Jazz Concert by Tom Battenberg and Friends Tuesday evening June 18.

Tuesday June 18 at 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Bexley. 

Jazz Concert by Tom Battenberg and Friends. Tom Battenberg on trumpet, Michael Cox on sax, Mark Flugge on piano, Terry Douds on bass and Jim Rupp on drums.

This is the 29^th annual summer music series of three concerts at Trinity Lutheran Seminary. 

There is free parking at the Trinity parking lot on College Avenue in Bexley.

This performance are at Trinity Lutheran Seminary, 2199 E. Main St, Columbus, OH  43209

There is a free will offering at each performance.

Jeni Fleming. Vocalist. Appearance at Trinity Lutheran Seminary.

A misty, cool Tuesday evening in Bexley. Our boarder, Alex Hettinga, and I walk to an evening of music at Trinity Lutheran Seminary. The seminary is located at the corner of College and East Main in Bexley. An audience is gathering for the first of this summer’s Tuesdays at Trinity musical events.

The performance space is the Trinity’s Gloria Dei worship center. The featured performer is Jeni Fleming. She and her ensemble live in Montana.

Many in the audience are wearing sweaters because of the cool evening. Inside the worship center, the air conditioning is on and people don’t take off their sweaters.

Trinity’s president, Mark Ramseth welcomes the musicians and the audience. He reminds the audience of the family connection that brings this musical performance to Trinity and Bexley. The singer, Jeni Fleming, is his daughter and Jake Fleming, the saxophonist, is his son-in-law. Mark reminds the audience that the musicians have traveled from Montana for the performance. And, they arrived in Bexley at 2:00 a.m.

Jeni Fleming. wears a black strapless cocktail dress with red and white oval prints. She also wears a long white scarf. The performance space is too chilly for Jeni, so she puts a coat on as the performance begins.

Jeni performed at Trinity for the first time in 2002. Since then, it has almost been an annual performance with different constellations of back-up musicians. This year’s line up of musicians are Craig Hall, electric and acoustic guitars; Adam Greenberg, an Ohio native on drums and percussion; Chris Cundy, piano and Hammond B3 organ; Sean Lehmann, bass and Jake Fleming, acoustic guitars and saxophone.

From Jeni’s prior performances, my expectation is for an evening of sophisticated jazz arrangements from the American Songbook and also some jazz arrangements of a few pop hits thrown into the mix.

Surprises are in store this evening. Jeni warns the audience that in the last two years their performance repertory has moved into a galaxy known in the music business as pop-rock , and that they are more specifically categorized as jazz-pop artists.
Jeni opens the evening’s performance with their own arrangement of a Beatles tune “Can’t Buy Me Love.” The lyric seems incongruous in the chapel setting but that doesn’t matter. The arrangement moves the familiar Beatles ballad into a Western Swing rhythm, clearly reminding me that this is an ensemble from Montana.

Jeni’s second song is written by Jake Fleming. The acoustics of the room make it difficult to catch all of the lyrics. The title is “Scarecrow” and some of the lyrics sound like it is an introspective, moody song but I’m not certain. Phrases that I decipher are “There’s a shadow hanging over me…you must call tonight…There’s a cold deep down inside of me….You must call to lie…Can’t erase the things that are part of me…” The acoustics aren’t working for me tonight so I’m not certain if these are the actual lyrics, particularly when I ask myself what these lyrics have to do with the song title “Scarecrow.” Perhaps for new songs, the lyric might be printed in the program?

The third number is a fresh arrangement of “Never My Love,” a song made popular by the Association in the late 1960s. Jeni confesses that she wrote the arrangement without reference to the original performance of the Association. When she listened to the original, Jeni describes her reaction as “I didn’t realize how much I had destroyed.”

As “Never My Love” concludes, Jeni has warmed up and takes off her jacket .

Appropriately, the next song is a Brazilian samba. I miss the songs name, but the tropical heat of the tune is unmistakable. There is a dragging major cord in the arrangement that, within the samba rhythm, recreates the measured pace of a walk on the beach.

The arrangements of the songs are much more complex than in previous performances. The ensemble is larger than the trio that I associate with Jeni, so the complexity shouldn’t surprise. The effect of the complexity is to make it more difficult to the focus on the vocalist. There is also some need to balance the several instruments. Percussion and piano were too loud and sometimes over-powered Jeni’s voice. The larger ensemble makes the performance less intimate, less personal.

The fifth song, “God Bless’ The Child,” is the Billie Holiday, Arthur Herzog Blues standard. A song and arrangement perfect for Jeni and, with Jake on the saxophone, a reminder of what these musicians do best. This is also where I begin to notice the bass playing of Sean Lehmann. What a musician. What an addition to the group’s sound and rhythm.

“God Bless’ The Child” is also where I first wonder if there is a Jazz Pop and Jazz Mom in this ensemble.

Next is another Jake Fleming song where I have difficulty deciphering the lyric. Maybe it is not the acoustics of the location; maybe it is my hearing that is deficient. I think the title is “The Other Side” with lyrics like “I fear my affliction…awesome innocence…Need a friend…to sneak into the other-side…I spend my time…painful song in a rock-fall…freedom I’ve been crying for is finally here…” Print the lyrics in the program. Please.

This is followed by a song that featured Chris Cundy on the piano. The piano filled the room with sound and lyrics seemed secondary. “Hallelujah” and “I’ve seen your flag and marble arch…” and “love is not a march” are all I caught.

The next song arrangement was written by Jake on a February trip to Hawaii. Jeni and Jake had a two hour professional engagement on one of the islands. The two hour engagement included a week-long hotel accommodation. During the week, Jake arranged “Day After Day.”

Then in quick succession, two familiar numbers “Gimme the beat boys and free my soul,” and the lyrics of “Amazing Grace” to the tune of “Danny Boy.”

Closing the first half, , a Hebrew folk tune started slow and gathered speed.. This folk tune is a new genre and energized the audience. The interior chill had been broken.

During the interval, Alex and I discuss how the performance is different than anticipated. No standards in the play list. Little jazz except the Billie Holliday number.

The second half begins with another Brazilian song. Antonio Carlos Jobin’s “The Girl From Ipanema.” This song is performed as a samba and gives a fresh perspective on the standard.

Next is an R & B song made classic by Ray Charles: “One Mint Julip”. Jeni says the lyric is a description of how she met her husband Jake. In truth, she corrects the story to say she and Jake actually met at a campus ministry happy hour.

Then follows a Willie Nelson song, “Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground” and Lizz Wright’s “Trouble In The Air, I Don’t Want It.” Willie Nelson. How far the evening is from my expectation.

Before singing her final number, Jeni invites May Schwarz professor of church music to the microphone. Professor Schwarz organizes the Tuesday at Trinity musical events and she reminds the audience that next two Tuesdays at Trinity events are the Brass Band of Columbus on June 15 and the Columbus Symphony Brass Quintet on June 22.

Jeni’s final number is “I Need Your Inspiration” arranged as a dance number. With Jeni slapping a red tambourine, and Jake’s saxophone playing, this gospel classic energizes the musicians and the audience.

On the walk home, I discuss the performance with our boarder and explain that the concert was a surprise, and not what I expected at all. In a light rain, I comment that the music was louder, more energetic, more pop, less cerebral than her last performance. Our boarder is a sophomore music major at Carnegie Mellon and his comments are about acoustics,
arrangements and individual performances. “They covered a lot of genres,” he said, “She has a very versatile voice.” He was most impressed with Jeni’s “very pleasant voice” within the group and commented that the group could’ve let her shine a bit more. The lyrics to her songs were frequently indistinguishable over the band. However, even as someone who attends the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra every week, comparing and criticizing performers of the highest levels, Alex found the evening of music making quite enjoyable. He agreed that some of the songs worked considerably well with the ensemble, and it was very interesting to see their interpretations of different styles.

Next morning, when I look at my concert notes, I’m surprised. Rather than being a completely different Jeni Fleming, the notes are much like notes from her last concert. She takes familiar songs and rearranges the material into her own. The brainy content, both lyric and melody are gently led into the shelter of Jeni’s brilliance. She makes a song her child and nurtures it to become something new, something distinct from its origins. Jazz Pop and Jazz Mom indeed.

The sequence of songs, none from the American Songbook, also makes sense next day as I read my notes. Blues, Gospel, Bossa Nova, Beatles, Country and Western, Western Swing. The breadth of her repertory is amazing. What an enjoyable performance.
So next year, should we expect German Techno?

What I want is Jeni doing the Beach Boys. Please Jeni, next year do “In My Room,” “Rhonda.,” “California Girls.”

Jeni can pull it off an evening of the Beach Boys.

Maybe an entire CD of Jeni Fleming singing the Beach Boys.

HELP BEXLEY PUBLIC RADIO UPGRADE ITS ANTENNA. SEND YOUR MONEY PROMPTLY. BE GENEROUS.

Bexley Public Radio Foundation broadcasting as
WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio
2700 E. Main St., Suite 208
Columbus, OH 43209
Voice (614) 235 2929
Fax (614) 235 3008
Email wcrxlp@yahoo.com
Blog http://agentofcurrency.blogspot.com

Bexley Public Radio Foundation is exempt from federal taxes under IRC Section 501(c)(3). Donations are deductible from federal income taxes for individuals who itemize. Checks may identify the payee as Bexley Public Radio Foundation or WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM.

Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Bexley Editorial Collective.

Jeni Fleming. Vocalist. Appearing at Trinity Lutheran Seminary.

From Bozeman, Montana: Jeni Fleming and Jeni Fleming Ensemble.

Tuesday evening, June 8. 2010 at 7:30 p.m.

Gloria Dei Worship Center
Trinity Lutheran Seminary
2199 E. Main St.
SW corner of College Ave. and E. Main St.
Bexley

Sample her six CDs at jenifleming.com

Booking agent Nikki McGee
406-388-2086
nikki@jenifleming.com

Trinity Lutheran Seminary co-sponsors presentation Wednesday evening, April 21, 2010 at Pontifical College Josephinum by Rabbi David Fox Sandmel

Faith in the Public Square
7:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Jessing Center at the Pontifical College Josephinum
7625 North High Street, Columbus, Ohio

Rabbi and Scholar to address Faith in the Public Square


Trinity Lutheran Seminary co-sponsors this annual event with The Pontifical College Josephinum and the Methodist Theological School in Ohio.

Rabbi David Fox Sandmel, Crown-Ryan Professor of Jewish Studies at the Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, will speak to “Faith in the Public Square,” at 7 p.m. in the Jessing Center on the Josephinum campus, 7625 North High Street, Columbus, Ohio. The lecture is free and open to the public, but RSVPs are requested. Please contact Sandy Antes by April 15 at 614-985-2497 or santes@pcj.edu .

Rabbi Sandmel offers a penetrating look at the uniquely American debate about one of the country's founding principles, religious freedom. Understood by grade school students, this simple idea, adopted as part of the American experiment, has proved to be challenging to generations of theological scholars, legal minds and social critics.

Religious diversity of America increases under the principle of religious freedom, both the Holocaust and 9/11 confirm. Interfaith dialogues provide a model and a methodology for understanding the challenge of religious freedom in a complicated civic and intellectual environment.

Rabbi Sandmel received his undergraduate degree in Jewish Studies from The Ohio State University and was ordained at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati. He completed his doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied the history and literature of Judaism and Christianity in the Greco-Roman world.

As director of the National Jewish Scholars Project, Rabbi Sandmel coordinated the publication of “Dabru Emet: A Jewish Statement on Christians and Christianity,” which generated international attention in the interfaith community and wide media coverage. He is the co-editor of Christianity in Jewish Terms and the lead editor of Irreconcilable Differences? A Learning Resource for Jews and Christians (both from Westview Press).

Rabbi Sandmel is also involved in Jewish-Muslim dialogue and tri-lateral dialogue among Jews, Christians, and Muslims. He is a member of Rabbis and Imams for Peace and team teaches a course on the Abrahamic faiths with a Roman Catholic and an Imam at the Catholic Theological Union. Rabbi Sandmel is also a member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR). He chairs the CCAR’s Committee on Interfaith Activities and is the CCAR Representative to the Joint Commission on Interfaith Relations (with the Union for Reform Judaism), the National Council of Synagogues, and the International Jewish Committee on Interfaith Consultations.

The Theological Consortium of Greater Columbus includes Trinity Lutheran Seminary, the Pontifical College Josephinum, and the Methodist Theological School in Ohio. Bexley Hall Episcopal Seminary is an associate member.

LISTEN TO BEXLEY PUBLIC RADIO, 102.1 FM FOR MORE DISCUSSION OF THIS IMPORTANT EVENT.

For more information about the Theological Consortium of Greater Columbus or the Annual Lecture on World Religions and Interreligious Dialogue, contact Dr. Paul Numrich at 740-362-3443 or 384-4653.

Bobby Floyd Trio at Bexley's Monk. Annelise Maurer review for Bexley Public Radio.

Friday evening, December 18, 2009. I have never been to the Monk before but tonight I’m going there to listen to a jazz group and write a review of the music for Bexley Public Radio. This will be my first visit to the Monk and my first radio report ever, if the radio station accepts my review.

Bexley’s Monk. The “monastery” across East Main Street from Trinity Lutheran Seminary.

I'm a musician but not really into jazz. This is a new experience for me and I’m going to hear the Bobby Floyd Trio as a favor for friends at Bexley Public Radio. The review is extra. I wonder if the radio station will broadcast my review.

I don’t know what to expect but upon approaching the Monk’s front door, the members of the band welcome me with smiles and nods through the window. I am glad to have come.

I arrive perhaps five minutes late. The house is full. What a beautiful venue! Warm, tasteful, polished. The atmosphere is a perfect match to the alternating carols and standards wafting above the highly sophisticated din of the main bar.

I circle the house several times slowly, in the hopes that an open seat might somehow appear. “This is a classy place,” I note to myself, “and I am glad I dressed well.”

Not that it matters in any practical sense, since, having secured the corner seat most longitudinally distant from the band, try as I might, I can not get a drink.

Instead I get stares. Has some disaster befallen my hair, my scarf ... no. Am I young, alone, and unable to afford more than one modest well drink? Indeed, and it is as if the accomplished and affluent have sniffed me out. I love you, Bexley, I'm one of yours. Why the attitude?

I recall the half-year I lived on Martha’s Vineyard: once in a blue moon I’d put down my farm-work for a cocktail and some fresh catch in town, only to be stared at, and stared at, and stared at, or simply gazed straight through as if I didn’t live and breathe at all. Massachusetts royalists, Massachusetts Tories. But I don’t expect this attitude in Ohio. There are no Tories in the Midwest.

At the Monk, a couple standing behind me ask for some beers, and are quickly acknowledged, and served. Yet here I sit, and all I’ve managed to garner is a wine list plus absolutely no kind of practical attention from patron or staff.

Until, miraculously, half an hour later, an older distinguished gentlemen shows up: my father. Within seconds we are waited upon. Magically, two better seats free up.

I let my feelings of inadequacy slide and get down to the pleasure of really listening to the music.

The Bobby Floyd Trio, featuring Columbus’ own Bobby Floyd at piano, Reggie Jackson on drums and Derek DiCenzo on bass. These musicians wear the absolute calmest, happiest expressions as they toss melody and key change back and forth like casual banter among old friends.

That's one way to tell a good ensemble: they move as an organism. Symbiosis.

You can also tell that Individually, they’re accomplished artists, completely at home in their medium, as evidenced by their solos.

A classical pianist myself, I focus my attention on Mr. Floyd, and find the experience akin to hearing a foreign language: the reason and meaning are lost on me, but the sound-shapes and expressive subtleties are just curious enough to grab a good hold of my attention and keep the interest going.

Admittedly, I leave before the trio’s three-hour set is up; after one very excellent Rob Roy my stomach reminds me that I'd skipped dinner, and I think I can’t afford to feel hungry here.

The trio plays on, a medley of Christmas carols now, and the crowd mellows, as I pull on my hand-me-down coat and gloves.

Outside it is snowing. A charming evening for a Christmas prelude.

Editor’s note: Annelise writes “once in a blue moon” about dining out during her summer of farm labor on Martha’s Vineyard

On Thursday December 31 this year there is a blue moon. The full moon that will appear on the last day of calendar year 2009 is the second full moon of that month and hence it is a blue moon

Editor’s second note. Annelise’s father should have arrived earlier and offered his daughter dinner that evening at the Monk.

Editor's third note: The Bobby Floyd Trio returns to Bexley's Monk Friday January 15, 2010.

Bexley Public Radio Foundation broadcasting as
WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio
2700 E. Main St., Suite 208
Columbus, OH 43209
Voice (614) 235 2929
Fax (614) 235 3008
Email wcrxlp@yahoo.com
Blog http://agentofcurrency.blogspot.com

Bexley Public Radio Foundation is exempt from federal taxes under IRC Section 501(c)(3). Donations are deductible from federal income taxes for individuals who itemize. Checks may identify the payee as Bexley Public Radio Foundation or WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM.

Design is copyright 2009. All rights reserved. Bexley Public Radio Foundation. Text is copyright 2009. All rights reserved. Annelise Maurer.

Higher education and Wall Street collapse. Roundtable discussion Thursday November 13, 2008.

Bexley Public Radio sponsored a roundtable discussion of the impact of the Wall Street on higher education.


In a wide ranging discussion of Wall Street collapse college administrators and a banker discussed financial aid and student loans availability and eligibility; student applications and enrollments; faculty grants; university endowments; alumni giving; gifts of appreciated stock; and charitable gift annuities.

Participants in the round table were: Evelyn Levino, Vice President, Students, Franklin University; Will Kopp, Vice President, Institutional Advancement, Columbus State Community College; Mark Ramseth, President, Trinity Lutheran Seminary; Steve Koch, Professor, Communications, Capital University; Dave Mallet, President First Bexley Bank.

Professor Stephen Koch of Capital University communications department moderated the discussion. He began by asking about the Wall Street collapse on student enrollments.

Evelyn Levino and Will Kopp discussed admission inquiries from potential students.

Mark Ramseth, president of Trinity Lutheran Seminary said that the Trinity student body trends to be older than the other schools represented on the panel. The median age of Trinity students is in the range of 36 and 37 years. Many individuals thinking about graduate education at Trinity have families and own their residences so these potential students are less mobile that younger students and the decision to pursue graduate education is a major life changing decision.

President Mark Ramseth, Trinity Lutheran Seminary.

Banker Mallett said that the student loan market is more difficult. Fewer lenders are willing to undertake student loans. He also said that the federal government seems to be recognizing the contraction in student loans. He pointed to the recent comments of Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Paulson that recognized that consumer lending has been hampered as much as lending by financial institutions. In response to a question from Ramseth, Mallet said that regional and city center banks were restricting their lending even after federal bailout funds were received. Holding the funds as capital rather than lending the same funds helps the banks maintain favorable capital ratios for financial reporting.

Koch asked whether the panelists saw any indication that the distress of the financial markets is causing new financial planning and strategies to be developed for the expenses of higher education.

Will Kopp responded that he has recognized that students no longer approach their college educations as a continuous relationship with a single institution. He said students “swirl” their education, taking some courses at one school and then other courses at other schools and even on-line. This “swirled” course work is usually part of a coherent strategy to develop skills and knowledge useful in achieving specific career goals. The same “swirling” is used by students to achieve financial savings when they choose to take course work at particular institutions based on relative tuition charges. Kopp also noted that institutions like Capital, Columbus State and Franklin are responding to this student strategy by developing agreements and alliances that help students pursue their academic goals in a realistic financial environment.

Mark Ramseth said that students recognize that economic downturns can be occasions to improve their job skills through education. When the job market is soft, time can be spent in education.

Evelyn Levino commented that such student strategies make sense and that she would advise students “to go for it” because the end goal is education. Much can be learned from paying attention to the creative judgments that college students make. When the goal is education there can be many roads that students follow to get to that destination. Levino also commented that “self financing” should not be overlooked in the present environment. There are many students who work part-time and attend classes part-time to minimize the amount of debt incurred in their education. Will Kopp said that he is familiar with a some students who maintain fulltime employment with their class-work.

Professor Koch said that Capital University has a tuition discount program that encourages good grades. He commented that this is a form of financial aid that is unique in encouraging the core values of excellence in education.

Will Kopp commented on a Seniors to Sophomore program of the State of Ohio. The state government pays college tuition for high school students to take college courses. The program permits high school students to graduate with both a high school diploma and an associate degrees.

Professor Koch briefly discussed the financial environment on Wall Street and its impact on research grants awarded to faculty. Will Kopp commented on a recent New York Times article reporting on how college building projects are being effected by the Wall Street collapse. He also discussed Ohio Governor Ted Strickland’s commitment to education. State funds for higher education have permitted tuition levels to remain flat for two years.

Evelyn Levino said that the budgeting point of view at Franklin is to use funds to invest in the future of the institution. She continued by describing how professional organizations serving higher education are recognizing the dangers of the current financial turmoil. She said that the Student Aid Alliance recently contacted Congressional leaders to express concern that any federal economic stimulus program include student financial aid. Increases in federal Pell Grant programs were also mentioned.

Will Kopp said that many commentators were talking about ten-year plans to deal with the Wall Street collapse. He said that any governmental program of such long duration is not realistic unless it includes a component for higher education. In reference to any ten year plan.

Mark Ramseth offered the wry comment that “Markets can stay irrational longer than individuals can stay solvent.”

Steve Koch said that “A crisis cannot be the foundation of a plan.”

The discussion then turned to capital projects and bonds. Banker Mallett said that even bond markets are being effected by the fall in real estate values and the fall in equity prices. He said that currently the bond market is being dominated by financier Warren Buffett who is actively buying municipal bonds.

Koch and Mallett commented respectively on deficit spending and price levels. Mallett continued with observations on the current low interest rate levels on federal government bonds and that his family decision to “go to cash” with their children’s college savings,

Professor Koch asked whether any of the institutions represented in the roundtable was developing explicit strategies to respond to the Wall Street collapse. Will Kopp identified three components of a strategy at Columbus State Community College: recognition that the student body is diverse in age and experience; creating scholarships for students in age groups that normally are not eligible for scholarships; and creating partnerships with other educational institutions like Capital University and Franklin University that provide financial opportunities, benefits and choices for students.

Professor Koch asked if any of the panelists wanted to speculate on how long the financial crisis might last.

Evelyn Levino said that she had no empirical data to undergird her comments. Based on media reports, Levino said that she recognized radical changes in the short term and that it is her belief that we are going through a financial crisis. The practical effects of this crisis are evident in the rapid decline in housing prices and institutions and individuals “going to cash.” All of these practical effects of the crisis are not going to be fixed over night.

Will Kopp returned to the discussion of institutional strategies at Columbus State Community College. He said that students want to prepare for employment opportunities that “won’t be shipped overseas” and also in industries that provide valued products and services such as “sustainable,” and “green technologies.” An educational institution must respond to these interests and values of student populations.

Koch commented that educational opportunities are all the more important in an environment where job opportunities are “constricted.” He also discussed Capital University’s Center for Life Long Learning.

As closing observations, Mark Ramseth said that at Trinity Lutheran Seminary the economic realities that have developed are not being ignored and that “like a household” we are “re-prioritizing how we spend our resources.” He also observed that finances are central to meeting an institutions objectives and that the time and attention being devoted to the Wall Street collapse is necessary work for every institution.

Dave Mallett offered the observation that college expenses are a very significant part of family budgets. The effect of the Wall Street problems are being felt very close to home.

Evelyn Levino said that the sooner the Wall Street problems are recognized as impacting education, the sooner the country will “come out of the problem.”

Participants in the round table were: Evelyn Levino, Vice President, Students, Franklin University; Will Kopp, Vice President, Institutional Advancement, Columbus State Community College; Mark Ramseth, President, Trinity Lutheran Seminary; Steve Koch, Professor, Communications, Capital University; Dave Mallet, President First Bexley Bank.

Bexley Public Radio Foundation broadcasting as
WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio
2700 E. Main St., Suite 208
Columbus, OH 43209
Voice (614) 235 2929
Fax (614) 235 3008
Email wcrxlp@yahoo.com
Blog http://agentofcurrency.blogspot.com

Bexley Public Radio Foundation broadcasting as WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM is exempt from federal taxes under IRC Section 501(c)(3). Donations are deductible from federal income taxes for individuals who itemize. Checks may identify the payee as Bexley Public Radio Foundation WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM.

Design is copyright 2008. All rights reserved. Bexley Public Radio Foundation. Text is copyright 2008. All rights reserved. Bexley Public Radio Foundation.

Capital University's Fuller Society holds successful public forum on statewide ballot issues.

Tuesday evening, The Fuller Society holds a public forum on the statewide ballot issues being presented to Ohio voters.

After the program segment on the ballot issues is completed, surrogates for the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates offer presentations.

Most members of the audience depart after the issues forum. The photograph above illustrates the smaller audience that remained for the presidential candidate surrogates.

The forum begins almost promptly, at two minutes after 6:00 p.m.

Bexley Public Radio attends and records the discussions on Issues 5 and 6.

If successful, Issue 5 will remove legislative limits on the charges made by payday lenders. Issue 6, if it is successful, will authorize a gambling casino in Clinton County.

The audience totals fifty-five. The audience appears to be mostly students.

Five members of the audience wear “Vote No Issue Five” tee shirts. Another audience member wears an oversized badge that also says “Vote No Issue Five.”

Later these members of the audience are identified as employees of payday lenders. Their jobs hang in the electoral balance. None of these employees circulated their resumes so they appear confident that the initiative petition will fail.

Including the Bexley producer, there are two media representatives working at the forum. One of these media representatives later identifies himself as a Capital student and also member of The Fuller Society. His name is Jed Cooper and he records the forum on video. Is he a media representative? He is kept in the count. Two media representatives are working at the forum.

There are also the two presidential candidate surrogates.

And Cynthia Duncan, the faculty advisor for The Fuller Society, stands in the rear of the audience. Her critical eye watches the details of the proceedings.

The total number of people in attendance is sixty.

Lucas Baker, a member of The Fuller Society acts as moderator. He runs a tight ship. Ten minute segments are really ten minutes long. His precision will make the editing of the recording easy for the radio station.

Baker introduces Jennifer Beck who opposes the casino issue. Beck is an efficient speaker. She has twelve points to make. She makes her points clearly, offers understandable reasons and finishes her presentation in the allotted time.

No one from the gaming industry appears. Rick Lertzman is scheduled to speak in support of the casino but turns out to be a no show.

I imagine that I hear two students in the audience wager at four to one odds that Lertzman will arrive at the Bridge of Learning at 7:00 p.m. The student offering the odds explains that nobody schedules an evening meeting at 6:00. Lertzman probably thinks it is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

My own thought is that people in the gambling industry are unreliable and I’m not surprised that Lertzman doesn’t appear. Later I learn that Lertzman doesn’t appear at 7:00 p.m. He’s not there at 7:30 p.m. And he is not there at 8:00 p.m. either.

I’m not surprised. Lertzman, a man I’ve never met, fits my stereotype of someone in the gambling industry.

Next Lucas Baker introduces the proponents and opponents of Issue 5, the initiative petition to repeal legislative limits on payday lenders charges.

Bridgette Roman is the opponent and wants to end legislative limits on payday lender charges. Roman is an attorney. Her presentation is orderly. To make the point that Issue 5 threatens employment, Roman asks the payday employees in the audience to stand up. The five tee-shirted “Vote No” and one “Vote No” badge employees arise.

Nick Bates is a proponent of Issue 5 and wants legislative limits to be placed on the charges of payday lenders. Bates is a student in the dual law and divinity degree program at Capital University Law School and Trinity Lutheran Seminary. He is accompanied by Suzanne Gravette Acker.

The basic substantive disagreement of these two speakers is whether principles of Christian social justice or principles of Christian business judgment should control payday lending in Ohio. Of course, neither of the advocates was this specific in labeling the principles they were reasoning from.

At some point in Roman’s presentation, the proponents become upset and think that Roman is attacking them personally. Bates expresses personal pride in his own modest pay level and Craig is proud of her organization's tiny budget in comparison to the financial resources rallied against them.

The frisson of Craig and Bates is real but I do not comprehend what actually upsets them.

Lucas Baker notes that the final ten minute segment is complete and then offers the platform to a representative of the League of Women Voters who discusses Issues 1 through 5. This speaker also offers basic instructions and cautions about what to expect on election day at the polls.

The statewide ballot issues part of the forum concludes.

There is no applause when the speakers vacate the stage.

Bexley Public Radio disassembles its equipment.

Lucas Baker introduces the McCain and Obama surrogates.

I loiter in the hallway to pick up details about The Fuller Society that sponsored the evening event. Darious Fequire introduces himself as a member of The Fuller Society. Lucas Baker and Jacob Chapman introduce themselves as members. And finally, I meet Kristina McCann and Jed Cooper, also both are identified as members of the Society. Cooper I know as the media representative operating the video camera.

Fuller Society members. l to r. Jed Cooper, Kristina McCann, Darious Fequire, Lucas Baker and Jacob Chapman. Faculty advisor Cynthia Duncan declined the opportunity to be photographed.

Among the random bits and pieces that I learn is that the society’s purpose is to open up the political arena to students. This evening public forum is a success for that organizational purpose. A former Congressman is present. A representative of the League of Women Voters and activists from Cohio attend together with other lobbyists.

Other bits of information about the Society.

The Society is nonpartisan. The organization is named for Buckminster Fuller. Buckminister Fuller was a mid-20th century social scientist, philosopher, inventor, mathematician, and engineer. He was a syncretist who analyzed social issues from multiple disciplines of knowledge.

The Fuller Society approaches the understanding of social issues from a multidisciplinary standpoint.

The Society functions to provide students with opportunities for interaction with politicians, lawyers, interest group representatives and other social issue advocates.

The Fuller Society exists to serve educational needs of Capital University students by providing extracurricular
professional development and experimental opportunities.

The Society provides students with the opportunity to acquire an understanding of social issues that affect the structure and functions of American society.

Diverse political and personal views are encouraged and students are placed in situations that promote professional career preparation in an open and non-partisan environment.


Faculty advisor Cynthia Duncan says that all of the members are sophomore students and she is hopeful that this will give the organization stability and experience that will help it's growth during the next two years.

None of the Society members identifies himself to me as an officer of the organization. This omission is curious, particularly for an organization involved in political matters.

Politics is about titles and office. And here is a group that eschews any title but “member.” Interesting.

On the walk home, I speculate that The Fuller Society is actually modeled on one of the ancient Greek city-states that permitted no titles among its citizens.

I reject that idea and speculate on whether The Fuller Society is a front for a more insidious secret society. Now that is what this neighborhood needs. A collegiate secret society just down the street from our homes.

That is a story that would be fun to investigate.

Contact us.
WCRX-LP Editorial Collective
Bexley Public Radio Foundation operating as
WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio
2700 E. Main St., Suite 208
Columbus, OH 43209
Voice (614) 235 2929
Fax (614) 235 3008
Email wcrxlp@yahoo.com
Blog http://agentofcurrency.blogspot.com

Bexley Public Radio Foundation operating as WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM is exempt from federal taxes under IRC Section 501(c)(3). Donations are deductible from federal income taxes for individuals who itemize. Checks may identify the payee as Bexley Public Radio Foundation WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM.

Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. Bexley Public Radio Foundation.

In memoriam. John Joseph Manning III.

John Joseph Manning III died Thursday, June 25th, 2008.

John was the founding station general manager of WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, the broadcast radio service of Bexley Public Radio Foundation. His approach to scheduling and production of program content laid a solid foundation for the orderly growth of WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM. As station general manager, John worked closely with the station’s program chairwoman and the officers of Bexley Public Radio Foundation. He provided intelligent and reliable service to the broadcast operations of WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM.

John also hosted the John Manning Morning Show on WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM. His morning show provided a comfortable mix of Bexley weather, astronomical data and editorial information from The Old Farmer’s Almanac and other resources.

During the hour-long morning show, John also provided updates on local Bexley news from The New Standard, The Eastside Messenger, Bexley News, The Catholic Times and The Bexley High School Torch. On his show, John also high-lighted information from the New York Times, The Financial Times and The Christian Science Monitor.

His favorite newspaper was The New York Times and each morning, even before John arrived at the radio studio, he had read his copy of The New York Times. John was a calm and intelligent interviewer of studio guests. Some of John’s memorable interviews included district politicians, faculty from Ohio State University, Ohio Dominican University, Capital University and Trinity Seminary.

He was also a regular participant in discussions with stock broker Frank Ingwersen and investment adviser Kevin Kale on the mid-morning Wall Street update. John was also a regular participant with gardening questions on Amy Maurer’s Noontime Gardener Show.

John was active in promoting rail passenger service for central Ohio. He was a longtime member of All Aboard Ohio and lobbied for public finance of passenger rail service. He regularly provided his radio listeners with information about developments in rail passenger service.

John Manning’s contributions to establishing a public radio service for the Bexley community were enormous and he is missed by his radio station colleagues and regular listeners to WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM.

Contact us.

Bexley Public Radio Foundation broadcasting as
WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio
2700 E. Main St., Suite 208
Columbus, OH 43209
Voice (614) 235 2929
Fax (614) 235 3008
Email wcrxlp@yahoo.com
Blog http://agentofcurrency.blogspot.com

Bexley Public Radio Foundation operating as WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM is exempt from federal taxes under IRC Section 501(c)(3). Donations are deductible from federal income taxes for individuals who itemize. Checks may identify the payee as Bexley Public Radio Foundation WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM.

Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. Bexley Public Radio Foundation.

[where: 43209]

Tuesday, June 10, 2008. Bexley, Ohio. Jeni Fleming Trio dazzles audience at Trinity seminary.

The second of three concerts in the twenty fourth annual Tuesday at Trinity was an evening of simple summer pleasures. Ice cream and music from the American Songbook. The performance was by a female jazz vocalist and two musicians, all three from Bozeman, Montana.

Does it sound a bit eccentric? Bozeman, Montana jazz musicians performing at a Lutheran seminary in Bexley, Ohio.

The Jeni Fleming Trio offered an hour and a half of American standards, rearranged, rewritten and remarkable.

The trio is Jeni Fleming, Jake Fleming and Craig Hall.

Trinity Lutheran Seminary is on the trio’s tour itinerary because Jeni’s father is president of the school.

Occasionally nepotism works very well and the performance of this trio is one of those times.

The concert is in the Gloria Dei worship center. The interior is shaped like the acoustic tent used at the Columbus Symphony Orchestra for its Summer at the Pops, or the Island Park Band Shell summer concerts of the Dayton Philharmonic. But the worship center is air-conditioned.

The audience is large, more than one hundred fifty people.

The usual Trinity audience, knowledgeable and sophisticated in their musical tastes.

Mostly women. Of all age ranges. Seniors, middle aged, mature mothers and young mothers. Capital and Trinity faculty. College students and high school girls. For the women in the audience, the hair colors are much more limited than the ages. Grey and white, with the occasional brunette. But, hands down, the dominant hair color for the audience is Lutheran blond.

The men in the audience. Some bald, a few beards. Mostly grey haired. Three African men; one speculating with his neighbor about travel to Montana. Some familiar faces from the seminary faculty, staff and Bexley neighbors.

The men and women in audience are attired in similar hues; white, cream, tan and pastel yellow. Occasional sparkles of color among the audience. For the men, brightest color is green, but even that is pastel green. For the women, pastel pink and fuchsia.


While the crowd gathers and finds their seats, the sanctuary itself is uncluttered save for the instruments the musicians will use: an upright bass viol, an electric guitar, an acoustic guitar and a saxophone. Amplifiers and loud speakers are arranged around the edge of the alter platform at the sanctuary.

The three musicians walk to their instruments in the sanctuary. Dark suits for the men. Jake has a white tee shirt. Craig has a deep, deep purple dress shirt and a dark blue silk tie. Jeni is in a vivid red cocktail dress. A matching red shawl covers Jeni’s shoulders and arms. She also wears high heels, perhaps four inches high, with black ribbon straps. Agonizing, no doubt but a distraction. A distraction so compelling I forget my speculation about where men in Bozeman buy their dark suits.

This year the trio has completed a spring tour through Tennessee, Alabama and Louisiana. They came to Bexley following a Saturday concert in Rapid City, South Dakota.

The trip to Bexley took the musicians through the rain storms in Indiana. They lost a windshield wiper in the Indianapolis winds.

Another concert is scheduled for Bozeman, Montana this coming Saturday and the musicians must drive Thursday and Friday to meet that commitment.

Two long, twenty-four hour drives and two performances. in five days.

I wonder when the piper will be paid for those long hours. I also wonder when the musicians will reap the rewards of those long drives.

The concert begins. Jeni’s first four phrases are enticing. “I met a man…” Her voice promises an evening of pleasure. And she delivers. The song is an arrangement of “Mr. Bojangles” that keeps the song familiar but only confirms the identity near the end.

It is an approach to an American standard that keeps the song fresh and bewitching. Bill Evans did the same. But this evening the magic is the female voice of Jeni Fleming.

Jeni’s voice is clear and with perfect pitch. The clarity of her voice. Is it from breathing the clean air of Montana. Is singing really this different in big sky country.

Jake plays the sax on a jazz piece that no one identifies and I don’t recognize it. Seminary friends tap their feet and disguise their hipness. Vague references to phrases in “Route 66,” and recalling the jazz of the 1950s. Difficult vocals but her perfect pitch carries Jeni through this dangerous piece. What was that piece? Who wrote it?

This mystery is followed by an Antonio Carlos Jobin bossa nova piece. “Dindi” is the melody and the lyrics borrowed from the gospel hymn “Amazing Grace.” An amalgam that surprises but fits the context perfectly. The arrangement for saxophone and guitar are bossa nova and, on a hot summer night, music from tropical Brazil and Southern gospel lyrics fit the night perfectly. On a summer night it is easy to imagine Jobin writing music just for Jeni. “How sweet the sound.” The mélange of these two songs reminds me of the associations between Duke Ellington and the Lutheran Church.

Jake then introduces the song he wrote as a marriage proposal to Jeni. The song is “Once Around the Sun” and was inspired by Jeni’s remark that Jake should take a “day off.” Jake wrote the lyric with the misapprehension that a “day off” is “once around the sun” when a “once around the sun” is actually a year. Jeni accepted Jake’s proposal. Their marriage is not the last marriage that will be based on a husband’s misunderstanding.


The first set was completed with a memorable rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” “When all the world is a hopeless jumble, And the raindrops tumble all around, Heaven opens a magic lane…” The rendition is sung so pure, I began to think that Bozeman, Montana might be a refuge from urban horrors, a place where things are done accurately, even done perfectly.

And then, like an elephant suddenly charging into your living room, it happens. Joni sings the lyric “Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the CHIM LEE tops, that's where you'll find me.” CHIM LEE??? “CHIM LEE tops.”

Jeni really did sing “CHIM LEE. tops.”

Next time she is in Bexley, I’ll “axe” her why the unusual pronunciation.

The intermission is a little bourse where four of the trio’s five CDs are sold and autographed by the musicians. The phrase “…going like hot cakes” is descriptive.

The most recent CD is from 2006, “We’ll Be Together Again”

The CDs are available from www.jenifleming.com.

Jeni Fleming studied classical piano. She is an award winning soloist and is a talent opener at the annual Jazz Montana Festival in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

Jake Fleming is a public school music teacher. He is also minister of music at the Center for Campus Ministry at MSU-Bozeman. He was the winner of the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award-1992, and Academic Excellence Award in the MSU Concerto Competition for 1994.

Jake and Jeni Fleming are husband and wife.

Craig Hall works with several artists and groups from the intermountain region of Montana. He is a graduate of MSU and has studied guitar and vibraphone. His name appears on more than thirty six music CDs of regional artists. His work on these CDs is as arranger of string orchestrations and guitarist. Craig is also a recipient of a Montana Arts Council Fellowship.

The second half of the concert is an easy experience. Easy to enjoy. Easy to appreciate the musicianship of all three individuals. The first half was the performance of a trio. The second half highlights the individuals. The arrangements keep melodies intact and make it easy for the audience to pay attention to individual performances.

The first number I don’t recognize. Lyric includes “I can’t hear what you say” and “Second hand winds.”

An anecdote follows the first piece about why Craig became a bass player. Bozeman had no bass player, so Craig took the time to learn the instrument and now supplies bass for music ensembles throughout the city. He is always playing the bass for other combos. Craig has yet to have bass accompaniment for his own guitar playing.

Then follows a discussion of Jeni learning Portuguese. That explains the Jobin pieces. Jeni claims to be fluent in three sentences in Portuguese. “I would like fish, I would like a beer. I’m on a diet.”

Then Craig was featured on a song that had lyrics “I promise no more-no more fears, no more sighs…happiness I found was in my hometown.”

The title is probably “No More Blues.” This is followed by the Beatles “Can’t buy me love.” And then Paul Simon “Still crazy after all these years.” The anecdote that introduces the Paul Simons song is about the ease of shopping for groceries at 11:30 p.m. and listening to the Paul Simon song on the grocery store Muzak.

The standing ovation at the end brings another Jobin piece as encore. “The Girl from Ipanema.” Jeni sings the piece in Portuguese. Not one line though is about fish, beer or diets. Only “Danny Boy.”
.
There is mystery in this performance. My puzzlement on the walk home asks simple questions with no answers. Was the performance complex or was it really simple. Is Jeni’s voice what hypnotized me or was it her performance that mesmerized? She is a mystery that makes a hot summer night very nice.

Contact us.
WCRX-LP Editorial Collective
Bexley Public Radio Foundation operating as
WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM, Local Power Radio
2700 E. Main St., Suite 208
Columbus, OH 43209
Voice (614) 235 2929
Fax (614) 235 3008
Email wcrxlp@yahoo.com
Blog http://agentofcurrency.blogspot.com

Bexley Public Radio Foundation operating as WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM is exempt from federal taxes under IRC Section 501(c)(3). Donations are deductible from federal income taxes for individuals who itemize. Checks may identify the payee as Bexley Public Radio Foundation WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM.

Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. Bexley Public Radio Foundation.

[where: 43209]