Swirl n’ Spit

-
0
Swirl n’ Spit

Swirl n’ Spit

Robert Sinskey

By Heather Irwin

Lowdown: There aren’t many wines that I’ll drive an hour in a hot car to taste with two whining children. Make that three kids, including the 34-year-old one poking at me in the front seat. But for two of the last bottles of Robert Sinskey’s ’04 Vin Gris of Pinot Noir, I was willing to chance it.

Located midway down Napa’s Silverado Trail, Robert Sinskey is a family winery that, despite its cathedral-like tasting room and fancy landscaping, really does feel like a family winery. The staff is friendly and talkative, offering up tiny canapés from wife Maria’s recipe book to complement the flavors of the wines.

Winemaker Rob Sinskey is a second-generation winemaker, taking the reins from Dad, Bob, who founded the vineyards and winery in the late ’60s. Espousing organic, biodynamic wines and wrangling the ever-pesky Pinot grape into the bottle, the Sinskey’s haven’t taken the easy road to winemaking. But the cultlike following they’ve created (and reasonable prices they’ve maintained) has made them a favorite local producer–and worthy of every agonizing minute of “Are we there yet?”

Mouth value: The Sinskey Winery is all about Pinot Noir. Well, OK, mostly about Pinot Noir. Though its other offerings–Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon–range from so-so to stellar, the winery’s true passion is for Pinot. Start with the Los Carneros Pinot Blanc ($18), which is fresher, more tart and more acidic than a Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a sweet kiss of a wine that’s a cousin to the ’04 Vin Gris ($16). Blushingly brilliant, Sinskey has become known for this rose-colored temptress that’s bright and flowery–and unfortunately sold-out for the year. The ’02 Los Carneros ($30) and ’01 Four Vineyards Pinot Noir ($46) are lush, supple and fun to try side by side.

Five-second (food) snob: Maria Sinskey, the vintner’s wife, is a world-famous chef in her own right. A graduate of the California Culinary Academy, she’s been featured on the Food Network, is the author of The Vineyard Kitchen and was named one of the country’s Best New Chef’s in 1996 by Food & Wine magazine. She can often be found in the winery’s open teaching kitchen. Culinary tours are offered daily (by appointment) for $25 and include wine and cheese pairings.

Spot: Robert Sinskey Winery, 6320 Silverado Trail, Napa. Tasting room open daily, 10am to 4:30pm. Tasting fee, $15-$20. 707.944.9090.

From the June 15-21, 2005 issue of the North Bay Bohemian.

© Metro Publishing Inc.

Green Music Festival

-
0

Green Days

Local chamber music fest a world-class event

By Greg Cahill

After 10 years as conductor for the Santa Rosa Symphony, Jeffrey Kahane has packed up his baton in preparation for a move this fall to his new post with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. But Kahane remains as music director of the Green Music Festival, an annual event he has shaped into one of the finest chamber-music events in Northern California.

The festival’s sixth season will be held July 4-30 at Sonoma State University on and near the sprawling grounds of the planned $47 million arts complex named for its chief benefactor, local philanthropist Don Green.

Once again, Kahane–a celebrated pianist who has programmed a pair of phenomenal jazz piano concerts into this season–has blessed the event with young talent. Most notable is the return of the Grammy-winning St. Lawrence String Quartet, one of the world’s most acclaimed chamber ensembles and quartet-in-residence at Stanford University.

Other featured performers include the violinists Chee-Yun and Lindsay Deutsch; violists Aloysia Friedmann and Nokuthula Ngwenyama (who recently released a fascinating musical tribute to martyred revolutionary Che Guevara); cellists Alisa Weilerstein and Peter Wyrick; contrabassist Stephen Tramontozzi; pianist Jon Kimura Parker; Cuban jazz keyboard virtuoso Gonzalo Rubalcaba; and renowned jazz pianist Fred Hersch with his trio.

Here’s the schedule:

Monday, July 4, from 4pm to 10pm: Guest conductor Jeff Tyzik leads the Santa Rosa Symphony in an outdoor pops concert, replete with food and wine, John Williams film scores, children’s games and a fireworks display.

Friday, July 8, at 8pm: The St. Lawrence String Quartet headlines a mixed program of modern works and Romantic-era classics that includes the Astor Piazzolla-inspired Last Round by Osvaldo Golijov, with violinists Deutsch and Chee-Yun, violist Friedmann, teen cellist Weilerstein, and contrabassist Tramontozzi. The program also includes Brahms’ C Minor Piano Quartet (with Chee-Yun, Ngwenyama, Weilerstein and Kahane); and the increasingly popular Mendelssohn Octet with Deutsch, Chee-Yun, Friedmann and Weilerstein joining the St. Lawrence String Quartet.

Sunday, July 10, at 4pm: Violinists Deutsch and Chee-Yun perform Prokofiev’s Sonata for Two Violins; violist Ngwenyama joins the St. Lawrence String Quartet for Mozart’s D Major Viola Quintet; and Chee-Yun, Weilerstein and Kimura offer Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio.

Tuesday, July 12, at 8pm: Pianists Kahane and Parker perform Schubert’s Fantasy in F Minor for Four Hands, Gershwin’s An American in Paris, and Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances for Two Pianos (Kahane is one of the world’s foremost interpreters of Rachmaninoff).

Thursday, July 14, at 8pm: Violist Ngwenyama and Kahane team up for Schumann’s Fairy Tales for Viola and Piano; violinist Deutsch and cellist Wyrick perform Kodaly’s Duo; and Deutsche, Ngwenyama, Wyrick and Kahane deliver Dvorak’s E Flat Piano Quartet.

Sunday, July 17, at 4pm: Kahane launches the Piano Music Series with a solo concert of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, which he will reprise three days later at the Ravinia Festival in Illinois.

Saturday, July 23, at 8pm: pianist Fred Hersch’s trio presents an evening of contemporary jazz. Hersch is the recipient of a 2003 Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship for composition and two Grammy nominations for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance. Jazziz magazine has written of Hersch that “few jazz pianists have ever struck as beguiling a balance between technique, feeling, insight and imagination. . . . Hersch’s engagement with each of these songs is so complete that he evokes the sort of secret meanings words cannot.”

Saturday, July 30, at 8pm: The festival closes with a much-anticipated solo piano appearance by Afro-Cuban jazz player Gonzalo Rubalcaba, the Grammy-winning Blue Note artist (Rubalcaba has been nominated for the award eight times). Rubalcaba is known for his ability to blend Cuban and American influences–just check out his contribution to bassist Charlie Haden’s 2002 noirish jazz release Nocturne.

Admission to the Independence Day pops concert on the SSU campus, ranges from $10-$55. Tickets for the chamber music and piano series, held at the Evert B. Person Theatre on the SSU campus, are $12-$35. Various festival ticket packages also are available. 1801 E. Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park. 866.SSU.FEST.

From the June 15-21, 2005 issue of the North Bay Bohemian.

© Metro Publishing Inc.

Australian Film Roadshow

-
0

On the Road(show)

Australian film series screens life down under

By Jeff Latta

Picture riding an ATV through the desolate Australian outback. To the left, dingoes eat someone’s baby; to the right, koalas and kangaroos are in a desperate fight for survival. Suddenly in the midst of this wilderness appears–a movie theater?

While this scenario is quite far removed from the true picture of our neighbors to the way, way south, it is probably similar to one that appears to the large amount of North Bay folks who haven’t had the privilege to journey so far in their lifetime. In an effort to show just what life (and film) in Australia is really like, the Rafael Film Center and Australian Film Commission screens the Australian Film Roadshow June 17-22.

This mini festival is a collection of five films ranging across various genres that have been given little exposure in the United States. Ranging from a lively cartoon to a drama about a real-life court case, these films run the gamut of emotion and style, and illuminate many facets of Australia largely unknown to American audiences.

But another thing these films manage to do is to prove the universal nature of the filmic language. It appears that, with celluloid at least, borders be damned–there are only so many stories to tell and only so many ways to tell them. While this theory has been proven ad nauseam by the big budget blockbusters that crowd our multitude of multiplexes, it is interesting to see just how much a foreign film’s core ideas and themes can mirror our own.

Take the clever and quirky comedy Crackerjack. Starring Australian comic Mick Molloy, the film is about a senior-citizen sport known as “lawn ball” popular in the land down under. For the unfamiliar, lawn ball is basically bocce ball, a mixture of bowling and horseshoes played on a lawn. In Crackerjack, slacker Jack Simpson (Molloy) has kept up a membership at the local lawn ball club for the express purpose of possessing one of its lucrative downtown parking spaces. Jack has never played the game, never shown his face at the club and never intends to. But when an evil poker-machine magnate comes rolling into the club to take over, the seniors are forced to call out every able member they can find to form a team to compete in a tournament to save themselves.

Sounds fairly original, right? It is, sort of, and entertaining to boot. But stripped bare, this movie is surprisingly similar to The Mighty Ducks. All the sports-film clichés are there: the unwilling participant who is dragged into the sport against his will but soon grows to love it; the rogue (but amazingly gifted) player who is kicked out of the league but then brought back at the last minute to save the day. Even the eccentric and moustache-twirling rival players make an appearance. Countless other sports clichés could be noted, if one could stop from chuckling long enough to notice them.

The surreal animated offering The Magic Pudding is based on a classic children’s novel published almost a century ago by popular Australian artist and author Norman Lindsay. In it, a dapper talking koala named Bunyip sets off on a journey to find his real parents. He soon runs into a wily and excitable sea captain, a stately talking penguin and a bowl of magic pudding. The bowl is unending, can become any food imaginable and also serves up a side order of sarcasm, courtesy of a voice performance by popular Python John Cleese. Bunyip and his new friends team up for the dual purpose of finding the missing koala kin as well as protecting the grumpy pudding bowl from an evil wombat named Bunkle, who believes the magic food is the only thing that can satisfy his unbelievable vegetarian appetite.

With a veritable who’s who of Australian actors lending voices to it–Geoffrey Rush, Sam Neill and Hugo Weaving to name a few–and a buoyant infectious energy, The Magic Pudding has something for almost everyone. The recurring image of a cantankerous lump of pudding with spindly arms and legs using its own bowl for a hat as it trudges through the forest was enough to keep this reviewer amused for 75 minutes.

But what will provide entertainment for the teenage crowd? Well, if the teenager is an angst-ridden girl, she’s got a good shot at enjoying Looking for Alibrandi. Based on an immensely popular novel distinguished for being the book most commonly stolen from Australian public libraries, it is also known for speaking the truth about the teenage experience, depicting the reality of growing up in Australia. The film stars Pia Miranda as Josie, a 17-year-old working-class Italian Australian attending a high-class private school on scholarship. Josie is preparing to go off to college and leave the traditional ways of her domineering mother and grandmother behind, but little things like suicide and a sudden reappearance of a father whom she never knew manage to get in the way. Think of it as Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen with accents. Some of the events are a bit contrived, but the dialogue and reactions are realistic throughout.

The festival is rounded out by Australian Rules, a courageous comedy-drama about a white Australian who befriends Aborigines despite the racist notions of his friends and family, and Black or White, a heavy drama starring Robert Carlyle as a lawyer who uncovers racist corruption in 1953.

While all of these films resonate with so-called American themes, they’re not derivative, as lawn ball and talking puddings prove. Such comparisons are not meant as a criticism; rather, they offer another reason to watch the films. For those of us who think that Americans have the movie business locked down, this entertaining collection of cinematic fare will prove otherwise. American film may have led the way and established the rules, but that doesn’t mean that Australians can’t do it too. And often better.

The Australian Film Roadshow screens Friday-Wednesday, June 17-22, at the Smith Rafael Film Center. 1118 Fourth St., San Rafael. Call for times. 415.454.1222.

From the June 15-21, 2005 issue of the North Bay Bohemian.

© Metro Publishing Inc.

Briefs

-
0

Briefs

Assembly Required

With Joe Nation terming out and pursuing Lynn Woolsey’s congressional seat in 2006, that leaves the Sixth District Assembly seat straddling Marin and Sonoma counties up for grabs. For all intents and purposes, the real race for this liberal enclave is the Democratic primary next March, and eight fairly heavy hitters have already signed up: Marin Democratic Party chair John Alden; Marin Law Center owner and attorney Greg Brockbank; Deputy State Attorney General Damon Connolly; progressive Fairfax mayor Frank Egger; Natural Resources Defense Council attorney Jared Huffman; Marin County supervisor Cynthia Murray; Petaluma City Council member Pamela Torliatt; and Marin Community College trustee Wanden Treanor.

Gator Bait

A three-foot-long alligator found in a north Napa neighborhood has been euthanized after no one stepped forward to claim it, reports the California Department of Fish and Game. “We don’t know who the owner is; it hasn’t been determined,” says Fish and Game spokesman Troy Swauger, who added that possession of the prohibited species without a special state permit (generally reserved for zoological or educational settings) is a misdemeanor. Swauger, who’s been a spokesman for Fish and Game for the past eight years, says this is the first alligator he’s run across. “I don’t recall every hearing about an alligator in anyone’s backyard,” he says. “You hear about it in other states, but not around here.”

Absent and Accounted

All three measures on the June 7 special election ballot (“Repeat When Necessary,” , May 25) passed with the two-thirds of the vote required for new taxes. Fairfax’s Measure F passed easily, gaining 71 percent of the vote. Things were closer in Sonoma County, where a parcel tax increase for Harmony Union School District passed with 68.7 percent of the vote, and approval of West Sonoma County High School District’s Measure K was narrowest of all, with just 67.2 percent in favor. Measure K supporter Stella Monday says she almost didn’t get to vote. It seems she inadvertently signed up for permanent absentee status back in 2002 but hadn’t received a special-election ballot in the mail. Poll workers nearly turned her away at first, but Monday stuck to her guns and voted using a provisional ballot. “All voters should know that under any circumstances, they’re entitled to vote using a provisional ballot,” says Sonoma County assistant registrar of voters Janice Atkinson.

–R. V. Scheide

From the June 15-21, 2005 issue of the North Bay Bohemian.

© Metro Publishing Inc.

Anniversary Dining

-
0

Anniversary-Worthy

If it’s June, it must be time to go out to dinner

By Heather Irwin

It’s that one night of the year when you feel like an awkward teenager again. New shoes pinch uncomfortably, hair is sprayed in ways that defy both nature and weather and it’s hard not to feel, well, a little giggly and ridiculous around the person you’ve spent the last who-knows-how-many-years sleeping with. Happy Anniversary, dear!

Dinner must be had, and an anniversary-worthy restaurant is one that, with every bite, makes you fall a little more in love. It’s that magical combination of ambiance, good food, attentive service and flattering lighting. But food makes the event extra special. This is a special night for indulgences and experimentation (even before you hit the bedroom). Resist the temptation to take your sweetie-pie anywhere that requires a bib or has PBR on tap. Expect to shell out upwards of $12 per entrée and to hear yourself ordering things like “asparagus terrine” and “pan-seared salmon with a balsamic reduction,” tiger. Nervous? Don’t be. We’ll take good care of you.

The Happiest Hour. Leave talk of your co-workers back at work and shake off the day at the new Vintner’s Inn Front Room (4350 Barnes Road, Santa Rosa, 707.575.7350). The recently remodeled lounge is clubby and warm, with a grown-up vibe that says you’re way past ordering Jägermeister with a beer back. This is more of a Crown Royal straight up vibe. Feeling frisky? Try the Aromatic Flight of cool, crisp white wines ($15)–mucho sophisticato. Even the fried calamari oozes charm when paired with a spicy green papaya salad and Thai basil dipping sauce. You’re so grown up. Sit back, relax and stare into each other’s eyes until you crack up and remember why you fell in love with the big galoob anyway.

Hey, Big Spender. You’re so money. If you’ve got the cash (or a working credit card) and a taste for pomp, circumstance and some serious service, Cyrus (29 North St., Healdsburg, 707.433.3311) is the spot. Nestled into the super-exclusive Le Mars Hotel, the restaurant is old-school fancy-schmantzy. Lots of doting waiters in black, a dark, womblike atmosphere and enough champagne and caviar to impress a czar. When you arrive, the kitchen is alerted to your arrival, sending out warm amuse-bouche while you peruse the French-California prix fixe menu. You’re almost famous. At $74 for five courses, the price feels pretty famous too, but reasonable compared to other top-flight restaurants in, say, Yountville or San Francisco. (You can also get a three-course dinner for $52, or really splurge for the $85 chef’s tasting menu) Hey, this is your anniversary, after all.

Trés Nouveau. Press (587 St. Helena Hwy., St. Helena, 707.967.0550) is Napa’s newest restaurant. With soaring ceilings in a post-industrial glass and steel building, this is a bright and airy space with a menu that’s pure Napa. Every dish has a lengthy pedigree (Edge Hill honey, Taku River salmon steak, etc.) and more ingredients than probably necessary, but when you’re spending upwards of $20 a plate, think of it as an investment. With open seating, Press isn’t the place for a romantic first anniversary, but more of a second or third “let’s have an adventure” anniversary. Because sometimes being seen is just as important as being together.

Isn’t It Romantic? While the idea of lounging on a velvet sofa when feeding your lover is a lovely notion, it rarely turns out that way. You can give it a try, however, at the Martini House (1245 Spring St., St. Helena, 707.963.2233), where fireside sofas pull up to long tables in the upstairs dining area. More amusing, however, is the back corner of the downstairs bar, where you can steal kisses between courses.

Though it’s been around a while, the Madrona Manor (101 Westside Road, Healdsburg, 707.433.4231) is a perennial old-school dining experience in a lacy, tea-cozy-and-fringe sort of way. Despite the Victorian knickknacks all about, the menu is remarkably straightforward (halibut, salmon, beef, pasta) and elegant with a solid wine list. And, hey, there are rooms right upstairs should you need one after that last sip of port, you old dog.

Different Is Good. You got married in a wetsuit and named your kid Gunner. You’re a little different. That’s a good thing. So make your anniversary a little different, too. Kitchen (868 Grant Ave., Novato, 415.892.6100) is a hip, chef-owned outpost in a rather unlikely place: the middle of Novato. Featuring a seafood-laden menu, the food gets its attitude from Christopher Douglas, most recently from San Francisco’s Foreign Cinema. Though it’s got an enthusiastic local following, Kitchen is still relatively unknown north of Petaluma. And that, too, is a good thing. Another local favorite is Santa Rosa’s seven-0-seven (1612 Terrace Way, Santa Rosa, 707.523.0317). Simple small plates are perfect for sharing. The lighting is romantic, with plenty of flickering candles and glowing sconces. The only drawback are uncomfortable wooden chairs that leave you numb after a few courses. But you’re in love and don’t feel a thing.

Budgetary Bliss. If you’re spending more time at the Home Depot than Victoria’s Secret these days, fear not. Jhanthong Banbua (2400 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, 707.528.8048) is a spicy journey to Southeast Asia–or at least Northeast Santa Rosa. And with the Gold Coin Motel just steps away, you can get dinner and a tumble with change left over for the Coke machine. The recently opened Ravenette Cafe (117 North St., Healdsburg, 707.431.1770) is luxury dining on a tight budget, in a super-charming, six-tables-only setting. From nearly every table (the best is the far left corner) you can chat with friendly neighboring eaters and watch the kitchen staff cooking mere feet away. It’s not overly fancy, but with dishes like black-vinegar-braised baby back ribs with celery root purée ($13), it’s not exactly the home of the Whopper, either.

Dessert. Here’s where you score big. Forget the dessert. Jump in the car and break out your super-duper romantic anniversary kit. Yes, you’ve pre-planned, packing the following items: two blankets (one for the ground, one for you to share); two wine glasses; assorted fruits; and a bottle of Dolce 2001 Napa Valley Late Harvest Dessert Wine (about $60). If that’s too hard on the pocketbook, try a nice Muscat or sweet Zinfandel. And don’t forget a bottle opener.

Head somewhere secluded. Your backyard is fine, but sneaking into a park gets you bonus points (and possibly also arrested, so obey local laws), spread your blanket, pour a glass of sweet nectar, tell your honey cakes how much you love him or her. Cue fireworks.

Just be sure to name your first-born after us.

From the June 8-14, 2005 issue of the North Bay Bohemian.

© Metro Publishing Inc.

The Byrne Report

-
0

The Byrne Report

Political Porn

BESET BY TRAFFIC JAMS, police brutality, pollen pollution and grape-eating insects, Santa Rosa has finally found something to brag about: it is the retirement home of W. Mark Felt, a.k.a. Deep Throat. Personally, I could have done without knowing the identity of the most famous rat fink in American history. It’s like stumbling upon your parents fooling around in the sack–some details are best left undisclosed.

It fell to the sexcapade- and underwear-purveying magazine Vanity Fair to ferret out the feculent Felt as the source of the Washington Post‘s inside information about President Richard Nixon’s dirty tricks and burglaries during the 1972 national election–complete with inept cover-up. I was around at the time, smoking pot and dodging the draft. The televised Watergate hearings dragged on and on while the drunken Nixon stonewalled, lied, whined, threw Vice President Agnew to the wolves, back-stabbed his closest aides, then fell on his own sword to save his government pension and presidential library.

In my opinion–then and now–Nixon should have been tried under penalty of death for committing war crimes in Vietnam. Ditto with his secretary of state, Henry Kissinger; secretary of war Robert McNamara; and most of the U.S. Congress. America slaughtered two million people in Vietnam, while enriching many of the same war contractors and news organizations that batten on Iraq and Afghanistan today.

History is mysterious and elliptical. As a result of Nixon’s fall in 1974, a Navy lieutenant named Bob Woodward, fresh from working for top brass at the Pentagon, became a journalistic icon. Seven years later, his professional mentor, Felt, a ranking FBI agent and counterintelligence operative, was convicted of ordering his own burglaries. Nixon and Felt were pardoned for their crimes by presidents eager to get on with the business of spying upon political enemies and killing Third World peasants for profit. Each new chief executive duly acknowledges the Boswellian Woodward, who gazes filially upon them as they commit more war crimes.

Felt, 91, is being portrayed in media reports as a self-absorbed, petty-minded cop who was passed over for promotion to the post of FBI director because he was a registered Democrat. But only a fool would believe that the Machiavellian Felt unilaterally brought down a war president for personal reasons. Reading between the lines of Woodward’s recent account of Deep Throat in the Washington Post, one can logically conclude that the Cold War spymaster manipulated the sycophantic cub reporter for reasons of state, not pique. In the minds of some powerful folks, Nixon was not only losing the war on Vietnam, he was losing the peace talks, caving into communist China, and going soft on Russia. He had angered parts of Wall Street with his “liberal” economic policies. The post-WWII boom had stalled, our stagflating, oil-importing economy was in the dumps and kids were rioting in the streets.

Haven’t you ever wondered why Nixon went down for covering up a two-bit burglary, all traces of which could have been ruthlessly wiped away by a platoon of SEALS? Like his Vietnam War-damaged predecessor, Lyndon Johnson, Nixon was hung out to twist in the wind by the same military-industrial-intelligence forces that created him. The devious Felt could have handed over the FBI equivalent of the Pentagon Papers to Woodward and done real damage to the System. Instead, he delivered snippets of information about campaign financing irregularities guaranteed to shock millions of Disneyfied voters who had not yet learned to wink at official misconduct, such as the fellating of a president by a emotionally disturbed White House intern.

Woodward has authored a dozen gossipy books that rely upon insiders for information that generally amount to little more than self-serving government gloss. Woodward’s stock in trade is trivializing the serial crimes of his anonymous sources in the intelligence “community.” He de-fangs history, turning the great motions of war, social upheaval and economic revolution into chit-chat about what color tie George W. Bush was wearing when he ordered the bombing of Iraq.

In the post-Watergate era, anonymous sourcing became the preferred method of “investigative” reporting in the nation’s capital. It is easy to allow politicians and technocrats to write your story. Media millionaire Woodward did not invent the art of trading access to power for favorable coverage in the press, but he perfected it. Thanks to the cultural glorification of Deep Throat, White House briefings are “background only” for pre-selected corporate toadies programmed to treat government lies as unquestioned facts. There are no heroes in this tale.

In my view, Woodward and Bernstein were used by powerful, duplicitous men as well-recompensed errand boys sent to accomplish a task that they still only dimly comprehend. “I suspect in his mind I was his agent,” Woodward wrote of Felt.

No shit, Sherlock.

From the June 8-14, 2005 issue of the North Bay Bohemian.

© Metro Publishing Inc.

Steve Turre

-
0

Slide Zone

The gospel according to Steve Turre

By Greg Cahill

When Steve Turre was 10 years old, he told his father that he wanted to learn to play the violin. His dad was less than enthusiastic about the notion, noting that a beginning violin player sounded “like a cat in an alley.” Pick a horn, he advised. So weeks later, while watching a parade with his father, Turre noticed the line of shiny brass trombones glinting in the sun and placed prominently out front of the formation, so the slides wouldn’t crash into other players.

He was sold.

Almost 50 years later, Turre is the preeminent jazz trombone player of his generation.

A San Francisco native, he has a steady gig as a member of the Saturday Night Live band. But he has made a name for himself as a sideman (he was a member of Ray Charles’ band in the early ’70s), a much sought-after session player (check out his über-cool slide work on the late Lester Bowie’s avant-jazz spin on the doo-wop classic “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”) and as a talented bandleader. Indeed, weary of the monopoly status held by trumpet and saxophone players in the jazz world, Turre has become a self-described “trombone evangelist,” whose solo albums include a tribute to the legendary ‘bone player J. J. Johnson, the Charlie Parker of the trombone.

Turre will be preaching his jazz gospel on June 12 when he joins the Babatunde Lea Quintet as a special guest, opening for pianist Kenny Barron and violinist Regina Carter (with whom he has recorded), at the Healdsburg Jazz Festival.He credits the eccentric horn player Rahsaan Roland Kirk, who used to play multiple instruments simultaneously, with indoctrinating him into the realm of infinite musical possibilities. “The first contact I had that really, really changed my life was Rahsaan Roland Kirk,” he once told Online Trombone Journal. “This was my first year out of high school. I sat in with Rahsaan at the Jazz Workshop in San Francisco and it felt like we had been playing together all our lives. It clicked immediately. We’d breathe in the same place. We would phrase the same, intuitively. I was just able to tap into his brain waves. There’s been two people in my life that this has happened with–Rahsaan, and later with Woody Shaw.

“We really struck up a wonderful friendship, and every time he would come through San Francisco, he would call me for the gig. I was a kid. He’d give me 50 bucks for working six nights, and I’d be happy. It was a real inspiration, and it encouraged me to continue.”

Turre already knew about such legendary jazz trombonists as J. J. Johnson, Curtis Fuller and Julian Priester. But Kirk turned him on to more obscure trombone missionaries like Vic Dickenson, Trummy Young, Dickie Wells, C. Higginbotham and Jack Teagarden.

Kirk also instilled a sense of adventure that led Turre to experiment with tuned conch shells. The result was the acclaimed 1993 release Sanctified Shells, an eerie but compelling disc that found Turre and several other players forming a unique Latin-tinged conch chorus reflecting his Mexican American heritage.

On subsequent releases, Turre has on occasion melded the shells with brass for an orchestral sound that is nothing short of sublime. “I’m still able to grow and be around people that share the same interest and inspiration and goals as myself,” he told Online Trombone Journal. “A musician’s like a doctor; you’re supposed to heal people. You make them feel better. As long as I can keep doing that, I’m a happy man.”

Steve Turre performs with Kenny Barron, Regina Carter and the Babatunde Lea Quintet on Sunday, June 12, at the Rodney Strong Vineyards, 11455 Old Redwood Hwy., Healdsburg. 1pm. $35. For complete program information on the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, visit www.healdsburgjazzfestival.com.

From the June 8-14, 2005 issue of the North Bay Bohemian.

© Metro Publishing Inc.

News of the Food

-
0

News of the Food

Bitter and Sweet

By Gretchen Giles

With a boycott of Gallo products looming (see “Briefs”), the reasonable and socially conscious shopper naturally assumes that he or she can easily sidestep a Gallo-owned product. Think again. The monolithic producer owns some 50 wine and spirit labels, including the yummy Pinots of the MacMurray ranch, the affordable zesty Zins of Rancho Zabaco and the Italian wines produced under the Ecco Domani label. Thus, the socially conscious shopper has every reason to be profoundly sad. While many non-union-busting choices abound on store shelves, keep an eye out for the following Gallo brands: Anapamu, Andre (sparkling), Ballatore Spumante (sparkling), Bartles & Jaymes Coolers, Bella Sera, Black Swan (Australian), Boones Farm (regular and malt), Bridlewood, Burlwood (restaurant/hotel only), Carlo Rossi, Cask & Cream Chocolate Temptation, Cask & Cream Caramel Temptation, Copperidge (restaurant/hotel only), Da Vinci (Italian), E&J Cask & Cream, E&J Cognac, E&J Gallo Twin Valley Vineyards, E&J VS Brandy, E&J VSOP Brandy, Ecco Domani, Frei Brothers, Gallo Fairbanks (sherry and port), Gallo of Sonoma County, Gallo of Sonoma Estate, Gallo of Sonoma Single Vineyard, Gallo Vermouth (sweet and dry), Gossamer Bay, Hornsby Hard Cider, Indigo Hills Blanc de Blancs (sparkling), Liberty Creek (restaurant/hotel only), Louis B. Martini, MacMurray Ranch, Marcelina, McWilliams Hanwood Estate (Australian), Mirassou, Napa Valley Vineyards, Night Train, Peter Vella, Rancho Zabaco, Red Bicyclette (French), Redwood Creek, Sheffield Cellars (sherry and port), Sola Vista, Thunderbird, Tisdale, Tott’s (sparkling), Turning Leaf, Whitehaven (New Zealand), Wild Vines (fruit-flavored), William Wycliff Vineyards (restaurant/hotel only) . . . .

In other politics of food, the West Marin-based Turtle Island Restoration Network (TIRN) is wrestling the Safeway supermarket chain, insisting that the mega-retailer post mercury warnings in its fish cases. While Safeway generally does comply with Proposition 65 in posting inexpensive signs warning of mercury levels in swordfish, shark, king mackerel, tilefish and albacore at its California stores, TIRN charges that such signage is necessary–and missing–nationwide. Ironically noting that Safeway is currently under an “Ingredients for Life” ad campaign, TIRN warns that pregnant women, women of child-bearing age overall and small children are at risk for being truly poisoned when eating fish that isn’t identified as being high in mercury. According to TIRN’s Andy Peri, Safeway CEO Steven Burd, responded to the group’s concerns by replying that signage wasn’t necessary as the amount of media attention regarding mercury levels in fish are sufficient. To learn more about mercury levels and their presence in particular fish types, go to www.gotmercury.org . . . .

Meanwhile, on the upside of things, the collective known as Marin Organic just won $75,000 from the Columbia foundation to encourage sustainable organic food production in Marin. The Marin Community Foundation had just granted $25,000 to the non-profit in March, so the stuff does appear to be growing on trees out in West Marin . . . . And for those in the know, please be glad to learn that the SRJC Culinary Cafe and Bakery reopens for the summer semester (hooray!) on Wednesday, June 22, serving Wednesday-Friday, 7:30am to 2pm, with lunch swinging out at 11:30am. Fridays feature a special food and wine pairing lunch. 458 B St., Santa Rosa. 707.576.0279.

From the June 8-14, 2005 issue of the North Bay Bohemian.

© Metro Publishing Inc.

Morsels

-
0
Morsels

Morsels

You Are What He Eats

By Stett Holbrook

Mark Nuckols is an adventurous eater. He’s dined on insects, bull testicles, sheep eyes and other delicacies. “There are very few things that I wouldn’t try,” says Nuckols, an MBA student at Dartmouth College. So when he read anthropological accounts of Aztec human stew about eight years ago, Nuckols was intrigued.

“I would try it if I happened to be there,” he says.

The thought of eating human flesh always fascinated him, and years later when he was rereading an essay about cannibalism while eating a Tofurky sandwich, the thought occurred to him: Why not try to approximate the taste of human flesh? Thus was born Hufu, a line of meatless products billed as “the healthy human flesh alternative.” The products are made from textured tofu by a Dutch company that wishes to remain nameless. Nuckols sells his products as well as T-shirts and other merch at www.eathufu.com. The website also includes essays about cannibalism, a practice Nuckols calls “the last taboo.”

Hufu was originally conceived as a product for anthropology students hungry for the cannibal experience but “deterred by the legal and logistical obstacles.” But the positive, sometimes incredulous, feedback Nuckols got encouraged him to take his products to a wider market.

In addition to approximating the taste of human flesh, Nuckols says his business is meant to “shock and provoke” people. He’s accomplished that. He gets criticism from people on the left who says his logo of a Fijian cannibal leering over a cauldron of man stew is a degrading stereotype. Critics on the religious right say he’s mocking the sanctity of life and traditional values. Offending both groups must mean he’s doing something right. About half the people he encounters react positively to his products.

While he’s never eaten his fellow man, Nuckols says he’s done extensive research and believes his products, which include Hufu Classic Strips, Dr. Lecter’s Favorite Liver and Hufu Healthy Heart, are authentic meatless approximations of human flesh. According to accounts of cannibalism he’s read, people don’t taste like pork, as commonly believed. Apparently, we have a slightly sweet, beefy flavor that’s a little softer in texture than your typical ribeye steak.

“If we could get a real headhunter to do a taste test, that would be best,” he says. In the meantime, you’ll have to take his word for it.

In addition to the novelty and anthropological curiosity of Hufu, Nuckols says his human-flesh alternative is just the thing to one-up that food-snob friend who’s always showing off at dinner parties with foie gras and tins of caviar. “It’s hard to top this,” Nuckols says.

From the June 8-14, 2005 issue of the North Bay Bohemian.

© Metro Publishing Inc.

Marin General Hospital

-
0
Marin General Hospital

Hemorrhaging Money: Like all students, Latinos do better when parents are able to easily communicate with teachers.

Unhealthy Hospital

Marin General needs an infusion, stat

By Joy Lanzendorfer

Unless medical inspectors give Marin General Hospital a clean bill of health, the stressed facility could lose most of its funding by the end of this month. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is giving the hospital until June 30 to prove it’s providing decent patient care. If it fails to meet the agency’s standards, the hospital could lose its Medicare and Medicaid funding–more than half its revenues.

The situation is serious. Only 1 percent of hospitals ever face the possibility of losing their Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. Investigations by the CMS are putting more pressure on the already strained relationship between Sutter, the nonprofit corporation that runs the hospital, and the Marin Healthcare District Board, the elected body that acts as the hospital’s landlord. In fact, with Sutter’s lease due to expire in 2015 and with the hospital’s need for expensive earthquake retrofitting falling within the same time frame, things at Marin General have gotten downright nasty.

The accidental death of a patient sparked the CMS’ investigations, which began in February of last year. A traveling nurse (a temporary nurse who moves from hospital to hospital) was put in charge of the patient, who had a degenerative disk disease of the spine.

“They had this nurse who couldn’t read the heart monitor taking care of patients in a heart unit,” says Dr. Bill Rothman of the Marin Safe Healthcare Coalition, an organization that is highly critical of Sutter’s handling of the hospital.

“She didn’t realize the alarm signaling cardiac arrest was switched off, so she didn’t know when the patient’s heart stopped.”

The CMS investigated the hospital in February, May and September of last year, each time finding new violations. In a letter dated Feb. 28, 2005, the CMS said the hospital must be brought up to compliance by May 30 or face possible termination of funding, the second time the agency has made such a threat to the hospital. On May 30, the agency extended the deadline for one month while it conducts another survey of Marin General.

The hospital says the inspections are an opportunity, not a burden. “We are absolutely committed to providing top patient care,” says spokeswoman Kathy Graham. “The community has high expectations of us, and we have high expectations of ourselves. So we welcome the inspections–it makes us better.”

The CMS has released a report detailing over 100 patient-care violations at the facility. According to a summary of the report, many of the violations seem rooted in improperly trained staff. The transgressions range from “dietary staff not trained to know that NPO means ‘nothing by mouth'” to “multiple instances of incorrect dosages of medications given to patients.” The most serious care violation was “a nurse, who was not approved for, and who had not demonstrated any appropriate qualifications, [doing] surgical procedures on postoperative heart surgery patients.” For nine months, the nurse had determined when patients were stable enough to have chest tubes and temporary pacemaker wires removed, and in some cases, she removed them without physician supervision.

Statewide, two-thirds of Sutter’s 41,000 employees are nonunion, according to the Sacramento Business Journal. Unions and union sympathizers claim untrained, overworked staff cause most of the problems at Marin General and other hospitals operated by Sutter.

“From my point of view, Marin is not anything different from Sutter’s other violations and failed inspections,” says Sal Rosselli, president of the Service Employees International Union. “Marin General is just another example of Sutter’s arrogance.”

Hospital supporters say the problem is the ongoing nursing shortage, which has affected hiring for both union and nonunion hospitals alike. Low wages and strapped hospital budgets have made it difficult to attract and retain qualified medical staff.

Still, Sutter’s critics think the hospital could afford to hire better staff if it really wanted to. “The last tax return for Marin General Hospital showed that from 2002 and 2003, profits increased from $7 million to $18 million,” says Rothman. “I’ll let the facts speak for themselves.”

Sutter, which operates 27 hospitals in California including Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa and Novato Community Hospital, is regularly criticized for overpriced healthcare.

Meanwhile, another crisis rumbles at Marin General: by 2013, all California hospitals must be able to guarantee their buildings will not collapse during a major earthquake. In Marin General’s case, the costly changes required by the statewide seismic upgrade come near the end of Sutter’s 30-year lease of the hospital, which expires in 2015.

Sutter has offered to spend $300 million on a new hospital in exchange for another 30-year lease. The Marin Healthcare District Board has split on whether to extend the lease to Sutter, mainly per patient-care concerns. The situation has brought out long-term hostilities that have been simmering between the board and Sutter.

“The seismic realities have required the hospital and board to take a serious look at their relationship before the lease runs out,” says Graham. “It has been a challenging relationship for many, many years, and at a minimum, this will cause us to make it a better relationship.”

With a $10 million grant from Sutter, the board has hired an outside consultant to sift through possible options. In one scenario, Sutter pays for the seismic upgrades in exchange for a new lease. In another, the district breaks the lease with Sutter and restores the hospital to community control. Sutter could let the lease expire and build another hospital to compete with Marin General. The group’s report on these and other options is due June 18, with the district deciding the next move soon after.

But right now, no one has any idea what will happen. “We don’t have a specific x, y and z plan,” says Graham. “At this point, it’s very difficult to predict what the outcome will be.”

From the June 8-14, 2005 issue of the North Bay Bohemian.

© Metro Publishing Inc.

Swirl n’ Spit

Swirl n' SpitRobert SinskeyBy Heather IrwinLowdown: There aren't many wines that I'll drive an hour in a hot car to taste with two whining children. Make that three kids, including the 34-year-old one poking at me in the front seat. But for two of the last bottles of Robert Sinskey's '04 Vin Gris of Pinot Noir, I was willing...
Read more

Green Music Festival

Green DaysLocal chamber music fest a world-class eventBy Greg CahillAfter 10 years as conductor for the Santa Rosa Symphony, Jeffrey Kahane has packed up his baton in preparation for a move this fall to his new post with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. But Kahane remains as music director of the Green Music Festival, an annual event he has shaped...
Read more

Australian Film Roadshow

On the Road(show)Australian film series screens life down underBy Jeff LattaPicture riding an ATV through the desolate Australian outback. To the left, dingoes eat someone's baby; to the right, koalas and kangaroos are in a desperate fight for survival. Suddenly in the midst of this wilderness appears--a movie theater? While this scenario is quite far removed from the true...
Read more

Briefs

BriefsAssembly Required With Joe Nation terming out and pursuing Lynn Woolsey's congressional seat in 2006, that leaves the Sixth District Assembly seat straddling Marin and Sonoma counties up for grabs. For all intents and purposes, the real race for this liberal enclave is the Democratic primary next March, and eight fairly heavy hitters have already signed up: Marin Democratic...
Read more

Anniversary Dining

Anniversary-WorthyIf it's June, it must be time to go out to dinnerBy Heather IrwinIt's that one night of the year when you feel like an awkward teenager again. New shoes pinch uncomfortably, hair is sprayed in ways that defy both nature and weather and it's hard not to feel, well, a little giggly and ridiculous around the person you've...
Read more

The Byrne Report

The Byrne ReportPolitical Porn BESET BY TRAFFIC JAMS, police brutality, pollen pollution and grape-eating insects, Santa Rosa has finally found something to brag about: it is the retirement home of W. Mark Felt, a.k.a. Deep Throat. Personally, I could have done without knowing the identity of the most famous rat fink in American history. It's like stumbling upon your...
Read more

Steve Turre

Slide ZoneThe gospel according to Steve TurreBy Greg CahillWhen Steve Turre was 10 years old, he told his father that he wanted to learn to play the violin. His dad was less than enthusiastic about the notion, noting that a beginning violin player sounded "like a cat in an alley." Pick a horn, he advised. So weeks later, while...
Read more

News of the Food

News of the FoodBitter and SweetBy Gretchen GilesWith a boycott of Gallo products looming (see "Briefs"), the reasonable and socially conscious shopper naturally assumes that he or she can easily sidestep a Gallo-owned product. Think again. The monolithic producer owns some 50 wine and spirit labels, including the yummy Pinots of the MacMurray ranch, the affordable zesty Zins of...
Read more

Morsels

MorselsYou Are What He EatsBy Stett HolbrookMark Nuckols is an adventurous eater. He's dined on insects, bull testicles, sheep eyes and other delicacies. "There are very few things that I wouldn't try," says Nuckols, an MBA student at Dartmouth College. So when he read anthropological accounts of Aztec human stew about eight years ago, Nuckols was intrigued. "I would...
Read more

Marin General Hospital

Hemorrhaging Money: Like all students, Latinos do better when parents are able to easily communicate with teachers.Unhealthy HospitalMarin General needs an infusion, statBy Joy LanzendorferUnless medical inspectors give Marin General Hospital a clean bill of health, the stressed facility could lose most of its funding by the end of this month. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)...
Read more
1...9989991,000Page 1,799 of 1,000
11,084FansLike
4,606FollowersFollow
6,928FollowersFollow
north bay bohemian newspaper sonoma napa county logo
CURRENT ISSUE & ARCHIVES
East Bay Express cover
East Bay Express cover
CURRENT ISSUE & ARCHIVES
Newsletters Subscribe Advertise About Us Contact Us Letter to the Editor Press Release Obituaries Writing an Obituary Archives Find a Paper Distribute Bohemian Vote for Best Of Plaques & Banners
win free stuff
Features Local News News
Arts Books & Literature Crush Culture Movies Music Spotlight Theater
Astrology Look Media Opinion Letters To The Editor Open Mic Press Pass Rolling Papers
Dining Restaurants Small Bites
Readers' Picks 2025 Arts & Culture Beer, Wine & Spirits Beauty, Health & Wellness Cannabis Everyday Services Family & Pets Home Improvement Recreation Restaurants Romance Shopping
All Upcoming Events Today's Events Submit an Event Promote Your Event
weeklys california local media group logo

FOLLOW US

Copyright © Weeklys All rights reserved.

Our Publications

ADVERTISING Advertise Legal Submit an Obituary Legal NoticesFictitious Business Name (FBN) StatementsDoing Business As (DBA) NoticesTrustee Sale Notices

COMPANY INFO Job Opportunities Journalism Awards Privacy Policy Terms of Service

Support Local Journalism