Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra - March 27!

Harkening back to the days when mambo was king, the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra brings the power of the big band to hits such as Machito's "Mambo America" and the legendary Tito Puente's "Mas Bajo."

To learn what the New York Times has to say about the band, click here.

Tonight we'll see the band in all its booty-shaking glory and get to meet its charismatic leader, Arturo O'Farrill, in a special pre-show meeting. (Photographers: bring your cameras!)

When: 6:30pm

Where: Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway

How to get there: Take the 1/2/3 train to 96th Street, then walk one block south. We'll meet in the lobby at 6:15pm. 

See you tonight!

Cai Guo-Qiang Wants to Believe

The first Multi TRaC outing is to the Guggenheim Museum to see I WANT TO BELIEVE, an exhibition by Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang.

Check out the online catalog of the show by clicking this link.

Pictured at the right is Inopportune: Stage One, 2004. (Materials: Nine cars and sequenced multichannel light tubes, dimensions variable.)

The Guggenheim Catalog states:

Cai's focus on sociopolitical issues, especially relating to acts of terrorism, has become a central feature of his work since 9/11. The most overt example, Inopportune: Stage One, simulates the trajectory of an exploding automobile tumbling through space, offering up the contradiction between a spectator's abhorrence of violence and attraction to the abstract beauty of some violent images.

There's a cool video about how they installed the cars here.

High 5 always has tickets for Guggenheim shows, so anytime you want to take some people there, just shoot us an email.

enjoy!

~eric

New Museum Outing This Thursday!

How did it get to be our last class already? This semester really whizzed by. And somehow it did so without our getting out to see some art -- visual art, that is.

So given everyone's hectic schedules, I've decided to schedule our final outing during our class time -- Thursday from 4:30 to 6:30pm.

We'll be going to the brand-new New Museum on the Bowery. This should be very cool. Not only will we be able to check out the critically acclaimed new building (see at right), but we'll apply our critical powers to a sculpture show called "Unmonumental: The Object in the 21st Century."

For the New York Times' review of the museum, click here.

2 questions to always consider....

#1
What is the art trying to accomplish?

#2
Does it succeed?

Keeping the art in mind, you can never go wrong in your reviews. You will avoid the pitfalls: "i didn't like it. it was good. i liked it. it was bad..." blah, blah. The interesting stuff is in the WHYs and the WHATs! Why did it succeed in parts, but not as a whole? What was it (the dance, the play, the painting, the song) trying to accomplish? Did it do more or less? Are you cool with where it went?

And tell us what you think! A little interpretation/a little context (do some research!) is always nice for your readers. Remember to keep them - US, your readers - in mind.... Or, just write for you. I carry a small notebook with me everywhere I go. Writers write. You are all writers because you write. That's the only requirement. :)

Open hearts, open minds.
The most important thing I want you to take away from TRaC is to be open to things foreign to you. Crain your neck, your ears, your brain to understand. Get excited, and bring people along!

Art is communication and communion.
That's what makes this fun....

happy december.
~eric