Monthly Archives: February 2012
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- He's got the music in him!
- Tuesday, February 28, 2012
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Judson Park resident Martin Simon is an
accomplished cellist, and was a member of the Cleveland Orchestra from 1947-1995.Born in Berlin, he moved to New York City at age 19. After serving in the military during World War II, he found himself auditioning for the Cleveland Orchestra. "I met Conductor George Szell in New York, during his second season," remembers Martin. "That's what brought me to Cleveland."
Fast-forward to 2012-Martin is still making beautiful music. He recently joined Cleveland Institute of Music viola student Caitlin Lynch for a recital at Judson Park that also included Cleveland Orchestra violinist, Isabel Trautwein and CIM faculty, Alicja Basinska on piano. In addition to a couple of duets, Martin played a moving rendition of "Sicilienne" by Marie Therese von Paradis, for an encore. "She was a contemporary of Beethoven-a blind organist," notes Martin.
"It was a great pleasure performing for my friends," says Martin. "Everyone seemed to really enjoy it."
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- Local art dealer wears pendant created by Judson Park resident in Plain Dealer profile
- Friday, February 03, 2012
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Judson Park resident Simone Samuels (left) got a
shout out in The Plain Dealer's Jan. 29
profile of Cleveland art dealer and
grandmother of actor James Franco, Mitzie Verne.In the photo accompanying the story, Verne is wearing a netsuke pendant set by Samuels, who collects the miniature Japanese sculptures.
Samuels is also a talented macramé artist and will exhibit her work at the Judson Park Howson Gallery April 6-May 11. Stay tuned for more details.
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- Jazz class in "full swing" at Judson Manor
- Thursday, February 02, 2012
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Judson Manor resident George Havens' class, The Giants Who Created Jazz in New Orleans, kicked off to a great start a few weeks ago with over 30 students, including residents from Judson Park and South Franklin Circle, and friends from the community.
Havens has
provided students with a detailed syllabus, plus their own binder
with a wealth of historical information. At a recent class, he covered the early influencers, Buddy Bolden and Freddie Keppard, and played a couple of their acoustic recordings, including Keppard's "Stockyard Strut." The drumming on these primitive recordings, Havens noted, were often wood blocks, because regular drums would have overpowered the other instruments during recording sessions.