THURSDAY, MAY 17, 7:30 p.m. LISTEN HERE! CANCELLED.

New Haven Theater Company and New Haven Review will not present the Listen Here short-story reading originally scheduled for this evening. There will be no event this week in the Best Video Performance Space.

The Performance series returns next Thursday, May 24, with a program of contemporary avant-garde music by artist and Quinnipiac University Professor Gregory Garvey.

UPCOMING PERFORMANCE SPACE  EVENTS:

• Thursday, May 24. CONTEMPORARY AVANT-GARDE: GREG GARVEY.

• Thursday, May 31. FOOD IN CONNECTICUT: ERIC LEHMAN.

• Thursday, June 7. FILM & TALK: JONATHAN SIGWORTH—"More Than Walking"

• Thursday, June 14. ROCKABILLY: BIG FAT COMBO


RECENT PERFORMANCE SPACE  EVENTS:

BEST VIDEO PERFORMANCE SPACE was filled with the sound of jazz on Thursday, May 10 as the Elligers Brothers (joined by Carl Testa on upright bass) played classic songs by Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington as well as their own compositions.  Trumpeter Sean Elligers and tenor saxophonist Erik Elligers—who also play in the acoustic pop group Goodnight Blue Moon—harmonize (photo, left) while middle brother Kyle digs into his piano solo (right).



The Mill Valley Taters (from left to right: Kevin Roche, Tom Andrukevich and Dave Hogan) glided into the BEST VIDEO PERFORMANCE SPACE on Thursday, April 26, performing a set of taut instrumental rock medleys that functioned as almost a rock 'n' roll history lesson. With the 1968 movie "The Swimmer," starring Burt Lancaster, playing on the flat screen behind them, the Taters were joined for much of their set by go-go dancer Veronica Vixen, who often shimmied kinetically with one of several glittery hula hoops.



On Thursday, April 12, Hamden Middle School student Henry Sidle, left, opened the evening's entertainment with a short set of acoustic rock, delivered with poise well beyond his years. The rock band Happy Ending, right, followed, mixing originals with 1960's covers, including a psychedelic/free jazz version of The Beatles' "Helter Skelter." Happy Ending featured Best Video employees Hank Hoffman on guitar and vocals (left in the picture) and Richard Brown, right, on sax and guitar.



James Velvet, left, led his Lonesome Sparrows, right, through a rousing set of original acoustic rock 'n' roll song in the BEST VIDEO PERFORMANCE SPACE on Thursday, April 5. Afterward, Velvet's recent birthday was celebrated with champagne and chocolate birthday cake. Happy birthday, James!



Dr. Caterwaul's Cadre of Clairvoyant Claptraps, below, entertained at BEST VIDEO PERFORMANCE SPACE on March 22, mixing folk, classical, art song and world music influences with a healthy dose of humor. Just what the doctor ordered!



The Furors, who performed in acoustic mode last July, upped the decibels for their Thursday, March 8, performance. Demonstrating why they have become legends among local New Haven music aficionados, they barreled through a set of original pop and rock 'n' roll songs. Drummer Tom Dans, left, layered harmonies over his beats while songwriter Derek Holcomb gleefully sang lead, flailed at his guitar and did a split to punctuate the ending of a song.




New Haven acoustic combo Goodnight Blue Moon made their second appearance at BEST VIDEO PERFORMANCE SPACE on Thursday, Feb. 23, mixing catchy pop songs with bluegrass and Americana inflections.



















The blues is about pain, said performer Bob Lamothe at the BEST VIDEO PERFORMANCE SPACE on Thursday, Feb. 9. But Lamothe added a caveat—that includes happy pain. Lamothe, singing and playing his selection of harps and harmonicas, was joined by guitarist and singer Steve Gilbert for an evening of decidedly pleasurable pain, moaning the blues to a packed room.



















Haven String Quartet enlivened the BEST VIDEO PERFORMANCE SPACE on Thursday, Jan. 26, performing works by composers Kevin Volans and Terry Riley as well as a string quartet arrangement of Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror." Haven String Quartet is the resident quartet of Music Haven, a nonprofit community organization that uses music as a vehicle for social justice. The Haven String Quartet rehearses weekday mornings in a transparent garage on Whalley Avenue in New Haven, and works with youth from under-resourced neighborhoods weekday afternoons, providing instruments and after-school lessons completely free of charge. Seen in the photo at left are violinists Tina Lee Hadari (also Music Haven's Executive Director) and Yaira Matyakubova. In the photo on the right are cellist Matt Beckmann and violist Colin Benn.




It hasn't been a particularly cold winter. But if it was, all of Hamden would have been warmed by the beautiful tropical sounds of Sambeleza, who performed in the BEST VIDEO PERFORMANCE SPACE on Wed., Jan. 11. Sambeleza plays Brazilian music, spiced with jazz improvisation. From left, the group is Isabella Mendes, Jeff Fuller, Asher Delerme, Hernan Yepes and special guest Will Bartlett.



















For the first show of 2012, the BEST VIDEO PERFORMANCE SPACE hosted two of the area's premiere singer-songwriters. Shellye Valuaskas, left with guitarist Dean Falcone and percussionist Bruce Crowder, played a strong first set of pop-inflected songs about fractured romance. Anne Marie Menta, on the right with guitarist Dick Neal and upright bass player Bob Csugie, regaled the room with a set drawn from more than a decade's worth of personal, folk-influenced songwriting.



Bluesy and folky sounds were in the air at BEST VIDEO PERFORMANCE SPACE on Thursday, Dec. 8. Mike Michaels, left, led off with a short acoustic set of folk and blues tunes, accompanying his singing with acoustic guitar and harmonica. The Hell or High Water Music Club, right, fronted by singer-songwriter Greg Golda, closed the evening's festivities with a rock-tinged take on blues and folk verities.



BEST VIDEO PERFORMANCE SPACE thrilled to the deadpan rock 'n' roll of the Big Fat Combo featuring lead singer and rhythm guitarist Tom Hearn, lead guitarist Cary Pollick, upright bass player Tom Murphy and drummer John Murphy. While Elvis Presley's King Creole played on the hi-def screen behind them, they barreled through an entertaining set of covers and originals. BEST VIDEO staffers Hank Hoffman and Richard Brown (the latter blowing some mean alto sax in the picture below) made guest turns with the Combo at the end of their set.


















Two local underground rockers performed in stripped-down singer-songwriter acoustic mode at BEST VIDEO PERFORMANCE SPACE on Thursday, Nov. 10. Stefan Christensen, left, usually found pounding out garage rock in his group Estrogen Highs, offered a mix of originals and covers, including a couple of songs by indie pop darlings Guided By Voices. GBV, according to Christensen, are "better than the Beatles and the Rolling Stones." Dan Greene, right, of the Mountain Movers and Butterflies of Love, followed with a soulful set of mostly originals.




Jazz and rock musician Brett Bottomley  offered a musical seminar in the BEST VIDEO PERFORMANCE SPACE on Thursday, Oct. 27. Bottomley plays a Chapman Stick, a relatively new instrument—dating to the 1970's—that has 12 strings on which the stickist can play both bass lines and guitar chords and riffs. Bottomley displayed an impressive virtuosity as he breezed through his jazzy repertoire and took questions from the audience about the Chapman Stick's history and capabilities.


















Actors from the New Haven Theater Company regaled the BEST VIDEO PERFORMANCE SPACE audience on Thursday, Oct. 20, with stories exemplifying the night's theme of "It's a Mad, Mad World." The two stories—chosen by editors of New Haven Review—were Jack London's "Moon-Face," read below by John Watson, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper."

















James Velvet, below right, brought his rootsy acoustic quartet the Lonesome Sparrows to the BEST VIDEO PERFORMANCE SPACE on Thursday, Oct. 13. Velvet and company entertained with humorous patter and catchy songs. From left, Johnny Memphis on guitar and vocals (and fiddle), Johnny Java on bass and DickNeal on slide guitar, mandolin and banjo.













The BEST VIDEO PERFORMANCE SPACE hosted a movie screening on Thursday, Oct. 6. Filmmaker David Zuckerman, a North Haven native who now lives in Brooklyn, was on hand for the showing of his feature film, Wolfe With An E, a charming indie comedy with metaphysical twists. Along with co-writing, directing and editing the film, Zuckerman also acted in it. Afterward, Zuckerman, below right, took questions from the audience and BEST VIDEO owner Hank Paper, left.













The BEST VIDEO PERFORMANCE SPACE was enlivened on Thursday, Sept. 29, with the challenging and entertaining readings of four local poets�Richard Deming (below left), Cameron Gearen (below right), Jim Berger and Brian Johnson.



Musician Jonny Rodgers brought his unique brand of rock-influenced art song to the BEST VIDEO PERFORMANCE SPACE on Thursday, Sept. 22. Rodgers—who first made a name for himself with the hugely popular local band Mighty Purple (also featuring his bother Steve, who runs The Space and The Outer Space venues in Hamden)—is a veritable one-man band. Rodgers used a mix of acoustic guitar, tuned wine glasses and digital technology to accompany his ethereal voice on a sublime set of mostly original songs. If you missed this show, keep alert because we'll be sure to have him again.




Two approaches to the guitar were on display in the BEST VIDEO PERFORMANCE SPACE on August 18. Orphee Russell started off the evening playing classical guitar (left) and the music of Enokizu 78—Bill Beckett (right) on electric guitar accompanied by his own background music on laptop—concluded the evening. On Sept. 1, Christine Gill & Rich Moran (bottom) enlivened the BEST VIDEO PERFORMANCE SPACE—accompanied by Steve and Judy Webber�with a selection of songs drawn from movie musicals.














Lots of laughs were enjoyed in the BEST VIDEO PERFORMANCE SPACE on July 14 with five local stand-up comics hosted by Gregory B. Dubno, center (left image). On July 21, Goodnight Blue Moon (right image) wowed the crowd with their winning combination of indie pop and folk:



Great sounds were enjoyed in the BEST VIDEO PERFORMANCE SPACE on June 23 with Julie and Pete Riccio of The Sawtelles (left image) and on July 7 with Derek Holcomb (guitar) and Tom Dans (percussion and toy piano) of The Furors (right image):