Miguel ZenónMusic

Miguel Zenón Quartet

The Redstone Room

Sunday, February 21, 6 p.m.

 

Appearing locally in a special collaboration between Quad City Arts and Polyrhythms’ Third Sunday Jazz Series, the Miguel Zenón Quartet will be gracing the Redstone Room stage on Sunday, February 21. Gee, jazz saxophonist Zenón quickly became a world fave. That sentence is both true and my suggested replacement for “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” (That joke is strictly for the typists among you.)

Born and raised in San Juan, the 39-year-old Zenón began his saxophone training as a youth at Puerto Rico’s Escuela Libre de Música. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from the Berklee College of Music and a master’s in jazz performance at the Manhattan School of Music, and after graduation he released his CD debut Looking Forward, which the New York Times called “the number-one alternative-jazz recording of 2002.” After Looking Forward, there was no looking back.

Since then, Zenón has emerged as likely the premier jazz saxophonist of the millennium, his performance and compositional talents having been showcased in articles featured in the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, Billboard magazine, and Downbeat Magazine, the latter of which placed Zenón on the cover – in 2010 and 2014. The list of jazz artists he’s collaborated with is long and illustrious, with the noted names including David Sanchez, Steve Coleman, the Mingus Big Band, Bobby Hutcherson, and Kenny Werner.

With multiple Grammy Award nominations to his credit, Zenón and his ensemble – Luis Perdomo on piano, Hans Glawischnig on bass, and Henry Cole on drums – have also been the recipients of an endless series of accolades. The Chicago Tribune wrote, “The instrumental prowess of Zenón’s playing, the vigor of his compositions, and the sensitivity of his band to Puerto Rican song form point to new possibilities in jazz.” Jazz Times raved that Zenón delivers “music with integrity, energy, poise, and a fresh vision of how the Afro-Caribbean jazz aesthetic can evolve without losing its deep roots.”

And when Zenón received a 2008 MacArthur Fellowship – what the jealous among us call a “Genius Grant” – the MacArthur Foundation expressed its admiration thusly: “This young musician and composer is at once re-establishing the artistic, cultural, and social tradition of jazz while creating an entirely new jazz language for the 21st Century.” I hear that language comes with its own alphabet, one ranging from A-sharp to Zenón. (That joke is strictly for the very easily amused among you.)

The Miguel Zenón Quartet's 6 p.m. concert is preceded by a 3 p.m. jazz workshop hosted by Polyrhythms, and more information on Zenón’s area stay is available by visiting a whole bunch of Web sites: Polyrhythms.org, QuadCityArts.com, and RiverMusicExperience.org.

 

 

Ballet Quad Cities presents Love StoriesDance

Love Stories

Scottish Rite Cathedral

Friday, February 19, and Saturday, February 20, 7:30 p.m.

 

What would Valentine’s weekend be without Love Stories, Ballet Quad Cities’ annual presentation of dance vignettes performed at Moline’s Scottish Rite Cathedral? Well, this year it was just Valentine’s weekend. But the weekend after is when the Quad Cities’ professional dance company will be delivering its latest quartet of beautiful, challenging, romantic choreographed works, and Ballet Quad Cities’ Artistic Director Courtney Lyon recently shared what patrons will be treated to on February 19 and 20.

 

Title: Die Hochzeit (The Wedding)

Choreographer: Dominic Walsh, founder of Houston’s Dominic Walsh Dance Theater

Music: Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 4

Lyon: “It starts out kind of silly with some bridesmaids having eyes for groomsmen. The middle section is a pas de deux with a bride and a groom. And the final section is everyone dancing together at a wedding reception. Bach’s music can seem very formal, but it has a lot of humor built into it. And the dancers have these great wigs and old-fashioned undergarments – bodices and only parts of costumes – and the guys have cuffs and collars but no shirts. Like they’re getting dressed in formalwear but aren’t all the way there yet. It’s a really fun piece. Very light.”

 

Title: Amãre

Choreographer: Brian Enos, artistic director of St. Louis’ Big Muddy Dance Company

Music: compositions by Kiril Dzajkovski

Lyon: “Brian Enos has worked all over the world, and when he sent his video résumé, I was like, ‘Wow, this is really cool!’ His work is really engaging and athletic, and he came up this past fall and set this piece on our dancers. It’s three men and three women, and it’s a variety of solos, duets, group work ... . To me, it kind of has the feel of Arabian Nights. It doesn’t necessarily have a narrative, but it’s like a moment in time with these sensual, intense men and women. It reminds me of a hot night in the desert.”

 

Title: 26 Shades of Breath

Choreographer: Domingo Rubio, the frequent star of Ballet Quad Cities’ Dracula ballets

Music: compositions by Sergei Rachmaninoff and Gabriel Fauré

Lyon: “Domingo is such a fan favorite, and he worked on this with us in the fall when he was in town from Mexico City. It’s a group piece with almost the entire company and one of our student trainees, and it’s very much about breathing, and breath, and the initiation of movement. It’s very esoteric and so cool. It reminds us of cursive writing. The way the letters are formed out of lines that link and swoop. And when the dancers move, it’s like you know what they’re saying. It’s mesmerizing.”

 

Title: Boléro

Choreographer: Lyon

Music: Maurice Ravel’s Boléro

Lyon: “The music has a phrase that Ravel repeats 18 times, introducing new instruments with every repeat, and switching the mood just by switching the instruments. So I was really excited to take on the challenge of that music. I have five dancers and four chairs clustered together in the center of the stage, and the dancers never leave the chairs for the entire 18 repeats. We play with going up instead of going out across the stage, with the dancers getting really high in the air or really low to the floor. We call it a ‘museum piece’ because it can be looked at from any angle. It’s like this piece of moving art.”

 

Lyon added that, yes indeed, Love Stories was scheduled to fall on the weekend after Valentine’s just so all the boyfriends and husbands who accidentally forgot the holiday can tell their beloveds, “I really didn’t forget, honey! I’m taking you to the ballet this weekend!” Feel free to thank Courtney at the Scottish Rite this weekend. She’ll be the one with the long line of people waiting to thank her.

For more information on, and tickets to, Love Stories, call (309)786-3779 or visit BalletQuadCities.com.

 

 

Adam Cerny and Thomas Alan Taylor in Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb StoryTheatre

Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story

Circa ’21 Speakeasy

Thursday, February 25, through Saturday, February 27, 8 p.m.

 

I know what you’re thinking: Nothing says “show tunes” quite like the tale of murderous lovers Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb. You sickos will consequently be thrilled to learn that award-winning composer Stephen Dolginoff agreed, and from February 25 through 27, the Circa ’21 Speakeasy and director Lora Adams will be staging the off-Broadway musical hit Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story.

Described as “brazenly satisfying ... arresting and a bit breathtaking” by the New York Times, Dolginoff’s Drama Desk Award nominee for Best Musical concerns the events leading to 1924’s senseless murder of young Bobby Franks at the hands of the frightening, and frighteningly well-educated, blood brothers and romantic partners. Detailing this infamous “Crime of the Century” in a speedy 90 minutes with a two-man cast, Adams’ Thrill Me finds Adam Cerny – recently of Countryside Community Theatre’s Big Fish and the QC Theatre Workshop’s Tribes – portraying Loeb, while Leopold is enacted by Thomas Alan Taylor, my great friend, Workshop co-star in Red, A Green River, and The Pillowman, and former roommate. Had I known Tom had this role in him, I might’ve been more careful about locking my door at night.

You probably know the basics behind the Leopold & Loeb case. How well do you know the particulars? Let’s find out with a bit of L&L trivia courtesy of the Einsteins at FunTrivia.com.

 

1) Near what city did the murder take place?

A) San Francisco

B) Boston

C) Chicago

 

2) How was Bobby Franks killed?

A) strangulation

B) suffocation

C) stabbing

 

3) What were the murderers eventually sentenced with?

A) 50 years in prison

B) life in prison

C) life in prison plus 99 years

 

4) What what the evidence that foiled Leopold’s and Loeb’s “perfect” crime?

A) a pair of eyeglass

B) a car-rental receipt

C) a set of shoe prints

 

5) What was their confessed reason for committing the murder?

A) boredom

B) money

C) no reason at all

 

 

For tickets to the 8 p.m. performances of Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story, call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit TheCirca21Speakeasy.com.

 

 

Answers: 1 – C, 2 – B, 3 – C, 4 – A, 5 – A. Dunno if Tom was ever bored when he was my roommate, but if he was, I really should’ve been locking that door.

 

 

 

What Else Is Happenin’ …?

 

MUSIC

Thursday, February 18, through Saturday, February 20 – Daytrotter Downs Festival. A celebration of Daytrotter’s 10th anniversary with concert sets by established and up-and-coming independent musicians. Thursday: Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport), 7 p.m., $35. Friday and Saturday: Daytrotter (324 Brady Street, Davenport) and Village Theatre (2113 East 11th Street, Davenport). For information, visit Daytrotter.com.

Thursday, February 18 – Sierra Hull. Concert with the singer/songwriter and mandolin player, with an opening set by Ghost of Paul Revere. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $13.50-14. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.

Friday, February 19, and Saturday, February 20 – Weirdtown Fest II. Two days of concert sets with more than two-dozen touring bands and musicians including Ghost Hairs, Aseethe, Erases Eraser, and Paul Hertz. Rozz-Tox (2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 5 p.m. $5-10. For information, call (309)200-0978 or visit RozzRox.com.

Friday, February 19 – Bucktown Revue. A celebration of Mississippi River Valley culture through music, storytelling, poetry, and humor; with emcee Scott Tunnicliff 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, February 19 – Ernie Hendrickson and Dan Hubbard. CD-release show with the Americana singers/songwriters and native Midwesterners. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $9.50-12. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.

Saturday, February 20 – Phil Vassar. Concert with the country-music singer/songwriter of “Just Another Day in Paradise” fame. Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center (2021 State Street, Bettendorf). 7:30 p.m. $35. For tickets and information, call (800)843-4753 or visit Bettendorf.IsleOfCapriCasinos.com.

Wednesday, February 24 – The Appleseed Collective. Four-piece Americana ensemble in concert, with an opening set by Milltown. Rozz-Tox (2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m. $5-10. For information, call (309)200-0978 or visit RozzRox.com.

Wednesday, February 24 – Joe Marcinek Band featuring Kris Myers and Borahm Lee. Concert with the Umphrey’s McGee and Break Science musicians, featuring an opening set by Afternoon Moon. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $16.75-17. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.

Friday, February 26 – RIBCO Battle of the Bands: Finals. Concluding night of the annual competition between area musicians, with sets by three local bands. Rock Island Brewing Company (1815 Second Avenue, Rock Island). 9 p.m. For information, call (309)793-1999 or visit RIBCO.com.

Friday, February 26 – Bob Marley Birthday Bash. Tribute concert with rock, roots, reggae, and dub musicians Natty Nation and Firesale and DJ Trichrome. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $9.50-12. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.

Friday, February 26 – Brett Newski. Concert with the singer/songwriter, guitarist, and former member of The Nod. Rozz-Tox (2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 9 p.m. $5-10. For information, call (309)200-0978 or visit RozzRox.com.

Friday, February 26 – Rebirth Brass Band. Concert withe Grammy-winning, New-Orleans-based jazz musicians. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $20-25. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.

Saturday, February 27 – Nicholas David. Alternative-soul singer/songwriter and 2012 The Voice performer in concert, with an opening set by Lewis Knudsen. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $16.75-20. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.

Saturday, February 27 – A Very Merry Unbirthday. An EDM event featuring sets by Lusid, the Tripp Brothers, Lady’s Knight, and Kazmeer. Rock Island Brewing Company (1815 Second Avenue, Rock Island). 9 p.m. $10-13. For information, call (309)793-1999 or visit RIBCO.com.

Sunday, February 28 – Quad City Wind Ensemble: Musica Nova. Annual winter concert conducted by Brian L. Hughes, with music by Daniel Montoya, Jared Beau, David Maslanka, Rick Kirby, Julie Giroux, and Kenyon Wilson. St. Ambrose University’s Galvin Fine Arts Center (2101 North Gaines Street, Davenport). 3 p.m. $8-10, free for students. For tickets and information, visit QCWindEnsemble.com.

 

THEATRE

Thursday, February 18 – Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny. One-act family presentations performed by Canada’s award-winning touring ensemble Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia. Coralville Center for the Performing Arts (1301 Fifth Street, Coralville). 6:30 p.m. $12-16. For tickets and information, call (319)248-9370 or visit CoralvilleArts.org.

Friday, February19, through Sunday, February 21 – Hedda Gabler. Henrik Ibsen’s dramatic classic, directed by Corinne Johnson. St. Ambrose University’s Galvin Fine Arts Center (2101 North Gaines Street, Davenport). Friday and Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 3 p.m. $9-13. For tickets and information, call (563)333-6251 or visit SAU.edu/galvin.

Saturday, February 20, through Sunday, February 28 – The Velveteen Rabbit. Student-performed adaptation of Margery Williams' classic children's book, directed by Daniel D.P. Sheridan. Davenport Junior Theatre (2822 Eastern Avenue, Davenport). Saturday 1 and 4 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. $6-8 at the door. For information, call (563)326-7862 or visit DavenportJuniorTheatre.com.

Wednesday, February 24 – Map of My Kingdom. Iowa Poet Laureate Mary Swander explores the issue of land transition in a play commissioned by Practical Farmers of Iowa. Bettendorf Public Library (2950 Learning Campus Drive, Bettendorf). 7 p.m. Free. For information, call (563)344-4175 or visit BettendorfLibrary.com.

Friday, February 26, through Sunday, February 28 – Cabaret. The Peace Pipe Players’ golden-anniversary production of Kander & Ebb’s musical classic, directed by John Burrow. Ohnward Fine Arts Center (1215 East Platt Street, Maquoketa). Friday and Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. $10-18. For tickets and information, call (563)652-9815 or visit OhnwardFineArtsCenter.com.

Tuesday, March 1 – Imagoo’s ZooZoo. Touring family presentation featuring Cirque du Soleil-style acrobatics mixed with Mummenschanz-like mimes. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 6:30 p.m. $10-30. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.

 

DANCE

Thursday, February 25, through Saturday, February 27 – Dancers in Company 2016: Water Works. Water-themed dance vignettes by faculty and guest choreographers. University of Iowa’s Space/Place Theatre (20 Davenport Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $5-12. For tickets and information, call (319)335-1160 or visit Uiowa.edu.

 

COMEDY

Thursday, February 25 – Randy & Mr. Lahey. Improv and sketch comedy with two of the Trailer Park Boys. Gabe’s (330 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $25-50. For tickets and information, call (319)351-9175 or visit ICGabes.com.

 

SPORTS

Saturday, February 27 – Quad City Rollers 10th-Anniversary Double-Header. Event featuring matches with the Quad Cities area’s all-female, all-volunteer flat-track roller-derby league. Eldridge Skatepark (400 16th Avenue, Eldridge). 5 p.m. $10-12, ages 12 and under free. For information, visit Facebook.com/quadcityrollers.

 

MOVIE

Thursday, February 18 – Cheat You Fair: The Story of Maxwell Street. The Mississippi Valley Blues Society presents a screening of Phil Ranstrom’s documentary on the birthplace of Chicago blues, with heavy appetizers, a Q&A with Ellis Kell, and more. River Music Experience (129 Main Street, Davenport). 5 p.m. $20-22. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.

 

EXHIBITS

Friday, February 19, and Saturday, February 20 – The Inappropriate Playground. Group art exhibition with works by Philip Force, Travis Barron, Charles Knudsen, Regan Hatfield, Roberta Osmers, and others. Art on Third (114 West Third Street, Davenport). 8-11 p.m. Free. For information, visit ArtOnThird.com.

Saturday, February 20, through Sunday, February 28 – Young Artists at the Figge: North Scott. Annual exhibition of works by elementary art students. 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 museum admission. For information, call (563)326-7804 or visit FiggeArtMuseum.org.

Saturday, February 20, through Sunday, May 29 – The Art of Architecture: LEGO Sculptures & Photographs. Adam Reed Tucker’s exhibition, with photographs by J. Hunt Harris II, will include 12 renditions of architectural masterworks including the John Hancock Building, the Empire State Building, the St. Louis Arch, and Dubai’s 162-story Burj Khalifa. 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 museum admission. For information, call (563)326-7804 or visit FiggeArtMuseum.org.

 

EVENTS

Thursday, February 18, through Sunday, February 21 – 2016 Outdoor Show. Annual event featuring new items, vendors, presentations, and more. QCCA Expo Center (2621 Fourth Avenue, Rock Island). Thursday 4-8 p.m., Friday noon-8 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. For information, call (309)788-5912 or visit QCCAExpoCenter.com.

Saturday, February 20 – Through My Eyes: J.R. Martinez. The Vera French Foundation presents an evening with the wounded U.S. Army veteran, actor, bestselling author, motivational speaker, advocate, and winner of Dancing with the Stars. Bettendorf High School Performing Arts Center (3333 18th Street, Bettendorf). 7 p.m. followed by an 8:30 p.m. meet-and-greet at the Hotel Blackhawk (200 East Third Street, Davenport). $25-30. For tickets and information, call (563)383-1900 or visit VeraFrenchMHC.org.

Friday, February 26, through Sunday, February 28 – 2016 RV & Camping Show. Weekend event featuring new models, vendors, presentations, and more. QCCA Expo Center (2621 Fourth Avenue, Rock Island). Friday noon-8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. For information, call 309-788-5912 or visit QCCAExpoCenter.com.

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