From Off the Streets of Cleveland

I am a pretty big fan of Harvey Pekar, most notably his American Splendor series. Harvey’s comics and writing have always involved a heavy dose of jazz and creative improvisation-based music, from his ongoing music reviews and jazz criticism, to the tenor of American Splendor where he chronicles his ongoing experiences as a jazz-head and record collector. Now Mr. Pekar is making his operatic debut with the help of musician Dan Plonsey and musicians and theater students from the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music. The jazz opera, Leave Me Alone! will premier Saturday, January 31^st 2009 at 8 pm in Oberlin’s visually and acoustically beautiful Finney Chapel. Visit the Conservatory’s Web site to view the press release, and also visit the Leave Me Alone! Web site for more information about both the author and the composer. The audio and video of the event will also be streamed live to an international audience from the opera’s Web site.