Tapestry

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February 26, 2009...

• Science and math are pretty serious stuff...but not in the hands of Birmingham artist Don Stewart!
• The Odd Couple - female version!
• One part of Mardi Gras you've probably never seen...
• Performace Art: Reparations for slavery
• Celebrating 70 years of Blue Note Records.

Birmingham artist Don Stewart has just been named to the editorial board of the Journal of Irreproducible Results. The WHAT?! Stewart tells WBHM's Tanya Ott the 54-year-old humor magazine lampoons topics in science, math, medicine, and "Everything in the Universe."

Don Stewart interview..

Don Stewart is a former physician - turned artist - in Birmingham.

Humor and science may be an odd coupling...but not as mismatched as two famous roommates who struggled to live peaceably under one roof. Neil Simon's The Odd Couple debuted on Broadway in 1965 and later found a home on television. In the mid-80s, the play was re-versioned for female leads -- with neurotic Felix Ungar becoming Florence and the slovenly Oscar renamed Olive. Red Mountain Theatre Company chose this show for its first ever non-musical play. Reporter Nat Bonner has more...

The Odd Couple...

Red Mountain Theatre Company's production of The Odd Couple - female version - runs through March 1st.

It's Mardi Gras...and that means tourists are lining New Orleans' wide avenues to watch the grand parade floats. Visitors rarely see the celebrations on the streets and stoops of the city's African-American communities. The parades in Treme, Black Pearl, and the 9th Ward reflect West African mask and dance rituals. There's also a strong native American influence - with dozens of tribes marching in elaborate costumes, as Virginia Prescott reports.

Mardi Gras...

Race and class are at the heart of performance artist Damali Ayo's work. She loves pushing buttons -- like her ongoing project to create dialogue about reparations for slavery. She calls it "Living Flag", and her stage is a busy street corner anywhere in the U.S.

Living Flag...

Damali Ayo's has traveled the country with her performance art. You might even find her one day on a street in Birmingham.

For more than half a century, Blue Note Records has been associated with the "hard bop" style of jazz - mixing bebop with soul, blues, rhythm and blues, and gospel. Almost every important jazz musician has recorded for Blue Note. And this year, the label celebrates its 70th anniversary with a tour, including a stop at the Alys Stephens Center this weekend. The Blue Note 7 is an all-star septet that includes pianist Bill Charlap. As Reese Erlich reports, Charlap excels at producing fine jazz out of classic American tunes from Bernstein to Gershwin.

Tapestry is produced by Tanya Ott and Michael Krall, with help this week from Nat Bonner, Dmae Roberts, Virginia Prescott and Reese Erlich. I'm Greg Bass, and we'll see you next week.