The Year in Review

Einstein’s Dreams It may not have attracted a broad audience base, but this collaboration between Mockingbird Theatre and People’s Branch Theatre, presented in two separate engagements at TPAC’s Johnson Theater, gave Nashville a glimpse of what live theater can at least purport to be: intellectually pitched, innovative in its use of space and performed with a sincere sense of experimentation. The adaptation of Alan Lightman’s award-winning book was co-written and directed by David Alford, who just recently was appointed interim artistic director of Tennessee Repertory Theatre. We probably can’t expect to see a whole lot of this kind of fare on the Rep’s near-term stages, but it’s reassuring to know that Alford likes to operate in the otherworldly arenas of the time/space continuum.

Paul Hendrickson, Sons of Mississippi (Knopf) Hendrickson’s journalistically weighty investigation of 1960s Southern law officers, brought together during calamitous times at Ole Miss, gives us civil-rights-era history and sociology and fascinating storytelling all under one cover. Maybe, with its images of redneck sheriffs and its recollection of critical national growing pains, his effort also serves as a gentle yet manfully written reminder that the hardest lessons about getting society closer to openness and brotherly love have been learned, and (hopefully) we shall not pass that way again.

Bill Feehely in A Night in November Yet another local theatrical event that should have been seen by more people, Feehely’s performance in this one-person show was simply masterful, exposing us to a truly pro-level actor at the top of his game. Solo theatrical pieces are tough to deliver on, but he made it look organic. Feehely doesn’t necessarily have matinee-idol pretensions, but the dude is a worker and a builder and a craftsman, and despite his solid performance earlier in 2003 in A Moon for the Misbegotten, it’s A Night in November that lent the past theatrical year in Nashville some real cultural cachet.

Jeff Midkiff, Partners in Time (Etheria Music) Midkiff has been a serious musician and educator for years. He’s distinguished himself as a regular in various bluegrass groups, but until now hasn’t had a solo podium to fully exhibit his technical virtuosity. His debut CD is a beauty, showcasing his clean, dynamic mandolin playing as well as his rich and tasteful approach as a fiddler. Midkiff authored six of the 10 selections, displaying an eclectic sensibility that takes the listener from good-time folkie rave-ups (“Grey Hawk”) and traditional lyricism (“Goodbye Liza Jane”) to more exotic realms (“Alhambra”). Midkiff also serves up Reinhardt-esque treatments of Tin Pan Alley standbys like “Summertime” and “Oh, Lady Be Good,” then closes with a rousing cover of “Monroe’s Hornpipe.” 2003 is the year he stepped out into the limelight, and judging by this effort, it’s about time.

TSU’s Performing Arts Center In a town in need of classy, accessible theater space, the 2003 opening of this multimillion-dollar resource in North Nashville has to be considered a significant cultural event. Not only do the students at Tennessee State University benefit from state-of-the-art facilities, but the powers-that-be at the school are showing a willingness to open the PAC’s doors for use by outside performance groups. If the outreach matches the presumed need, then, in a way, a critical problem might be solved. There’s even ample free parking.

Ron Wynn

1. The resurgence of the jazz vocalist Pre-rock standards, show tunes and scat singing are now officially in vogue again, as witnessed by new records by Van Morrison, Boz Scaggs, Bette Midler, Aaron Neville, Rod Stewart and others.

2. Soul Survivors Not only did the Rev. Al Green reunite with producer Willie Mitchell for his first secular album in more than two decades, but old-school soul types Howard Tate and Mighty Sam McClain issued marvelous records, Michael McDonald ably saluted Motown, and the new generation was nicely represented by Ellis Hooks, Calvin Richardson, Anthony Hamilton and Joss Stone.

3. Mystic River An undeniable masterpiece, Mystic River is Eastwood’s finest movie since Unforgiven, a morally ambiguous, dark and sobering work sparked by great performances from Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon.

4. The Dells Arguably R&B and soul’s most underrated vocal ensemble, The Dells were voted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year, finally getting the mainstream recognition they deserve.

5. Ishmael Reed, Another Day at the Front: Dispatches From the Race War (Basic) An exceptional novelist, playwright and commentator, Reed returns with this scathing, irreverent and frequently hilarious new collection of essays, his first in 10 years.

6. Gabriel García Márquez, Living to Tell the Tale (Knopf) Hopefully, the subsequent volumes of this Nobel winner’s autobiography will be as rich and superbly written as this one, which goes from his birth in 1927 to his marriage in the 1950s.

7. Mississippi State shatters tradition The Southeastern Conference’s shameful record of never having hired an African American football coach was thankfully erased when State hired former Alabama All-American and longtime college and pro football coach Sylvester Croom as its new head man.