Jive At Five: 1-16-15 Jive

Good evening, it's Monday, February 16nd. Happy Presidents' Day! This is the Jive at Five, our daily community calendar and rundown of night time programming here on WESU 88.1 FM 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.

I’m Maria Johnson, producer and host of Reasonably Catholic: Keeping the Faith, which airs every first, third and fifth Tuesday, from 4 to right before the Jive at Five.

Tomorrow: we celebrate Mardi Gras with a feast of movie talk in our second annual Academy Award roundup. Commonweal magazine film critic Richard Alleva picks who'll take home the Oscars on Feb. 22nd. We'll also bat around the films that do or do not have a spiritual theme. And we'll close with a field trip to my friend Claudia's living room, where a bunch of us gals watched the movie Boyhood and offered some post-film thoughts. Can't listen live? You can find the audio anytime at www.reasonablycatholic.com.

Now here’s some of what’s going on in our area this week.

At the Buttonwood Tree in Middletown, tonight brings Moments of Gratitude at 7:45, followed by the Anything Goes Open Mic, hosted by Nora Camby. On Tuesday morning at 9 Jason Mark Alster presents a Chinese Brush Painting Class, and there’s Laughter Yoga later at 6, followed by a vegetarian potluck. On Thursday, Cintamani and Aruna Chocolates bring you a World Fusion Music Jam with Super Food Sweets at 7:30. On Friday, Ear Candy for the Soul, with special guest Vincent Tuckwood, take the Buttonwood stage at 7:30. The Aligned with Source workshop series with Annaita Gandhy continues this Saturday at 10:30. This week’s theme is Embracing Your Feminine Self. Saturday night Karen Frisk sings jazz, and Bernard Purdie performs and brings his autobiography, “Let the Drums Speak,” for a book signing. Sunday’s worship service at 10 is with Rev. Ronnie Bantum and at 11 with Pastor Sandra Steele. Food Not Bombs serves food outside the Buttonwood Tree every Sunday at about 1 p.m. Help prepare the meal at First Church on Court Street at 11:30. At 3, there’s an artist reception for David S Chorney. You can view his ongoing exhibit “The Ultimate Love Life of Chaos and Beauty.” Next Monday morning at 10:30 the Hearing Voices Network meets. http://www.buttonwood.org.

In New Haven tonight, at Cafe Nine, you can catch Cactus Attack, Scrimmy the Dirtbag, and Slim Francis at 9. On Tuesday they bring you Kyle Flynn, Jason Prince, Pat Dalton, and Michael James Anderson. Wednesday’s offering is Words & Music, with a variety of performers. On Thursday, Yarn takes the Café Nine stage at 9. Friday’s headliner is Midge Ure, appearing along with Richard Barone. Saturday afternoon’s Jazz Jam session is with Tony Dioguardi & Friends, and at 9 you can catch Goodnight Blue Moon, Dan & The Wildfire, and Kate Callahan. Sunday afternoon brings you Lys Guillorn’s Big Little Sunday Show at 3, followed by Sunday night’s Original Jam with The Morris Trent Band at 8. http://www.cafenine.com

Also this week in New Haven, at Toad’s Place, tonight it’s the usual Night of Smooth Jazz with Rohn Lawrence & Friends in Lilly’s Pad. On Thursday it’s Bright Night 13: Electro Glow Party, with music on two stages. On Friday, along with the Black Solidarity Conference at Yale, they bring you Vic Mensa and DJ RellyRell. On Sunday at 9, Simon Posford presents Shpongletron 3.1, with Phutureprimitive. www.toadsplace.com has the complete line-up.

Up in Hartford, at Blackeyed Sally’s, tonight is the usual Jazz Mondays at 8, bringing you Peter Greenfogel’s Birthday Bash. On Fat Tuesday this week, enjoy dinner and dancing with Rivercity Slim and the Zydeco Hogs, along with facepainters, beads, stiltwalkers and more. Wednesday’s Blues Jam is with Tommy Whalen. On deck for Friday is The Bus Drivers, featuring rootsy rock. On Saturday at 9 it’s Johnny & the Pushers with Brian Jackman. www.blackeyedsallys.com for more.

At Infinity Hall in Hartford, this Tuesday they start their Mardi Gras Party at 4, followed by Buckwheat Zydeco, the King of Louisiana Zydeco Music, at 7:30. Wednesday it’s Trivia Night in the Bistro hosted by BaR Rated Trivia at 8. On Thursday, pop star Mary Lambert takes the Infinity stage at 8. Friday’s headliner is Grammy-nominated blues singer Tab Benoit. On Saturday it’s Beau Bolero, The World’s #1 Tribute Band to Steely Dan. On Sunday the Connecticut Lyric Opera and the Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra bring you Rossini’s The Barber of Seville at 7. All details at http://www.infinityhall.com

At the Russell Library in Middletown, the Film Discussion Series continues on Tuesday at noon with “Olivier and Shakespeare – The Many Faces of Laurence Olivier.” The Veteran’s Writing Group meets on Thursday at 7. On Saturday at 2 you can hear award-winning pianist Ko-Eun Yi in concert. Visit http://www.russelllibrary.org for details and information on more community activities.

In Hartford, you can celebrate African American History Month this Tuesday at the Connecticut Historical Society with a Family Program: Story and Crafts, at 2 p.m. Children can listen to a story, make crafts, and explore hands-on exhibits. http://www.chs.org

Hartford also hosts “Laissez Les Beat Temps Rouler,” a Mardi Gras Parade, this Tuesday starting at 4:30. Enjoy carnival music, giant puppets, and more. Find out more at http://www.hartford.com/event/

The Hartford Public Library presents a Salsa Social this Tuesday at 6, including free salsa classes. On Wednesday, there’s a book launch for “The Making of a Legend: The Life and Times of Walter J. “Doc” Hurley,” with author Charles A. Teale, Sr., at 5:30. The workshop “Couponing 101” with Connecticut’s Coupon Lady Gina Juliano happens Thursday at 5:30. http://www.hplct.org

On Wednesday, Manic Productions brings you the Funky Dawgz Brass Band, along with Blu Mood, at Bar in New Haven. Details at http://www.manicproductions.org

And, back in Middletown, you can tour the Wadsworth Mansion every Wednesday at 2 p.m. Details at http://www.wadsworthmansion.com

The Middletown Scottish Country Dancers meet Wednesday at First Church on Court St. Partners not necessary. Call 860-347-0278 for details.

Wesleyan’s Center for the Arts hosts “Idiopreneurial Entrephonics,” a series of concerts, workshops and talks this Friday and Saturday at World Music Hall. It’s a festival of artisanal and homemade electronic music together with the instruments used to make it. On Saturday at 7:30, Lucidity Suitcase Intercontinental and the CFA offer the Connecticut premier of “17 Border Crossings,” a solo work by Thaddeus Phillips based on his actual travel experiences, at CFA Theater. There’s a post-performance discussion with the author. On Sunday at 3 Professor of Music Neely Bruce presents the fifth in his piano recital series “This Is It!” at Crowell Concert Hall. Next Monday at 4:30 there’s an artist reception for “(Re)presenting Place: A Portrait of the Coal River Valley,” at the Zelnick Pavilion. This photographic exhibit explores areas in West Virginia that are highly affected by mountaintop coal mining. Details at http://www.wesleyan.edu/cfa.

Also at Wesleyan, on Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., there'll be a conference, "Creating a Better World: Perspectives on Local and International Development. That's at the Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life, 222 Church St. No registration is required, there is no fee, and brunch will be served.

The Art Guild of Middletown hosts “Soup to Nutz” cartoonist Rick Stomoski this Saturday for a workshop where he’ll demonstrate cartoonist and illustration techniques. It takes place at the Woodside Intermediate School in Cromwell. http://www.middletownartguild.org

Oddfellows Playhouse and ARTFARM bring you Circophany’s Circus on the High Seas this Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Come and enjoy the talents of teenage circus performers. Information at http://www.oddfellows.org

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

At Real Art Ways in Hartford, they continue their run of the 2015 Oscar Shorts, offering you selections from the Animated and Live Action categories, through Sunday. Tonight and Tuesday you can see “Ida,” a Golden Globe nominee for Best Foreign Film, about a Polish novice in a nunnery who discovers her family is Jewish, and takes a trip with her aunt to discover the truth about her parents. “Song of the Sea” also continues through the week. It’s an Oscar nominee for Best Animated Feature. They have a limited run of “Last Days in Vietnam,” an Oscar nominee for Documentary Feature, this Wednesday and Thursday only. On Friday they open a run of “Northern Borders,” the story of a young boy sent to live on his grandparents’ farm in Kingdom County, Vermont, in 1956. Also opening Friday is “Timbuktu,” a story of a cattle herder and his family who live near this ancient city that is now ruled by religious Jihadist extremists. This month’s Creative Cocktail Hour takes place on Thursday at 6 and features a traditional dragon dance and martial arts demonstration in honor of Chinese New Year. www.realartways.com.

At Trinity College’s Cinestudio, the run of the 1973 Robert Altman classic, “The Long Goodbye,” starring Elliott Gould and Nina Van Pallandt, continues tonight and tomorrow. On Wednesday they open a run of “Big Eyes,” Tim Burton’s film that stars Amy Adams as the artist whose husband took credit for the big-eyed waifs of the ‘60’s that she painted. On Sunday they’ll start screening “The Passionate Thief,” a restored 1960 Italian classic about a seductive starlet who hooks up with a con man to pull off a robbery at a lavish party. www.cinestudio.org.

Now here's what's on the air tonight on WESU:

Afternoon Jazz with Charles Henry follows the jive from 5 to 6. With classic hop to smooth contemporary sounds, it’s a well-rounded jazz show for true jazz heads.

From 6 to 6:30 it’s Radio Curious from Pacifica, bringing you interviews on a curiously wide array of topics concerning life and ideas.

75% Folk with Michael Benson follows from 6:30 to 8, bringing you contemporary folk and acoustic music with side orders of blues, jazz, world, pop, movie soundtracks, readings and occasional live interviews.

From 8 to 9:30 it’s Rumpus Room with Lord Lewis, with the best in vintage and contemporary heavy funk, soul, club jazz, reggae, ska, afro and Latin dance floor grooves.

The Attention Deficit Disk Jockey with Lee follows from 9:30 to 11, bringing you the music of yesterday’s future today

Sleep Paralysis with Erin and Ethan comes your way from 11 to midnight. They’ll be chatting about dreams, floating on sounds, and poking around in the subconscious.

At midnight it’s Your Turn with Rachel Day. In each episode, a different guest comes on and chronologically shares and explains the songs that have been instrumental in shaping who they are.

From 1 to 2 a.m. we bring you Meet Music with DJ Rami. Buckle up and tune in to meet a new artist with each show! Explore artists' backgrounds, influences, and personal stories.

Next is All Mixed Up from Pacifica, airing until 3 a.m. It’s an eclectic mix of arts and information, featuring mood-driven music mixes and interviews.

We follow that with Maximum Rock and Roll Radio until 4, followed by BBC World News from 4 to 5 a.m., bringing you international news coverage from the famous British news network. Morning Edition from NPR comes your way at 5.

That’s all for today’s Jive At Five. Tune in each and every weekday at 4:55 p.m. to hear about what’s going on in the community and on the air right here at WESU 88.1 FM, a community service of Wesleyan University since 1939.

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 http://www.wesufm.org anytime. Thanks for listening! Now stay tuned for Charles Henry.