Arts & Society

Mary Bird • May 13, 2014

Dorothy and her companions were in good company on their way to Oz as they were joined by supporters of Sitar Arts Center on a walk down the Yellow Brick Road and an evening in Emerald City, the theme of the May 1 benefit at the Mexican Cultural Institute. Generous contributions raised over $253,000 in critical funds that will directly support more than 800 students whose lives are positively impacted each year through Sitar’s afterschool, weekend and summer programs. The Host Committee members created a matching gift opportunity to ensure that no child will be turned away because of a family’s inability to pay for the Center’s transformational arts education programs.
[gallery ids="101725,142422,142431,142427,142417,142440,142442,142436" nav="thumbs"]

Gary Tischler • May 12, 2014

“Blue Note at 75,” the week-long diamond anniversary celebration of the iconic jazz recording label climaxes this weekend with a series of performances, exhibitions, and, on Sunday, with “Blue Note at 75, The Concert,” with an all-assembly of vocalists and top jazz musicians at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater.

Rarely has a recording label been such an iconic, emblematic presence for a genre of music—except perhaps for Deutschegrammaphone in the classical arena—as Blue Note has been for jazz, which sprang out of America to become the world-wide sound that it is today.

Blue Note was founded by two German immigrants and childhood friends, Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff, who settled in New York in the 1930s. Together with recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder and commercial designer Reid Miles, they put Blue Note and with it jazz into the stratosphere, recording the music and its stars as it moved through hot jazz, Boogie Woogie and Swing, through Bepop, Hard Bop and Post Bop, to Soul Jazz, Avant Garde and fusion and beyond.

Most of the major performers, musicians, bands, vocalists and stars of jazz were on the label—from Cannonball Adderely to Miles Davis, to Dianne Reeves to Wynton Marsalis, from Donald Byrd to Bud Powell, to Thelonious Monk, a list that includes some surprises like Norah Jones and Willie Nelson.

Jones will be on hand for the all-star concert Sunday, which will also feature singer Dianne Reeves, saxophonist Joe Lovano, Blue Note recording artist and Kennedy Center artist advisor for jazz Jason Moran, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist McCoy Tyner, drummer Brian Blade and organist Lonnie Smith, among others.

The week-longer celebration has been held all over the Kennedy Center, as well as venues throughout the city. The center’s Millennium Stage was a venue for many of the performances and will feature bassist and composer Dereck Hodge on Saturday, Brian Blade and the Fellowship Band on Sunday and an all-star Washington D.C.-based group of musicians that will salute Blue Note on Friday. Featured D.C. musicians include Elijah Jamal Balbed, tenor/soprano sax and musical director, Lyle Link, alto sax and flute, Kenny Rittenhouse, trumpet, Raynel Frazier, trombone, Tim Whalen, piano, Eliot Seppa, bass and Dave McDonald, drums, playing compositions from various Blue Note recordings.

Multi-Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Terence Blanchard will perform with his group at the Terrace Theater Friday. In the center’s Atrium, the Grammy-winning hip-hop jazz pianist Robert Glasper brings an up-beat note to the Blue Note proceedings with his cutting style, in “The Crossroads Club: Robert Glasper Experiment.”

There are also films, exhibitions, panel discussions and concerts around town throughout the month, including an ongoing “Blue Note at 75 Grammy Museum Exhibit” in the Hall of States at the Kennedy Center through May 21.

For all information on times, venues and dates, go to the Kennedy Center website

Mary Bird •

Former ambassadors of France, Germany and Italy were given a hearty welcome by many friends in DC as they were feted at the elegant home of Aniko Gaal and Nash Schott on Apr. 28. The ambassadors were in town to attend the meeting of the Trilateral Commission, the “Think Tank” that focuses on global issues facing Europe, North America and Asia. Ukraine, energy issues and cyberspace were on top of the official agenda but the conversation was a good bit lighter chez Schott. [gallery ids="101728,142358,142333,142338,142344,142349,142361,142355" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

Stunning “showgirls” welcomed guests to the National Museum of Women in the Arts on Apr. 20 as Medstar National Rehabilitation Network held its 3rd Annual Las Vegas Night benefit. The event, with Co-chairs Barbara Ayers, Janie McNamara and Mark E. Richards, MD, and Honorary Chair Carole M. Randolph, was emceed by Mike Walter. Gaming options included Roulette, Black Jack, Craps and Texas Hold’em, all to raise money for the hospital’s various patient disability programs, including those geared towards brain and spinal cord injuries and stroke. [gallery ids="100767,123339,123331,123297,123326,123305,123320,123313" nav="thumbs"]

Georgetowner •

Two stunning ?showgirls? greeted guests at the National Museum of Women in the Arts on May 2 for the 5th Annual Las Vegas Night to benefit MedStar National Rehabilitation Network?s programs. The evening gave guests the opportunity to try their luck at gaming tables featuring Roulette, Black Jack, Texas hold ?em Poker and more to benefit stroke/brain injury/spinal cord injury patients. MedStar NRH is consistently named as one of America?s best hospitals for rehabilitation.

Georgetowner •

The parties before and after the White House Correspondents’ Dinner dominated the D.C. social scene this past weekend and took over schedules and streets. Our “nerd prom” still had its urgency and energy, just with slightly lessened star intensity. Herewith, photos from the Google-Netflix party at the Institute of Peace and the Washington Post party at the Washington Hilton. [gallery ids="116719,116713,116701,116696,116689,116682,116676,116668,116661,116655,116648,116641,116725,116636,116628,116709" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

Over 1,000 people gathered under sunny skies on May 1 at the annual Trust for the National Mall Benefit Luncheon. Trust President Caroline Cunningham welcomed guests and introduced Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell by noting “she demonstrated that you can do well by doing good.” In a video presentation, Honorary Chair Laura Bush said “this is our common ground.” Trust Chairman Chip Akridge received a standing ovation and was presented with the History, Heroes and Hope Award. With over 25 million visitors a year, the National Mall has been “loved to death” and is sorely in need of repair. [gallery ids="101726,142415,142413,142408,142385,142391,142394,142399,142403" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

On Apr. 29, many faces and names familiar from TV and media gathered upstairs in the Apartments at City Center to imbibe and dine in support of the May 20 Newsbabes Bash to assist breast cancer patients and survivors. A highlight was a surprise $10,000 donation by generous benefactor Barry Glassman. [gallery ids="101727,142384,142363,142367,142372,142380,142376" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

In celebration of the 200th birthday of Giuseppe Verdi, the In Series patrons braved a spring torrent on Apr. 30 to gather at DACOR-Bacon House to celebrate music and also the next day birthday of Founding Director Carla H?bner. In Series Director Abel Lopez spoke of caring for the community and the arts and the In Series as a place where artists learn and thrive and engage with the community. The evening’s featured musical works included highlights from La Traviata and Rigoletto. [gallery ids="116583,116587,116593,116577" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

Annie Totah is a force to be reckoned with and, as the Gala Chair of the museum’s Spring Gala on Apr. 25, success was assured as the evening was graced by the generous patronage of Her Imperial Majesty Empress Farah Pahlavi. The Empress and Ambassador of Bulgaria Elena Poptodorova donated auction items and were duly acknowledged by the museum’s founder Wilhelmina Holladay. Gentlemen reluctantly coaxed to galas could only have been enchanted by belly dancers at a special event. [gallery ids="116638,116606,116613,116591,116598,116621,116627,116631" nav="thumbs"]