BRATTLEBORO-When they reflect on the 10th anniversary of 118 Elliot, John Loggia and Lissa Weinmann, the owners and co-directors of the performing arts venue, are astonished anew at the breadth and depth of programming they have offered to the community.
That first show in 2015 - Native American teens from Pine Ridge Indian Reservation did a "Gathering in Gratitude" as a soft opening - which "set the tone for this almost anthropological experiment we've been running at 118," Weinmann wrote in an email to The Commons. "It's been a privilege to help steward the natural phenomenon that is 118 Elliot."
In a recent phone call, Loggia said that he and Weinmann, of Brattleboro, are "creating a community of people connecting through music and art and education - that's the mission of 118."
"118 Elliot has been enhancing our own personal experiences as much as we created it to provide a community space focused on arts and education. We run everything through collaboration and partnerships. I learn so much from 118. It's an education experience in itself and that is what I love about it," he adds.
The son of the late Academy Award–nominated actor Robert Loggia, John Loggia works as a filmmaker, painter, and musician. The upcoming Nu Mu festival - subtitled "The Shade Tree" - at 118 Elliot reflects his long involvement in jazz and experimental music. The publicity materials for the month-long event describe it as a "community-oriented music festival that brings together well-known musicians with local talent, creating singular opportunities for collaboration and experimentation."
He also helped produce Fire Music, a 2021 documentary on free jazz which can be seen on the Criterion Channel.
The Commons spoke with Loggia recently to talk about 118 Elliot's 10th anniversary and this year's Nu Mu Festival No. 4. Here's an excerpt of the conversation.
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Victoria Chertok: Congrats on 10 years of arts programming at 118 Elliot. That is something to celebrate!
I'd like to ask you about this year's Nu Mu Festival. What is new and different this year, and what does "The Shade Tree" signify?
John Loggia: Thank you! Nu Mu No. 4 "The Shade Tree" is a reflection on the tone of our political environment today. We need some shade from the blazing sun, metaphorically.
V.C.: Let's start at the beginning. What is the origin story of Nu Mu Festival?
J.L.: Jazz saxophonist Jeff [Lederer] and I started it four years ago. He just walked into 118 Elliot after his album The Eightfold Path was released, and we hit it off immediately. He lives in Brooklyn and Guilford (part time) and spends most of August here.
We decided to start Nu Mu as a local festival with special guests. It's a festival of friends, and we reach out to people we know and also include outstanding local musicians. We combine highly accomplished musicians with people who are aspirational. It's community based, and we are trying to create a community through shared creativity.
V.C.: Will local musicians participate in Nu Mu No. 4?
J.L.: Yes. Anarcoharmoia, a monthly improv session of locals, will participate, and there will be local musicians on most dates, including Aug. 1, 9, 16, 22, 23, 29, and 30.
V.C.: What does the term "nu mu" mean?
J.L.: Nu mu is experimental and conceptual music that evolves from 20th-century jazz, classical, and rock avant garde. There is a great tradition of free playing in rock, too, going back to bands like the MC5 and Blue Cheer. Jimi Hendrix also played outside the constraints of pop music with a total abandonment into a cacophonous sound.
Sun Ra, Ornette Coleman, and many others broke free from traditional forms to create new horizons for jazz, while modernist classical musicians were creating music of intense contrasts and challenging dynamics.
All this comes together to free musicians so they can explore the extremes of expression without the constraints of convention.
Sun Ra is the legendary musician and founder of the free jazz movement. He was interested in this idea of the land of Mu, [a lost continent in the Pacific hypothesized in the 19th century]. We like the mythology of it.
V.C.: What are you most looking forward to this year?
J.L.: The second week with jazz saxophonist Jeff Lederer. He's performing Guilty!!!, a protest album based on the 34 counts against Donald Trump. Aside from a group he is bringing from New York, Jeff is inviting many local musicians to play. The performance will be both a musical extravaganza and a political rally.
V.C.: What do you hope the audience will take away from Nu Mu No. 4?
J.L.: One is that they have a great time and enjoy the music. I want them to feel empowered to be musicians, to be creative, to experiment, and to take risks.
There will be an active art creation event as part of the Galley Walk opening on Friday, Aug. 1. The public is invited to come in, enjoy painting, and be creative, while musicians are playing inspiring music.
V.C.: Were drums your first instrument?
J.L.: I started playing drums at age 10. I was pounding on everything, and my parents were fed up. I had the great experience of going to the Krupa and Cole Drum School in New York City, where I grew up.
V.C.: You are also a painter and filmmaker and studied at Sarah Lawrence College.
J.L.: That's right. At Sarah Lawrence we didn't have majors, but I was so focused on the arts that I was actually sanctioned by the school. I was in the first [co-ed] class in 1972 that came in as freshmen. My focus was on painting, but I played music on the side.
V.C.: You are also a filmmaker....
J.L.: I've been involved in film since 1979, when [American film director and screenwriter] Brian De Palma came to Sarah Lawrence to make a movie.
From there, I started working in independent film. I was production designer on Parting Glances, which was Steve Buscemi's first role about AIDS which broke ground.
I helped produce the documentary Fire Music on free jazz. The film reflects my friendship with the director that began in first grade. We started going to jazz shows in high school at really amazing places both mainstream and way out. Aside from places like the Village Vanguard and the Village Gate, the loft jazz scene was in full bloom, and we hung out at places like Studio Rivbea, among others.
V.C.: I've enjoyed our conversation, John. Any closing thoughts?
J.L.: The cultural explosion of the '60s evolved out of community. Pop music came out of the community. We are trying to recreate a creative community so something new can come out of that.
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For more information on Nu Mu No. 4 and 118 Elliot, visit 118elliot.com.
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Editor's note: Columns that include interviews in this format are edited for clarity, readability, and space. Words not spoken by interview subjects appear in brackets, as do brief editorial clarifications.
Victoria Chertok is a contributing writer to The Commons and The Keene Sentinel. Since 2017, she has published more than 200 arts and entertainment features, interviews, and columns in both newspapers, as well as in the Brattleboro Reformer.
This Arts item by Victoria Chertok was written for The Commons.