Tag Archives: la pena cultural center
Berkeley’s rich tradition of documentaries finds support
Lisa Fruchtman was at the Sundance Film Festival when she heard a story she knew she wanted to tell through film. It involved a remarkable group of women in Rwanda who, despite having their lives torn apart by a devastating genocide, had decided to relearn to be happy. The women, who came from both sides of the conflict, formed the country’s first all-female drumming circle and set about opening an ice-cream parlor with the help of two Brooklyn ice cream makers.
The trouble was that Fruchtman, a veteran film editor with features such as Apocalypse Now and The Godfather Part III under her belt, had never made a film. So the Berkeley resident called her brother, Rob Fruchtman, an award-winning documentary maker, and they agreed to work on the project together. … Continue reading »
Out in Berkeley: Claudia Gómez at La Peňa
By Andrew Gilbert
For Bay Area lovers of Latin American music who’ve been in the region for a while, the name Claudia Gómez should set hearts a flutter.
From the mid-1980s through the mid-90s, the Medellin-born vocalist was an essential part of the Bay Area jazz scene, collaborating with adventurous artists like saxophonist Hafez Modirzadeh and body percussionist Keith Terry in Crosspulse.
With her fine-grained translucent voice and supple phrasing she contributed to a wide array of Latin music ensembles, while also developing into an accomplished bandleader with an exquisite book of Brazilian jazz charts. … Continue reading »
The Berkeley Wire: 6.02.10
Aurora Theater announces Bay Area premiere of “Speech and Debate” [Aurora]
La Pena celebrates its 35th anniversary [East Bay Express]
City of Berkeley vows to take down knitted “T” cozy [SF Chronicle]
Berkeley poet Leslie Scalapino died Friday [The Bay Citizen]
Handcuffed to his mood swing: John Leguizamo at the Rep [HuffPo]
Photo: Death wish in Berkeley by linseythornton/Berkeleyside Flickr pool.
Test your knowledge of Berkeley’s many murals
According to Brett Weinstein, there are more than 80 murals in our city. Some are well-known, such the one commemorating the history of the Free Speech Movement on the side of Amoeba Records, or the 3-D work at La Peña Cultural Center on Shattuck. Others are less visible, tucked down alleys or on roll-up garage doors.
Weinstein, a broker at Realty Advocates who has lived in Berkeley for over 30 years, has made a hobby of photographing … Continue reading »
Music and food fest to benefit Chile
La Peña Cultural Center on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley will hold a benefit concert this Sunday to help the victims of the recent earthquake in Chile.
A newly formed organization, Mano a Mano Con Chile (Hand in Hand with Chile) — a group made up of local Chileans and north Americans — will host the benefit, which will feature Rafael Manriquez, Hector Salgado, Lichi Fuentes and Poncho Jaramillo, among others. There will also be food — including chicken and … Continue reading »
A taste of justice
Think of agents for change in American eating habits, and Berkeley’s Alice Waters and Michael Pollan come immediately to mind.
Indeed, eat-more-greens advocates can appear as white as Wonder Bread.
On the menu at La Pena Cultural Center last night: some much-needed color in the conversation about good food matters.
Visceral Feast, a work-in-progress performance piece, featured Oakland-based eco chef Bryant Terry (author of Vegan Soul Kitchen, a health-conscious reinterpretation of popular African American … Continue reading »
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