january 21
You don't have to be Jewish to appreciate klezmer music. The bleating, high-energy sound that was once the province of Eastern European Jews is now being embraced by a variety of listeners. Witness the popularity of bands such as the Klezmatics, the New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars, and Tradition. Now there's the critically acclaimed ensemble Hasidic New Wave, which performs at today's Jam at MAM, the Miami Art Museum's (101 W. Flagler St.) happy-hour event. Not your ordinary tunes, the music Hasidic New Wave plays is an exhilarating blend of traditional Jewish ditties, Arabic dances, avant-garde rock, funk, jazz, and spiritual songs from important Hasidic dynasties. In short, something for everyone. The Jam starts at 5:00 and runs until 8:30 p.m. Admission and snacks are free. MAM martinis can be guzzled for a donation. Call 305-375-3000. (NK)
friday
january 22
If it's true that lately in the design world anything modern is hot, then Miami Modernism is positively on fire. More than 60 exhibitors representing all major design and fine arts movements from 1900 through 1970 will gather today through Sunday at the Radisson Deauville Resort, 6701 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. What you'll see and have the opportunity to purchase: furniture, lighting, photography, jewelry, sculpture, paintings, glass, and more from the Fifties and Sixties, and the Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Bauhaus, Cubist, Arts and Crafts, Surrealist, and Moderne movements. To complement the show "This Is MiMo," a free lecture series concentrating on the midcentury architecture of Miami Beach, will be offered as well. (See "Calendar Events," page 45, for details.) Admission for tonight's 6:00 gala preview is $60 and includes re-entry throughout the weekend. The show continues from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Saturday and 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sunday. Entry then is ten dollars. Call 305-861-0108. (NK)
Need a photo of folks in bondage? Want some pix of your favorite dominatrix? Well then, get Helmut Newton on the case. The acclaimed photographer has long been known for his provocative images of models (mostly female) in all sorts of compromising positions. But don't get the wrong idea: Newton is no sleazy skin photog. He's, er, artsy. His work has appeared in major fashion magazines: Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and W, to name a few. Newton will autograph his book, Pages from the Glossies: Facsimiles 1956-1998, which highlights more of his steamy images (many of them never before seen) tonight at 7:00 at Books & Books, 933 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach. Admission is free. Call 305-532-3222. (NK)
saturday
january 23
People, food, and music. You're in for plenty of each if you attend Taste of the Grove from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. today and 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. tomorrow. More than 200,000 people are expected to show up at this event, which features several Grove restaurants (Mayfair Grill, News Cafe, Bice, Planet Hollywood, Chiyo, and Cafe Tu Tu Tango) dishing out some of their finest fare. Other enticements: an area touting activities for the kiddies; a farmers' market selling fruits, veggies, plants, and crafts; a beauty, health, and fitness setup doling out exercise and nutrition tips; and for those who overindulged, an interactive zone featuring rock climbing. Entertainment includes the Eighties New Wave band A Flock of Seagulls performing today, and jazz harpist Roberto Perera playing tomorrow. It all happens at Peacock Park, McFarlane Road and South Bayshore Drive, Coconut Grove. Admission is free. Prices for the grub vary and proceeds benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Call 305-444-7270. (NK)
The Dave and Mary Alper Jewish Community Center sponsors a showing of the restored movie The Golem at 8:00 p.m. at FIU's University Park Campus's Wertheim Performing Arts Center, SW Eighth Street and 107th Avenue. Directed by Paul Wegener and Carl Boese, the German Expressionist silent classic from the Twenties tells the tale of a rabbi living in sixteenth-century Prague, who creates and gives life to a Frankenstein-like man made from clay in order to save the Jews living in the ghetto from obliteration. Guitarist Gary Lucas will accompany the film with a solo guitar version of the score he wrote with keyboardist Walter Horn and which premiered in a grander version at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Next Wave Festival back in 1989. Aside from producing his own music, Lucas has worked with Joan Osborne, John Zorn, Jeff Buckley, Graham Parker, Captain Beefheart, and Matthew Sweet. Admission is six dollars. Call 305-271-9000, ext 268. (NK)
sunday
january 24
Converts to the high-speed stationary bike workout called spinning attend classes with fervent dedication. Zealous believers in the exercise regime can pedal their way to an even higher power today at the Eden Roc Spa's Spinning by the Sea. Celebrated local singer Maryel Epps will perform inspirational gospel songs while indefatigable instructor Alex Figueroa leads a class of 70 spinners by the elevated Spa pool overlooking the ocean. The spinning starts at 10:00 a.m. sharp and is open to the public. You can lift your spirit and your butt for $35. Nonexercisers can view the spectacle as a kind of new-age performance art while partaking of a poolside brunch for $20 (Epps's pipes alone are worth the price). Spinning and eating cost $50. The Spa is located in the Eden Roc Hotel, 4525 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. Call 305-674-5595 for reservations. (JC)
monday
january 25
Taking flight for the new year tonight at 8:00 is Butterfly Lightning, the six-year-old reading series set in Miami's oldest watering hole, Tobacco Road, 626 S. Miami Ave. More than 200 poets and fiction writers have strutted their literary stuff in the saloon's upstairs room. Over the next three months, about twenty more will be added to the list. Poet Norvell Holyfield and fiction writer Laura Valeri read this evening. Admission is free. Call 305-237-3376. (NK)
tuesday
january 26
Moments of history captured for eternity: photographs depicting civil rights protests peaceful and not, lynchings, celebrations, and ordinary moments in the everyday lives of blacks in South Florida. Such are the stirring images that encompass the exhibition Black Florida History: The South Florida Scene, 1880-1960, Part One, curated by FIU professor of psychology Marvin Dunn, who culled the photos from his collection, which numbers close to 2000. The exhibition runs through January 29 in the Collins Campus Center, rm 4207-1, at MDCC Gallery North, 11380 NW 27th Ave. Admission is free. Call 305-237-1532. (NK)
wednesday
january 27
Youthful men with a musical bent will be taking over Miami-Dade County Auditorium (2901 W. Flagler St.) this evening when nineteen-year-old Canadian pianist Stewart Goodyear joins the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, led by young musical-director/conductor Jukka-Pekka Saraste, who hails from Finland. They'll perform Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Rachmaninoff, Symphony no. 1 in E minor by Sibelius, and The Gates of Time by Gary Kulesha, a contemporary work by the orchestra's composer-adviser. Showtime is 8:00 p.m. Tickets range from $20 to $70. Call 305-532-3491. (