Philadelphia Weekly

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Un-American Beauty

On Liz Spikol's column last week about French legislation banning too-thin images of models:

I believe and hope this bill won't be passed in the French Senate for two reasons: the language and the intent of the bill.

The wording of the bill is too imprecise to be executed by judges. How does the law regulate "too thin"? Many of the legislative talking heads in France have questioned the legality of having a judge determine whether one is "too thin."

Rather than aiming to fine or imprison young girls who aspire to be "thinner than thin," we should be critiquing a culture that promotes and enforces femininity and beauty as excessively thin and young (and white, I would add) and then tries to prosecute the women who aspire to achieve this ideal.

SIOBAHN STILES Center City

Belle of the Balls

To Steven Weels on his Opening Riff last week about twee music:

I know we're all entitled to our opinions, but sir, you took it a bit too far. This whole twee article offended me. Music means a lot to me, especially twee in all of its glorious, exuding simplicity.

If I were a guy and had balls, I'd be floored right now, because your words have proverbially kicked me in the balls.

Thanks you giant ball of sunshine, you.

ERIN SZRANKOWSKI
Rydal

Taking Notes

On David R. Adler's recent cover story about jazz in Philadelphia:

While I applaud the wide scope and historical perspective of David R. Adler's cover story, I feel that Painted Bride Art Center's role in the continuing evolution of jazz demands clarification. Jazz has become a magnet for non-Western influences, whose cultures push the aesthetic envelope of the field. While the Bride has fewer performances than it once did, the numbers hide the story of an organization that pushes this movement forward more forcefully than ever.

Over the past decade the Bride has developed into a nurturing creative center for hybrid musical traditions, supporting the creation of new work and providing unusual opportunities for jazz composers and musicians through sustained relationships. Many of the names peppered throughout Adler's article have fulfilled their creative ambitions through the Bride in recent years.

Last year the Bride commissioned Papo V�zquez to compose for his rarely heard Latin jazz big band. This 20-piece orchestra nearly brought the roof down with two extraordinary shows. Rudresh Mahanthappa premiered his groundbreaking Dakshina Ensemble here, expanding his usual quartet with a roster of South Indian musicians.

The Bride has enabled each of these artists to create and fortify musical relationships within Philadelphia, establishing new constellations of jazz networks that flourish well past the Bride activities. The residencies of David Murray, the Sun Ra Arkestra and Butch Morris, which all included collaborations with Philly jazz artists, stand testament to this phenomenon.

If Philadelphia is indeed an underappreciated jazz home and we wish to end the New York migration that Adler describes, the story of Philly jazz must include expansive artistic opportunities and meaningful regional engagement, not simply presentations by the numbers.

LENNY SEIDMAN
Curator of jazz and world music Painted Bride Art Center

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