sents Conversations With My Father,
playwright Herb Gardner's look at a
Russian-Jewish immigrant, Eddie
Ross, from the 1930s-1970s. Eddie
attempts to ignore his Jewish heritage
in an effort to Americanize himself
and his family. 8 p.m. Friday and Sat-
urday and 3 p.m. Sunday,
Jan. 23-25. $14/$12 seniors
and students. 129 E.
Maumee St., between Main
St. and Broad, Adrian,
Michigan. (517) 264-
SHOW.

national touring exhibition of contem-
porary art by women artists, runs
through Feb. 21 in the new Elaine
Jacob Gallery in Old Main on the
Wayne State University campus. Fea-
tured artists include Nancy Davidson,
Ilona Granet, Elaine Reichek and

L, 'ugh Li • nes

Cathy Ladman brings her
introspective and naturally
nutty comedy to Mainstreet
Comedy Showcase Jan. 29-
31. Sunny, yet cynical, Lad-
man relies on her perspective
of people and society to
The Walk 6. Squawk Performance Project presents
reflect her wit. 8:30 p.m.
"Inhlanzi Ishelwe Amanzi — A Fish Out of
Thursday, $10; 8 and 10:30
Water" at Performance Network.
p.m. Friday and Saturday,
$12. 314 E. Liberty, Ann
Arbor. (313) 996-9080.
Nancy Spero. Curator is Jo Anna
Renaissance man, comedian, actor
Isaak.
and political activist Alan King brings
The groundbreaking exhibition of
his legendary act to the Macomb Cen- works by French Impressionist Claude
ter for the Performing Arts 8 p.m. Sat-
Monet highlights The University of
urday, Jan. 31. $29/adult, $26/stu-
Michigan Museum of Art winter sea-
dents and seniors. 44575 Garfield
son. Monet at Vetheuil: The Turning
Road, Clinton Township. (810) 286-
Point is a collection of 12 paintings
2222.
on display through March 15. General
admission, $6/seniors, $3/students
and children under 12 are free. 525
South State Street, Ann Arbor. Timed
tickets to the Monet exhibition are
Creative Resource Gallery presents
available by calling (800) 585-3737.
Women On The Edge, a premier
exhibition devoted to new works by
contemporary female artists. Included
are sculptor Janine Gibeau, abstract
painter Karen Izenberg and pastel
landscape artist Nan Schaff. Through
The sixth annual Spring Home &
Feb. 28. 162 North Old Woodward
Garden Show opens Jan. 29 and runs
Ave., Birmingham. (248) 647-3688.
through Feb. 1 at the Novi Expo Cen-
Laughter Ten Years After, an inter-
ter. Sneak a peek at the newest spring
improvements for inside and
out. 1-96 and Novi Road.
Cathy Lad-
$6/adults, $4/seniors,
man brings
$3/children 6-12. (248) 737-
her comedy
4478.
to the Main-
Are you a South Park
street Come-
groupie? The endearingly
dy Showcase.
offensive cartoon on cable's
Comedy Central has a new
Web site (www.comedycen-
tral.com/south park). You can
even become a roving toon in
the snazzy chat area.

xYe

' 8 7 "9 77777- 7':::7779 r t .

3

azz pianist and composer
Ben Sidran communicates
his commitment to Judaism
through music --- in his
Wisconsin synagogue, on recordings
and along the concert circuit.
He has taken the liturgy of ser
vices and two of his own songs,
infused a jazz style and put them
together in the CD Lift's a Lesson.
The pieces, which have been per
formed on many -word stages, will
be part of Sidran's Sunday concert
and lecture at Temple Israel, when
he also will present the music of
some of .kmerica's best-loved Jewish
composers, from Irving Berlin to
George Gershwin.
Sidran, who has recorded more
than 20 albums and performed with

The Art Scene

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avA.c

and practicing for my bar mitzvah.,
those melodies became part of my
musical vocabulary and subsequently
came over into my jazz experience.
Sidmn did not intend to be a jazz
musician. Although he cannot
remember a t u ne when he didn't
play the pia_no, the entertainer
thought he would be an American
studies college professor.
To prepare for that, he earned a
bachelor's degree from the Universi-
ty of Wisconsin and master's and
doctorate degrees from the Universi-
ty of Sussex in England.
"I worked my way through col
lege playing in bands," Sidran
recalled. "By the time I graduated in
the early '70s, there weren't a lot of
teaching jobs.
"By coincidence, while I was in
college in England, I made record-
ings with musicians such as the
Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton.
Because I couldn't get a job teach-
ing, I stayed in the music business."
Sidran explains that his perfor-
mance style often makes him feel as
if he is teaching.
Before moving back to Wisconsin
to have what they considered a more
wi-1,97-earth lifestyle, Sidran and his
lived in Los Angeles, where
w94:* as a record producer.
eing a production con-
ones a *sts, Sidran
J azz Profiles"
clio.
of perform

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Ben Sidran will perform 3:30 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 25, at Temple Israel.
He will conduct jazz clinics at
1:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26, at
Music North, 5900 Second Ave.,
on the Wayne State University
campus. For Sunday tickets, call
(248) 661-5700. For Monday's
session, call (313) 577-2679.

up

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1/23
1998

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