Fresh experience underscores worth of McDavid Studio
This week’s announcement of the 2006-07 Hall Series — as in Bass Performance Hall, y’know — packs a wealth of artistry and entertainment value into a calendar that will have zipped past quicker than you can say “Tempus fugit.”
Best to nail the opportunities while the thought is fresh, though, what with the tickets going on sale June 17. Wait too long to catch Carol Burnett (Sept. 28) in a candid exchange with the audience, and the only standing room youÂ’re likely to find might lie somewhere in the next block over.
And speaking of that next block over: Eight years after its triumphant opening as the last great concert hall of the 20th century, Nancy Lee & Perry R. Bass Performance Hall remains fixed in the popular consciousness as a square block of downtown real estate. Its Maddox-Muse annex, however, has gradually developed a distinct identity as a performance venue, versatile enough to accommodate events ranging from concerts and recitals to ceremonial banquets.
Yes, and I speak from the usual stance of Mr. Know-It-All experience. To say nothing of Full Disclosure. IÂ’d known all along how inviting a set of spaces the Maddox-Muse building presents, what with the Business PressÂ’ having produced an event or two in that addressÂ’ Cliburn Recital Hall and McDavid Studio. But only recently have I experienced the McDavid space from the vantage of a working performer.
Record Town proprietor and championship guitarist Sumter Bruton and I barged in on McDavid Studio May 27 with our Bruton & Price Swingmasters Revue, an R&B-and-jazz quartet that we have operated since 1993. Having heard quite a few other roots-music ensembles in that room during the past few years, I was particularly keen on testing the place according to the standards to which Sumter and I had become accustomed as frequent players at the downtown areaÂ’s Caravan of Dreams, a gone-but-hardly-forgotten nightclub of fine pedigree.
The experience proved thoroughly satisfying for our bunch. Bass Hall’s management sunk enough into the promotional end to rustle up a hefty and receptive audience — and the engineering and lighting proved the equal-and-better of Caravan’s production values.
In key respects, McDavid Studio has sought to close the gap left by the folding in 2001 of Caravan of Dreams. The mission has proved largely successful, barring the fact that the Fifth at Calhoun address hasnÂ’t the foot-traffic profile that had benefited Caravan. Of course, it bears remembering that CaravanÂ’s Third-at-Houston location was not so heavily trafficked a site upon its opening during the early 1980s; such spontaneous patronage developed, gradually, as the overall downtown area regained its standing as a popular destination. (For which status, Caravan proved largely responsible.)
And so it goes with McDavid Studio, which stands poised to re-direct the downtown areaÂ’s pedestrian pathways to where a semi-obscure corner can become the focus of a Scene-with-a-capital-S. A steady lineup of attractions is in place (see www.basshall.com). The room combines a cabaret ambiance with concert-hall sonic qualities. One scarcely could ask more from a live-music venue.
But we were talking about the Bass Hall Series, which also includes such high points as Gran Folklorico de Mexico (Oct. 2), Neil BergÂ’s 100 Years of Broadway (Oct. 11), Michael Martin MurpheyÂ’s Cowboy Christmas (Dec. 11), the Trinity Irish Dance Company (March 13, 2007) and Gordon Lightfoot (June 23, 2007). Details and reservations can be obtained at that aforementioned www.basshall.com.
Guitar at Arts Fifth Avenue
A south-side scene of rare variety and artistic value has cinched itself at Arts Fifth Avenue, 1628 Fifth Ave., which will present the classical guitar virtuoso Mitch Weverka, in concert June 10 at 8 p.m. The internationally acclaimed artist and founder of the Fort Worth Guitar Guild will perform selections by J.S. Bach, Leo Brouwer, Heitor Villa-Lobos and Robert Xavier Rodriguez.
The intimate setting of Arts Fifth Avenue — housed in a historic building of fine acoustic qualities — allows the audience to draw near a performer, without need of amplification. This condition is especially appealing in the case of such an artist as Weverka, whose nuanced playing is rich in passion and subtlety. Reservations: 817-923-9500 or via e-mail at artsfifthavenue@aol.com.
Firehouse Art Studio exhibit
A reception at 6:30 p.m. June 9 will launch an exhibit called Rock, Paper, Scissors, continuing through June 30 at the Firehouse Art Studio & Gallery, 4147 Meadowbrook Drive. The inclusive title covers a wide-ranging show (from sculpture to furniture to photography) with the media of clay, paper, wood and metal as constants.
Artists represented include Keith and Lori Thomson, Barbara Johnson, Jackie Berry, Chris Cunningham, Chris and Beth Sanders, Peg Runnels, Robin and Cindy Campbell, Cindi Wills and Roy Odom.
Contact Price at mprice@bizpress.net.
