Arts In The City
satisfying the most demanding
musicians. In his new book, “The
Violin Maker,” Marchese finds
Sam Zygmuntowicz, a Brooklyn-
based violin maker, commissioned
by Eugene Drucker of the
Emerson String Quartet. The
book, a detailed personal account
of Zygmuntowicz’s quest to build
the perfect instrument, the city
plays a vital role. “Gene [Drucker]
is just the quintessential New
York thoroughbred musician,”
said Marchese of the violinist,
a Julliard grad and son of a
musician. And Brooklyn, home
to Zygmuntowicz’s workshop,
is a character in the story, said
Marchese. “Zygmuntowicz would
probably have told you it would
have been impossible for him
to set up shop in Manhattan,
for the obvious reasons,” of
space restrictions and real estate
FIT FOR A PRO prices. But even in Brooklyn, the
From the philharmonic to the workshop was threatened by the
string quartet, when it comes to development of the Atlantic Yards,
classical music the violin is the which led Zygmuntowicz to move
star of the show. So it makes sense his workspace to his home in Park
that virtuosos demand the best Slope. But while real estate prices
instruments. For many, that means may change, the craft of making the
using a 17th-century Stradivarius, perfect violin remains the same. As
the legendary product of the Italian Zyhuntowicz notes in the book, aside
craftsman Antonio Stradivari, but from the electric lights, Stradivari
as writer John Marchese found could walk into the workshop and
out during his three-year quest, feel right at home.
New York has its own craftsman —Heather Corcoran
SPOTLIGHT
Jam band Umphrey’s McGee follow
2006’s “Safety In Numbers” with the April
3 release of “The Bottom Half,” a double
disc of unreleased songs and bonus material
from the same recording session that yielded
their breakthrough third album. Safety made
Billboard’s Top 200, received a collective
critical swoon, and made them an even bigger
cult hit than they already were, even scooching
them to the heady precipice of commercial
success. At the Nokia Theatre, April 13.
ticketmaster.com.—Meg Ryan
10 • Resident The Week Of April 2, 2007
WEEKLY PICKS
Minimalist master
Walter De Maria brings
his industrial, highly
geometric sculpture to
Gagosian Gallery, in an
AP Photo
exhibition so big that
it takes up two of the
gallery’s Manhattan
LEGEND ON STAGE locations. Through May 5.
With fans like Jimi Hendrix, Eric gagosian.com
Clapton and the Rolling Stones,
art
it’s no wonder that many consider McNally Robinson,
stalwart defenders of the
Buddy Guy one of the world’s
Davids in a publishing
greatest guitarists – and he’s sold world full of Goliaths,
more than 2 million records and present the Best New
won five Grammy Awards to prove Poets 2006, featuring
it. This April 11 and 13, he brings Theo Hummer,
his electrifying act to New York with Barbara Strasko
a pair of shows at B.B. King Blues and Gary Joseph
Club in Times Square.—H.C. Cohen reading from
their work. At McNally
RAPPER HEATS UP Robinson Books April 5.
poetry
Hot on the heels of his successful mcnallyrobinsonnyc.com
single, “This is Why I’m Hot,”
Washington Heights-born rapper “Dangerous Beauty”
Shawn Mims released his debut explores the role of
beauty in modern
album “Music is My Savior.” The
culture through painting,
infectious single first reached number
sculpture, photography,
1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts installation, and video
in early March, while online it by artists including
surpassed Justin Timberlake’s “What Nicola Constantino,
Goes Around Comes Around” for Barbara Kruger,
the top spot in February. Though the Marilyn Minter and
new media
album has received tepid reviews, it is Joshua Neustein. At
expected to debut high on the charts. the Chelsea Art Museum
—H.C. through April 21.
chelseaartmuseum.org
“Apostasy,” a new play by
Gino DiLorio, navigates
the relationships of a
Jewish hospice patient
with her disappointing
daughter and a
charismatic televangelist.
At Urban Stages, through
theater
May 6. urbanstages.org
Norwegian pop crooner
Sondre Lerche and The
Faces Down Quartet bring
their new, slightly chillier
music
vibe to Webster Hall April
7. webster-hall.com