Celebrating Community
While the African American impact on jazz is recognized and well established, the contribution of Italian immigrants on jazz is not. Italians arrived in America playing mandolin, violin, guitar and piano. They brought traditions of Southern-Italian marching bands, opera and folk histories. Whether Neapolitan, Sicilian or Calabrese, they understood passion and romanticism in music. And the Italian propensity for humor […]
Littlefield, the performance space located at 635 Sackett St. in Gowanus, recently celebrated its 10th anniversary with a week-and-a-half-long festival that featured live music, comedy shows and dance parties. “We couldn’t fit all our history and programing into one week; there were so many people we wanted to work with,” said co-owner Julie Kim. “We hoped we covered all the […]
The peaceful brownstone blocks of Brooklyn frequently hide a staggering amount of talented characters. We are often surrounded by unusual people and don’t even know it. As a musician and a writer, I am intrigued by those who should be better known but aren’t. One such fellow is singer-songwriter-guitarist Matt Statler. Originally hailing from St. Louis, Missouri, Statler’s Americana sound […]
The Move From Manhattan “I can’t believe that was my life,” Francesca Van Horne says in the same light tone she used to describe her recent career changes. But the topic is anything but light. Francesca is a talented actor, writer, producer, and director. She’s a mother. She’s an active member of her local community, this community. She does it […]
When the Queen Mary 2 was docked at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, on May 17, Red Hook took notice. Mark’s Pizzeria put out a sign welcoming the ocean liner that temporarily reconverted the skyline. “I have noticed the QM2 a few times,” Christina Daniels at Pioneer Works wrote in an email. “It always takes me a minute to realize it’s there because it’s […]
On a particularly hot Saturday in July, braving the 95 degree heat, Marlene Pantin walks up to a group of volunteers with a smile on her face and a cooler of water in hand. It’s a scene you could expect to find most Saturdays during the warmer months of the year. As she enters the scene, Marlene’s volunteers weed a […]