Hey Marilyn? How'd you celebrate 66?

With a trip to Nashville to see Rhiannon Giddens

She is a McArthur grant recipient ($650,000 grant over 5 years to work on creativity. Also known as Genius Grant).

Rhiannon was commissioned to write the score for "Lucy Negro, Redux" a new ballet based on a book of poetry by Caroline Randall Williams. The author spoke her poetry throughout the ballet while Ms Giddens (singing and playing) and Francesco Turresi (playing) performed original music onstage (banjo, guitar, violin, piano and drum). Her score ranged from medieval to operatic to folk music. A powerful and beautifully collaborative effort for all. Music City Missy sent me a link to a NY Times article (see below) which is very descriptive. After reading it, one audience member flew in from Boston just to see the premiere.

Here's what the Nashville Ballet website says:

"A world premiere by Artistic Director Paul Vasterling, Lucy Negro Redux explores the mysterious love life of literary great William Shakespeare through the perspective of the illustrious “Dark Lady” for whom many of his famed sonnets were written. Based on the book by Nashville poet Caroline Randall Williams, the contemporary ballet explores themes of love, otherness, equality and beauty as the narrator embarks on a journey to discover her own power and worth. Featuring an original score by Grammy Award-winning artist and MacArthur “Genius” Grant recipient Rhiannon Giddens with spoken word performed by Williams, Lucy is an imaginative drama brimming with wit and relevancy."

Sadly, I'd also hoped to meet up with MCM, but both her and hubby ended up sick that day so we just chatted on the phone. Well, she chatted. I bi+ched about the 4:00 AM idiots in the room next to mine at the Sheraton. It was a fun call.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/05/arts/dance/nashville-ballet-shakespeare-lucy-negro.html

 
Very poor group shot taken after audience Q&A

Left to Right:
Author Caroline Randall Williams in hot red dress.
Composer: Rhiannon Giddens
Musician: Francesco Turrisi (hidden)
Choreographer: Paul Vasterling
Doug Fitch: Set Direction
(name?): Panel moderator

https://pix.sfly.com/sdKON_

 
Happy birthday, Mar. Any restaurant recommendations for the

area? Would love to hear what yummy things you ate. May be headed through Nashville this summer.

 
Not really. I was there for less than 48 hrs and only had breakfast out.

My leg is acting up again and the weather wasn't very forgiving.
Temperature was 76 degrees the day BEFORE I arrive and dropped to 30 the next day. Plus it rained. That put the kibosh on all the walking I like to do.

Vanderbilt and Fisk University are there, so it has lots of good vegetarian options. On the other end of the food spectrum, Jimmy Kelly's Restaurant (steak house since 1930's?) had over ~3,500 reviews.

I did walk a bit around the TN museum and next door is an indoor farmer's marker with food stalls. They had a South American vendor that I would have liked to try, but pain was getting in the way so I just left town.

 
Well if I had known it was your b'day, I would have gotten out anyway!

Now I feel bad. But I really was glad I stayed home because I got worse and then hubby got sick.

Next time! And Pat if you are coming through town, let me know. As far as restaurants go, there are so many good/great places and then the classics/famous places so it kind of depends on what kind of places you prefer.

Hopefully I won't be going back and forth between Mississippi and Tennessee by summer. Last week we managed to clean out 2 HUGE warehouses of nothing but trash that my dad left mom and I with when he died last month. Still working on the garage and waiting on death certificates so we can sell some of the vehicles and back tax properties he had. SUCH A MESS!!!

 
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