Djam at Je'Bon

For a fun girls night out, my friends Mimi and Ava and I like to go to our favorite place to watch bellydancing in New York: Djam at Je'Bon.  In the downstairs space of this East Village Asian restaurant, a group of musicians and dancers get together for an experimental presentation of bellydance and other related forms of movement.  Kaeshi Chai of Bellyqueen (pictured here) is the hostess and creator of this Wednesday night showcase that always delivers a new way of looking at this ever-changing and varied artform.  Practically every well-known bellydancer has graced this stage at some point in the past 3-years.  After each performance, I am always amazed at how styles, body types, costumes and make-up can be so different and unique.  The band Djinn, composed of five core players, really enliven with their beats and syncopations.  The intimate and informal format is perfectly balanced with a combination of food, music, dance with a dash of the unexpected.  Kaeshi, an incredible warrior-princess of a dancer herself, often has her student troupes perform so that the atmosphere is very amicable and familial.  In fact, we can all get up and dance together at the end to cap off the evening.

An Unknown Artist

To make ends meet, I often temp in corporate America, where life is so structured and detailed that I often find myself a little dazed and confused from all the minutia.  On occasion, I come across something that restores and enlightens.  How joyful are these moments!

In an office on Park Avenue, a work on paper stopped me in my tracks.  At first glance, it seems like a modest diagrammatic work on paper - minimal color range, rather light and sketchy.  Two pieces of watercolor paper glued together making one long piece.  On further inspection, a variety of marks come into play: geometric shapes, cross marks, hatching, smudging, scribbling and shading form a whimsical composition using a wide range of materials such as charcoal, graphite, colored pencil, paint and tape.  What an orchestral flow of multiligual versatility stopping at a moment of perfect balance.

I wanted to know more and inquired about this artist in the collection.  Yet, there was no name, no fame, no glory.  I salute this artist and all those like him/her who as unknown masters of their art, still make their marks on us.

Melody Gardot

A few weeks ago, I had the urge to take a walk in the park to feel the grass under my feet and the gentle breezes in the trees on that balmy night.  As I walked through Sheep’s Meadow, I heard the haunting refrains of a gentle jazz lilting from Central Park ’s Summerstage.  Slowly, as if mesmerized by a dream, I walked into the seating area, a CD handed to me by a staff member.  I found myself in front of the impressive sight of a vocalist and her huge orchestra.  How interesting, I thought.  Dressed in a gold sequined number, this glamorous blond but frail singer was singing in a way that was so clear and easy that she reminded me of my favorites from days gone by.  A little Astrud Gilberto with some Judy Garland maybe.  Her name was Melody Gardot and she had a way of just bringing you into her intimate space by giving her heart simply and honestly through her slow renditions of tunes bathed in blues and Latin flavors.  I became an instantaneous fan.  I learned later that she was hit by a car when she was in her teens, which has left her walking with a cane and many strategies for handling her pain.  She used music as her healer when she was in her hospital bed, and from there it grew into a beautiful flower that it is today at age 25.  Great art doesn’t have to be complicated, I thought.  The evening was a true gift and a reminder of what truth-telling is all about - heart-felt expression battered by richness of experience. 

Intuition pulled me to this unforgettable spot in time and space; I’ll never underestimate that still small voice. Surprising jewels await those who are willing to follow.