The Q feels horribly remiss in focusing too much of his energy on PLG and not enough on points south and west. I get a lot more "tips" from the CB9/71st precinct area, and since my tot goes to school up north by the PPP stop, I don't get to Caledonia proper as much as I used to. The construction is still moving forward on 123 on the Park, the unimaginative name for the apartments being carved from the old Caledonian Hospital. Me and Little Miss Q occasionally stop in at
Umma Park, the cute oddly shaped snippet carved from the strange angle of Brighton Line to local grid. Was a time the Umma Group, led by now-district leader and 70th Precinct Community Council head Ed Powell, fought the good fight to rid the area of gangs, winning naming rights to the area they claimed from drug dealers. The Woodruff Block Association (sadly quiet as as a dropped pin lately) and the East 21st Block Association were also involved in that effort. I'd name names but I'd probably get it all wrong, and I'd rather thank everyone for their work making the once gritty neighborhood into the only somewhat gritty neighborhood that it is today. Thank you, everyone. (Now that the Q is "deep in it," I can see how hard it is to bring folks together for a common cause. I know it took determination and community and I applaud you for it.)
So...here's a dandy of a family friendly option tomorrow. Medieval music from Barbara Rosen and the Renaissance Singers! Truth be told, the Q's mom, or Mama Q, was a professional Renaissance singer herself back in Iowa. I grew up around this type of song, and the instruments that backed it up, like the crumhorn and sackbut. I loved the mellow sonic hue of the sackbut so much that I took up its modern equivalent - the trombone. I can still blow a bit to this day. Tomorrow I'll be merely listening to the dulcet
a cappella sounds in the lobby of 25 Parade Place from 2-4 PM, a building situated along the Parade Ground's Dillon Stewart playground. Please come one and all. They'll sing
polyphonic motets, hymns, magnificats,
Psalms, mass sections and other sacred music by Guillaume du Fay, Jean
de Ockeghem, Josquin des Prez, Ludwig Senfl, Giovanni Pierluigi da
Palestrina, William Byrd, Tomás Luis de Victoria, Manuel Cardoso, and
their contemporaries. Never know, Lil' Wayne might stop by to do some freestylin'...
Will the diversity of Flatbush never cease? It might look something like this:
Rock on!
8 comments:
whoo-hoo!
Well, that sounds amazing! I love Renaissance music, especially sackbuts! Won't be able to make it, but will be glad, if baffled, to know they're there.
The Woodruff Ave Block Associations have been quiet indeed. But now that I'm closer to healthy than ill and moving around, let's see about remedying that!
--Duane Joseph
I've seen no marketing whatsoever for the Caledonian development. Any word on when we'll hear about pricing, unit types and features?
THey are still FAR from being done on the 123 on the Park. I believe they are still deciding what to to about the Woodruff facing building, and they aren't quite done finishing framing. I think Brownstoner had some recent info on it...I'll see if I can find a link.
Here it is:
http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2012/12/checking-in-at-the-caledonian-hospital-conversion/Checking in at the Caledonian Hospital Conversion
I just got back from the concert, which was absolutely wonderful! Thank you so much Tim, for letting us know about it.
The group that performed is "the Renaissance Street Singers" and their website is:
http://streetsingers.org/
I must confess that my first reaction to the announcement of a Renaissance music concert at Parade Place was that it might be a joke; I'm very glad that my wife and I went anyway.
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