The art of bookbinding

The Wilton Historical Society is offering a bookbinding workshop for kids on July 8 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The recommended ages for this workshop is for kids that are between the ages of six and 12. 

Museum Educator Lola Chen will talking to the kids about the history of making books and learning about how to bind a book. The workshop project will be to make a small book using an easy stitch using linen or flax to bind. The book will be composed of Colonial “receipts” (recipes) that have been used in the Colonial Cookery and Customs for Kids workshops at the Society. Recipes include bannock cakes, pease porridge, pickles, an amulet of green peas, apple tansey, fairy butter, pumpkin bread, cranberry shortbread, New Year’s “cakes”, New England chowder, cheese soufflé with ramps, and pea and watercress Rappahannock.

Did You Know?
American Cookery, by Amelia Simmons, is the first known cookbook written by an American, published in Hartford, Connecticut in 1796. Until then, the cookbooks printed and used in the Thirteen Colonies were British. Its full title is: American Cookery, or the art of dressing viands, fish, poultry, and vegetables, and the best modes of making pastes, puffs, pies, tarts, puddings, custards, and preserves, and all kinds of cakes, from the imperial plum to plain cake: Adapted to this country, and all grades of life.
This book was quite popular and was printed, reprinted and pirated for 30 years after its first appearance. Only four copies of the first edition are known to exist.

Wilton Historical Society Presents -Farm Team: 50 Years of Wilton Baseball

Before the days of television and mass media, baseball had distinctly local roots. Passionate fans in small towns across the nation turned not to Yankees, Dodgers, or Red Sox for their baseball fix, but to their local semi-pro or minor league teams and the new exhibit presented by the Wilton Historical Society called Farm Team: 50 Years of Wilton Baseball explores these roots.  The history of Wilton Baseball  traces the story of the Farmers, Wilton's quintessential small town baseball team, through approximately 20 photographs and objects related to the team.

Founded in 1921, the Farmers quickly became one of the most popular attractions in town. Crowds could reach up to 1,000 people, or roughly half the population of Wilton at the time. The Farmers played teams from as far away as Poughkeepsie, New York, and their games were front page news in The Wilton Bulletin. "I have to say, one of my favorite things about the Farmers is how much fun they had. There are some great stories about their wacky promotions, including donkey baseball," said Nick Foster, exhibition curator.

There would have been no Farmers team without Charlie Orem (1882 – 1973), owner of Orem's Dairy and later Orem's Diner. Orem, along with Johnny Knapp and Charlie Myers, founded the team as a way to bring in customers for Orem's businesses. Orem built a baseball diamond on a piece of his farm land, soon named Orem's Field, where the team would play its home games. Fans in attendance were encouraged to buy concessions from the dairy and diner located next to the field. The team, sensibly named the Farmers after their founder and home field, remained in Wilton, in one form or another, until 1970, with only a small break during World War II.

The Wilton Historical Society is located on 224 Danbury Road in Wilton. For more information visit their website.

Spring into Summer with Andy Warhol and Friends! @ Bruce Museum

The Bruce Museum has opened Spring into Summer with Andy Warhol and Friends! The new exhibition takes an unusual approach to this most famous of Pop artists.

“Although we tend to associate Warhol’s work with artifice and mass production—think of his bold images of Marilyn Monroe and Campbell’s Soup cans—there is another side to the artist that is often overlooked, his interest in the natural, the real, and the intimate,” says Kenneth E. Silver, New York University Professor of Modern Art and Bruce Museum Adjunct Curator of Art. Silver is curating the show with the assistance of Courtney Long, Bruce Museum Zvi Grunberg Postdoctoral Fellow, 2016-17.

The exhibition builds on three important works in the Bruce Museum collection. Warhol’s Little Red Book, 1971, a gift from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Arts, features ten unique polaroid portraits of the artist’s friends -- New Canaan architect Philip Johnson and his partner David Whitney, fashion model Donna Jordan, art critic Barbara Rose, and a self-portrait. Flowers (Hand-Colored), 1974, a suite of ten silkscreens prints given to the Bruce by Peter Brant, depict floral still-lives. Two large silkscreen portrait prints, Sachiko, 1977, are gifts of the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation.

Beyond these Bruce Museum treasures, significant loans will allow Spring into Summer with Andy Warhol and Friends! to offer an expanded view of Warhol’s aesthetic universe, including an important four-part painted portrait, never before exhibited in public, of Sachiko Goodman, along with the scores of polaroid studies that the artist made in preparation for the commission; and a fine pencil portrait by Warhol of Philip Johnson. Beyond the human subjects, Warhol’s silkscreen series of 1983, Endangered Species, offers ten “animal portraits” including a San Francisco Silverspot butterfly and an American Bald Eagle. Fortuitously, the great American realist painter Philip Pearlstein, Warhol’s undergraduate roommate, has kindly agreed to lend his surprisingly abstract rendition of an American Eagle (1949) to the exhibition as well.

Finally, following the lead of Warhol’s ground-breaking exhibition of 1970, Raid the Icebox with Andy Warhol, in which the artist retrieved and put on display long-forgotten objects from the storerooms of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, the Bruce’s own storerooms have been plundered for specimens from its historic natural science collection—butterflies, birds, and a few other creatures.

This exhibition is generously supported by The Charles M. and Deborah G. Royce Exhibition Fund, Amica Insurance, Bank of America, Crozier, Susan and Bill Mahoney, The 2016-17 Bruce Museum Council, and the Connecticut Office of the Arts.

“We’re thrilled to deepen our existing partnership with the Bruce Museum by bringing these historically significant art pieces to the Southern Connecticut community,” said Robert Pizzella, Managing Director, U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management. “This is just another way we are able to provide access to the arts, in addition to offering Bank of America cardholders free admission every month through our Museums on Us program.”

The Bruce Museum will offer free admission on opening day of the Warhol exhibition on Saturday, June 10, in conjunction with the Connecticut Open House Day, and on all Tuesdays. Bank of America cardholders also receive free admission on the first Sunday of every month.

The Bruce Museum is located just off I-95, Exit 3, at 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, CT. General admission is $10 adults, $8 seniors and students, free to members and children less than 5 years old. 

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 Exhibition Programs for Spring into Summer with Andy Warhol and Friends!

June 21, 6:00 – 8:00 pm 
Andy Warhol and the Impact on Photography 
Lecture by Lyle Rexer

The changes wrought by Andy Warhol’s work on painting and art are well known. Less discussed is the impact on photography. Warhol played a crucial role in changing the climate for image making and helped usher in a photographic era of bad pictures of bad subjects. (It’s no coincidence that both Stephen Shore and William Eggleston, both pilloried for being pedestrian photographers, spent time at Warhol’s “factory.”) This lecture explores Warhol’s influence, direct and indirect, on photography since the 1970s.

Lyle Rexer is the author of several books, including The Edge of Vision: The Rise of Abstraction in Photography (2009) and Photography’s Antiquarian Avant Garde: the New Wave in Old Processes (2002). In addition, he has published many catalogue essays and articles on art, architecture, and photography and contributed to such publications as The New York Times, Art in America, Aperture, BOMB, Parkett and DAMn. As a curator, he has organized exhibitions in the United States and internationally, most recently “The Edge of Vision,” a selection of contemporary abstract photography. He teaches at the School of Visual Arts in New York and is a columnist for Photograph magazine.

Advance registration required. Free for Bruce members, $15 for non-members. At the door: $10 Bruce members, $25 non-members. See brucemuseum.org for details.

Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film

Wed, July 12,  10:30 am – 12:45 pm. Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film | Part 1 
Wed., July 19, 10:30 am – 12:45 pm. Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film | Part 2 

This riveting and often deeply moving film portrait of the most famous and famously controversial artist of the second half of the 20th century is the first to explore the complete spectrum of Warhol’s astonishing artistic output, stretching across five decades from the late 1940s to his untimely death in 1987. Combining powerful on-camera interviews and rare still and motion picture footage, it is also the first to put Warhol himself—his humble family background and formative experiences in Pittsburgh, and his crucial apprenticeship as a commercial artist in New York—back into the presentation of his life.

Narrated by Laurie Anderson. Includes interviews with Irving Blum, Bob Colacello, Donna De Salvo, Vincent Fremont, Dave Hickey, Stephen Koch, Wayne Koestenbaum, Jeff Koons, Paul Morrissey, Billy Name, George Plimpton, Neil Printz, John Richardson, Ronald Tavel and John Warhola. A special two-part presentation for American Masters.

Advance registration required; limited seating. Free with Museum admission ($10/$8). See brucemuseum.org for details.

Sunday, July 16, 1:00 - 4:00 pm. Warhol Summer Bash Family Day. Join us for a groovy, good time! Fun, hands-on activities from inspired by the exhibition Spring into Summer with Warhol and Friends! A rockin’, sixties and seventies-inspired music performance by Little Rockers at 2:00 pm, This 45-minute experience will include musical activities with instruments and movement for a totally unique rock show. Performance is recommended for ages 2 - 8. Seating limited. Generously sponsored by Whole Foods.

Experience the Sound in Greenwich

Now in it's 11th year, Experience the Sound hosted by the Greenwich Shellfish Commission is once again taking place on June 25 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Greenwich Point Park in Old Greenwich and best of all this event is free and you don't need a beach pass or car sticker to attend! This year the theme is  "From Streams Through Soil to Sea" to emphasize that the local ecology in our own backyard is connected to the Sound and to encourage the public to be good caretakers of the land and the Sound. Activities will take place around the Innis Arden Cottage and the Old Greenwich Yacht Club and it's docks at Greenwich Point. A free shuttle bus will be available to take participants back and forth between the two areas.

One of the highlights of this event is the Board a Boat exhibition.  Festival goers are invited to climb aboard commercial shellfishing barges as well as the other boats that dock at the Old Greenwich Yacht Club. The Soundwaters Schooner, an 80 ft. three-masted representation of a 19th Century Sharpie Schooner used for teaching science to students of all ages will be docked along with the Atlantic Clam Farms barge, and the Copps Island Oyster boat, a traditional shellfishing boat operated by the third generation of shell-fishermen in the Bloom family. 

If you have worked up an appetite, no worries as festival goers are invited to sample fresh clams and oysters from local waters. The raw bar hosts are local commercial shellfishing companies Atlantic Clam Farms and Hemlock Oyster Company.

The Greenwich Historical Society is teaming up with the Greenwich Point Conservancy and Old Greenwich Yacht Club to host a historical boat tour of the waters off Greenwich Point. Taking a new tack in honor of its exhibition Close to the Wind: Our Maritime History, the Historical Society is offering lucky guests a chance to test their sea legs during this 45-minute cruise. Each of the two tours (scheduled at 9:00 and 10:00 am) is limited to 11 passengers, so reservations must be made prior to the event and will be confirmed the day before. Participants will meet at the dock at Old Greenwich Yacht Club and are advised to dress appropriately for the weather, wear boat shoes or other footwear with soft, non-marking soles and apply sunscreen.

The Historical Society will also host a booth at Innis Arden Cottage from 1:00 to 4:00 pm featuring a fun family craft project involving the design of your very own nautical flag. In addition, outside the Innis Arden Cottage, attendees will have a chance to connect with many of the wonderful community groups and organizations in Greenwich and the surrounding area which organize water sports and other environmental and naturalist pursuits. The Greenwich Audubon and Wild Wings for example will be in attendance to talk about birds and other wildlife that make the Long Island Sound their home. The Bruce Museum Seaside Center will have a large touch tank with crabs, oysters, clams, fish, and more, and Naturalists on hand to answer your questions.

Spring into Summer with Andy Warhol and Friends! @ Bruce Museum

On June 10, 2017, the Bruce Museum will open Spring into Summer with Andy Warhol and Friends! The new exhibition takes an unusual approach to this most famous of Pop artists.

            “Although we tend to associate Warhol’s work with artifice and mass production—think of his bold images of Marilyn Monroe and Campbell’s Soup cans—there is another side to the artist that is often overlooked, his interest in the natural, the real, and the intimate,” says Kenneth E. Silver, New York University Professor of Modern Art and Bruce Museum Adjunct Curator of Art. Silver is curating the show with the assistance of Courtney Long, Bruce Museum Zvi Grunberg Postdoctoral Fellow, 2016-17.

The exhibition builds on three important works in the Bruce Museum collection. Warhol’s Little Red Book, 1971, a gift from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Arts, features ten unique polaroid portraits of the artist’s friends -- New Canaan architect Philip Johnson and his partner David Whitney, fashion model Donna Jordan, art critic Barbara Rose, and a self-portrait. Flowers (Hand-Colored), 1974, a suite of ten silkscreens prints given to the Bruce by Peter Brant, depict floral still-lives. Two large silkscreen portrait prints, Sachiko, 1977, are gifts of the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation.

Beyond these Bruce Museum treasures, significant loans will allow Spring into Summer with Andy Warhol and Friends! to offer an expanded view of Warhol’s aesthetic universe, including an important four-part painted portrait, never before exhibited in public, of Sachiko Goodman, along with the scores of polaroid studies that the artist made in preparation for the commission; and a fine pencil portrait by Warhol of Philip Johnson. Beyond the human subjects, Warhol’s silkscreen series of 1983, Endangered Species, offers ten “animal portraits” including a San Francisco Silverspot butterfly and an American Bald Eagle. Fortuitously, the great American realist painter Philip Pearlstein, Warhol’s undergraduate roommate, has kindly agreed to lend his surprisingly abstract rendition of an American Eagle (1949) to the exhibition as well.

Finally, following the lead of Warhol’s ground-breaking exhibition of 1970, Raid the Icebox with Andy Warhol, in which the artist retrieved and put on display long-forgotten objects from the storerooms of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, the Bruce’s own storerooms have been plundered for specimens from its historic natural science collection—butterflies, birds, and a few other creatures.

This exhibition is generously supported by The Charles M. and Deborah G. Royce Exhibition Fund, Amica Insurance, Bank of America, Crozier, Susan and Bill Mahoney, The 2016-17 Bruce Museum Council, and the Connecticut Office of the Arts.

“We’re thrilled to deepen our existing partnership with the Bruce Museum by bringing these historically significant art pieces to the Southern Connecticut community,” said Robert Pizzella, Managing Director, U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management. “This is just another way we are able to provide access to the arts, in addition to offering Bank of America cardholders free admission every month through our Museums on Us program.”

The Bruce Museum will offer free admission on opening day of the Warhol exhibition on Saturday, June 10, in conjunction with the Connecticut Open House Day, and on all Tuesdays. Bank of America cardholders also receive free admission on the first Sunday of every month.

The Bruce Museum is located just off I-95, Exit 3, at 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, CT. General admission is $10 adults, $8 seniors and students, free to members and children less than 5 years old. 

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Exhibition Programs for Spring into Summer with Andy Warhol and Friends!

June 21, 6:00 – 8:00 pm 
Andy Warhol and the Impact on Photography 
Lecture by Lyle Rexer

The changes wrought by Andy Warhol’s work on painting and art are well known. Less discussed is the impact on photography. Warhol played a crucial role in changing the climate for image making and helped usher in a photographic era of bad pictures of bad subjects. (It’s no coincidence that both Stephen Shore and William Eggleston, both pilloried for being pedestrian photographers, spent time at Warhol’s “factory.”) This lecture explores Warhol’s influence, direct and indirect, on photography since the 1970s.

Lyle Rexer is the author of several books, including The Edge of Vision: The Rise of Abstraction in Photography (2009) and Photography’s Antiquarian Avant Garde: the New Wave in Old Processes (2002). In addition, he has published many catalogue essays and articles on art, architecture, and photography and contributed to such publications as The New York Times, Art in America, Aperture, BOMB, Parkett and DAMn. As a curator, he has organized exhibitions in the United States and internationally, most recently “The Edge of Vision,” a selection of contemporary abstract photography. He teaches at the School of Visual Arts in New York and is a columnist for Photograph magazine.

Advance registration required. Free for Bruce members, $15 for non-members. At the door: $10 Bruce members, $25 non-members. See brucemuseum.org for details.

Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film

Wed, July 12,  10:30 am – 12:45 pm. Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film | Part 1 
Wed., July 19, 10:30 am – 12:45 pm. Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film | Part 2 

This riveting and often deeply moving film portrait of the most famous and famously controversial artist of the second half of the 20th century is the first to explore the complete spectrum of Warhol’s astonishing artistic output, stretching across five decades from the late 1940s to his untimely death in 1987. Combining powerful on-camera interviews and rare still and motion picture footage, it is also the first to put Warhol himself—his humble family background and formative experiences in Pittsburgh, and his crucial apprenticeship as a commercial artist in New York—back into the presentation of his life.

Narrated by Laurie Anderson. Includes interviews with Irving Blum, Bob Colacello, Donna De Salvo, Vincent Fremont, Dave Hickey, Stephen Koch, Wayne Koestenbaum, Jeff Koons, Paul Morrissey, Billy Name, George Plimpton, Neil Printz, John Richardson, Ronald Tavel and John Warhola. A special two-part presentation for American Masters.

Advance registration required; limited seating. Free with Museum admission ($10/$8). See brucemuseum.org for details.

Sunday, July 16, 1:00 - 4:00 pm. Warhol Summer Bash Family Day. Join us for a groovy, good time! Fun, hands-on activities from inspired by the exhibition Spring into Summer with Warhol and Friends! A rockin’, sixties and seventies-inspired music performance by Little Rockers at 2:00 pm, This 45-minute experience will include musical activities with instruments and movement for a totally unique rock show. Performance is recommended for ages 2 - 8. Seating limited. Generously sponsored by Whole Foods.

Evening Sunset Cruises offered by Norwalk Seaport Association

There is nothing that says summer and romance like a sunset cruise through Norwalk Harbor to Sheffield Island on the 45 ft. C.J. Toth catamaran for a relaxing two hour cruise. Along the way you will see the beautiful coastline of Norwalk and seabirds as you head out into Long Island Sound. This season the sunset cruises begin on June 23 and run every Friday evening through August 25. 

Don't forget to bring your camera and binoculars, snacks and a beverage. During this unforgettable adventure tour of the outer reaches of Norwalk Harbor you will see unique views of the city, surrounding waterways and picturesque Islands.

Boat Boarding begins at 6:15 p.m. and the vessel sets sail at 6:30 p.m. and returns to the dock at 8:30 p.m. Although walk-up tickets are sold, it is best to reserve your tickets in advance to avoid disappointment. The U.S. Coast Guard sets a limit of 49 passengers on board.  The limited number of people on this cruise adds to it's intimate vibe.

This year the Seaport Association is offering a dinner package after the cruise for an additional $35 at Sono Seaport Seafood that is in easy walking distance of the dock. Parking is best at the Maritime Garage. 

For a free monthly newsletter on things to do and see and travel tips on Litchfield Hills and Fairfield County  visit  www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

FLAMINGOS AND FUN IN 21-AND-OVER “MARITIME WITH A TWIST” ON JUNE 22 IN THE MARITIME AQUARIUM AT NORWALK

 Sample the best of South Norwalk’s restaurants amid pulsing jellyfish and pink flamingos – live pink flamingos, not the vodka cocktail – during a fun adults-only evening on Thurs., June 22 in The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.

“Maritime with a Twist” is a special but casual affair that celebrates and connects SoNo’s food and drink with SoNo’s anchor, The Maritime Aquarium.

From 6 to 8 p.m., guests 21 and over can explore the entire Aquarium, including the expanded new jellyfish exhibit “Journey with Jellies” and a special exhibit featuring gorgeous Chilean flamingos.

Pay one price at the door and then enjoy happy-hour samplings from such neighborhood restaurants as Cask Republic, El Segundo, Killer B, Hell or High Water, The Spread, Match, Prime Burger, Washington Prime, Tablao and Rio Bravo, as well as the meal-delivery service Maikana Foods.

Area craft breweries and artisanal distilleries offering their products will include Aspetuck Brew Lab, Asylum Distillery, Hartford Flavor Company, Charter Oak Brewing, 212 Brewing and Spiked Seltzer.

“Maritime with a Twist” includes live music by Kritikal Mass.

Tickets are $50 ($45 for Aquarium members), with proceeds going to The Maritime Aquarium. There are no other costs for food and drink after your admission ticket.

Purchase tickets at the door or in advance at www.maritimeaquarium.orgor by calling (203) 852-0700, ext. 2206.

A Retrospective Journey of Sebastian DiStefano’s Art @ Carole Peck's Good News Restaurant and Bar

Carol Peck's Good News Restaurant and Bar​ located on 694 Main Street South in Woodbury has announced a ​new show,  on display through August 14,“A Retrospective Journey of Sebastian DiStefano’s Art” that is an exhibition of the work of the late Sebastian DiStefano’s, a Waterbury native.

Mr. DiStefano spent his life painting abstract and non-objective art, a medium where he felt most comfortable. Color and balance were two focal areas for him. He was inspired by the Abstract Expressionists and Color Field artists but also moved by the Baroque painters. The incorporation of light and dark contrasts can be found weaved into his works; and, as he painted, he continually turned his pieces around to seek balance. Even in the pieces that appear unbalanced, balance is found. This allows many of his works to be viewed from different perspectives, even though he had seen it in one particular orientation and allowing any owner of his works to hang these pieces from their own perspective. 

In reflection of the late Sebastian DiStefano’s life and art, the family is showing a broad selection of Sebastian DiStefano’s work from the 1960’s to the present included watercolors, oil on Masonite, and acrylics which depict how he explored color, line, and composition. In being the product of five decades, these paintings depict a full expression of the emotional experiences of his life. As in the words of Mr. DiStefano, “I love the elements of painting; it sets my mind in motion where I am seeking the balance even if the piece ends up unbalanced. I don’t speak for my paintings they speak for me.”

Sebastian DiStefano’s paintings will be on display at Carole Peck’s Good News Restaurant & Bar​ located on 694 Main Street South in Woodbury from June 14th, 2017 – August 14th, 2017. An opening reception will be held on June 18th, 2017. The reception is free to the public.  The Good News Restaurant & Bar is open from 11:30am to 10pm daily. Closed Tuesday and open from 12Noon to 10pm Sundays.

​

Summer Music @ the Barn in Weston

The Weston Historical Society announces its 2017 "Music at the Barn" outdoor summer concert series. The 2017 season features popular local musicians, bands and performers, and will be held Sunday evenings from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Coley Homestead, 104 Weston Road on June 25, July 23 and August 27. No reservations are required for this delightful family entertainment series. Bring a lawn chair, blanket, favorite food and beverage, and enjoy show. In the event of rain, the concert will be moved indoors and chairs will be set up. Admission is $10 per member, $15 per non-member, and kids are free.

OTIS AND THE HURRICANES – Sunday June 25th Otis and the Hurricanes play the roots of American Rock 'n Roll influenced by the likes of Fats Domino, Professor Longhair, Little Feat, The Funky Meters, Alan Toussaint, Delbert McClinton, and the legendary Chuck Berry. The Hurricanes are a group of veteran musicians who will rock the barn! Chris "Otis" Cross is the voice of the Hurricanes. His friends named him "Otis" at the age of 12 when he picked up a Fender Telecaster and bent his first blues note. He has opened for and played with musical icons like James Montgomery, Mark Naftalin, Buddy Guy, Johnny Winter and Buckwheat Zydeco.

P.J. PACIFICO – Sunday July 23 P.J. has built a name for himself over the past few years, with a number of CD & EP releases via Viper Records and gaining credibility in indie singer-songwriter circles for his serene and thoughtful brand of introspective folk and pop music. Pacifico has evolved from a beloved, under-the-radar, Connecticut-based road warrior to an international-profile indie, and has been covered in national outlets ranging from Musicians Magazine to American Songwriter and more. He recently signed a licensing deal with Razor & Tie Publishing and will be announcing new tour dates soon. On his new Viper Records EP 'Ready to Run', singer P.J. Pacifico takes a leap of faith and leaves behind the acoustic guitar stylings focusing instead on synthesizers as the backdrop to his intense, emotional lyrics,

THE CHRIS COOGAN QUARTET – Sunday August 27 Jazz and gospel musician Chris Coogan will close out the "Music at the Barn" series on Sunday, August 28. The New York Times called Chris "a masterful pianist." He has played with many famous musicians and celebrities among them Stevie Van Zandt, Ronnie Spector, Darlene Love, Phoebe Snow, and Ben E. King among others. His gospel credentials include performances with Take 6, Maya Angelou and Richard Smallwood. A Weston native, he directs the Good News Choir, a community choir, and teaches jazz piano. His recordings of original jazz and gospel music are available on CD. On television, Coogan has played piano on "Celebrity Jeopardy" and the "Arsenio Hall Show." He has written and performed original gospel music for a PBS documentary on evangelist Amy Semple McPherson with Emmy award-winning composer Brian Keane.