The Arthropologist

Best memories: Eight powerful performances that made this arts season special

My inbox is bombarded with new season info. Looks great, people, I'll be there, but not right now, I'm still processing this past season.

As May winds down and we head into the semi-arts desert of the summer months, I consider, so what did I see that I can still remember? A whole lot of art has passed my optic nerve between September and now. I missed a lot too, because of that troublesome one body problem.

I've seen many terrific performances. But here's my question, as I head to the pool with a stack of novels, what's still speaking to me? What would I like to see again? What am I still hoping to understand? That's the definition of a keeper, and here's my list.

Chinglish, a perfect fit for Black Lab and Asia Society

Much about Black Lab Theatre's production (with Asia Society Texas Center) of David Henry Hwang's Chinglish stayed with me: The hilarious switching between English and Mandarin, the clever minimalism of the set, and most potently Vivian Chiu's performance, which cut to the core of global misunderstanding. Chinglish looked made to fit into the Asia Society's Brown Foundation Performing Arts Theater. What a coup for a small outfit to pull off such a polished performance. I tend to get excited when all the elements align this way.Chinglish runs through May 26 at Asia Society.

Bird Dances at Houston Ballet

When the curtain came down on Edwaard Liang'sMurmuration at Houston Ballet, I leapt to my feet, only to find the rest of the audience standing with me. It was that good. There's nothing unusual about turning to the natural world for inspiration in the dance world, or for that matter, the art world in general. It was the way Liang took an idea, the unexplained patterns of bird formation patterns, and ran with it, inventing his own language in the process. The duet between Mireille Hassenboehler and Simon Ball, with its dynamic ebbs and flows, brought out rare qualities that I had never noticed in these dancers. Murmuration is simply a marvel of a ballet.

Hand Dances at Musiqa

There's a reason that Musiqa won a Chamber Music America Award/ American Society for Composers, Authors and Publishers for Adventurous Programming. The group has a way of putting programs together that keeps us thinking. Thierry De Mey's Table Music, performed as part of their January program, "Percussion Illusions," is just such an example. Using only their hands as instruments, UH Moores School Percussion Ensemble members Russell Maley, Briana Garcia and Eddie Solomon were mesmerizing. It proved to me once and for all that there is so much theater in music.

Karina Gonzalez Moves Up at Houston Ballet

I almost missed Karina Gonzalez dancing the role of Nikiya in La Bayadère. I had accidently double booked myself. In a last minute switch, I managed to make the performance, and I'm glad I did. I learned something in her performance that night. Dancing at this level can be larger than the role. I don't think anyone was surprised when her promotion to principal was announced.

The Most Graceful Elephant in Town at the Alley

Jay Sullivan's eloquent portrayal of John Merrick, in the Alley Theatre production of Bernard Pomerance’s The Elephant Man,continues to haunt me. The scene when Mrs. Kendal goes to shake John Merrick's hand will be etched in my memory. He reaches out with his "good" hand, while she reaches for the other "deformed" one. Time stops as Merrick finally agrees to her gentle request. She acknowledges the whole of him. A simple gesture dilates the moment, and we learn everything we need to know about these two characters.

Organ Music Redefined at Society for the Performing Arts

Cameron Carpenter delighted on just about every level during his Society for the Performing Arts show at Christ Church Cathedral; he's a fantastic musician, a consummate performer, a witty speaker, and can totally rock a pair of sparkly shoes. I found his performance dazzling from start to finish. His brief introductions helped put both his musical choices and the instrument in context. His seems like the kind of musician that will be at the top of the future of classical music.

Flesh and Steel at Frame Dance Productions

Frame Dance Productions' newest film, Quiver, sets an eerie industrial tone. Choreographed and directed by Frame Dance founder Lydia Hance, Quiver juxtaposes fluid movement against a steel urban environment. Four dancers in blue felt skirts move in and out of the Pennzoil Place, while buses pass by without notice. We feel the presence of warm bodies in the space, as Hance delicately navigates the architectural elements of a site and the choreographic structure of her movement. Hance's film is just such a potent reminder of how dance forever changes a space. Quiver will be screened again as part of an evening of new and recent work called "Ecouter" on June 28-29 at Studio 101.

Matt Lents Stands Out at Stark Naked

Matt Lents proved an actor to watch in Classical Theatre's production of Candida in 2012. He sealed the deal in playing the role of Jared, an autistic child with a love of all things words, in Annie Baker'sBody Awareness, Stark Naked's first offering of the season. Lents held his own performing with three of Houston's finest actors, Kim Tobin, Drake Simpson and Pamela Vogel. He's a very talented young actor, and I suspect and hope that we will be seeing more of him on Houston stages.

Houston Ballet artists Karina Gonzalez and Chris Coomer will put you under a spell in Edwaard Laing's Murmuration

Kim Tobin and Matt Lents in Stark Naked Theatre's production of Body Awareness

Kim Tobin and Matt Lents in Stark Naked Theatre's production of Body Awareness

Photo by © Gabriella Nissen

Kim Tobin and Matt Lents in Stark Naked Theatre's production of Body Awareness

The coolest of cats

Friends share memories of Houston musician Scott Gertner, who died this week

Scott Gertner

Courtesy Cindy Gertner

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Scott Gertner, one of the most prominent figures in Houston’s music and nightlife scenes, has unexpectedly passed away.

A brief statement by the musician’s family did not share a cause of death. It thanked people for their condolences, asked for privacy, and stated that funeral details would be shared soon.

Gertner was, without hyperbole, the coolest of cats. As a multi-talented, thrice-Grammy-nominated musician and singer, no one could resist his soulful stylings. As a nightclub owner, he knew how to open up the right spots at the right time. Before its closure in 2010, Scott Gertner’s Skybar was Montrose’s jazz temple in the sky, where people could check out live music while gazing at the stars. (Skybar also attracted celebs like Luther Vandross, Steve Harvey, and Shaquille O’Neal, so the stars weren’t just in the sky.) A decade later, he opened up Scott Gertner’s Rhythm Room on Memorial Dr., luring people in with live grooves and a mouth-watering menu.

In my previous life as a nightlife reporter, Gertner was the person I usually contacted whenever I needed intel on jazz clubs in the city. (I also believe that, during one of these sitdowns, I surprised him one day with a 12-inch single he recorded in the late ‘80s for CBS Records, a lost item I picked up at a nearby record store.)

But I know I’m not the only person who has sparkling memories featuring Gertner. I reached out to a few friends and asked them what they’ll remember the most about the late, great, swaggerific impresario:

T.J. Callahan, film critic/radio personality: “We had many fantastic CBS Radio Houston Christmas parties at the Skybar. Scott was always the most gracious host and fun performer.

“Also, two of my close friends went to high school at HSPVA with Scott. They are all musicians. During our college years, Scott was playing at the old Ruggles on lower Westheimer, back when everyone cruised that area on the weekends. Every time we passed by the restaurant, my friends and I would scream ‘Gertner’ out the car window, like he was going to hear us and come out and say hi. Hey, we were 18. The boys were so excited Scott had a real gig.”

Russell V. Guess, music producer/former Skybar bartender: “When I tell you I wouldn’t know half the people I know — I wouldn’t have made a good deal of the money I’ve made in my life — and not have had many of the experiences (too many!) that made me who I am if not for this man, it isn’t an exaggeration at all.

“But there’s so much more to remember about the guy. A true artist, bandleader, music lover, and businessman. I soaked up so much game about music and nightlife, a course more valuable than any class I could’ve taken. To know him personally was a privilege not to be taken lightly; he’d hit you with that smile that always said everything his words didn’t. Always the encourager, he supported me in and outside the nightlife. Even after I stopped working for him, we’d still text each other on our birthdays since they were 11 days apart. I was always welcome wherever his venue was located and, if he was there, that smile and a hug was soon to follow.”

Mark Towns, jazz guitarist: “One of the first times I heard Scott play was back in the heyday of Cody’s, when he was on bass and vocals with Paul English’s incredible band. That group was something special — Paul on piano, Kirk Whalum and Johnny Torres on saxophones, and Scott bringing his unique energy and voice to the mix. The vibe was electric at those shows.

“Later, Scott held down Wednesday nights at Cody’s in the Village, and those nights became legendary. It was the hottest night of the week, and, as the story goes, Scott was making more money that one night than the club owner was making all week. That’s the kind of draw and charisma he had.

“From there, Scott opened the Skybar at the original Cody’s location on Montrose, and I was honored when he hired my Flamenco Jazz trio to play a Wednesday night series there, sponsored by The Wave radio station. We alternated Wednesdays with Joe Carmouche’s excellent trio — great times. He also was the gracious host for the CD release party for my first album, Flamenco Jazz Latino, at Skybar.

“Back in the late 1980s, way before Skybar and those Village Cody’s Wednesdays, Scott and I played together at the legendary Blues Jam with Ardis Turner (RIP) at Live Bait on Greenbriar — me on guitar and Scott on bass. Too bad there are no recordings of that. We had some wild jams.

“There was a weird kind of synchronicity with Scott — I’d run into him all over Houston, at all hours, in the most random places. It happened often. The last time I saw Scott was at the Rhythm Room last year. We ended up talking for a long while. He was extremely interested in hearing details about some health issues that I had firsthand knowledge about.

“Scott was a great singer, a great guitarist, a great bassist, and a powerful presence on stage and off. As a performer, a businessman, a leader, and a cultural force, Scott Gertner enriched Houston’s music world. I’m grateful our paths crossed.”

obituary scott gertner deaths

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