arts & entertainment z -`- Traces Of Ideas L Jewish mathematician's drawings are subject of a Cranbrook exhibit. I Suzanne Chessler Contributing Writer A rt historian Nina Samuel can refer to nearby visuals as she explains her core area of inter- est in a lecture at Cranbrook Art Museum: drawings as the first material traces of ideas and the influence of the drawings in developing those ideas. Samuel, curator of two concurrent exhibits at the museum, will explain how the theme moves through both during a lecture at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19. "My Brain Is in My Inkstand; Drawing as Thinking and Process:' an exhibit she developed specifically for Cranbrook, builds on what she put together for a trav- eling exhibit also on view, "The Islands of Benoit Mandelbrot: Fractals, Chaos and the Materiality of Thinking." Both, running Nov. 16-March 30, con- nect artistry to other intellectual disci- plines. A third exhibit, "Waylande Gregory: Art Deco Ceramics and the Atomic Impulse explores the work of Cranbrook's first resident ceramic sculptor and also will be on view in the same time frame. Thomas Folk, an independent ceramics sculptor, is curator and will speak at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17. "The exhibits I developed let viewers walk through many different media and approaches:' says Samuel in a phone con- versation from New York. "We have works on paper, photography, installations and performances. "There's an extended idea of drawing, but the idea of drawing is never lost" The opening weekend of the exhibits will offer a series of lectures and live per- formances to emphasize that thoughts can become actions with the help of drawings. "A professor I had started my interest in these kinds of images:' explains Samuel, who has been concentrating on her subject for 12 years. "During the research for the Mandelbrot exhibition, we found 150 papers related to an experimental theory that he did before devel- oping one of his most famous concepts, the Benoit Mandelbrot set. We have Mandelbrot arranged these images in a timeline so that people can follow his thinking steps:" Beyond the drawings, there are photo- graphs, objects and films. o c ' lo. 9 rsh nb,.+ 1 3 1 6 (.sml . cy cle cY' l 6 /) In working on the Mandelbrot display over time, Samuel was able to meet with the Jewish math- ematician and later his Benoit Mandelbrot: Scribbled arrows showing the tech- widow. nique of magnifications of details. Computer-generated Born in Poland, prints with scribbles. Collection Aliette Mandelbrot Mandelbrot (1924-2010) fled to France with his par- 2012 as visiting assistant professor at the ents in 1936 to escape Nazi persecution; in Bard Graduate Center in New York City. 1958, he immigrated with his wife to the "I think these two exhibits are interest- U.S., where he had a long career working ing on a theoretical level and believe they at IBM. Toward the end of his career, he make visible what has been hidden behind was Sterling Professor of Mathematical popular glossy images for public recep- Sciences at Yale University, where he tion:" was the oldest professor in Yale's history to receive tenure. His research included contributions to fields including geology, "My Brain Is in My Inkstand; medicine, cosmology, engineering and the Drawing as Thinking and Process," social sciences. "The Islands of Benoit Mandelbrot: For the other display, Samuel selected Fractals, Chaos and the Materiality works by 22 artists from around the world. of Thinking" and "Waylande Gregory: Among those represented are textile Art Deco Ceramics and the Atomic designer Ruth Adler Schnee and perfor- Impulse" run Nov.16-March 30 mance artist Carolee Schneemann. at the Cranbrook Art Museum, "The stage of tinkering around with 39221 Woodward, in Bloomfield thoughts and trying things out is where Hills. $4-$8; free for members and children 12 and under. For a schedule art and science are closest together:' says of activities, call (248) 645-3320, or Samuel, who earned her doctoral degree in art history from Bumboldt University in visit www.cranbrook.edu . Berlin and spent the academic year 2011- ❑ Eight Is Enough University Musical Society hosts Michigan debut of jazz octet. I Suzanne Chessler Contributing Writer Ann Arbor T he Steve Lehman Octet, about to make a second recording, is pre- paring for its studio performance with a series of concerts. The ensemble's first-ever appearance in Michigan will be part of the tour. The octet will take the stage at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, in Ann Arbor's Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre as part of University Musical Society's 20th Annual Jazz Series. "We'll be performing a series of new compositions I was commissioned to write by Chamber Music America for this specific octet:' says Lehman, 35, in a phone conversation from New York. "It's mostly acoustic instrumentation with some electronic elements. A couple of the pieces are new arrangements of older compositions by jazz pianist and 66 November 7 • 2013 JN composer Bud Powell." Lehman, also a saxophonist working in experimental idioms, tentatively has named the new recording Mise en Abyme, French for "Put into the Abyss." His 2009 recording, chosen as the "No. 1 Jazz/Pop Album of the Year" by the New York Times, was titled Travail, Transformation & Flow. "The Ann Arbor concert will show what's unique about my work as a compos- er and saxophonist and hopefully highlight what's most personal about my concept of the different elements of music:' says Lehman, who also works with two trios and in solo engagements. The octet includes Mark Shim (tenor saxophone), Chris Dingman (vibraphone), Drew Gress (bass), Jonathan Finlayson (trumpet), Tim Albright (trombone), Jose Davila (tuba) and Tyshawn Sorey (drums). "The octet consists of New York musi- cians widely considered to represent the state of the art on their respective instruments," says Lehman, whose dad was a semi-professional trumpet player. "Together, they bring layers of harmonic and contrapuntal detail." Lehman learned piano before saxophone and composes with piano, computer or only manuscript paper. "I had a lightning bolt moment the first time I heard a Charlie Parker record:' says Lehman, who earned a bachelor's and a master's degree at Wesleyan University in Connecticut before securing his doctoral degree in music composition at Columbia University in New York City. "My early jobs had me playing at coffee shops in Connecticut. When I was 20, I was invited to perform at a major festival in Verona, [Italy]." As his stage experience widened so did performances of his compositions by other groups, including the International Contemporary Ensemble and So Percussion. Lehman, married to filmmaker Olivia Newman and the father of a 1-year-old boy, Steve Lehman feels a bond to his Jewish background while listening to cantorial music. "The opportunity to participate in servic- es that feature cantors has been particularly meaningful to me because of the connection between music and spirituality," he says. "I find that important and moving:' ❑ The Steve Lehman Octet performs at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, 911 N. University, in Ann Arbor. $25-$35. (734) 764-2538; www.ums.org .