Time Out

Dave Brubeck was born on December 6, 1920.

I can't let the day end without celebrating the birth date of jazz legend, Dave Brubeck. His music defines West Coast cool jazz, with a complex yet accessible smoothness.

When I head out to listen to live jazz at local venues, it is clear that Brubeck's influence is still going strong. There's a sense of play and mellowness, enthusiasm and placidity. The music holds an invitation to do what you wish, dance or sit back; it's all good.

The sound is vital, but laid-back; it's too cool to stomp and hop, but not too cool to have a good time. ;-)

Detail from the cover image of Time Magazine, November 1954

So, let's send a Happy Birthday to Dave Brubeck and give thanks for his wonderful music.

In the Bleak Midwinter

Christmas Tree ornaments, bulb and lights.

Regular readers of Paideia may have noticed that I've been dealing with a persistent illness for over a month now. It's not something that I've discussed at length here, but I've mentioned it in passing during the Weekly Wraps or when explaining why I didn't stick around longer at an art venue or show. Yet, this illness has made its presence felt by dramatically reducing my writing productivity, as I am constantly feeling fatigued, enervated, and generally debilitated.

This illness has also crashed the blog by keeping me from going out to events about which I would then write. I have missed out on dozens of interesting art show openings in the last month. I haven't even been to Bergamot Station since late October!!! And my Pacific Standard Time explorations have ground to a crawl, although I do hope to have a PST post sometime in the next few days.

Well, why am I going all "drama queen" and writing about my illness today? There are two reasons. First, I want to get this out in the open to explain why I'm not covering the Los Angeles art scene as diligently as I had previously done. Second, I wanted to alert you all to the fact that I might have to reduce my productivity even further, due to extremely overt signs that something is very bad with my health. I hope to get checked up today and, hopefully, given some medication that will fix me up good and fast.

Christmas Tree ornaments, rocking horse and lights.


There are too many exciting and engaging events to miss out on because of some nagging, hacking malaise. ;-)

Opening Night at South Bay Focus

Olga Lah's Untitled sculptures made out of sponges were a crowd favorite.

As promised, I attended the Torrance Art Museum's Opening Night for their current exhibit, South Bay Focus, featuring works from local artists. It was a fun night.

The exhibition's Juror, Carl Berg, led a tour of the displayed artworks. Given the extreme range of styles and technique on display in this show, it was interesting to think about the underlying curatorial selection process which brought together such an interesting variety into a coherent exhibition. I was impressed with the results.

Ibex (aka Rock Bock) (2010) by Andrea Kitts Senn

I'll have to pay another visit to take a leisurely, quiet viewing of the show. Fun stuff!!!

Victorian Christmas at the Banning House

Clipped Hedges in the garden at the Banning House

This weekend, I was able to pay a visit to the Banning Museum in Wilmington, near the Port of Los Angeles. The museum was throwing a "Victorian Christmas" event, with a horse-drawn trolley, period dancing, hot cider and snacks, and general holiday cheer.

Phineas Banning was a 19th-century Los Angeles businessman, specifically involved in transportation, freighting, and the stage coach industry. His drive to establish a world-class port in Los Angeles was instrumental in laying the groundwork from which the city would grow into a major center of global commerce.

Victorian dancing, featuring the Yesteryears Dancers


The Banning House is now a museum, showcasing California Victorian style and culture. It's an interesting place to visit. And the hot cider was a nice touch. ;-)

The Heart of Music

Nino Rota won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for The Godfather in 1974.


On this date in 1911, the great cinematic composer, Nino Rota was born.

One way of judging the effectiveness of a movie score is to imagine how a scene would feel if the music were removed. How would the mood be changed? How memorable is it with a background of silence?

If this test were applied to Nino Rota's work, the answers are clear. Yes, movies such as The Godfather or La Dolce Vita would still be masterpieces, but their underlying intensity of mood, which the music conveys, would certainly be weaker. In the case of lesser films, Rota's music is that which makes them stand out.

The Love Theme from Romeo & Juliet topped the US charts in 1969.

So let's take a moment today to remember Nino Rota's artistry and the beauty of his music.

Friday Flowers: Here Be Snapdragons

Antirrhinum: Pink Snapdragons


How like a winter hath my absence been (Sonnet 97)
(By William Shakespeare)

How like a winter hath my absence been
From thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year!
What freezings have I felt, what dark days seen!
What old December’s bareness every where!
And yet this time remov’d was summer’s time;
The teeming autumn, big with rich increase,
Bearing the wanton burden of the prime,
Like widow’d wombs after their lords’ decease:
Yet this abundant issue seem’d to me
But hope of orphans and unfather’d fruit;
For summer and his pleasures wait on thee,
And, thou away, the very birds are mute:
   Or, if they sing, ’tis with so dull a cheer,
   That leaves look pale, dreading the winter’s near.


Well, when in a rush, you can't go wrong with Shakespeare. ;-)

Antirrhinum: Red Snapdragons


And we start our focus on cold season blooms with the ever lovely antirrhinum, also known as the snapdragon.

Be a Pepper!!!

Vintage Dr Pepper ad

We can't let the 126th anniversary of Dr Pepper go by without celebration. ;-)

My tastes in soft drinks tend towards lemon-lime flavors or root beer types, with colas trailing at the bottom of the list. The peculiar qualities of Dr Pepper make it an erratic candidate for my beverage of choice. Sometimes, that subtle tartness is refreshing, but, other times, the heavy aftertaste brings up the old prune juice comparison.

Nevertheless, when I'm in the mood for a soft drink, I generally consider picking up a Dr Pepper. It really is an interesting flavor, albeit not always to my liking. I'll almost always select it over Pepsi or Coke.

Drink a Bite to Eat (1946)

Regardless of my preference in flavor, I've always been entertained by Dr Pepper commercials and marketing campaigns. The vintage ads are especially fun.

More to It Than Just Dancing

Alicia Markova, Giselle (1947)


The title of prima ballerina assoluta is given out to only the most highly regarded of ballet dancers, those who have made lasting impressions and contributions towards the refinement and development of the art form, those who have performed with unforgettable grace and indelible expressiveness. It is from among these legendary dancers that we focus upon Alicia Markova in celebration of her birth date.

As is common with early 20th century ballerinas, there isn't much footage available to view, leaving us to piece together her artistry from photographs, contemporary accounts, a few snips of film, and the performance techniques of her students. In aggregating these sources together into a coherent testimony, it is clear that Markova was every bit as amazing as her devotees claim.

So, let's take a moment today to consider the Art of the Dance. Although it's also true for most types of artistic endeavors, be it writing or painting or theater, the effort that goes into a dance career does not generally translate into notable financial gains. The rigorous training sessions, the constant searching for dance engagements, and the short career span, these all combine to make a dancer's art one of the hardest to pursue.

Alicia Markova was born on December 1, 1910.

Although some flowers do bloom in the desert, many more thrive where water is prevalent. A similar situation exists in the world of performing arts, as regards finance. So, consider visiting a dance performance sometime soon; even just a holiday viewing of the Nutcracker would be cool. The next generation's Markova may be on the verge of calling it quits, going for steady employment behind a desk rather than starving upon the stage.

And that is a sad situation.

Weekly Wrap: Wednesday Night #17

The Powerpuff Girls in 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas (2002)


It's been a couple of weeks since our last Wrap, but, since the posts have been coming at a slow pace, a result of holiday activities and poor health, there really hasn't been a need, when simply scrolling down the front page would reveal all that had been posted in the ensuing period.

But tonight we'll catch up on the situation. Moreover, we'll take note of Paideia's 400th post!!! Woo hoo!!! I've had a lot of fun writing on this blog. Hopefully, you've also enjoyed the journey to 400. :-)

I'm expecting the upcoming month to continue at a leisurely pace, perhaps ten posts per week. Family and friends and "holiday/year end" social functions will be cutting into my writing time. I might do a few more photo posts to keep up an engaging daily schedule. Whatever the situation, I hope we'll have a great time.

Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, from The Nightmare Before Christmas

Here are the posts since our last Wrap:

We've had two Friday Flowers posts, Peruvian lilies and All-America roses.

We visited many locations including Downtown Disney and Riverside's Mission Inn.

Regarding arts and entertainment, we celebrated the birth date of Russian ballerina, Alexandra Danilova. We also paid a quick visit to the Torrance Art Museum to view the South Bay Focus exhibition. Our monthly Dance Party featured a fun mix of songs from over four decades.

Two posts celebrated animation. First, we enjoyed some cartoon thrills with the Powerpuff Girls. Then, we fondly reflected on the Toy Story series.

A traditional wooden sailing vessel off the coast of Hermosa Beach caught our attention for an "Image of the Day" post. Then we celebrated Thanksgiving. Woo hoo!!!

Until next time, here's your weekly weird.

Nothing spreads the Christmas spirit like an elf on a cannon. Ho Ho Ho!!!

Enjoy!!!

South Bay Focus

Ranchiro Palas Verdes Lighthouse on Cliff (2010) by Elizabeth Hestevold


Throughout the year, the Torrance Art Museum has featured engaging exhibitions from artists across the globe. The curation has been aggressive in creating an aesthetically stimulating vision for this small, community venue.

It's been a fine series of shows, successfully engaging local art enthusiasts in considering the potentialities of curation within the civic context. I have been impressed and inspired by both the process and the results of this artistic exploration.

However, one of the critical roles of a "community" museum is to showcase the workings of "community" artists. And that's the premise of South Bay Focus 2011. Local artists have been selected to express their own artistic vision and, as an aggregate, to delineate the "South Bay" style.

South Bay Focus will be on exhibit at the Torrance Art Museum until December 16.

I haven't been able to give the show a full viewing just yet, as the official opening isn't until this Saturday, but my quick glimpse revealed plenty of interesting works. I'm hoping to attend the opening reception this weekend to get a better view of the exhibition. It'll be lots of fun ;-)

The Way of Rain (2011) by Rency Punnoose


Enjoy!!!

Festive and Eclectic In Riverside

Entry to Riverside's Mission Inn, flanked by giant Nutcrackers


This weekend, I had the opportunity to visit the historic Mission Inn in Riverside, a vast and sprawling structure of eclectic architectural designs, made even more eye-catching by the pervasive holiday ornamentation.

It's a rare event for me to travel so far to the East, well beyond the borders of Los Angeles County. But there are many cool things to see in Riverside, most especially the Mission Inn, founded in 1876. That may not seem like an "antique" date in most of the world, but, in this part of California, that's mighty venerable!

I wasn't able to stay into the evening, when the Festival of Lights dazzles the night. I'm hoping that I'll have the opportunity to take another trip inland.

Ho Ho Ho!!! Santa visits the Mission Inn

There are plenty interesting things about Riverside, but this post is all about images from the holiday look of the Mission Inn. ;-)

November Dance Party!!!

Cover image from Donna Summer's Four Seasons of Love (1976)


Once again, we enter the final stretch of the month with a celebration of popular music from over the past four decades. And there are a bunch of interesting songs that we could feature tonight. Sometimes, these monthly posts are tough to put together, because of the poor quality of the selection, but tonight it was tough because there was so much from which to choose.

And that's a good thing. Family obligations and poor health have kept me from maintaining a steady stream of posts over the past week. Nevertheless, I've been having a good time. :-)

Cover image from My Chemical Romance's The Black Parade (2006)


Let's listen to some music.