Unsung pleasure

Mama used to sing "Old Rugged Cross" enthusiastically when she washed the dishes, as if Jesus died on that cross so we could have food on the table and give thanks for being able to clean up after the family dinner. Leading up to Christmas Mama would switch to the hymns of the season.

"Silent night, holy night," she'd sing or hum, as she stacked the sparkling dishes to air dry on the counter. "Hark, the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn king" and a verse of "O Holy Night," and she'd be done.

When I was very young, I begged to wash the dishes. Mama would always say, "You're not quite old enough yet," and that just made me want to wash the dishes even more, as if it were a rite of passage like starting school or learning to ride a bike.

Growing up, we didn't have a dishwasher. I still don't, and neither does my mother. I think I know why.

Mama doesn't trust dishwashers to get things clean, and she thinks if you're going to rinse a dish you might as well wash it while you're at it. Like me, she probably doesn't even know how to load a dishwasher. Eat at Mama's house, and you can be confident your dishes and utensils have no food or soap dried onto them, and the glasses will sparkle like disco balls.

When I was about 6, Mama finally let me wash the supper dishes. Her only instruction to me was "You have to be fast as well as efficient."

As mothers often have over the years, she'd outsmarted her child. While I was washing and butchering "Old Rugged Cross," having what I thought was a fine — and very mature — time, Mama sat in her easy chair, read the paper and had another glass of tea.

It didn't take too many weeks before I found myself scrubbing the pots and pans and wishing them "on a hill far away" from the crowded sink.

Things have come full circle over the past decades.

Mama cooks a huge dinner on holidays to feed our extended family of 10, plus friends. Mounds of dressing, rice and butterbeans, macaroni and cheese, squash casserole, sweet potato souffle, turkey, ham or pork loin and all the other dishes we love weigh down the table. There are so many dirty dishes they won't all fit in the sink, and they clutter the counters. They have to be washed and put away in shifts.

Immediately my sister Cindy and I and her adult daughters spring up to clear the table. We start washing the dishes, and Mama says, "Just leave those. I can wash them tomorrow when you're all gone. I don't have to wash them all at once. I can stop and rest if I need to."

We get those dishes washed, dried and put away faster than any electric dishwasher. The glasses sparkle as they air dry — but not as much as Mama's eyes.

I think she's just happy we all love her so much and want to please her and spend our holiday with her — but maybe she's just outfoxed us again?

New restaurant fills need, stomachs

When my dining companion and I walked into Simply Southern Bistro Wednesday night, we didn't expect a crowd. After all, it was the new restaurant's first evening open. Instead, there were few vacant tables, and four were occupied by people we knew.
And everyone had nothing but praise for Chef Jeff Dennis' food.
We were soon to find out why.
Not starving, I ordered the smaller portion of prime rib, which the Bistro calls the "Queen Cut." The queen in question must be Victoria or Harvey Fierstein, the cut was that big! The King Cut, I'm sure must be adequate for Henry VIII.
It was also tender, medium rare, juicy, and well, just delicious. The au jus was good, too, but the beef didn't need any additional flavor. Dennis' blend of herbs and spices for his rotisserie meats didn't overpower the beef itself, but served to enhance the taste.
I had sauteed spinach and marinated cucumbers and tomatoes on the side. Each was tasty, and the spinach was especially well seasoned, earthy, with hints of sesame oil, one of my personal favorite flavor enhancers.
My companion pronounced his pan seared duck breast "delicious" and "succulent," and his rice pilaf tender and flavorful (He also had the spinach).
The Bistro's wine list is short, but good, with moderately priced selections.My Sterling Vintner's Collection Merlot was smooth, deep, fruity with a slight oak overtone.
The Mirassou pinot noir was a good match for my companion's duck breast. A light, easy-drinking wine with just a little depth, but pleasant fruity flavor and a slight tang.
With the addition of fabric tablecloths and napkins at night, Simply Southern Bistro will be a standout among Sumter's finer restaurants. The food is seriously good, the service was excellent, and the medium-sized menu means Dennis has time to cook each dish to perfection.
We can hardly wait to go back to try his pork tenderloin, fish and grits, salmon, Low County Crab Cakes and more, especially the Bacon Pimiento Cheese Burger for lunch. The Crazy Burger, with fried egg, is intriguing, too.
Simply Southern Bistro is located at 65 W. Wesmark Boulevard, across from Simpson Hardware. Call (803) 469-8502.

Bring your own Kool-Aid

Two things happened Sunday that somehow got connected in my head. First, I read an article in The New Yorker about how a Christmas stocking should be “all Cracker Jack surprises” but no food.
Later that afternoon I found a marble. I was walking through the old neighborhood and spotted a small, round, blue and white object embedded more than halfway in the ground on the right-of-way between the sidewalk and Hasel Street. I used to get them in my stocking.
Every time I find a marble, I pick it up, take it home, wash it off and put it in a sock. I've got quite a collection, even though this is the first one I've found in years.
I've been thinking about marbles a lot lately. When I pass 13 Chestnut on my strolls, I look toward the back right corner of the house and picture the bare dirt where the gang used to play.
Sometimes Aunt Alma would sweep the area, the flattest we could find in the neighborhood, and sometimes she'd hand one of us the broom to do it ourselves. Once it was cleared to our satisfaction, I'd take a stick and draw a large circle, then each player would put an agreed upon number of small marbles in the center. We thought cat's eyes were great.
Buckshot Bradley always used an old ball bearing as his shooter, and he was pretty good. My shooter was glass, like most of the regular marbles, just bigger.
We'd take turns shooting the big marbles off the knuckle of our thumbs, the object being to knock the smaller marbles out of the ring. Kind of like billiards, I guess. The winner was the player who had won the most marbles that way. Usually, we'd take back our marbles and start another game, but sometimes we'd play “keepsies.”
Now, you didn't play keepsies often with Buckshot, because you'd wind up with an empty sock, while his would overflow. He was that good. My cousin Harry could shoot a mean game of marbles, too. But you'd always be able to find plenty of stray marbles that fell through holes in pockets all around the neighborhood and in the old Elks Club playground on the corner of Salem Avenue and Broad Street.
Marbles is a simple game that takes skill and a lot of luck, plus some time to harden your knuckle. It also seems to help if you sort of bite your tongue as you stick the tip of it out of the corner of your mouth, get as close to the ground as you can, close one eye, concentrate and aim. The dirtier your knees, the better.
You never see kids playing marbles any more. I even tried to find a computer marbles game, but none of them resemble the real game we played on Chestnut Street.
When we've used up all the world's energy resources, and our computers and Nintendos don't work, I'm ready to resume those marble games. Buckshot's not around any longer, but I'm sure there are plenty of other baby boomers who'd be happy to participate in another never-ending marble tournament. The crack of marbles hitting marbles and of our knees popping as we get down on the dirt should be pretty compatible.
Maybe Rose Ford over the recreation department will get together a tournament. We don't even have to play for keepsies.
I'll sweep the ground.

Does it bother anyone besides me that we seem to have taken a shortcut straight from Halloween to Christmas? Sometimes I want to walk into the stores already bedecked with holly, decorated trees and images of Santa Claus, shake the managers and say, “What about THANKSGIVING??!!”
Some radio stations have already gone to their all-Christmas music formats, for heaven’s sake. We need some Thanksgiving carols. With apologies to Charles Wesley:
Hark, the hungry clan arri-ives,
Bearing bread and ‘lectric knives.
Macaroni’s hotly steaming,
‘Taters wait for gentle creaming.
Turkey takes the center spot.
Everybody eats a lot.
(And so on ...)
I did see an inflatable turkey in a Pilgrim hat in the front yard of an Alice Drive home last night. It was bobbing slightly in the wind, its head swaying from side to side as if admonishing us, “Don’t forget about me! Don’t forget about Thanksgiving and thanks giving.”
Now maybe I’m a little bit crazy for attributing an attitude to a plastic turkey, but I tend to like my holidays one at a time; even if it seems this one is all about the food, there’s still the gathering of family and friends, the traditional viewing of the Macy’s parade and the nodding off during the football game to make the day special. And you don’t have the pressure to buy gifts.
Besides, everybody knows it’s not the Christmas season until the Hickory Farms kiosk appears in the mall.
United Ministries of Sumter County reminds us that there are many in our own community who won’t have the traditional Thanksgiving feast because they can’t afford it. Each year, UMSC tries to provide a dinner for 150 families, but as of last week, the charity had only three turkeys in its freezer.
Mark Champagne, executive director, said local congregations have provided all the side items needed; however, without a turkey or ham, the food boxes would be a little sad. He and UMSC’s volunteers are hoping individuals and businesses will be able to contribute enough to make the boxes a true feast and give some needy families much to be thankful for next week.
People will pick up their Thanksgiving dinner boxes on Tuesday, so if you’d like to help UMSC feed the hungry by donating a turkey or a ham, Champagne asks that you take them to the UMSC office at 36 Artillery Drive by noon Monday. Call (803) 775-0757 for more information.

There are actually some non-Christmas events scheduled around town over the next few days. On Thursday night, the Sumter County Museum presents its much-anticipated Carolina Backcountry Oyster Roast. This feast of oysters, barbecue, drunken collards and more is a perennial hit with Sumter’s oyster lovers, and the proceeds benefit the museum. There may be a few tickets left. Call the museum at (803) 775-0908.

If oysters aren’t your thing, check out the Morris College Gospel Choir Fall Concert at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Neal Jones Auditorium. Admission is free. The college is located at 100 W. College St., just off North Main. For more information call (803) 934-3200.

Works by four of Taiwan’s most renowned photographers go on exhibit at the Patriot Hall Galleries on Friday. These photographs are noteworthy both for their artistry and for their insights into the culture, history and landscape of Taiwan. Friday night’s opening reception from 5:30-7:30 p.m. is free and open to the public.

Sumter’s House of Classic Movies presents Cary Grant in “The Bishop’s Wife” at the Sumter Opera House. Grant plays an angel named Dudley, and David Niven and Loretta Young are the bishop and his wife. There is some Christmas stuff in the film, but that’s not the central focus of this classic. The movie starts at 7:30 p.m., and the admission of $2.50 benefits the children’s department at the Sumter County Library. Call (803) 436-2640 for more information.
Saturday brings the fall edition of the community’s indoor garage sale at the Sumter County Exhibition Center, 700 W. Liberty St. It starts at 8 a.m. and continues until 2 p.m. There are thousands of bargains to be had, and it’s still not too late to get your own table to sell your treasures. Just call (803) 436-2270 for more information.

Books a'plenty!

Holy cow, I'm just rolling in books like Donald Duck's Uncle Scrooge rolls in his piles and piles of money!
And who's richer?
I think I am, because I got so many great deals at the Friends of the Library book sale. It was a dilemma at first, because I couldn't decide what to read first. I got a great hard cover book on the history of women in comic strips, which is fun to read and look at, but also gives great insight into our changing society. From almost no political correctness to perhaps too much?
The sale offers a great opportunity to try those authors you haven't invested in yet because of the high price of books. I've got a David Baldacci mystery in addition to several by one of my favorite mystery writers, Jonathan Kellerman.
I also picked up a couple of classics to fill in some spots in my home library, Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," Alice Munro short stories, poetry by Bennie Sinclair and Robinson Jeffers, a '70s book on contemporary S.C. artists, including Robert Courtright and Jasper Johns, some Roald Dahl and a ton more, and I only spent $14.50.
I'll be back at the Sumter mall next weekend to get more. The sale goes on Friday night and during the day on Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday, you can fill a grocery bag for just $4. And they keep adding books to the tables each day.
Now back to my anthology of MAD magazines Spy vs. Spy ...

if music be the food of love, let Pandolfi play it!

What a treat from USC Sumter today! Along with an impressive crowd of USC students, faculty and staff, plus lots of us civilians, pianist Thomas Pandolfi put on a master class of virtuosity in the Nettles Auditorium. Billed as a lecture-recital, the concert was more recital than lecture because of time comstraints; however, Pandolfi's brief remarks about each of the four pieces were enlightening, interesting and even amusing.
When he sat down to play Franz Liszt's "Apres Une Lecture du Dante," I expected some of the younger audience members -- particularly the students who were there for extra credit -- to lose attention. Instead, most sat up straighter and seemed intent on listening to Pandolfi's interpretation of Liszt's fantasia, which he wrote after reading Dante's Inferno.
Pandolfi explained that Liszt wrote at the top of his composition, "Abandon hope, all ye who enter here."
"Of course, there are two interpretations possible," he said. "It refers to Hell, but it also might be a warning to any pianist trying to play. It's extremely difficult."
You'd never have suspected just how difficult the piece is, because Pandolfi's technical ability and his sensibility were both spot on in the diabolically technical work.
As I, a non-pianist, was applauding his wonderful performance and sitting there marveling at how anyone could play two such different and difficult parts at the same time -- one with each hand -- Pandolfi announced he'd play a Scriabin nocturne for one hand. Then he made the piece sound as if he were using both.
Three Chopin etudes led nicely into Pandolfi's performance of the solo version of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue."
He said his task was "to make 10 fingers and two hands do the work of 80 people" (an orchestra plus piano). And he did!
It was a foreshadowing of Pandolfi's all-Gershwin concert set for the Sumter Opera House at 6:30 p.m. Saturday (Oct. 24).
I'm sitting here now listening to his recording of Gershwin's Concerto in F, purchased after the USC Sumter concert, and anticipating tomorrow night's concert. I promise you'll be impressed and have a great time if you attend. Tickets are only $10.
And thanks to USC Sumter, the USC Sumter Korn Trust and hostess Jane Luther Smith for such an entertaining and enthralling lunch.

Sumter Accessibility 2009

Despite the cutback in funding for the arts, curator Frank McCauley has put together an impressive exhibition for the 11th annual Sumter Accessibility art installation. The artists will all have their works on Main Street this year, returning the event after a couple of years centered inside and on the grounds of the Sumter County Gallery of Art. Frank said he hopes this will make the exhibition truly more accessible to everyone.
One of the great things about Accessibility is the opportunity to meet and see the work of artists from all over the world. Their ideas and techniques always seem to have a different slant, usually very innovative and intriguing.
Frank said he received hundreds of responses to his call for entries, and he has selected artists from Canada, Israel, Argentina, Taiwan, New York, California. Huge installations representing landscapes, videos, film, graffiti art and more are in store for those of us who attend the Friday, Oct. 16 opening.
In recent years, Accessibility curators have included local artists, returning the exhibition to its roots when Peggy Chilcutt and Martha Greenway recruited several local female artists to create installations using grocery carts -- it was called Eve a la Cart. That was a big success, and Peggy and Martha followed it with male artists, also using grocery carts. From that modest start, Sumter Accessibility has grown to an internationally recognized and respected art happening.
This year, local artists Terrance McDow and Jamie Caplinger will have their works exhibited downtown in the McDuffie Furniture building. Also at that site, Accessibility will offer a chance to see the work of local high school students, an opportunity not often afforded to those who don't have children or grandchildren studying art in their schools.
Frank said he first saw Accessibility several years ago, when the opening night theme was Night of 100 Marilyns. A Summerville native, he was working on his undergraduate degree in fine arts at Winthrop University. The music, local women dressed as Marilyn Monroe and other entertainment inspired him to bring back more of that element, he said.
So during the opening, from 6-9 p.m., Sumter Cruisers will present a classic car display on Main Street, and the beach and variety music band Second Nature will play. At 7:30 p.m. Sapphire Moon Dance Company will present a unique performance.
Artistic Director Angela Gallo, who also teaches dance at Coker College in Hartsville, describes the company’s focus as being on “human relationships and socio-political issues on successes, failures, and strength – on falling, getting up and persistence.”
Sapphire Moon combines dance with theater by merging text, music, props, videos or other media and installations, so their performance will fit in nicely with McCauley's film and video focus. The company’s mission is to present dance theater works that inspire thought and use dance to take the audience out of their daily routines.
Frank said Canadian artist Jarod Charzewski is expected to arrive in Sumter this Friday, Oct. 9, to begin work on his huge installation at 12 S.Main St. People visiting the downtown area can drop in to see him work and ask questions about his technique and philosophy of his art. Graffiti artist Blu, from Bologna, Italy, will also be working next week, but his arrival date is not set yet.
Sumter Accessibility 2009 looks to be most intriguing. Visit Main Street between the hours and 6 and 9 p.m. on Oct. 16 to see art by some of the world's most creative and cutting edge artists.

I'm curious how Sumter audiences will receive the next Sumter Little Theatre production, Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman." It's a Pulitzer Prize winner and a classic, a word that a lot of people are really leery of -- unless it's followed by "musical" or "comedy" or both.
"Death of a Salesman" is a drama, a tragedy of almost Greek proportions. You know what's going to happen to the lead character, the salesman Willy Loman, from the title alone. How he gets there, well, that's the thing.
Miller's story and his portraits of the characters, especially Willy, are masterful.
Maybe that's why, as director Eric Bultman pointed out, "everybody who auditioned really wanted to do this play. They didn't care what part they got, they just wanted to do it."
Luckily for Eric -- and Sumter -- he got some of the cream of the town's acting crop. David Brown as Willy. It's undoubtedly the most challenging role David's played, but I have no doubt he'll nail it.
Dee Renko as his wife, Braden Bunch and Cristian Badiu as his sons; Mike Duffy, Buzz Cornell, fresh off his triumph as Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof" ...
I went over to the theater today, mainly to get a feel for the set, as I imagined it would be difficult on SLT's small stage. It's not finished yet, but the skeleton was enough that Eric was able to walk me through it and show me where the different scenes are set.
He and the crew have made some modifications that will allow the lighting to set the mood in many scenes. The costumes, too, will play an important part, Eric said. That's one thing about SLT's productions: They can be appreciated for all their aspects -- acting, set, light and sound design, costumes, etc. -- and sometimes you're so drawn into the show you don't recognize the contributions of each. It's like being a kid again and either thinking it's real, or that the actors are making it up as they go along.
Eric just started in his position as SLT's executive director this summer, so he had no part in selecting the season, but he's excited about directing the Miller play.
He told me he's determined to find out exactly what "community theater" means, having just come from academia, earning his master's degree and teaching college students. Then he had to go off to teach his SLT Youth Theatre class.
I suspect we'll find his talents and those of the cast and crew more than up to the challenge of "Death of a Salesman." I, for one, wouldn't miss the chance to see what the combined gifts of those involved bring to our community theater. It's bound to be a gem.

The Lost Symbol, the lost night's sleep

I'm heading over to Alice Drive to poke around the outside of the Masonic Temple. Not really, but I'm really tempted after staying up until 2 a.m. last night to read Dan Brown's new thriller, "The Lost Symbol."
It's a good book, almost as good as "The Da Vinci Code." This time Brown takes on the Masons -- and even the Shriners, sort of, as well as almost all the world's religions, past and present and maybe future.
Robert Langdon, master symbologist and college professor, is called on by his friend Peter Solomon, a 33rd degree Mason and the most exalted ruler of Washington,D.C., Masons, to fill in for an ill lecturer. Of course, Langdon doesn't know what's really in store for him when he gets to D.C., and I don't want to spoil the story, so I'll just say there are murder, mayhem, advanced science, ancient and modern mysteries regarding man's relationship to the divine, a very diabolical villain and danger -- lots of danger.
Many of Washington's landmarks figure in the story, and I can imagine there will be "Lost Symbol" tours of D.C. to rival the "Da Vinci Code" guided tours that followed that book and film.
One of the best things about the book -- besides the riveting suspense -- is that Brown has thoroughly researched his facts on the Masons, religion and science. I have new respect for Isaac Newton. Learning so much when I'm feeling this deliciously guilty somehow makes me feel better.
It'll be interesting to see how the Catholic Church and Christians (as well as Mormons, Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, Hindus and others) react to this book. Brown doesn't diss religion; in fact, he honors it in some ways, even though Langdon is clearly a non-believer.
For those people who complained because it took Brown five years to write his follow-up to "The Da Vinci Code," I have to say it's amazing he could have researched and collated his facts in that short period of time. It's well worth the wait.
Mystery lovers shouldn't miss this one.

King of instruments

I grew up in small churches where the music was made only with a piano or a tiny console organ and, in one case, only voices. Later, I listened to Billy Preston's Hammond organ when he was known as "the 5th Beatle."
It was only as an adult that I came to appreciate the music of the pipe organ, primarily because a close friend, Crys Armbrust, a wonderful musician, allowed me to hear the capabilities of the organ in a local church. While he was practicing for a service, I lay in the center aisle, listening. I remember thinking that Phil Specter's so-called "wall of sound" paled in comparison.
On Tuesday, Linda Coyne demonstrated Trinity United Methodist Church's new Rodgers Masterpiece Organ for me. Trinity's sanctuary has great acoustics, but it's big and it was empty. The instrument still filled the space, wonderfully.
If karaoke means "empty orchestra," then "organ" must mean full symphony! Of course, Linda's playing had a lot to do with it, too. Besides playing several selections demonstrating the Rodgers' versatility, she played several individual sounds that were indistinguishable from the instruments they duplicated -- flutes, bells, bagpipes.
Sumter native Al Murrell, vice president of the Daffer organ company, designed the organ to fit Trinity's needs. If you're not a member of Trinity, you're still invited to the dedication recital on Sept. 20 at 4 p.m. to judge for yourself. Admission is free, and a reception follows. Hector Olivera will play -- you can check out his talents at www.hectorolivera.com.
Trinity is located at 226 W. Liberty St.

Edmunds High School Class of 1944 reunion

Some held canes, one or two, walkers, and many weren't there at all -- but for a few short hours on Friday, the Edmunds High School class of 1944 was 17 again, as the Sumter City Centre, decorated in school colors of purple and white, filled shortly after noon for the class' 65th reunion.
Tears and laughter were in abundance, but mostly there were smiles and big hugs all around. In his invocation, the Rev. A.B. Parsons, a class of '44 member himself, noted “we are overcome with emotions and memories,” and reminded his classmates, “Our time on earth doesn't last forever.”
There were copies of a rather extensive list of deceased class members, but the list of those still living was longer.
Reminiscences, a display of materials from their school years, as well as pictures of grandchildren and, in some cases, great grandchildren, were shared.
World War II raged for almost all of their three years in high school -- there were only 11 years of public school in those days -- and much of their time outside of class was spent in activities aimed at getting ready for war and supporting the military and civilian effort to end it. But there were football games and dances, first dates and lasting romances, too.
In short, they had a lot to talk about.
A historic overview of Sumter and Edmunds High School was presented by Sammy Way, who then led the class on a bus tour of parts of the city. The class of 1944 ended its reunion by attending the House of Bluegrass concert at the Sumter Opera House.
Bittersweet goodbyes and promises to keep in touch and even some talk of another reunion filled the entrance of the Opera House as the class of '44 departed for their homes and hotel rooms, perhaps with the words from the old Edmunds High School alma mater still in their heads;
Here's to the land that gave me birth,
Here's to the flag she flies.
Here's to her sons, the best on earth.
Here's to her starry skies ...
O Sumter High, dear Sumter High,
We never shall forget.
That golden haze of student days
Is round about us yet.
Those days of yore will come no more,
But through the future years,
The thought of you,
so good, so true,
will fill our eyes with tears ...

Synchronicity?

Leonard Cohen is haunting me. It's a good haunting. I mean, what if it were Peter Frampton?
Today at breakfast, I read in The New Yorker Sasha Frere-Jones' review/appreciation of Cohen, who's not exactly making a comeback. To those who appreciate his words and his deep, worn, experienced voice, his bluesy, cool jazz and pop -- even beat -- music and style, he's always been there in our heads and on our turntables. Frere-Jones calls this his "return." The essay brought back memories.
My first taste of Cohen's music came in the summer of 1969. At Winthrop College, it was the beginning of the "hippie" era. Steve White, a local man I'd met when we played two-thirds of Bertoldt Brecht's God in Winthrop's production of "The Good Woman of Setzuan," was known on campus and in town as "the first hippie in South Carolina." Probably not true, but it felt good to believe we knew such a person. He was a good musician and a good listener.
On the 7th floor of Richardson Hall, there were only 3 students that summer, and we didn't really know each other. Carol Conroy and I had become friends after a very spirited argument about "King Lear" in Les Reynolds' Shakespearean tragedies class.Still, in 1969 there was a trust among visual artist Anne Hendricks, poet Carol and me. We never locked our doors, hardly ever closed them at all. It was a '60s thing, for sure.
This particular night, really about 3 a.m., Carol came in my room while I was sleeping and shook me awake. Always an insomniac, she'd been reading or writing for hours.
"Come with me," she said. "You've got to hear the most beautiful song ever written."
I followed her across the hall, sat on the floor and watched her move the needle of her phonograph to the smooth groove between cuts on an album, not able to see the artist's name or read the title of the album or the song.
A clear soprano I later learned was Judy Collins started singing "Suzanne takes you down to her place by the river. You can hear the boats go by, you can spend the night beside her ... and she feeds you tea and oranges that come all the way from China ..."
At that moment, it was truly the most beautiful song in the world.
I've been remembering that pivotal summer all day, how much of it was lived to the lyrics of Leonard Cohen and later to those of Joni Mitchell. It was the summer that, thanks to Carol and Anne and Leonard Cohen I traded basketball for books and music and poetry.
Or maybe it was just hormones.
Tonight after dinner I turned on SCETV. They were in a beg-a-thon break, but almost immediately faded to "Leonard Cohen Live in London." He came to the microphone playing the intro to "Suzanne" alone on his guitar. In his 70s, his voice hasn't changed all that much. The musical accompaniment was simple, because simple was what was right. He wore a fedora and a double-breasted suit on his very lean body and he bent into his handheld microphone like he was telling it a story no one else knew, though the song is more than 4 decades old. It'll make you cry. ETV will show it again.
Remember "Bird on a Wire?"
"Like a bird on a wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir,
I have tried in my way to be free."
Listen to Leonard Cohen some time. I'll loan you an LP or make you a cassette tape. That's the way to hear his music if you can't see him in person. It'll make you appreciate the perfect melding of poetry and music.
Carol's a marvelous poet living in New York City now. I have her books. She still hand writes wonderful letters and cards to me. Anne's making art near Clemson. I'm writing a little, but mostly appreciating music and literature and sincere friendships.
I've got Jennifer Warnes' record "Famous Blue Raincoat" on my turntable right now, and I'll follow it with 1968's "The Songs of Leonard Cohen."
Really, I'll make you a tape.

The better butter movie

Watching "Julie and Julia" at the Beacon Theatre Saturday afternoon was almost as satisfying as a plateful of Julia Child's boeuf bourguignon. My three companions and I had been waiting with much anticipation to see the film, mainly because as baby boomers, we all remember watching Child's show, "The French Chef," live on our black-and-white TVs. In my family's case, that was a 17-inch Philco portable my father showed up with one night, perhaps straight from having won it in a poker game.
It was a Friday, and the Eptings and Mixons were coming over for dinner.Daddy set the TV up in the living room, turned it on to warm up (this took a while back then), then, when he heard a car drive up, he turned out the lights. The other families, neither of which had a TV yet (we "watched" Superman and The Lone Ranger on big radio consoles), were surprised and excited at the blue glow of the test pattern, an Indian chief in a circle. Then we watched the Friday night fights, a ritual my father and I followed religiously until a boxer died from the battering he took in a fight, and boxing went out of vogue for years.
But I digress ...
It was a transporting experience to watch Meryl Streep become Julia Child. Oh, Amy Adams was fine as Julie Powell, who had cooked all of the recipes in "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in a single year, but it was Streep who was the star. She got Julia's voice, mannerisms and personality; it was almost as if she were channeling her.
Another star of the film is ... butter. Gobs and gobs of butter. If anyone came out of that theater not feeling hungry, more power to them.
My companions and I immediately drove to The Farm Store and purchased two 2-pound logs of unsalted, organic butter made at the Happy Cow in Lamar. We each vowed to cook a recipe from Julia's book for our next birthday gathering in October. And one of us went home, spread some butter on a piece of bread and savored every bite.
There was some sadness associated with Saturday's experience, too.
We realized we have few friends who regularly cook meals, whether gourmet or just homestyle, from scratch for themselves and friends. Frozen meals, microwaves, prepackaged meals from the store, takeout -- while valuable in their own ways, these could be killing the fine art of cooking real food. I even know people in their 20s who didn't know you can pop popcorn on top of the stove in a pot. And they've never tasted real macaroni and cheese, or macaroni pie, as my mother calls it.
I wonder how Julia Child would fare on "The Next Food Network Star" or "Chopped." Could she be the selfish barracuda it seems to take for those TV reality shows? Would she be willing to sacrifice her art for the quick cooking required on "Chopped?" I don't think so.
No matter. She is pretty much responsible for TV cooking shows as we know them today. And even if cooking good food remains a spectator sport ("Top Chef," "Chopped" or "Kitchen Nightmares"), I know at least four people who'll be cooking at home a lot more.
We'll open "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" randomly, close our eyes and drop our finger on the page. And wonderful aromas of breads, sauces, stews and desserts will warm our kitchens as we bring back the "family" dinners we ate around the dining room table while Milton Berle cavorted in our living rooms.
I bet those 20-somethings will eat it, too. I just hope they'll cook a little bit.

Secret's out -- it's Buzz

The secret's out. Buzz Cornell is Tevye in Sumter Little Theater's "Fiddler on the Roof," coming up Aug. 13 at Patriot Hall.
I went to the Wednesday night rehearsal of "Fiddler on the Roof," and was most impressed. Even without the completed set and the full orchestra, the cast seemed almost ready for opening night.
Buzz, who's equally talented as a singer and an actor, was wonderful singing "If I Were a Rich Man," and Zachary Hugo, whom I haven't seen before, sang "Miracle of Miracles" believably in a rich tenor.
Here you've got a talented cast, gifted and highly experienced director (Katie Damron), music director (Joni Brown), choreographer (Libby Singleton), costumer (Marge Cowles) -- and that's just scratching the surface. "Fiddler" is an enormous undertaking for a community theater and not many can do it like SLT. Just think of the recent "Oklahoma," and you'll realize what a talented bunch of people we have in Sumter.
I don't want to give too much away, but I heard a couple of other songs and saw some dancing, too. This is going to be a show you won't want to miss. You can already get tickets by calling 775-2150.

Jazz artist drops by

The supremely talented jazz/cabaret singer and pianist, Daryl Sherman, stopped by The Item Tuesday to say hello. She had just finished a gig in New Orleans and is taking a few days off before heading back to New York.
Just about a year ago, Daryl gave a wonderful performance at The Imperial, accompanied by saxophonist Skipp Pearson and his ensemble. The house was packed, and Daryl's singing was impeccable. Her banter between songs and humor (some even during the songs) engaged everyone in the room.
Tuesday, Lynn Kennedy gave Daryl a tour of the Sumter Opera House. She was very impressed.
Could there be another Daryl Sherman performance in the works? Signs say -- "Could be" -- and on the second shake of the old 8-ball, "Ask again later."
I will, with fingers crossed.

Check out Daryl Sherman's recent appearance on "Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz" on NPR. She performed a great set of Johnny Mercer tunes.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105952486

Cabaret at The Imperial

Linda Beck celebrated her birthday last Thursday the way she's spent Thursday nights for several months now -- at the keyboard in The Imperial's piano bar. Linda and Anne Galloway, who's the vocalist in the duo, performed old standards, some contemporary tunes and even some beach music for the crowd, which was sizable.
Most of those in the bar appeared to be baby boomers, so the wide range of music was perfect.
During the duo's break, Anne sat down and talked about the gig.
"I've sung in the choir, with groups, especially with my brother Hank (Martin) and friends," she said, "but this is the first time I've done something where I sing by myself. I love it."
Anne and Linda made the perfect duo, bantering a bit with the audience and each other between numbers. The crowd often seemed to be singing along softly, and you almost expected one of them to walk over to the mic and belt out a few bars with Anne.
Linda's improvisations on the piano (she sang a little bit, too) were crowd pleasers. She said she felt like she could play every night, but school's starting soon, and she has to go back to her gig as Furman Middle School's chorus teacher (and the director of the fine musical comedies the school puts on each year). So just Thursdays will have to do for the next nine months, at least.
Both said they're having a great time together. Anne said she'd often dreamed of being in a long black, sequined dress with a long cigarette holder, holding forth in some New York club.
It may not have been a New York jazz club, but Thursday night the singing and playing was excellent. All that was missing were the swirls of blue smoke in the spotlights.
Linda and Anne will be back in The Imperial Piano Bar Thursday from 7-10 p.m. There's no charge for admission.
Chuck Wilson, who's at the piano with Linda, played "Happy Birthday" for the crowd to sing along.

Let's keep our arts healthy

In 1978, I left pottery class early to attend a concert at what was then the Sumter High School auditorium and is now Patriot Hall. On stage that night was the great Dizzy Gillespie with his band -- and his daughter (what ever happened to her?).

The entire concert was phenomenal, especially "A Night in Tunisia," which Gillespie had written in the '40s. He changed jazz with that tune, melding African and Latin beats. And he had already pioneered the bebop genre with musicians like Charlie Parker and Thelonius Monk.

That night 30 years ago was truly a seminal performance -- and it was here in Sumter.

I was spellbound, as was the rest of the audience. A night with Gillespie (a S.C. native, by the way) stands out among my memories of outstanding performances sponsored by the Sumter-Shaw Community Concert Association.

Reading my New Yorker magazine last night, I noted that Freddy Cole -- who's performed twice in Sumter to rave reviews and enthusiastic audiences -- is playing one of New York's hot venues this week.

Gillespie and Cole are just two of the memorable artists among hundreds the SSCCA has brought to Sumter in the past more than 60 years. We've seen Shirley Jones, Burl Ives, Lily Pons (!), Rise Stevens, Arthur Fiedler, George Shearing, Count Basie, Anna Maria Alberghetti, ensembles from every branch of the military -- the list goes on.

The Sumter-Shaw Community Concert Association has just started its membership campaign for the 2009-2010 season. They've got a great schedule with 8 concerts lined up, and let's face it, with the demise of the Sumter Fine Arts Association a few years ago, the SSCCA is the only entity that brings us a full season of outstanding entertainment -- and culture.

It's the arts that are getting blasted hardest by the economy, considered by many to be nonessential. Libraries and community theaters are suffering, too. SSCCA has survived because its board works hard to remain within its budget. With grant money cut, the members have still managed a full season -- all for us, to enhance our quality of life.

It's not a problem unique to Sumter. The Miami Herald editors recently addressed the situation like this:

As communities struggle to keep going, culture is getting kicked to the curb, last on lists of nonessential items like parks, libraries, and humanity for the homeless. ... There were conservative howls when $50 million in arts funding was salvaged in the $787 billion federal stimulus package (for Florida), presumably because the jobs of musicians or dancers or actors are just frivolous time-wasters and not worth saving. Perhaps politicians think artists should go work at a foreclosure call center at one of the banks that shoveled adjustable rate mortgages down our throats.

Meanwhile, corporate arts funding has fallen victim to belt-tightening and shareholder rage over any expense that doesn't boost the bottom line. Corporate giving is one of the very few ways that companies give back to their community, albeit motivated primarily by the marketing boost of having their logo on the program. Such contributions might not have an immediate effect on the company's profitability. But they do help make those communities better places to live, which ultimately benefits everybody.

Let's hope Sumter's businesses and corporations continue to be faithful to the SSCCA. And let's buy memberships, too. Call Betsy Ridgeway (803) 469-2114 or Bob Rearden (803) 469-0508to find out more.

Incredible music concert

I can't believe I just found out about this! A concert with 3 great musicians, Dylan, Mellencamp and Willie Nelson. Wednesday in Simpsonville, of all place. It starts at 5:30 p.m. Check out these links if you're interested.
It'd be worth the drive just to see Dylan again. Tickets are only $45.

Bob Dylan Show: Bob Dylan & His Band, John Mellencamp & Willie Nelson

Heritage Park Amphitheater

Welcome and starting up

I see we named this blog "Ivy's Place." That just means we started it and we had to have a name for it, and I'll be writing in it a lot. I hope to see responses and suggestions from all arts lovers, as well as those who don't exactly apply that term to themselves.
The url, too, has the words "sumterarts" in it, and that will be the main topic, although I don't want to confine myself to Sumter. Like The Item itself, I believe in the news pyramid -- here, the base is local arts news, topped by the regional, the state, the South, the nation and so on. I hope to get into some topics we don't normally write about in the paper -- close up looks at the philosophies of local artists, new things they're trying, old techniques they've mastered -- and so on. Visual and performing arts may be the primary focus, but my personal philosophy about the arts is that there is an art to many things, most things, even.
I figure that leaves us wide open to discussion.