WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY • 11-14
STANLEY JORDAN — DIRTY DOG ANNIVERSARY
FLY MAGIC FINGERS
The Dirty Dog this week celebrates a year of great jazz and fine dining in the Pointes, which is to say, a year of extending the path for jazz fans to beat. The club has built its rep on A-list local combos with solo piano interludes — and then the occasional well-respected or big-name out-oftowner. They're going with the latter this week, with headlining guitarist Stanley Jordan, whose style is built around using the fingers and thumbs of both hands to hammer strings directly on the neck of his instrument. Sort of sounds like a oneman guitar duo. Alternately, he'll play guitar with one hand and piano with the other! With bassist Rodney Whitaker and drummer Sean Dobbins. The estimable pianist Gary Shunk has the interludes. At the Dirty Dog Jazz Café, 97 Kercheval, Grosse Pointe Farms, 313-882-5299; $10 cover.
THURSDAY • 12
MICHAEL ZADOORIAN READING
THE LEISURE GUY, SORTA
Just as he did in his New York Times-approved debut novel Second Hand, author (and born Detroiter) Michael Zadoorian shows us that it's often the overlooked and forgotten ones who've the most fascinating stories. And with his new, winning The Leisure Seeker (Harper/Collins), Zadoorian does so by tapping into the vital currents humming beneath even the most mundane moments of a couple's (and, by extension, our) lives, creating an intimate road adventure where the action is tempered by a state of grace. The author himself told Metro Times that "We create our own value, our own beauty. We find it wherever we find it." Ain't that the truth. Look for that interview in next week's issue. In the meantime, catch Zadoorian reading and signing his new hardcover at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 12 at Book Beat, 26010 Greenfield Rd., Oak Park; 248-968- 1190 or thebookbeat.com.
THURSDAY • 12
ART AND DESIRE: SHAKESPEARE'S SONNETS
LOVE, 16TH CENTURY STYLE
The Bard's sonnets are some of the most famous poems in the English language — even the most braindead philistine has probably heard the line "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" at least once. In the lecture "Art and Desire: Shakespeare's Sonnets," U-M professor of English language and lit Ralph Williams will expound upon Old Will's 154 sonnets and what they reveal about life, love and the man who was perhaps the greatest wordsmith the English language has ever seen. At 7:30 p.m. at Grosse Pointe South High School, 11 Grosse Pointe Blvd., Grosse Pointe Farms; info at 313-343-2074 ext. 6 or gpfriends.org; $10.
THURSDAY-SUNDAY • 12-15
ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER
A HALF CENTURY OF MOVEMENT
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater celebrates its golden anniversary this year, with a special mixed-repertory program that honors 50 years of artistry in dance. The troupe will perform pieces from throughout its history, including the renowned Revelations, a work choreographed by Alvin Ailey that celebrates African-American culture through a dance set to gospels, spirituals and song sermons. The group will also perform Go in Grace, a new work that features an original score by Sweet Honey in the Rock, who will perform live during Saturday's performance. Each performance will also be preceded by a short film outlining the history of the theater. Get your dance on at the Detroit Opera House, 1526 Broadway, Detroit; info and tickets at 313-965-4052 or motopera.org.
THURSDAY-SUNDAY • 12-15
RABBIT HOLE
RISING ABOVE TRAGEDY
A quick synopsis of David Lindsay-Abaire's play Rabbit Hole sounds suspiciously like the plot of too many prime-time dramas or, even worse, a Lifetime original movie. But the Pulitzer Prizewinning drama, about a couple mourning the tragic death of their 4-year-old son, avoids the maudlin histrionics to provide a pitch-perfect portrayal of a household coping with heartbreak. And while audience members should still pack hankies, when the high school student driving the car in the fatal accident makes an appearance, the parents' show a capacity for hope and survival that is ultimately uplifting. At the Tipping Point Theatre, 361 E. Cady St., Northville; 248- 347-0003 or tippingpointtheatre.org for info and tickets. Runs through March 15.
FRIDAY • 13
THE SEA AND CAKE
POP LITE
OK, this Chicago quartet creates erudite pop with a jazzy finish. That's about it. But that "it" is something. Formed in 1993 from the ashes of two faves of the Chicago scene, the Sea and Cake was intended as nothing more than a one-off project for musicians without a permanent gig. More than a decade later, the band is a venerable vet on the indie scene with its eighth full-length, Car Alarm, released last year. Eschewing crass experimentation, the Sea and Cake polish up the chill sound they've made their own. They'll perform at the opening reception for MOCAD's two new exhibits, Black Is, Black Ain't and I Repeat Myself When Under Stress, with the Raw Truth Ensemble at MOCAD, 4454 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-832-6622; mocadetroit.org; $10; all ages; doors at 8:30 p.m.
FRIDAY • 13
THE LOOK OF LOVE
ART AND AMOUR
Learn how amour has inspired great works of art across centuries in this special Valentine's Day tour of the DIA. A cash Champagne and chocolate bar gets attendees in the mood while curators give informal talks on passionate paintings. Participants will then tour the museum in small groups to glean love lessons from works in the museum's permanent collection. The lovefest wraps up with a viewing of the DFT's current film, Medicine for Melancholy. Feel the love, at 7 p.m. at the Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Ave., 313-833- 7900; dia.org; $20, $12 members and city of Detroit residents.
FRIDAY • 13
KODO
A GOOD BEATING
Kodo is a taiko drumming ensemble composed of upward of 50 members who live communally on an isolated island off the coast of Japan. The group, which formed in 1981, celebrates many ancient Japanese art forms, most obviously the giant taiko drum, but also incorporates musical influences from throughout the world, including African drum rhythms, Western classical and jazz. On their current One Earth tour, Kodo will debut new pieces by its next generation of musicians, including a one-time heavy metal drummer — hey, drumming is drumming, right? The communal spirit of the group is the theme of the tour, which celebrates the diverse cultures that make up this beautiful and troubled planet. At 8 p.m. at Hill Auditorium, 825 N. University, Ann Arbor; info at 734-764-2538 or ums.org.
FRIDAY • 13
GROSS LOVE ART OPENING
DUDE, NOW THAT IS SICK
If you're to believe pop images of romance, love's all holding hands and blissful gazing, but often it manifests in ways that are not so much sweet as they are sticky. It is these anatomical aspects of love that will be explored in the exhibition Gross Love, a display of works that incorporate both biology and romance. Because as much as the Catholic Church would have you believe otherwise, you can't have one without the other. At 6 p.m. at the Dreamland Theater, 26 N. Washington St., Ypsilanti; 734-657-2337.
SATURDAY • 14
DARWIN'S BIRTHDAYBASH
EVOLUTION'S SEXY
This year marks both the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species. The Exhibit Museum of Natural History is honoring the momentous anniversaries with a birthdayand Valentine's Day-themed shindig featuring student artwork inspired by passages from On the Origin of Species and a lusty lecture titled "The Evolution of Sex: Biology, Human Sexual Behavior, and Love." The night is completed with chocolate cake and a sparkling cider toast to the father of modern biology. From 6 to 10 p.m. at the Exhibit Museum of Natural History, 1109 Geddes Ave., Ann Arbor; 734-764-0480.
SATURDAY • 14
STAR TREK: THE EXHIBITION
BEAM ME UP, SCOTTY
Sets, costumes and props from the five TV shows and ten films are brought together in this interactive exhibit dedicated to everyone's favorite sci-fi cult hit. Trekkies will have the chance to stand on a re-creation of the bridge from the USS Enterprise (you can even take home a souvenir photo complete with super-imposed images of Spock and the gang - sweet!), view re-creations of sets from The Next Generation and ride in two full-motion flight simulators. Thinking of proposing on Valentine's Day? Do it at the exhibit and you'll be entered for a chance to win a June wedding at the Science Center. Saying "I do" on the Enterprise? Now that's romantic. The touring exhibit will be on display through Sept. 7, at the Detroit Science Center, 5020 John R. St., Detroit; 313-577- 8400; detroitscience.org.
ONGOING
URBAN MEMORIES: THE QUILT AND FABRIC ART OF CAROLE HARRIS
INTENSE TAPASTRIES
Detroit native Carole Harris is an award-winning interior designer whose firm, Harris Design Group, has worked on projects for the likes of MGM Grand, Detroit Institute of Arts and the city of Detroit. Harris is also a fiber artist whose pieces appear in numerous private and public collections across the country. Her non-traditional quilts combine hundreds of vibrant and intensely colored fabrics, creating energetic and eye-catching asymmetrical designs. And there's nothing better than a warm and cuddly piece of art on a cold winter's day. At the Ellen Kayrod Gallery, inside Hannan House, 4750 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-833-1300; on display through March 13.
