MFAH Houston

Torah Crown, mid-19th century, parcel gilt-silver, Collection of the Comunita Ebraica de Venezia (The Jewish Community of Venice)

As Germany's Nazi soldiers invaded countries throughout Europe during their height of their powers, they would - like armies throughout the centuries - also plunder. So it was not uncommon for families or institutions to frantically try to hide items of financial or sentimental value, in the hopes that they could be reclaimed one day.

Now, thanks to the foresight and clever deception of two elderly Jewish worshippers as the Nazis invaded Italy in 1943, a trove of ornate silver and bronze objects from the 17th through 20th centuries will be on view in the exhibit Lost Treasure of the Jewish Ghetto of Venice/ Restored by Venetian Heritage Inc. Hidden away for more than 60 years, the items were discovered by accident.

Among the primarily liturgical works are silver Torah crowns, lamps, plates used during ceremonial functions, Torah cases, finials, and other pieces of incredible craftsmanship and beauty, restored by a company called Venetian Heritage.

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On Taikoza's website, the drums or taiko that the group performs on are described as: "a large, barrel-like drum that can fill the air with the sounds of rolling thunder." What perfect timing it was, then, that Taikoza performed this past Saturday, a day filled with rumbling thunder of its own as sporadic showers swept through the Houston area.

Taikoza was founded in New York in 1995 by Marco Lienhard, a member of Ondekoza, the group that originally popularized the art of taiko drum-playing in the '60s.

It now has six main members: Malika Tasuko Duckworth, Marguerite Bunyan, Chikako Saito, Yoshiko Canada, Kenji Nakano and Mashayo Ishigure. Taikoza has performed all over the world, from Russia to New York (and Houston), and for all sorts of audiences: the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, ESPN S.U.M.O.: The Battle of the Giants, Dell Computers, Merrill Lynch, etc. They also perform philanthropically, teaching students in schools in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Philadelphia and Virginia to play drums as part of Young Audiences and Symphony Space program.

Though designated in name as a spotlight on the large drum, there were smaller drums present during the performance, including a portion where the group members patted on what appeared to be snare drums, making thrumming heartbeat sounds with their sticks. We would begin to notice that the drums would come to represent the blood-pumping organ throughout the night.

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Distorted Light by cosmic_omar

If Brave New Waves were a picture, it might look something like this.

Whether you know it or not, Houston has a thriving electronic music scene. The fact that this genre is relatively unrecognized is what has been bugging composer Paul Connolly for a while. So, he decided to do something about it and that something is called Brave New Waves, which is a monthly music series focusing on electronic, electro-acoustic and other music forms, now in its third month.

We spoke with Connolly a few months back when the series launched, but it's gone through some growing pains with a new location and a brief hiatus.

Connolly is a music man through and through. Hailing from Calgary, Connolly has studied music composition and recording since he was just a wee lad. He traveled around much of the globe and eventually planted roots in Sugar Land. In his seven years in Texas, the rich and varied musical talent in the city has continuously blown him away, specifically pertaining to his own passion of incorporating technology into music.

"With electronic music," Connolly says, "the possibilities are limitless." He is a music-boundary pusher and enhances his compositions with modern-day techniques.

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Trudy Lynn sings the blues at last night's opening reception.

Last night, Art Attack swung by The Heritage Society for the opening of its latest exhibition, "Blues in All Its Colors." The exhibit is a collection of art and artifacts chronicling Houston's colorful blues history.

The moment we walked through the door, we were struck with the sweet sounds of Trudy Lynn wailing into the microphone. Lynn is a staple in the Houston blues community. She's been singing since the late '60s and, as we witnessed, still has got it going on. Milton Hopkins and the Hit City Blues Band backed her up, and a nice-sized crowd tapped their toes and sung along to familiar blues hits.

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One of the most pleasant discoveries at last weekend's iFest was the guitar sculpture of local graphic designer and political junkie Pen Morrison. A Yankee who came south to college and fell in love with all things Southern -- especially blues and gospel music -- Morrison began the "Guitars" series with a piece she contributed to a benefit auction.

That piece led to her first commission.

"Someone from Whole Foods saw the piece I did for KPFT. In fact, Sandy from the "Dead Air" show bought it. So suddenly I found myself looking for a perfect subject for the new Whole Foods store."

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Voted the best bandoneonist (player of a type of small accordion) under 25 in Argentina when he was only 17 years old, Hector del Curto is today a world-class musician. He has played with most of the biggest names in tango, from pianist Osvaldo Pugliese to fellow bandoneonist Astor Piazolla. Representing this year's theme country Argentina, Del Curto's current project Eternal Tango will perform at the Houston International Festival on the Center Stage April 21, 22 and 29. We caught up with the 41-year-old maestro at his home in New York City.

Art Attack: We are always fascinated by people who decide very early on what they want to do, then stick to it and master it.

Hector Del Curto: [Laughs] It was not my decision. I never thought, "I will be a famous tango musician" or anything like that. I started learning guitar when I was five, and switched to bandoneón when I was 11. But I just liked to make music. The other kids thought I was odd because I would stay in and practice when they were outside playing.

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Can you immerse an audience in sound? Can you turn a musical composition into an experience akin to something visual, such as a painting or film? Houston-based composer Robert McClure thinks that you can and to prove it, he is premiering his latest project, "Untangle My Tongue," this Friday at the Orange Show.

"Untangle My Tongue" will consist of three pieces of music that celebrate both the "Orange Show's unique space and Houston's natural soundscape." The methods McClure has used to create this work certainly go against the grain. He took some recording equipment and walked around the city capturing all that he heard. Cars, traffic, the MetroRail and the buzzing of wildlife are all incorporated into the piece. The Orange Show itself was another inspiration. "While my sounds were deliberately ordered, Houston, a character in itself, will provide an improvisatory element for this performance," says McClure.

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Boey is an exceptionally talented artist, and a lot of the time, the art that he makes is portrayed on Styrofoam cups. Art Attack asked him a little more about it.

Art Attack: Why Styrofoam as a medium? Is it because you're just so in love with Houston rap culture (big fans of the Styrofoam cup)?

Boey: I find drawing on Styrofoam cups as a challenge. Maybe I was listening to Houston rap at Starbucks while I was drawing, but I wasn't drawing because of a love for Houston rap. The type of music I like is Beck, Blur, xx, GN'R and Ghostland Observatory.

AA: More on that: The presence of the Styrofoam cup has risen greatly within rap these past few years. Have you ever considered maybe doing some rap- themed ones?

Boey: Perhaps. I have done a cup with a Daft Punk theme, so anything's possible.

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"RARRR!": Composer John Williams during tracking sessions for the Jurassic Park score. Maybe.

Today John Williams turns 80 years old, and the prolific composer has packed in a lot of work in the past five decades as one of the most iconic movie music makers to lead an orchestra. No doubt you have been enthralled, enraptured and enfrightened (not a word) by his collaborations with George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Oliver Stone.

He's sort of like a one-man Beatles of magic and majesty. Did you know that he also did the music for the first season of Gilligan's Island and wrote the theme song for television's Lost in Space?

Even his lesser known works, like his scores for Hook, Empire of the Sun and The Sugarland Express, have their cult followings.

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Photos by Marco Torres

Fat Tony poses with wooden relief carving of Pimp C by artist Shambay.

​To see more photos from this show, check out our slideshow.

The premise is a simple one, although many times simple is the hardest thing anyone can do well. Add one part art exhibition, two parts music, and top it off with free drinks, and the results produce the Art, Beats, and Lyrics series that hit Warehouse Live this past Friday night. The event was sponsored by Gentleman Jack, which is a whisky touted as the more refined big brother to its collegiate sibling Jack Daniels. The organizers took every measure possible to ensure a successful, albeit simple, warehouse party.

The crowd showed up early, and the venue was filled to capacity for much of the night. The setup spanned both the spacious ballroom as well as the more intimate studio of Warehouse Live. Most concerts that I shoot at this venue don't attract this much attention. The vibe was both cool and welcoming, which was necessary due to how little personal space one was left with after entering. The lines at the bars were especially crowded, so we did our best to avoid them and enjoy the art.

The "art" freaks come out at night!

The music performers included the Houston Press Music Awards Nominee Jack Freeman, who wooed the ladies with his silky voice and charming confidence. Mr. Freeman provided tunes from his recently released effort called "Lynnie's Juke Joint." Fellow HPMA nominees and Best Rap Group winners The Nice Guys also performed to the appreciative crowd.

The art in question ranged from photography, sculpture and graffiti to traditional paint on canvas. But the topics were far from traditional, including an urban departure from the "wine and cheese" gallery shows, and focusing on the four elements of Hip-Hop (MC-ing, DJ-ing, Graffiti, Break-Dancing). Figures such as the Notorious B.I.G. and local legend Pimp C were immortalized and displayed on the maze of walls erected in the center of the cavernous space.

Electronic spray paint is less messy than traditional spray paint.

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