Swann Auction Galleries 2013 Sale of African American Fine Arts.

February has come and gone.  Once again we review the regular February Swann Gallery Auction of African American Fine Arts. 

Sale No.2303. was held this year at Swann’s Manhattan sale rooms on Thursday February 14, 2013.

Offered for sale were 147 art pieces including prints, oils, drawings and sculptures by noted artists.

The auction results regularly exceeded the pre-sale estimates perhaps reflecting the strength of Wall Street in recent weeks.  Four pieces sold for over $100,000; six pieces sold for more than $50,000; seventeen sold for more than $20,000 and 35 pieces were sold for more than $10,000.

A sculpture by Elizabeth Catlett (Lot 141) sold for $95,000 and 14 linoleum cuts titled “I am a Black Woman” sold as a single lot (#147) for $75,000.  Other individual pieces by Catlett sold within the range of $2,000 to $10,000.

Interest in the work of Romare Bearden was strong.  Lot 87 sold for $6,500 well above the pre-auction estimate of $3,000 - $5,000.  The commemorative stamp issued by the USPS has kept the Bearden name and a good sample of his images before the public for much of the 2012 calendar year.

Artist Willis Bing Davis, a Dayton, Ohio resident whose work is regularly shown in central Ohio was the only Ohio artist represented in the Swann Galleries auction.  One of his Urban Masks was listed in the catalog as Lot 127 with a pre-sale estimate of $1,500 - $2,500.

The Swann Galleries interest in African Americana continues with a March 21 auction of printed items and manuscripts.  This sale is numbered as Sale 2308.  Offered for auction are items of interest such as certificates of freedom for three former slaves (Lot 26) a manuscript pass for a Freeman named Sam Johns (Lot 27)

The auction also has printed materials from the 1970s and 1980s. Lots 201 and 202 are striking posters by artist Emery Douglas.  Lot 201 carries the message “This Will Mean the End of Our Dreams for the Class War…” and a pre-auction estimate of $1,500 - $2,500.  Lot 202 carries the message “The Heirs of Malcolm have Picked up the Gun and Now Stand Millions Strong Facing the Racist Pig” and its pre-auction estimate is $400 - $600.

Catalogs for Sale 2303 (Fine Arts) and Sale 2308 (Prints and Manuscripts) are available at the Swann Auction Galleries website:  swanngalleries.com

Copyright 2013.  All rights reserved.  Bexley Public Radio Foundation.

First entry in Bexley Public Radio CJO ticket raffle

First entry in Bexley Public Radio's CJO ticket raffle has arrived.  Four venues were submitted by the entrant.  See below.  The deadline for submission is getting close.  Send in your qualifying entry as soon as possible.  Explore this blog and find the raffle rules and deadlines in an earlier blog post.

Isn't it time that you got to know Bexley Public Radio?


Dick's Den
2417 N. High St.
Columbus, OH  43202
(614) 268-9573
support@dicksdencolumbus.com

Boudin's Bistro and Jazz Lounge
6064 Channingway Blvd.
Columbus, OH  43232
(614) 940-8960

Lincoln Theater
769 E. Long St.
Columbus, OH  43203
(614) 384-5639


The Venue Lounge
2063 E. Livingston Ave.
Columbus, OH
(614) 239-8368
 www.myvenuelounge.com

Sunday February  24
Dick's Den
Tim Easton
Singer, songwriter from Akron, Ohio.
 Music is Alt-country, bluegrass, folk


Tuesday February 26
Dick's Den
Bluegrass Jam.

Wednesday February 27
Dick's Den
Tim Dvorkin of Groove Palette
Dvorkin is a Columbus-based jazz musicia.

Thursday February 28
Dick's Den
Stan Smith
Performance jazz musician and assistance professor of music at Capital University, Conservatory of Music, jazz industry program.

Thursday February 28
Lincoln Theatre
Backstage at the Lincoln Series
Sean Carney with special guest Shaun Booker
Curtain 7:00 pm



Friday March 1
Dick's Den
The Flyin' Saucers
A performance group whose recordings are usually categorized as punk or psychobilly.

 

Saturday March 2
Dick's Den
Descendre
Adam Smith, Justin Campbell and Jim Tussing are the Columbus, Ohio jazz combo Descendre.  Smith is a composer and a poly-instrumentalist.  Campbell is on drums and keyboard.  Tussing is on bass, keyboard and guitar.

Saturday March 2
Lincoln Theater
Jazz Arts Group
CJO presents Motor City Soul Revue
Curtain 8 pm


Sunday March 3
Dick's Den
Brandon Chapman
A jazz musician and poly-instrumentalist.


Tuesday March 5
Dick's Den
Bluegrass Jam

Wednesday March 6
Dick's Den
Peter Harris
A violinist with classical training.  A teacher of violin.  A performing violinist.  Also performs blue grass and jazz on the violin and teaches at Clintonville Academy.



Thursday March 7
Dick's Den
Townes Van Zandt Tribute
Tribute to now-deceased singer-songwriter.

Friday March 9
Dick's Den
Slick Andrews
Vocalist with the 3C Drifters.  Music is rockabilly and country.



March 9
Lincoln Theatre
Jazz Arts Group
PBJ and Jazz:  New Basics Brass Band
Curtaain 10 am and 11:30 am

Sunday March 10
Dick's Den
Langniappe
Music performed by this Cincinnati ensemble is described as Americana.  The French name for the group perhaps hints that the Americana performed comes out of the culture of Gallipolis.


Tuesday March 12
Dick's Den
Bluegrass Jam



Thursday March 15
Dick's Den
Ken Messer
Ken leads a jazz group called Phoenix that performs only original material.



Friday March 15
Dick's Den
Josh Hill
The Josh Hill Band is known for tunes that are from the traditions of Rock, Soul and Blues.

Saturday March 16
Dick's Den
Randy Mather
A saxophone and The American Songbook.

Sunday March 17
Dick's Den
Derek DiCenzo
A stalwart member of the Bobby Floyd Trio, a solo performance by Derek is always rewarding.



Tuesday March 19
Dick's Den
Bluegrass Jam.

Thursday March 21
Dick's Den
Matt Paetsch
A teacher at the Clintonville Academy of Music, Matt also teaches at Kenyon College and Mount Union Nazarene College.

Friday March 22
Dick's Den
Tom Tallitsch
Musician, educator and radio jazz program host, Talliitsch has strong music connections in Cleveland and Cincinnati.  He resides in New Jersey.

Saturday March 23
Dick's Den
Dan Zwelling
A jazz drummer.

Saturday March 23
Lincoln Theatre
Columbus Gay Men Chorus
Until There's a Cure
Curtain 8 pm

Sunday March 24
Dick's Den
Andrew Hartman
A jazz guitarist, Andrew Hartman is also adjunct instructor of Guitar at Kenyon College.



Tuesday March 26
Dick's Den
Bluegrass Jam



Thursday March 28
Dick's Den
Mike Zarrilli

Thursday March 28
Lincoln Theatre
Backstage at the Lincoln 
Enrique Infante



Friday March 29
Dick's Den
Wally Mitchell

Friday March 29
Lincoln Theatre
CAPA
Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour 2013
Curtain 8 pm


Saturday March 30
Dick's Den
The Louis'



Sunday March 31
Dick's Den
Joe Ong




 

St. Colman Parish, Washington C.H., Dedication of a new organ.

Late Sunday afternoon, February 10, 2013. 

Punctual at 4:00 p.m. we arrive at St. Colman Catholic Church on South North Street, Washington Court House.  The parish of St. Colman is in Fayette County, an easy drive from Bexley.  Our neighbors, Janet and Fred, have volunteered to drive in their new car. 

Our mutual expedition is to listen to a church choir and a new organ.

The Reverend Father James H. Hatfield III is pastor for an evening vespers service and dedication of the new organ for the St. Colman Parish.

The church’s director of liturgical music and organist for the evening is Craig Jaynes.  Our neighbors, my wife and I know Craig as a landscape designer, nurseryman and proprietor of Country English Gardens.  Craig also earns his living as a registered nurse at Wilmington Community Care Hospice.  

The St. Colman choir of twenty-five was led by Craig.

Craig is indefatigable. 

Is it sensible to visit a rural Midwestern town in search of musical beauty?  Our expectations for the evening are elevated because we know of Craig’s commitment to excellence, his discipline and the beauty that his skills can create.

The organ we have come to hear is the design of Jamestown Organ Works.  The instrument’s voices are the responsibility of Walker Technical Company and the console was constructed by R.A. Colby.

To introduce the new instrument to the parish and guests, a diverse selection of sacred music, both instrumental and choral, was performed as part of the prayers and liturgy of the Sunday evening vespers. 

The selection of music was sophisticated and would test an ordinary choir and organist.  I also anticipated hearing the performance of those pieces that were new to me.

The prelude was based on “Iam sol recedit igneus” and for the vespers service the lyrics were perfectly descriptive of the setting sun as the service began a few minutes after 4:00 p.m. 

“O Trinity of blessed light, O unity of princely might, The fiery sun now goes his way:  Shed thou within our hearts thy ray.  To thee our morning song of praise, To thee our evening prayer we raise.” 

The prelude was composed by Bruce Simonds (1895-1989), a Yale university professor.  The music is based on the Sarum plainsong tune attributed to St. Ambrose.

The beauty of the voices of the choir and the voices of the new organ was apparent from the start of the service with the Prelude “Iam sol recedit igneus” and the Psalmody.  Psalm 98, Cantate Domino Psalm 92 Bonum est confitieri

The performance of the music was skillful.  When the hymns were performed it was also obvious that the parish has skillful singers in the congregation.  The voices of the choir and organ in the balcony, and the voices of the congregation below filled the sanctuary with the sounds of joyful singing.

In addition to the beauty of the choir’s presentation, the physical strength of the choir and its director was noteworthy.  These musicians prepared and performed thirteen pieces including the hymns.  Quite a task that few ordinary choirs could sustain.

Two pieces that are new to me were by Herbert Sumsion.  The Gospel canticle was Sumsion’s Magnificat in G and the Meditation was his Nunc Dimittis in G.

The range of selections included one Latin lyric:  Tantum Ergo. 

Tantum ergo Sacrementum Veneremur cernui:  Et antiquum documentum Novo cedat retui

Translated:  Therefore we before him bending, this great sacrament revere, Types and Shadows have their ending, for the newer rite is here.

This lyric was sung during the moments when dusk had waned and the shadows from the setting sun disappeared.

The vespers and dedication were attended by fifty-five people in addition to Father Hatfield, alter boys and choir director.

Father Hatfield noted that there were a number of guests who were visitors and thanked them for participating in the service and dedication.

After the service, the Women of St. Colman served cookies, cheeses and cut fruit in the Parish Hall.

The parish is named for St. Colman of Cloyne born in Munster, Ireland.  He was a poet and later, the royal bard at Cashel.  He is among the first to write poetry in the vernacular.  He was baptized by St. Brendan when he was fifty years old and also given the name Colman.  He was ordained and and is reputed to have been St. Columba's teacher.  He was the first Bishop of Cloyne in eastern Cork.

 

Columbus Jazz Orchestra ticket raffle.

Win two tickets to any one performance of the Columbus Jazz Orchestra at the Southern Theatre.

Choose any one of the CJO performances scheduled during March or April, 2013.

Bexley Public Radio, WCRX-LP, "Jazz on 102.1 FM" was the highest bidder for the CJO tickets in a silent auction that raised funds for TWIG 88.  And now, Bexley Public Radio is offering the two tickets to its listeners at "Jazz on 102.1 FM."

If you are the raffle winner, redeem your award promptly.   

Make your reservation as soon as possible.

The CJO performances for March and April are:

  Vocalist Debbie Gravitte.

March 14-17, 2013.  CGO presents “Big Band on Broadway” with vocalist Debbie Gravitte.

The song-list will feature music from Hello Dolly!, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and The Wiz.

Curtain times are Thursday 7:30 p.m., Friday – Saturday 8:00 p.m., Sunday 3:00 p.m.

April 11-14, 2013.  “Piano Men: The Music of Billy Joel, Elton John & Stevie Wonder.”  Guest artists are vocalist Chester Gregory and Dave Powers on the keyboard.

Keyboard musician Dave Powers.  

The audience will hear selections including “Piano Man,” “Just the Way You Are,” “Your Song,” “Rocket Man,” “Sir Duke,” and “Isn’t She Lovely.”

Vocalist Chester Gregory

Curtain times are Thursday 7:30 p.m., Friday – Saturday 8:00 p.m., Sunday 3:00 p.m.  

The "Jazz on 102.1 FM" raffle.

To enter the raffle, you must send an email to wcrxlp@yahoo.com and identify three central Ohio venues where live jazz is performed regularly.  To identify the locations, you must provide the organization or establishment’s name, street address, telephone number and the schedule of performances for the months of March and April.  You also must include your own telephone number and mailing address. 

Contest entry is by email to wcrxlp@yahoo.com.   

Anyone can enter the contest and multiple entries are permitted provided that each email entry contains all of the information listed above and provided also that the three live jazz venues in each email from the same person do not provide duplicate information about local jazz venues.  Station volunteers, officers and trustees are permitted to enter the raffle provided their volunteer service has been approved by the WCRX-LP Community Programming Advisory Committee and that they supply the same information required of all raffle participants.

Deadline for entries is midnight Friday March 1, 2013.   

The drawing to determine the winner will be held Saturday March 2 and the name of the winner will be posted on the Bexley Public Radio blog at agentofcurrency.blogspot.com (google the three words agent of currency to link to the blog).