Music
Another jam-packed weekend full of interesting things for South Texans to do. To start off, there's a special concert in a very cool place. Saxophonist Richard Oppenheim talking about where the three-piece band will be playing.
“It’s a beautiful sound you get in here. You can play anything, as they say, from a whisper to a roar and it’s going to be accurately conveyed to the audience.”
That special place is at the Chapel of the Southwest School of Art downtown. The sprawling, limestone campus set amidst massive pecan trees and flowering crape myrtles is one of the city's most beautiful places.
“This is going to be Sunday the 23rd. It kicks off at six o’clock. It is free and open to the public” said Oppenheim.
Oppenheim and Rene Saenz are playing saxophones along with drummer Tootie Heath. Heath has a several decades-long career playing with some of the biggest names in jazz.
He's best known for playing with John Coltrane and JJ Johnson and too many others to mention.
Drama
If you want a trip to the hill country, you could also take in a play, and the group Playhouse 2000 has one opening in Kerrville.
"The Octet Bridge Club is a play about eight sisters, Irish Catholic. The first act is set in 1934. The second act is ten years later," said Christine Crowley, who is acting in the production.
The youngest sister had been institutionalized between those acts and Crowley says the family dynamics are more than a little tough.
"A couple of sisters don’t want her to talk about it and that’s the major conflict in the play. It opens on Friday and runs three weekends through September 6."
The Octet Bridge Club is playing at the Black Box in the city's Cailloux Theater.
Bicycles
And here’s something completely different. It's called the Downtown Mural Bike Ride. Brian Gregory Benavides explains that it’s all done on your bike.
“We ride around to these different locations. We take a look at the different pieces of art. I left them know who the artist is, where they can find them on social media. And then we end up after about a 10-mile bike ride at the starting point.”
Given that those 10 miles are start-and-stop, start-and-stop, it's not a rigorous ride.
“Exactly, exactly, right. At every mural that we see we probably stay for 5 or 10 minutes. It allows them to take pictures with their bikes and post them on Facebook. We’ll try to start early; anywhere between 9 and 10 in the morning.”
This all happens Sunday morning, and yes--it's free. He hopes you'll bring your helmet, and he stressed that the bikers play by the rules, stopping at stop signs and play it safe.
More on the jazz performance at the Southwest School of Art is here.
More on the Octet Bridge Club production is here.
More on the Downtown Mural Ride is here.
