the Louisville Arts Renaissance Project

Documenting the Louisville arts renaissance.

[louisvillerenaissance]

Official Updates

It’s been a while, though I’ve been steadily keeping on with research and talking to people. I completed my goal of doing at least a couple interviews last year, although none ended up being publishable because I didn’t know what I was doing. That’s something I’m working on. The future of the arts renaissance project is looking something like this:

Focus on writing articles and essays for publication, so I will have the skills to write for my own project. I wrote an essay about grief and art/music/poetry we use to cope with grief and about being in love with Real Simple magazine while disabled for Shakespeare & Punk, which is a wonderful start.

Move away from tumblr, which I don’t use much, to a blogging platform where I could eventually have my own domain, and more control over the site. Also, trying to be confident while linking people my tumblr as my only “professional” website is difficult.

Make variety a priority. I love what I’ve learned about the Orchestra - and there’s a lot more to do with them, to learn, to write - but if I take one or more years to research every single thing, I’ll be eighty before I write anything at all.

As part of this, I’m trying to go to more local shows. So far in 2018, I’ve been to four shows (War + Peace twice, Louisville is for Lovers premiere, Orchestra Enigmatic at 21c), a talk at the KMAC, and hopefully a show tomorrow and two or three things next weekend.

Possibly most importantly: reach out to cool people doing cool things, and tell them I think they’re doing great. I am not naturally brave, so this is hard, but I’ve managed it a few times recently and the responses have been wildly wonderful. And even when I’m too broke to go to shows the least I can do to support this arts community I value is let people know I value it.

Notably there still aren’t exact plans for “produce content” or even “decide what medium I’m going to put this nebulous thing out in.” That’s in there, but I think these building blocks have to come first. I think they’ll enable me to begin sharing more about the arts in Louisville, too.

[louisvillerenaissance]

I was going to say something nice about how wonderful the St. James art fair is, but as a lesbian my experience has been pretty much ruined by the evangelical brimstone and hellfire preacher in front of central park with a microphone and a whole gaggle of police presumably protecting him who started blaming The Gays for the ruin of America as I walked by. There's still a lot of lovely stuff and people here, of course, but I don't know that I'll come back.

[louisvillerenaissance]

A lot's been going on since I last posted, which is par for the course in the most delightful way. I'll get around to it now that my actual paid job(s) are stabilizing again. I'm super interested in the Paristown Pointe project, the 2020 arts plan, the LVA call for portfolios for new murals, the LO broadcasts on WUOL (which I only managed to catch one of, tragically), the ending of the Humana Festival, Angels in America, the past Free Will season and it's upcoming Titus production, the return of Dracula, and a lot more. I've been trying to take pictures of every mural I pass - which is a lot since I get to see some of the new Alley Gallery additions at the convention center more days than not every week. There's two on S. Clay I hadn't seen before until I rode to Fat Rabbit yesterday. It's hard making time for this, but I always think it's important. Not in spite of it being hard working multiple jobs and trying to finish my undergraduate degree and everything else, but because we need the arts in conjunction with that hardness and because of it.

[louisvillerenaissance]

No post like I thought I'd manage due to my dad's surprise birthday. I've transcribed another 40 or so commissions (Orchestra, of course, putting me all the way to the golden age of 1953 - thanks, Rockefellers) and am struggling with the idea of making a spotify playlist of every commission I can find. The problem is, since the LO does not currently own First Editions (the subject of the post I didn't finish writing) I'm not even sure if putting all those LO recordings for people to listen to is personally ethical. It doesn't feel quite right to drum up interest for Santa Fe or whoever now holds the rights to all those CDs and maybe the long lost master copies. Judith is pretty wild to listen to, though, without the Martha Graham interpretation to help make sense of the story. And I don't think I like Kentucky Spring that much but I keep listening anyway. Three of the six commissions from the 47 season, the first season they did premiers, were Kentuckiana themed depending on how you quantify that. They asked for less as the years went on - particularly the second season - so as not to be overwhelming about it, but there's probably something to getting engaged with this big old project at that level. I'm still keeping tabs on other things that aren't the orchestra, believe it or not, but I think I'm figuring out what this project is the further I go along. It's a living project, not a dissertation. At least not any time soon anyway. Progress is a good feeling even when it's fleeting and excruciatingly slow.

[louisvillerenaissance]

While I’m working on twisting my search for First Editions Records (and first edition records, and actually also second editions too) with the Louisville Orchestra, I’ve been thinking a lot more about other recording efforts in Louisville.

Eventually I’ll move on to other things besides the LO but in the meantime, I’ve been listening to a lot of local podcasts and trying to find out more about Louisville’s music scene. A friend of a friend is big into local hardcore, has a bad - that’s something to look into. A family friend told me about how when she was in her twenties, Tooligan’s was the place to be and everyone went to shows because even if you weren’t in a band you knew someone who was and it was about getting out and hanging out and seeing people play. Apparently that era produced a lot of really sought-after vinyls, too, and there’s all sorts of ongoing recording projects in Louisville I know very little about but am going to dig deeper into, like Louisville is for Lovers and more. I’ve been meaning to dig into the Young Person’s Guide to Local Music spotify mix (which features a Ben Sollee track I’ve been meaning to give a listen).

On the one hand I’m pretty confident that the history of LO recordings have little direct relationship with, say, the local band scene of the 80s and 90s or independent recording projects, but if I dig deeper I’m pretty sure I’ll find some striking parallels anyway.

The LEO Podcast episodes were a fun listen regardless, and the next part of the LO history should be up tomorrow or Friday, and maybe a personal diary of all the murals I bike past (which given the route I frequent in Shelby Park and Germantown and Downtown is a lot) sometime next week.

[louisvillerenaissance]

The Founding of the Orchestra

The Louisville Civic Orchestra began in 1937, under the leadership of young and innovative conductor Robert Whitney. There had been orchestras in Louisville since the mid-1800s, but the Civic Arts Association set out to form an orchestra (drawing heavily on the members of the Young Men’s Hebrew Association) where the players would be paid and led by a professional full-time conductor. Whitney never finished high school or earned a college degree, which prevented him from being hired as the dean of the newly-accredited UofL School of Music to supplement his income as conductor. He did, however, have experience in radio (he did supplementary shows with WFPK) and management of his family’s musical group in addition to his musical training and conducting experience.

It took several years to build up a base of professional musicians despite recurring hardships - the Depression, the Louisville flood of 1937, the beginning of WWII that drafted original members and potential concertgoers but brought talented musicians from all over to Fort Knox who joined, lack of interest - but by the end of the war, Whitney’s new, professional Philharmonic Orchestra (the name had been changed in 1942) had increasing ticket sales, a children’s educational series called “Making Music” and spots on WAVE Radio. As the budget and attendance increased, so did expenses, and by the end of its first decade the Orchestra was in a concerning amount of debt. Fortunately, that year Charles Farnsley was elected to the Board of Directors and brought his radical new ideas with him.

Farnsley’s plan was this: to reduce the size of the Orchestra to 50 (in keeping with the 18th century practice as opposed to the much larger typical contemporary symphonic orchestra), move to a smaller auditorium, and most importantly to focus on commissioning new works from composers instead of bringing soloists to play. He didn’t have long on the board to implement this plan, as he was elected mayor shortly after, which enabled him to champion the Orchestra in an even greater capacity. It was Whitney’s dedication and Farnsley’s innovation that drove the Orchestra to new heights. Whitney and the Board began scouting potential composers as they prepared for the 48-9 season, and in the end that year the Louisville Philharmonic Orchestra commissioned and premiered 6 new works by contemporary composers. 

The project continued to its second year with critical acclaim and offers from composers seeking commissions, along with mishaps in communication and difficulties even just getting composers to write for the correct number of musicians. Most notably in 1950, Martha Graham was commissioned along with composer William Schuman to create a dance concerto. By the time she was set to perform, however, the Orchestra was on the brink of dissolution due to ongoing financial troubles. The musicians could not be paid, but given the commitment and likely their dedication to the Orchestra (most had other jobs, such as teaching at UofL’s music school) they still performed Judith: Coreographic Poem at Columbia Auditorium. That performance was a critical success and that night the orchestra was invited to go to Radio City Hall to perform with Graham in New York. With such success, the matter of dissolving the Orchestra was dropped, and would not be brought up again for many, many years.

The continuation of both the Orchestra and its commissioning project would spark an increase in commissioning of orchestral works in the U.S. (Fralin, Chapter 6 of “The Role of the Louisville Orchestra in Fostering New Music”). Its recording project would also help achieve and sustain its growing national and international renown - but that’s a topic for the next post.

[louisvillerenaissance]

Orchestral Introductions

When I started this segment of the project - interviews, specifically related to the Louisville Orchestra - I honestly thought that maybe I’d read a book, talk to one or two people, tops, and do a neat little summary of what I’d learned so other people wouldn’t have to do  all the legwork I did. Turns out the LO has a much bigger, much more fascinating history and living legacy than I’d predicted. I certainly didn’t expect to have conversations with reference to bounty hunters or to be making plans around an insider tip on old vinyls at a coffee shop like some sort of musical spy. (It sounds more fun if I imagine myself that way, anyway.) So this took a little longer, and will be coming to you in several parts.

First of all, before getting to any of the history, it’s probably time to revisit some terms. My working definition of “an arts renaissance” as it pertains to Louisville is a sharp uptick in community engagement with the arts as a broad category, which can be measured not by economic growth in the profit in art but in donations from community members to arts organizations, attendance at free or paid events, and articles on and discussion about art in the public sphere. And for it to be a re-birth, there has to have been something that came before.

Luckily, the Orchestra seems to be a pretty-clear cut case of having its own renaissance right now, even if I’m too early to be making conclusions about the entire city’s arts scene. Not only does the current vibrancy of the Orchestra indicate more good things to come, but it pretty amazingly parallels the story of the inception of the Louisville Civic Orchestra. In its first 60 years, 136 works were commissioned (primarily from 1937 to 1959), and many of them were recorded under the Orchestra’s own First Edition Recordings label, generating world renown and an enormous contribution to contemporary music.

There will be a post all about the history of that, but I’ve been thinking about the kind of narrative I’m constructing here, and why is an arts renaissance important, or at least why is engagement with the arts important. And the moral of the LO’s history - for me, at least, and one moral among many - is to first and foremost make art. Make music - and sure, it might not always be well-received and sometimes it might just be bad, but often it won’t be and regardless, the discussions and debates about quality or personal preference are beneficial to the cultural health of a city. In the end getting people talking about and critically considering any sort of art is a victory, because the arts are indescribably important in ways I just haven’t got the words for here.

So, make art. Make good art. Make bad art, commit to figuring it out as you go along as long as you’re making art in some way. Start writing a whole history series on your blog and keep doing what you’re doing until you have a real living document even if you’re absolutely unequipped to do it yet - because someday, it might reach someone who needs to hear it. Maybe I’m just too far down the research rabbit hole and thinking too hard about morals to a history that doesn’t need one, but it’s comforting anyway. And I’d like to think that Whitney and Farnsley would be proud of that too.

The first portion of the Orchestra’s history will be going up on Thursday! Looking forward to finally getting to share what I’ve learned at long last.

[louisvillerenaissance]

I had the great luck today to get my mitts on an original vinyl of this composition by composer Roy Harris, which was commissioned by the Louisville Orchestra in 1949 and recorded for First Edition Records in 1960. It, along with Egge’s Symphony No. 3 (listed on this album cover; it is also called the Louisville Symphony and was released as the A-side on the vinyl with Kentucky Spring) and the Louisville Concerto by Jacques Ibert, makes the major trio of works commissioned by the Orchestra about Kentucky during the original First Editions project.

Having produced over 130 new works and recorded them on vinyl as part of a yearly subscription program, the Orchestra was an enormous hub for contemporary music and world premiers. Later they received awards from the Aaron Copland Fund for Music and National Endowment for the Arts in order to bring these recordings to a more modern CD format. The CD remasterings can be found on Spotify (such as Kentucky Spring, above), although they’re not just copies of the boxes of vinyls as they first appeared; the Roy Harris solo CD has Kentucky Spring, a LO original commission, alongside two other works of his.

Within the week there should be a post up about the history of the orchestra and its recording project fame - and another week or two after that, about how that relates to what’s happening with the orchestra today.

[louisvillerenaissance]

“I got a lot of pictures that have to do with neighborhoods — it seems like the city is very much separated by what neighborhood you’re in,” Villagomez says. “Whereas, for example in comparison, or I guess in contrast, my presentation in Orlando was all about the city of Orlando.” A look at Louisville murals through the lens of typography, in advance of a talk I missed at the Tim Faulkner Gallery.

[louisvillerenaissance]

I've let this blog slide but I'm still thinking about the arts renaissance, all the time. I saw Kentucky Shakes' traveling Julius Caesar (which was modern, shorter, unlike their full summer projection which will be period and in full) and I lost my mind upon hearing the Orchestra would be performing a horse_ebooks piece as part of their Festival of American Music season closer though I couldn't go. I think I'm having trouble deciding between whether this should be a living up to date project which is extremely overwhelming to keep up with or a history of what's already gone by. At any rate LEO's podcast has some excellent relevant episodes: an early interview with 1200, an interesting interview with LVA about the mural project which I didn't know began with Kroger, and most recently a talk with Gregory Maupin (whose blog Yellowstocking Tales I linked a while back) about Richard II and the "class" he's doing on it in advance of the coming KY Shakes season. And 5 Things via wfpl has some great stuff including a really funny discussion with Addy Miliken on the rebranding of the KMAC Museum (the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft Museum, in fact). My goal is to do at least one interview by the end of June, and with my project in Archives at UofL ending soon with any luck I'll be freer to do some actual research there.

[lvaartebella]

Feature: 1619 Flux

1619 FLUX is re-opening for our One-Year Anniversary on April 15th, 2017 with a new Exhibition about Revitalization in West Louisville, and other surrounding neighborhoods.

“1619 Flux is NOT an art gallery.” — Kara Nichols

Kara Nichols and Jessie Levesque did not want to open an art gallery on West Main Street. Not that there’s anything wrong with that notion, it’s just that the pair had something else in mind. The full name they gave their venture, 1619 Flux Art + Activism is actually fairly direct in announcing the mission, but once you put art on the walls with a price tag, “gallery” is the easy assumption. People get it – they know what that is and they can feel good about it. But the real mission – the second part of that name – is an idea that still struggles to gain currency in the mainstream. What exactly does it mean to use art to effect social change?

Part of the problem is that it can mean so many things. “We want to engage artists who are solving problems creatively,” explains Levesque, “and, of course, part of that engagement will include exhibiting art, but there’s more to it.”

Nichols, who holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Pratt University, never saw herself in the role of “curator”, but she and Levesque are inventing a new role for themselves, step-by-step.  The first step was to make a home. The building is a humble, low-slung bungalow-like edifice that sits back off of Main Street between 16th and 17th Streets. It seems utilitarian on the outside, and the interior is open and efficient; a good space for a reception. When 1619 opened its doors one year ago, there was a party attended by a host of Louisville VIP’s: Mayor Greg Fisher, Ghislain D’ Humeires, Teddy Abrams, and many others. The high profile event drew a large crowd and the owners engaged a valet parking company to handle the traffic. That doesn’t seem unreasonable for such a glittering night, but later they heard negative comments from the neighbors. “They said to us, ‘seeing valet parking told us we weren’t welcome,’” says Nichols. “Which is exactly the opposite of what we intended.”

Which just underscores the challenge of trying to focus creative social activism through a physical location designed to pull people across the mythical 9th Street divide.

Hoping to clarify their intentions, Nichols and Levesque invited artist and West End resident Gwendolyn Kelly to co-curate a new exhibit that opens April 15, Neighborhood Revitalization & The Creative Flow. Although it does feature artists: Adam Horton, Randall Webber, Anne Huntington, Gwendolyn Kelly, Bryan K. Holden, Scott Vinson, D.R. Stewart, REMI, Kacy Jackson, Dwayne Whidby, Josh Ison, Shaun Sargent, Andrew Cozzens, and Erik Nohalty will all have work in the show, it will also highlight people and businesses that are making a creative difference in neighborhoods in transition: Algonquin, Butchertown, California, Chickasaw, Germantown, NuLu, Parkland, Park DuValle, Park Hill, Phoenix Hill, Portland, Russell, Shawnee, Smoketown, and SoBro/SoFo, among others.

One of the ways they accomplish this is by devising categories for people who affect change through creative action. In the statement for the exhibit, the curators state: “Creative people help to revitalize neighborhoods as architects, artists, connectors, employers, muralists, navigators, and witnesses. Art and activism emerges when creative people invest their time, money, and energy in neighborhoods in flux.”

Nichols, Levesque and Kelly came up with a series of identities:

Navigator Architects Witnesses Connectors Muralists Employers Artists Evolvers

They see these terms as establishing entry points for individual to become a part of the discussion. “There is so much going on,” says Kelly, “but if people can identify with one of these roles, then they are involved.” The roles encompass people, businesses, social agencies, and art non-profits. “Connectors are churches, school, organizations like Louisville Visual Art,” explains Levesque, “Employers are obvious, but some of the other categories are more subtle in their definition, and, of course, we are all witnesses.”

It may seem surprising that Nichols and Levesque opened their space while still trying to figure things out, but their lack of arrogance and willingness to learn and grow provides an important example for people of means who want to make a difference in the community. It’s too easy to talk yourself out of taking such a risk, and nobody wants to look foolish, but perhaps in the territory where angels fear to tread is exactly where we might find the greatest opportunity for change.

Grand Re-Opening and One-Year Anniversary! 1619 FLUX: Art + Activism’s Neighborhood Revitalization & The Creative Flow Exhibition Saturday, April 15th, 2017 5:00pm - 10:00pm

Meat from Superior Meats, BBQ by Boss Hog, wine & beer, sides and desserts from The Table, Farm To Fork, and Sweet Peaches

Live music with WoWuWoo & Krew from 8:00pm to 10:00pm

Written by Keith Waits. Entire contents copyright © 2017 Louisville Visual Art. All rights reserved.

[lvaartebella]

Vignette: Nikita Krivoshey

Nikita Krivoshey is an artist, muralist, and designer, based out of Louisville, KY. His work is vitally connected to his personal spirituality, and it comes as no surprise to discover that he spent one year as a monk in Myanmar, which had a profound influence on his worldview and art. His work charts a progression that now frequently expresses itself in unique ‘mandala’ compositions. Originating in Hinduism as a highly formal symbol or diagrammatic composition meant to represent the universe; Krivoshey uses the idea of the open visual structure, in which an image can be viewed from all four sides, as a foundation for more illustrative, allegorical imagery.  

Though Krivoshey has dropped the geometric formalism that we associate with the term, his mandalas still utilize color palettes evocative of Buddhist sand paintings, and his narrative feels like a merging of the figurative tradition in western religious art and the concentration on pattern common in eastern spiritual rituals. The sometimes intentionally distorted perspectives force a less familiar relationship between the viewer and the work, yet it is one that.

“I want to show something from a new perspective,” explains Krivoshey, “while meditating on the process of image making. There is a kind of spirituality that must be discovered in the work that is very important for me to get a sense of meaning and fulfillment from it. Whatever the image is, there is a process of self-inquiry and continuous reflection. This can be seen in my themes with religious references, symbolic details, and occasional perspectival warping. Some of my work that is more abstract focuses on the process, and emotional enfoldment, more so than a specific statement. In such work, the idea is to be transparent to the self and to break down conceptual formation into more core building blocks.”

Even though the artist is working in a largely representational manner, there is a lot of mystery in these enigmatic mixed media drawings. Krivoshey continues: “Communication is an essential aspect of my image making. I want to have a dialogue with the viewer. Although much of my work has specific, intended meanings, I recognize that someone else may perceive an element of my work differently, and I want to understand how these perceptions arise. In this way the viewer and I can better understand the causal factors behind the perceptions of beauty, appreciation, and fascination. I want to inspire the type of investigation that leads to existential insight and greater peace.”

Krivoshey has led a number of community collaborative art projects in Louisville, and has taught art classes to children and adults, in summer camps, community centers, and as an elementary school teacher in South Korea. One particular fascination has always been with psychology and environment as experienced by the individual and this theme has been a common thread throughout much of Krivoshey’s artwork.  

His work has been displayed locally in Galleries including at the US Congress Building, and KY Center for the Arts. From September to November 2016, Krivoshey was one of four artists to exhibit in two separate shows in Germany at Gut Basthorst in Hamburg, and Buddhas Weg, near Weinheim.

Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky Education: BFA, Rhode Island School of Design, Illustration major, 2009 Website: http://nikitaart.com

[louisvillerenaissance]

In 2016, Shakespeare in Louisville took a step forward - LEO Weekly

It was opening night of The Kentucky Shakespeare Festival’s production of “Twelfth Night.” Louisvillians including Gregory Maupin, Brian Hinds and a host of other familiar faces were onstage just killing it, from the first wreck of a ship that kicks off the action, to the last dropped disguise and ensuing love match. It was a … Continued

A wonderful retrospective on this past year of Shakespeare in the Ville, featuring Kentucky Shakes, one of my favorite English professors from UofL (I should probably reach out to him) and more. Turns out some wonderful folk at LEO are thinking the same thoughts as me!

Trying to chronicle this amazing year has made me realize something. It’s not just KY Shakes, or even Will in the Ville that I have my feelings all wrapped in. These are just the most tangible faces of the growth in Louisville’s entire art scene, over the last several years. I could also point to Robert Curran at the Ballet, Teddy Abrams at the Orchestra, the new Speed building, the renovated KMAC, smaller things like the genesis of amazing new companies like Roots and Wings, Liminal Playhouse, or Theatre [502], the growth of The Central Louisville Community Center in the Russell Neighborhood. All of these things matter, and the rising tide of the arts and culture gives me hope.

It seems Gregory Maupin (who has played some of my favorite KY Shakes roles over the past few years) has a blog over at Yellowstocking Tales that’s not only updated with regularity but seems quite the treasure unto itself as well.

[louisvillerenaissance]

Another personal note: I found a copy of the LEO winter edition on the bus home today, sitting on an empty seat surrounded by more empty seats, except the paper. I took it home with me because it felt like fate. Turns out there’s a whole other archive I’ve not been mining for clues, so expect some of their articles coming up. Maybe the, uh, looser and more informal writing style at the Eccentric Weekly will help with the search term parameters.

I’m also working on putting together a page listing where I go for sources on arts and culture news in Louisville, plus reliable places to figure out what events are coming up so I don’t get overwhelmed reinventing the wheel here.

[louisvillerenaissance]

30 Hours At The Speed Art Museum: A Field Journal

An long, chaotic weekend inside Louisville's new cultural hub.

Speaking of Ashlie Steven’s Thompsonian coverage of the Speed Museum reopening, here it is. Given the specific concert of that 30-hour extravanganza that got me started, my favorite bit isn’t all that surprising.

“Well, I’ve been here for 10 hours? 11 hours? Actually, 12 hours now that I look at it,” says Teddy Abrams, the music director of the Louisville Orchestra, as he slumps in a chair in the cinema lobby. “But if I was a Louisvillian, I’d make sure I got myself down here because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Along with Robert Curran of the Louisville Ballet, Abrams has presented two joint performances of the orchestra and ballet today, with two additional performances lined up for tomorrow. He says this sort of collaboration between art institutions is exactly what the city needs.

“This is exactly where cultural programming and large arts organizations really need to to be thinking — big picture, really multidimensional, interactive, using all genres and reaching all backgrounds,” Abrams says. “Just look at the diversity of people here — it’s exactly the audience that all the arts organizations are trying to reach.”

Though the term arts renaissance (of course) does not appear in the article, it does close by saying that “there remain many opportunities to check out the city’s newly redesigned cultural hub”, which is an interesting way to refer to the Speed in this context.

[louisvillerenaissance]

Get creative with free family art day at KMAC

KMAC gives families a free day to use to art to learn about color, form and shape

Current events spotlight! The Kentucky Museum of Art and Crafts is having a family day this Saturday.

Between 11 a.m.-3 p.m., on Jan. 21, Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, 715 W. Main St., invites your family to enjoy free art-making activities for all ages.

Art making activities will surround the theme "Color Explosion" and coincide with the opening of KMAC's newest exhibition, “William J. O'Brien | Oscillates Wildly,” on view through April 9.

[louisvillerenaissance]

This week in Louisville:

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead: Kentucky Shakespeare’s second ticketed, indoor production runs now through January 8th. Tickets are $25 each.

In Lightning is a seven-member rock symphony. Concert at Zanzabar January 6th, 8pm. Tickets are $8.

The 849 Gallery’s latest art exhibition is called “All-Night Disco at the Abandoned Car Lot: An exhibition highlighting the artwork of KyCAD’s newest faculty members. January 6th, 5 to 7pm at 845 S 3rd St. Ella and Louis: All That Jazz: Jazz singer Marva Hicks and trumpet virtuoso Byron Stripling join Bob Bernhardt in the Louisville Orchestra’s 100th birthday tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, “The First Lady of Song.” January 7th, 8pm at the Kentucky Center.

Music of David Bowie: From “Ziggy Stardust” and glam rock to hard rock and electronica, David Bowe’s 40+ years of inspired and innovative music-making influenced generations. An exceptional new tribute band performs with the LO.  January 8th, 8pm at the Kentucky Center.

Harry Benson Shot First: The illustrious career of the renowned Scottish-born photographer Harry Benson is charted in this charming and cheeky documentary. Benson received initial attention having accompanied The Beatles to cover their inaugural trip the U.S. in 1964. With unprecedented access, Benson captured some the most vibrant and unguarded portraits ever taken of the most popular band in history. Showing January 8th at the Speed Museum; $7 for members, $9 for non-members. Access to the regular exhibits are, as always, free on Sundays.

Just announced!

WFPK Jazz Live at Lola, a jazz performance series in Butchertown Grocery’s speakeasy-style upstairs lounge. The weekly concerts will be held every Thursday from 7:30 until 10 pm beginning on February 9 with The Afrophysicists, fusing jazz with Afro beat!  Admission is free.