Mon., July 29th, Jive

Good evening, it's Monday, July 29th, and this is the Jive at Five - WESU's Daily community calendar and rundown of night time programming here on 88.1 FM WESU Middletown, your station for NPR, Pacifica, independent and local public affairs by day and the best in free-form community programming week nights and weekends. Thanks for tuning in. I'm Maria Johnson, producer and host of "Reasonably Catholic: Keeping the Faith," which airs every 1st, 3rd, and 5th Tuesday afternoon, from 4 to right before the Jive at Five. Tomorrow: a talk with Fr. Helmut Schuller, an Austrian priest touring the U.S. – but banned from Catholic pulpits in Boston and Philadelphia –with a call for church reform.  Go to www.reasonablycatholic.com if you miss this or other episodes.

Okay, on with the Jive!:

Here in Middletown, at the Buttonwood Tree, arts and crafts for kids and adults are offered free every weekday through August from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Get happy with arts and crafts all summer long! At 8 tonight, it's the Anything Goes open mic night.  On Wednesday evening, the Buttonwood brings “The Big Reveal” A Kids Arts Summer Camp Presentation,” to the Macdonough School Gymnasium – 66 Spring Street, Middletown. Sponsored by the City of Middletown’s Commission on the Arts, this month-long intensive arts camp offers 4 disciplines of art to students ages 6-14. The children will present their songs and dances, art projects and original newspaper for families, friends, Middletown’s mayor, members of the MCA (Commission on the Arts), and the public.  On Sunday, Food Not Bombs serves food outside the Buttonwood Tree, as Rumpus, your chance to express yourself rhythmically on drums and other instruments, occurs simultaneously. You're invited to help prepare the vegetarian meal at 11:30 a.m. at the First Church on Court Street. Later on Sunday, at 7, it’s Open Mic with Bob Gotta. Go to www.buttonwood.org for details about all events.

The Mattabessett Canoe Club at Harbor Park offers an open mic night tonight at 7:30. Tomorrow brings acoustic solo music by Tony Gabriel from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at 7:30, it’s Irish Session Night. Thursday at 6:30 is Jazz Night with Covert Jazz. Friday at 7 brings All Good and the Bad Parts. Saturday at 7 it’s the Michael Cleary Band. Then Sunday at 4, it’s Cosmo and Bobo. Go to www.mattabessetcanoeclub.com for more.

Down in New Haven tonight at Cafe Nine, Drink Deeply presents Kyle Flynn and the Vespers Nine with City Streets Country Roads.  Tomorrow, it’s Aimee Mac  with Denise Clarke and Terri Lynn. Wednesday brings the Zero Dollar Trio to Café Nine, with Flat Five Band, The Alpaca Gnomes, and Valence. Thursday, Amy LaVere plays, along with Sean W Spellman (of Quiet Life), and Daphne Lee Martin. Friday at Café Nine,  Manic Productions presents Hurray For The Riff Raff, with Frank Fairfield and Goodnight Blue Moon. Saturday’s Jazz Jam is hosted by Mike Coppola and Friends, followed by Sloppy Seconds presents Homeboy Sandman, Open Mike Eagle, Ceschi, Mega Ran, Northern Lights, and Old Self. Sunday brings Summer Surf Series, with Tsunami of Sound and Tarantinos NYC. The Sunday-after-Supper-Jam is with The Travis Moody Band. Go to www.cafenine.com for details.

Also in New Haven, at Toad's Place, tonight and every Monday night brings A Night of Smooth Jazz with Rohn Lawrence & Friends.  Wednesday is the weekly EDM Night.  Thursday Bud Light brings Capital Cities to Toad’s Place. And Friday, it’s Schwayze, with Cam Meekins, Jitta On The Track, and Paul Couture. Saturday afternoon, Gorilla Music and Madman Productions bring Your Mission: Pack the House to Lilly’s Pad, with Known Associates, Senseless, Factors, Diamonds To Ashes, Black Heart Heros, Maniac, Physics Of Demise, All But Calm, Wasted Days, Continuum, Left Hand Backwards, Simple Machinery, Composing The Apocalypse, and Enemy of Reason.  Saturday night, it’s the EDM Glow Party, with Down the Rabbit Hole, Ian Stone, Psylar, Carmy Fresh, Teratoid, and Hippy Jose.  Go to www.toadsplace.com for details.

At Blackeyed Sally's in Hartford, tonight at 8 it’s Jazz Monday. Tomorrow at 8 brings Michael Palin's Other Orchestra, an 18-piece band working out new material. Wednesday’s Blues Jam at 8 is hosted by Tim McDonald. Friday brings Gina Sicilia to Sally’s. Then Saturday, it’s Joe Louis Walker. Go to www.blackeyedsallys.com for details.

In Middletown, tomorrow at 7 p.m., the Trevor Davis Quintet featuring Carolyn Reeves on vocals, Steve Donovan on piano, Michael Asetta on bass, John Smayda on saxophone, and Trevor Davis on drums plays as part of Summer Sounds on the South Green/Union Park. The Middletown Commission on the Arts presents the Tuesday evening concerts throughout the summer. (The rain location is the sanctuary of South Congregational Church.) Learn the full schedule of bands by checking out www.arts2go.org.

On Wednesday, at the Wadsworth Mansion in Middletown, the weekly Music at the Mansion series features Quattro Vivo. Go to www.wadsworthmansion.com for details and the full schedule.

Also on Wednesday the Connecticut Poetry Society meets at 6 p.m. at the Russell Library.

On Thursday, the Indra Trio performs Danish jazz and New York soul at the Russell Library at 7 p.m. in the Hubbard room. The Indra Trio, led by New York City native Indra Rios Moore, is from Copenhagen. They play American jazz standards; covers of pop, folk, and R & B songs; Cuban and Mexican songs; and original compositions.

The Middletown Gallery Walk is Friday, starting at 5 p.m. Take a leisurely stroll downtown to view the latest art exhibitions; speak with the gallery owners and artists; visit bars and restaurants offering specials to gallery walkers; and check out kindred shops offering unusual items of interest. Be a pioneer of this growing arts district while you enjoy the summer weather.

Also on Friday at 5,it’s the Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater’s 25th Annual Children's Circus of Middletown - The Big City Circus –presented by the Middletown Commission on the Arts and Middlesex United Way. The one-time-only show will be presented at Macdonough School, 66 Spring St., in Middletown, with a rain date of Saturday, August 3 at 5 PM. This year, Oddfellows is asking everyone to bring a non-perishable food item to donate to Amazing Grace Food Pantry. Bring a lawn chair and enthusiasm to Macdonough School and enjoy the spectacle. The 25th Children’s Circus of Middletown: Parking is limited to street locations, so carpooling is recommended. The Macdonough School lot is reserved for handicapped and elderly patrons. Tickets are available at the door and are $5 for adults and $3 for children and seniors. For more information, call (860) 347-6143.

Another Friday evening event in Middletown is the unveiling of the Passionate Waters Art Installation. Come to the Luis Lopez Community Garden (corner of Main St & Green St) at 7 p.m. to celebrate a new piece of art in the North End of Middletown, created by Melica Bloom and Ben Keller. The Passionate Waters Art Installation will be installed on the wall above the garden. The piece celebrates the vital relationship between humankind and water- and of course, the power and beauty of art. Jaqueline Talbot, Connecticut River steward, will speak about our local waters and how we can care for and enjoy them. For more information, email  Carolyn Reeves at carolyn.mac650@gmail.com.

'Tis the season for farmers' markets and several in our area are in full swing, including two in Middletown, the first on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. there's a market on the South Green, and the other  in Middletown's North End at 575 Main Street, on Fridays, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Learn about farmers' markets all over the state by going to ctnofa.org/FarmersMarkets.htm.

Now here's a rundown of cinema off the beaten track in Central Connecticut:

At Real Art Ways in Hartford, tonight at 8 brings a sneak peak at AMC’s Low Winter Sun, a contemporary story of murder, deception, revenge and corruption in a world where the line between cops and criminals is blurred. Continuing through Thursday is the Sundance Film Festival’s Short Films. And opening Friday is Blackfish, the story of a performing killer whale that killed several people while in captivity. The film combines shocking footage and emotional interviews to explore the mulit-billion dollar sea-park industry.  Then the weekend brings matinee screenings of the New York International Children's Film Festival: Party Mix. Go to www.realartways.org for details.

Tonight and tomorrow, Cinestudio, the Trinity College cinema in Hartford, presents the film "What Maisie Knew" starring Julianne Moore. Then Wednesday begins screenings of KonTiki, which was nominated for a Best Foreign Film Oscar. It’s the story of visionary seafarer Thor Heyerdahl, who set sail with five crew mates on a 101 day journey on a raft, 4,300 miles across the beautiful but merciless Pacific Ocean.  Go to www.cinestudio.org for details.

Now let’s take a look at tonight’s programming on WESU.

Right after the Jive at Five stay tuned for a well-rounded jazz show on Charles Henry’s Afternoon Jazz with Charles Henry until 6pm.

Weekdays at 6 Free Speech Radio News From the Pacifica Network offers a daily dose of alternative international news and reporting.

At 6:30 it's 75 Percent Folk, with Michael Benson, a serving of contemporary folk and acoustic music, with side orders of blues, jaz, world, pop, movie soundtracks, readings and occasional live interviews.

At 8pm The Rumpus Room with Lord Lewis offers the best in vintage and contemporary heavy funk, soul, club jazz, reggae, ska, afro and latin dancefloor grooves.

Aargh! with Tom Stoner, plays stoner cosmic doom psychedelia avant garde noise from 9:30-11:30 pm.

Then from 11:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., it's the Explorers' Hour, with Pickup Sticks, a synthesis of science, spoken word and a lot of popular music.

At 1 a.m. it’s Distilled Discographies with Cheshire Cat, distilling down the discography of an artist to an essential 60 minute career retrospective, sampling something from every cataloged release.

From 2 to 3 a.m., it’s Rootsworld Radio with Cliff Furnald, a tour across borders and genres.

That’s followed at 3 by the Graveyard Shift with DJ Otto Nation, an eclectic mix of music from the WESU library.

The BBC kicks on at 4, followed by NPR's Morning Edition at 5.

And that’s all for today’s Jive at Five, if you didn’t get a chance to write down some of the information mentioned in our community calendar, the script is published online at wesufm.org/jive.

And if you value WESU as a source for information and entertainment in your life, how about supporting the station with a donation? You can make that donation online at wesufm.org anytime.

Thanks for listening!

Now stay tuned for Afternoon Jazz with Charles Henry.