romantic music woven with melodic and harmonic qualities.

In this original production, “Puccini, The Man and His Music,” scripted by Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz, two sopranos and two tenors supported by eight chorus members sang songs from his well-known operas – Manon Lescaut, La Boheme, Tosca, Madame Butterfly, Gianni Schicchi, La Rondine, and Turandot…

Sitting at the grand piano keyboard, Jeanette Davis Ostrander provided the musical backdrop leading the ensemble through their performances. In between acts, Puccini, convincingly played by Kelly Holt, complete with Italian accent and expressive gestures, intimately told the audience his life story.

One of the tenors, J.R. Fralick, is a professor of music at the Baldwin Wallace College Conservatory. Singing with heart and soul, Anelli has performed at professional venues such as Cleveland Opera, The Beck Center, Halle Theatre, Porthouse Theatre, and Cain Park. As the company leader, her intent is to provide performance opportunities for professional singers and musicians living in northeast Ohio as much as possible.

However, soprano Madeline Abel-Kerns, a New York City import, with previous experience performing at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall and on the west coast, contributed a warm and expansive voice to this show singing a wide range with ease. South Korean Seungwook Ryu, tenor, had the building rafters vibrating in response to his strong mellifluous voice. He is completing his studies at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore.

This performance was well received with standing ovations and shouted bravos from the audience. Opera Per Tutti is planning more performances of “Puccini, The Man and His Music” in the near future. Visit http://www.operapertutti.org for more information.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Susan Schaul susn1ATatt.net

Orange Flower Water @ The Bang & the Clatter 1/28
Reasons to go: This examination of a adulterous affair and divorce and its effects on the families involved is one of BNC’s best productions in a while. Staged by director Sean McConaha with all four participants observing the action in one central bed, it’s both disturbing and funny. As the obsessed lovers, Jen Klika and Mark Mayo are tormented with guilt and lust, Daniel McElhaney all but steals the show as Klika’s hot-head husband, and Teresa McDonough has one of the most oddly funny revenge-sex scenes ever as Mayo’s pissed-off choir director wife.
Caveat: Craig (Six Feet Under) Wright’s monologues aren’t up to the brilliantly observed scenes, but it’s still an acting treat.
Delicious extra: If you’re looking for a fabulous pre-show dinner, you couldn’t do better than the ultrahip VegiTerranean, Chrissie Hynde’s new upscale vegan restaurant 1/2 mile from the theater. Yum.
Details: Summit Arts Space, Akron. http://www.bnctheatre.com/
From Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein LindaATcoolcleveland.com

Long Road @ Nighttown 01/28 “It’s great to be back in Cleveland Heights,” was the first thing out of David Budin’s mouth when his band Long Road hit the bandstand at Nighttown on a beautiful Monday evening this week to do an eclectic collection of songs ranging from 1935’s Im In The Mood for Love, to Crowded House’s Don’t Dream It’s Over to a Budin original We Don’t Have To Be In Love, to newer stuff by Nanci Griffith & Mark Knopfler. Songs were presented as if they had been “curated” by Budin, without the stuffy anthropological feel that such an evening might have engendered. Budin, who write regularly for Cool Cleveland helped the already-comfy vibe of Nighttown with his hilarious between-song banter. While the songs were the thing, the band’s non-slick professionalism endeared itself to the standing-room sold-out crowd (a return date is being planned). With Budin (guitar, vocals), Kevin Richards (acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin, vocals), Bob Sandham (acoustic and electric guitars and vocals), and Ray DeForest (bass) showcasing their instrumental prowess, and no less than four lead vocalists in combo with backing vocals, the group’s versatility lent variety to their sound. But when vocalist Julia Mell took the lead, the band lifted to another plane. Watch for them at Kent Stage on 2/9 and at Cain Park on 6/29. Long Road

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Most clicked
Here are the Top 5 most clicked links from last week’s issue, with one more chance for you to click.

1) Culinary tour of Cleveburg by Cle food writer Michael Ruhlman.
ChicagoTribune.com

2) Roldo wonders why County residents don’t get baseball field naming rights money.
CoolCleveland.com

3) Detroit Shoreway is ready for their close-up.
Cauldron

4) Lit Chick Judith Mansour-Thomas Reinvigorates Cle’s Literary Nonprofit
CoolCleveland.com

5) Shaker incident is NYT worthy.
New York Times

Treat Yourself to the All-Star lineup known as the Hard Corps. Thanks to Peter Chakerian, T.L. Champion, George Nemeth, Steve Copley, Susan Schaul, Claudia J. Taller, Carlo Wolff, Linda Eisenstein, Marcus Bales, Roy Berko, Jennifer Keirn and the Perpetual Insomniacs Society of America. And lastly, though certainly not least, thanks to our readers and everyone who partners with us. Want to volunteer and contribute your writing to Cool Cleveland? Send your reviews, articles, or story ideas to: Events@CoolCleveland.com.

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