RECORD-REVIEW "Talk of the Town"

By BONNI BRODNICK

When we flipped that calendar last weekend to the month of May, magically the weather changed. Spring is in the air! Music is, too. And, on the airwaves. Jazz pianist and Steinway artist Pete Malinverni recently joined the Leipzig String Quartet at Le Poisson Rouge in NYC to play “The Seven Last Words” of Haydn. WQXR, the station of the New York Times, broadcast the gig and you can hear Pete’s improvised interludes with Steve Wilson at www.wqxr.org/articles/lpr-q2/2010/mar/05/leipzig-string-quartet/. Pete also appeared on NPR’s program, “Piano Jazz,” and accompanied Elvis Costello as he sang Rodgers and Hart’s “Dancing on the Ceiling.” Click www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122322432 for a delightfully melodious earful.

We remember Arlene Stein for her gentle way, keen intelligence, and talent as a harpist. Next to her family and friends, music and Pound Ridge Library — where she was a reference librarian for more than 17 years — were her passions. A gathering of Arlene’s musician friends will perform in her honor at an afternoon concert on Sunday, May 16 at 4 p.m. at the Library. The program will feature works by Brahms, Greig, Chopin, Mendelssohn, and Rogers & Hammerstein. Performers paying homage to Arlene include cellists Jackie Bergson and Michael Meade; violinist Mary Anne Meade; and pianist Marcia Slater. Flutists are Fran Head, David Markowitz, Amy Selig and Eric Stand. Singers are Matt Bogen, Karen Butterfield, Mary Cornell, Wanda Grochowski, Heidi Stein, Heather Strickland and Helen Powers. For more information, call the Library at 764-5085 or www.poundridgelibrary.com.

Former Pound Ridger Jane Rainsford is a wonderful correspondent and has great stories about being a kid here during the 1960s and ‘70s. She sent us a few black and white photos of summer days of yore when she went to the Town Park with her parents (Grace and Guy) and sisters (Betsy, Susan, and Nancy). “Susan and I practically lived there,” Jane wrote as she pointed out in one photo how pool membership tags were worn around the ankles. “We went to day camp in the morning and then up to the pool in the afternoon to swim and play with friends. Michael VonOehsen’s snack bar had the best French fries, hot dogs and hamburgers around. When they laid out new grass around the swimming pool, we hid snack money under a corner of one of the squares before it rooted into the dirt. I wonder how many other things were lost in that grass.” Make the Town Park part of your summer. The Recreation Department summer of 2010 activities is now online at www.townofpoundridge.com. And don’t forget to get your season pool passes before rates go up after May 15. (Proof of residency necessary.) For more information, call David Goldberg, head honcho at the Rec Department at 764-3987.

Speaking of things aquatic … Alex Forrester, Yale frosh and former Pound Ridge Dolphin swimmer, touched base after she had a chance to catch her breath from scoring big-time in the Ivy Champs 202 Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship. She started swimming competitively when she was 8 years old, first with the Dolphins and then on to club swimming with Badger Swim Club in Rye. When we asked what it’s like to be ranked #1 in the U.S. this season among 18 and unders, Alex responded,”I never really think about rankings like that, I swim because I enjoy the people I’m with and the sport itself. That and enjoying the day-to-day of just being with the team are what make anything worthwhile. The fact that I have done so well is just icing on the cake.” Any advice for the little kids who are just starting on Pound Ridge swim team this summer? “I would tell them to have fun with swimming, to enjoy the people they meet and the experiences they have. Winning and doing well is always fun, but the things that last are not always wins or medals: they are friendships, relationships and experiences. These are what stay meaningful for lifetimes.”