Artists are supposed to be more than mere entertainment machines.  Artists are even expected to be ethereal and connect with our own dreams in order to help others connect with theirs.  That is the key to my orchestra’s success: http://www.sfconcerto.org/about.htm

No. 5 below would be worth a watch just for the music which is the best pairing of Ravel with a documentary I have ever seen.  And No. 3 begins with a way cool rehearsal of serious Art Music in the form of modern tango.  A very intriguing rehearsal to watch, someone told me this movie was first filmed with live actors and then the cartoon was imposed over the real actors so that the whole movie has a human element that is not quite real - like a dream (you can imagine how many rehearsals like this I have been at for my orchestra).

It is in this Spirit that I now want to extend this aspect of the arts that I explored through presenting 440 orchestral concerts over the last 20 years to my Art Works Out Spirit Seminars open to the general public.  Because professionalism is NOT the most important aspect of art. Arts exist to unveil our dreams and connect us with others.  All people, beginners to professionals benefit from finding creativity within.

I am of French descent but 9 years ago I suddenly began having dreams in which I heard music that sounded like that of Ancient Mexico and Spain.  Since then my compositions have reflected this almost as if a part of me is trying to go back in time to understand the conflict between Native Americans and the Inquisition.  But by refusing to abandon this “dream is destiny” side not supported by the professional world, I eventually ended up performing in and near Temples, Jungles and Treehouses of Mexico and Latin America.  In this spirit I hope my new TV Thursdays will serve as a sound board to others to reflect on the Universal struggle to bring one’s dreams Inside Out within our always oppressive dream unfriendly society.  It is in this light that the following are:

My Current 5 Favorite Movies and Videos

1.  “The Violin” by Francisco Vargas

Movie makes more sense as a whole but you can see clips from film at - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ygwEzicYWI

Review from San Francisco Film Festival - http://fest07.sffs.org/films/film_details.php?id=116

“His right arm maimed, the elderly, grizzled peasant Don Plutarco ties the bow of his violin to his damaged appendage in order to play.  The Captain, leader of a squad of brutal soldiers of the Mexican army who have been sent in to repress a band of peasant guerrillas, is seduced by Don Plutarco’s music.  But there is more to the crippled old man than the soldiers realize, for Don Plutarco’s son, Genaro, is one of the rebels hiding in the jungle.  Risking his life, the violinist uses his influence with the Captain to secretly aid the rebels.  There is no flowery idealism to the rebels; their fight is one of survival amid poverty and exploitation.  Yet their respect for human values is evident.  Tension builds on the increasingly likely possibility that Plutarco’s scheme will be discovered.  Don Plutarco explains what life is all about to his grandson, Lucio, using a parable from antiquity: "The true people returned to fight for their land and their forest.  Their grandparents had left the land for their children, and their children’s children.  And we'll do the same."  Set in the early 1970s and filmed in striking black-and-white, The Violin evokes a Mexico inspired by the photographs of Manuel Alvarez Bravo and the cinematography of Gabriel Figueroa.  Characters named Genaro and Lucio echo the names of real-life ’70s guerrillas Genaro Vásquez and Lucio Cabañas.  With growing suspense, The Violin explores the basic humanity that moves ordinary people to fight oppression, regardless of the consequences.” —Miguel Pendás

2.  Matt Alber sings End of the World from “Hide Nothing”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTvJdpkdLiw

http://chaos.com/product/hide_nothing_2415689_980023.html

Matt Alber's Hide Nothing is a touchingly personal, autobiographical and sentimental collection of lush, dreamy love songs for boys (and girls) that speak from the heart.  Our hearts.  From those first fuzzy feelings for that boy next to you on the school field trip (“Field Trip Buddy”) to the headiness of a new romance (“Slow Club”) to our grand Greek history via the legendary Sacred Band of Thebes (“Beotia”), which was heard live for the very first time at the opening of Gay Games VII (2006).  Hide Nothing will be released on Silver Label Fall 2008.  The “End Of The World” video will be premiering on LOGO in September.  The album also features a moving cover of Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek."

Matt Alber is a classically trained vocalist and Two Time Grammy Award Winner as part of the acapella group Chanticleer.  Matt can be seen and heard at venues across California performing live with his band as “Matt Alber and His Gentlemen Callers.”

3.  “Waking Life” by Richard Linkletter

2 hour Movie important to see as a whole as it features many different characters with different viewpoints http://radicalfilms.co.uk/2009/05/10/waking-life-richard-linklater/  “A boy has a dream that he can float, but unless he holds on, he will drift away into the sky. Even when he is grown up, this idea recurs.  After a strange accident, he walks through what may be a dream, flowing in and out of scenarios and encountering various characters.  People he meets discuss science, philosophy and the life of dreaming and waking, and the protagonist gradually becomes alarmed that he cannot awake from this confusing dream.“ 

There is a longer review of the film at http://filmforthesoul.blogspot.com/2009/05/year-2001-waking-life-richard-linklater.html

4.  “From the Heart of the World: The Elder Brothers' Warning” by Alan Ereira

http://www.odemagazine.com/exchange/7435/global_spirit_series_from_the_heart_of_the_world_the_elder_brothers_warning  In this episode of Global Spirit, host Phil Cousineau speaks with BBC filmmaker Alan Ereira about his beautiful, sobering documentary: From the Heart of the World: The Elder Brothers' Warning.  This poignant film carries a strong warning from a remote South American tribe that cautions us, the “younger brothers”, to give up our self-destructive ways and honor the planet, before it is too late.

After four centuries of seclusion, the Kogi, considered to be the last surviving pre-Colombian civilization, asked filmmaker Ereira to visit their homeland in the Sierra Nevada mountains of northern Colombia.  From the Heart of the World: The Elder Brothers’ Warning delivers their prophetic message to the industrialized world. Seeing themselves as guardians of life on earth, the Kogi have a profound spiritual understanding of the bond between humankind and the natural world — a bond that, they insist, must be respected. This powerful film stands as an especially cogent and moving plea for ecological wisdom.

5.  “What´s under your hat?” By Lola Barrera and Inaki Penafiel

http://www.juliomedem.org/english/filmography/under_hat.html

What´s under your hat? is a feature length documentary all in English that traces the life of the artist Judy Scott, a deaf 62 year-old woman with Down syndrome who became an internationally collected and critically acclaimed sculptor after 36 years of incarceration in a mental institution.  This is a character driven documentary that tells the story of Judy Scott as the foundation for three additional profiles of artists with disabilities who work daily at the Creative Growth Art Center in California.  The film sheds light onto what it takes to be an artist, even with physical and mental disabilities; it is about art transforming communication and healing.