Kavita Shah

Music

Kavita Shah

First Presbyterian Church of Davenport

Saturday, November 12, 7:30 p.m.

 

Like all Quad City Arts Visiting Artists, jazz vocalist/composer Kavita Shah will end her current area residency with a public performance, with the native New Yorker’s being held at Davenport’s First Presbyterian Church on November 12. Also like all Visiting Artists, Shah will spend several days beforehand leading presentations for hundreds of local schoolkids, so don’t be surprised if your children come home one day with keen insight into vocalization and composition. Given Shah’s accomplishments, don’t be surprised if they also come home with a yearning to play Carnegie Hall, deep knowledge of the Afro-Brazilian region, and the ability to speak Spanish, Portuguese, and French.

A child of Indian parents who immigrated to New York in the 1970s, Shah was raised in Manhattan, and as she states on her KavitaShahMusic.com biography, “There was a lot of pop in the house: The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra.” She began playing piano at age five, but her musical world expanded further when Shah joined the award-winning Young People’s Chorus of New York City at 10, appearing in venues including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and performing repertoires that required the youths to sing in no fewer than 15 different languages.

While her love for jazz was initiated in the Young People’s Chorus and led to Shah winning the ASCAP’s Young Jazz Composers Award for her collegiate composition “Moray,” her musical interests extended to genres ranging from bossa nova to hip-hop, with Afro-Brazilian music the focus of Shah’s senior thesis at Harvard. She then went on to earn a master’s in jazz voice from the prestigious Manhattan School of Music – a period in which Shah was also named “Best Graduate Jazz Vocalist” by DownBeat magazine – and quickly became a fixture in New York’s thriving jazz community, with regular sets at such locales as Joe’s Pub, Cornelia Street Café, 55 Bar, and Minton’s Playhouse.

In recent years, Shah’s jazz-influenced yet genre-defying vocal stylings have found her headlining concerts at the Kennedy Center, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Paris’ Sunset/Sunside, and she’s also a featured member of numerous music ensembles, among them the Steve Newcomb Orchestra, the Brazil Trio, and the 3rd World Orchestra. But while she’s always been a favorite of industry professionals, with jazz-saxophone master Steve Wilson raving about her “truly unique vision shaped by her influences,” Shah reached a whole new level of respect with her 2014 album debut Visions, which features everything from original compositions to singular covers of Joni Mitchell’s “Little Green” and Stevie Wonder’s title track.

The Boston Globe called Visions “a sparkling debut.” LAJazz.com described it as as “intertwined and delicate as a colorful silk scarf.” Colorado’s Examiner.com wrote that Shah’s “heavenly” voice found her “transforming jazz into a revelatory, blossoming dream just on the other side of the world.” And with BlogCritics.com labeling the album “a home run,” Midwest Record decreed that Shah “hit one out of the park.” So after their time with the Visiting Artist, don’t be surprised if your kids know a little something about baseball, too.

For tickets to Kavita Shah’s public performance at the First Presbyterian Church of Davenport, call (563)326-1691, and for more information her area residency, call (309)793-1213 or visit QuadCityArts.com.

 

 

Lisa Goren's Landscape with Lichen, Antarctica, 2004

Exhibit

Art Above 66° 33'

Augustana Teaching Museum of Art

Friday, November 18, through Thursday, February 10

 

On November 18, the Augustana Teaching Museum of Art opens its new exhibition Art Above 66° 33', a visual and aural exploration of the issues, history, and environments of the Earth’s polar regions. Under ordinary circumstances at this time of year, I’d be hesitant about directing you toward an exhibit so heavily themed on ice and cold, given that it’s not unusual for us to already be freezing our tails off – and even enduring a snowfall or two – by Halloween. But considering that it’s close to 66 degrees in my early-November writing of this article, what do I care? Bring on the artistic tundra!

Of course, the 66° 33' of the exhibit’s title doesn’t refer to temperatures. “Those are latitudes of the Arctic and Antarctic Circles,” explains Augustana Teaching Museum of Art Director Claire Kovacs, “and this is a collaboration between the museum and the Augustana Center for Polar Studies. There are a number of faculty members on Augie’s campus that do research in both of those regions, and last year they approached me because they were interested in finding a way for us to get people, through the visual arts, to think about the complex issues that face those regions, and our entire planet.”

What Kovacs and the Polar Studies faculty devised was a group show in which, says the museum director, “people would leave thinking about the long history of those regions, thinking about climate change, thinking about the repercussions of oil drilling ... . To really have a more complex grasp of that region. Or at least to really begin thinking about it.”

Included in the exhibit, says Kovacs, are “a small handful of works that are part of Augustana’s permanent collection – prints from Cape Dorset, which is an Inuit printmaking workshop in Alaska. We actually have quite a large collection of prints from workshops and cooperatives up there, and we’re featuring three in this exhibition.

“But the remainder of the works,” she continues, “are by artists not represented in Augie’s collection, but rather artists whose works my colleagues in the Center for Polar Studies and I were interested in.” Featured talents who’ve created evocative renderings of the Antarctic Circle include Michael Bartalos, Lisa Goren, Oona Stern, and William Stout, the latter of whom – a fantasy artist/illustrator who has worked on more than 30 feature films – will be present for November 30’s Art Above 66° 33' artist talk and gallery preview.

The Arctic Circle, meanwhile, will be represented in works by Jonathan Harris, Andrea Polli, and LeClaire native Ben Huff, plus Danish photographer Morten Hilmer, who, on November 16, will participate in his own gallery talk and gallery preview. A documentary on the artist’s output titled Silence of the North will follow Hilmer’s presentation.

“The media varies quite a bit,” says Kovacs of the exhibit’s variety. “We have everything from very quiet, beautiful watercolors of whale bones to a sound installment that considers and utilizes weather data from a NOAA [National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration] weather station near the North Pole. It turns that data into a sound experience, and then it’s combined with photographs from that weather station.”

And if you have young fans of the animated Ice Age movies in your family, feel free to bring ’em along. “We even have some paintings of dinosaurs,” says Kovacs, “because it wasn’t always the frozen Antarctic tundra we usually think about.” Better warn the kids in advance, though: This will be an Ice Age completely free of Scrat.

Art Above 66° 33' runs through February 10, its opening reception begins at 5 p.m. on November 18, and more information on the exhibit and its related programming is available by visiting Augustana.edu/arts/art-museum.

 

 

John Prine

Music

John Prine

Adler Theatre

Friday, November 11, 7:30 p.m.

 

Beyond the fact that he’s a bona fide living legend making a special area appearance at Davenport’s Adler Theatre on November 11, what is there to say about John Prine?

That he’s a beloved singer/songwriter and hugely accomplished guitarist of more than 45 years? That he’s responsible for such classic songs as “Angel from Montgomery,” “Sam Stone,” “Paradise,” and “Hello in There”? That Prine’s signature country-folk stylings have earned him two Grammy Awards, induction in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and renown as the first singer/songwriter to read and perform at the Library of Congress? That his compositions have been covered by disparate luminaries including John Denver, Bonnie Raitt, George Strait, Carly Simon, and Bette Midler? That his latest album For Better, or Worse, released mere weeks ago, finds Prine performing duets with artists such as Miranda Lambert, Iris DeMent, and Lee Ann Womack? That he continues to play sold-out engagements throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe?

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes.

But why should I say anything at all when far more significant talents – a rock god, a multiple Grammy winner, a Pulitzer Prize winner, even a freaking Nobel Prize winner – have already said it for me? Wanna see just how much of a legend the legendary John Prine is? Try matching the following statements about Prine and his output with the talents who said them.

 

1) “His is just extraordinarily eloquent music – he lives on that plane with Neil Young and Lennon.”

2) “Prine’s stuff is pure Proustian existentialism. Midwestern mind-trips to the nth degree.”

3) “You hear lyrics like these, perfectly fitted to Prine’s quietly confident style and his ghost of a Kentucky accent, and you wonder how anyone could have so much empathy.”

4) “He’s so good, we’re gonna have to break his fingers.”

 

A) Roger Waters

B) Kris Kristofferson

C) Roger Ebert

D) Bob Dylan

 

 

For tickets to John Prine’s Adler Theatre engagement, in which he’ll be joined by special guest Patti Griffin, call (800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.

 

 

Answers: 1 – A, 2 – D, 3 – C, 4 – B. Kristofferson, by the way, said it as a compliment. And obviously it wasn’t Ebert who made that statement, because that guy was all about the thumbs.

 

 

What Else Is Happenin’ …?

 

MUSIC

Friday, November 11 – Legendary Shack Shakers. Kentucky-based rockabilly/blues musicians in concert, featuring an opening set by Chuck Mead. Rock Island Brewing Company (1815 Second Avenue, Rock Island). 9 p.m. $15. For information, call (309)793-1999 or visit RIBCO.com.

Friday, November 11 – Ben Hunter & Joe Seamons. Concert with the Blues in the Schools artists-in-residence, presented by the Mississippi Valley Blues Society. Figge Art Museum (225 West Second Street, Davenport). 6 p.m. Free. For information, call (563)322-5837 or visit MVBS.org.

Friday, November 11 – Chucho Valdés Joe Lovano Quintet. Post-bop Latin jazz with pianist Valdés and saxophonist Lovano. Hancher Auditorium (101 East Park Road, Iowa City). 7:30 p.m. $10-50. For tickets and information, call (319)335-1160 or visit Hancher.UIowa.edu.

Saturday, November 12 – Ted Vigil: John Denver Musical Tribute. Concert celebration of the famed folk and country musician. Old Creamery Theatre (39 38th Avenue, Amana). 7:30 p.m. $18.50-31. For tickets and information, call (319)622-6262 or visit OldCreamery.com.

Saturday, November 12 – Brett Newski. Independent singer/songwriter and former member of The Nod in concert, with an opening set by Dan Hubbard. Rozz-Tox (2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 9 p.m. $5-10. For information, call (309)200-0978 or visit RozzTox.com.

Saturday, November 12 – Mr. Little Jeans. Concert with the Norwegian, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Monica Birkenes. Village Theatre (2113 East 11th Street, Davenport). 7 p.m. $15. For information, visit EventBrite.com.

Sunday, November 13 – Quad City Music Guild Youth Chorus: Music of Stage & Screen. Selections from Music Guild’s past productions of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Sound of Music, 42nd Street, and more under the direction of Valeree Pieper, accompanied by Randin Letendre. Prospect Park Auditorium (1584 34th Avenue, Moline). 1:30 p.m. $5-10. For tickets and information, call (309)762-6610 or visit QCMusicGuild.com.

Friday, November 18 – Alan Jackson. Chart-topping, Grammy-winning country-music superstar in his Keepin’ It Country Tour, with an opening set by Lauren Alaina. iWireless Center (1201 River Drive, Moline). 7:30 p.m. $44.50-74.50. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit iWirelessCenter.com.

Friday, November 18 – The Ragbirds. Folk-rock musicians in concert, with an opening set by Christopher the Conquered. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $11.50-14. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.

Friday, November 18 – The Cerny Brothers. Concert with the folk-rock musicians and siblings Robert and Scott. Daytrotter (324 Brady Street, Davenport). 9 p.m. $10-12. For tickets and information, visit Daytrotter.com.

Friday, November 18 – Bucktown Revue. Variety show in the tradition of A Prairie Home Companion, with emcee Scott Tunnicliff, area comedians and musicians including the Barley House Band and Milltown, and special guests. Nighswander Theatre (2822 Eastern Avenue, Davenport). 7 p.m. $13 at the door. For information, call (563)940-0508 or visit BucktownRevue.com.

Friday, November 18 – Chase Garrett’s Blues & Boogie Woogie Piano Stomp. Seventh-annual musical celebration of swing, blues, and boogie-woogie of the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 7 p.m. $30-45. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.

Saturday, November 19 – Holiday Pops: Communities in Concert! The Quad City Symphony Orchestra’s annual concert featuring Ballet Quad Cities in an “Audience-Choice Nutcracker,” the Sanctuary Choir of First Presbyterian Church of Davenport and Quad Cities Choral Arts under the direction of Jon Hurty, a “Hallelujah Chorus” sing-along, RiverBend Bronze, the Quad City Youth Choir, and more. Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 2 and 8 p.m. $13-53. For tickets and information, call (563)322-7276 or visit QCSO.org.

Saturday, November 19 – Greg Brown. Concert with the Iowa-based folk singer/songwriter. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $30-33. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.

Saturday, November 19 – Joe Nichols. Multi-platinum-selling country musician in concert. Riverside Casino Event Center (3184 Highway 22, Riverside). 8 p.m. $20-50. For tickets and information, call (877)677-3456 or visit RiversideCasinoAndResort.com.

Sunday, November 20 – Manuel Lopez III & Friends. Polyrhythms presents a 6 p.m. “Third Sunday Jazz” concert with Lopez on drums, Corey Kendrick on piano, Andy Crawford on guitar, and Ron Wilson on bass, preceded by a 3 p.m. all-ages jazz workshop. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). $10-15 concert; $5 workshop, free for kids. For information, call (309)373-0790 or visit Polyrhythms.org or RiverMusicExperience.org.

Monday, November 21 – The Hunts. Concert with the Virginia-based indie-folk musicians featuring seven brothers and sisters ranging from ages 16 to 24. Central Performing Arts Center (519 East 11th Street, DeWitt). 7 p.m. $5-15. For tickets and information, call (563)249-8541 or visit CD-PAC.org.

 

THEATRE

Thursday, November 10, through Sunday, November 13 – Mary Poppins. Tony-winning musical fantasy based on Disney’s Oscar-winning film. Alleman High School (1103 40th Street, Rock Island). Thursday through Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. $5-7. For tickets and information, call (309)786-7793 or visit AllemanHighSchool.org.

Thursday, November 10, and Friday, November 11 – The Diary of Anne Frank. Albert Hackett’s and Frances Goodrich’s Tony-winning stage adaptation of the famed World War II memoir. Sherrard High School (4701 176th Avenue, Sherrard). 7 p.m. For information, call (309)593-2175 or visit SHS.Sherrard.us.

Thursday, November 10, through Saturday, November 19 – Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike. Christopher Durang’s Tony-winning Chekhovian comedy, directed by Eric Forsythe. University of Iowa’s David Thayer Theatre (200 North Riverside Drive, Iowa City). Wednesday through Saturday 8 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. $5-20. For tickets and information, call (319)335-1160 or visit Theatre.UIowa.edu.

Thursday, November 10, through Sunday, November 13 – Me & Jezebel. Elizabeth L. Fuller’s comedy about Bette Davis stuck in suburbia. Old Creamery Studio Theatre (3023 220th Trail, Amana). Friday and Saturday 7:30 p.m., Thursday and Sunday 2 p.m. $12-30. For tickets and information, call (319)622-6262 or visit OldCreamery.com.

Friday, November 11, through Sunday, November 20 – Stocking Stuffers. Holiday-themed comedy vignettes by Geff Moyer, directed by Jacque Cohoon. Playcrafters Barn Theatre (4950 35th Avenue, Moline). Friday and Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 3 p.m. $13. For tickets and information, call (309)762-0330 or visit Playcrafters.com.

Friday, November 11, through Sunday, November 20 – Dear Friends. Reginald Rose's 1968 drama about love, marriage, friendship, and skeletons in the closet. Muscatine Community College's Bob Roach Little Theatre (152 Colorado Street, Muscatine). Friday and Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. $5-10. For information, call 563-288-6037 or e-mail dlane@eicc.edu.

Friday, November 11, through Sunday, November 27 – Senior Moments. Original comic vignettes on the aging process. Iowa Theatre Artists Company (4709 220th Trail, Amana). 7:30 p.m. $10-25. For tickets and information, call (319)622-3222 or visit IowaTheatreArtists.org.

Friday, November 11, through Sunday, November 13 – Noises Off. Michael Frayn’s Tony-winning backstage slapstick. University of Dubuque’s John & Alice Butler Hall (2255 Bennett Street, Dubuque). Friday and Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. $5-10. For tickets and information, call (563)585-7469 or visit Dbq.edu.

Thursday, November 17, through Sunday, December 18 – Winter Wonderettes. Holiday-themed musical-comedy sequel to The Marvelous Wonderettes. Old Creamery Theatre (39 38th Avenue, Amana). Friday and Saturday 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday 2 p.m. $12-30. For tickets and information, call (319)622-6262 or visit OldCreamery.com.

Friday, November 18, through Sunday, November 20 - Amahl & the Night VisitorsGian Carlo Menotti's holiday opera performed by Opera @ Augustana. Augustana College's Brunner Theatre Center (3750 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island). 7 p.m. $8-12. For tickets and information, call (309)794-7306 or visit Augustana.edu/arts.

Saturday, November 19 – Swingin’ in the Ring. Brian Sostek and Megan McClellan in a romantic comedy blending boxing and ballroom dance. Orpheum Theatre (57 South Kellogg Street, Galesburg). 7:30 p.m. $10-25. For tickets and information, call (309)342-2299 or visit GalesburgOrpheum.org.

 

DANCE

Tuesday, November 15 – Step Afrika! Professional dancers perform a touring presentation in the 2016-17 Live at Heritage Center Performing Arts Series. University of Dubuque’s John & Alice Butler Hall (2255 Bennett Street, Dubuque). 7:30 p.m. $8-30. For tickets and information, call (563)585-7469 or visit Dbq.edu.

Saturday, November 19 – Augustana Dance Company: Dance with a Purpose. Choreographed pieces by members of the company showcasing genres including lyrical, jazz, ballet, and more. Augustana College’s Centennial Hall (3703 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island). 7 p.m. $3-8, ages 12 and under free. For tickets and information, call (309)794-7306 or visit Augustana.edu/arts.

 

LITERATURE

Thursday, November 17 – SPECTRA 24. Poetry readings by Holly Amos and Vi Khi Nao co-presented by the Midwest Writing Center, with opening readings by local authors. Rozz-Tox (2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 7 p.m. Free. For information, call (309)732-7330 or visit MWCQC.org.

 

EXHIBITS

Saturday, November 12 – Mauricio Lasansky: Kaddish. Works by the master printmaker themed on the Jewish prayer of mourning performed during the daily prayer ritual. Figge Art Museum (225 West Second Street, Davenport). Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sunday noon-5 p.m. Free with $4-7 admission. For information, call (563)326-7804 or visit FiggeArtMuseum.org.

Thursday, November 17, through Sunday, November 27 – Quad City Arts Festival of Trees. Annual Quad City Arts fundraiser featuring more than 100 designer trees on display, 14 special events, the Midwest’s largest helium-balloon parade, children’s activities, visits from Santa, and more. Davenport RiverCenter (136 East Third Street, Davenport). $3-10 daily. For information, call (309)793-1213 or visit QuadCityArts.com/festivaloftrees.

 

EVENTS

Thursday, November 10 – Food for Thought: Grow Your Love for Reading. Annual library fundraiser featuring numerous food and beverage stations, silent-auction packages, live music, and more. Rock Island Public Library (401 19th Street, Rock Island). 5 p.m. $40. For tickets and information, call (309)732-7326 or visit RockIslandLibrary.org.

Saturday, November 12 – Jay Owenhouse: Dare to Believe! An evening of magic and escape acts with the nationally touring illusionist. Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $29.69. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.

Friday, November 18, and Saturday, November 19 – Bottom’s Up Quad City Burlesque: In Your Dreams. Traditional burlesque and vaudeville entertainment with the area artists and emcee Joshua Kahn. Circa ’21 Speakeasy (1818 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m. $16-18. For tickets and information, call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit TheCirca21Speakeasy.com.

Saturday, November 19 – Moriah the Medium. An evening with the meditation expert and author of How to Be a Happy Medium. Ohnward Fine Arts Center (1215 East Platt Street, Maquoketa). 7 p.m. $15-25. For tickets and information, call (563)652-9815 or visit OhnwardFineArtsCenter.com.

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