Read, Listen, Watch

Staff Picks and Suggestions

Keith Richards, Aspiring…Librarian?

In his just-released autobiography, Life, Keith Richards apparently confesses that he has always had a passion for collecting books and secretly wanted to be a librarian. In addition to the incongruity, I loved that he went so far as trying to learn to organize his personal collection according to the Dewey Decimal system but gave it up as too much of a hassle.  I suppose it’s a good thing for all concerned that he never came over to the dark side, and stayed in the world of music where he clearly belongs! Even as a child he loved books — here’s a quote via the (London) Times: When you are growing up there are two institutional places that affect you most powerfully: the church, which belongs to God, and the public library, which belongs to you. The public library is a great equaliser. If this makes you want to watch/listen to some Stones, Martin Scorsese’s concert film Shine a Light (2008) is on DVD at Snell, along with Gimme Shelter, the film of the Altamont concert in 1969 on VHS for the hard-core fan. The reissue of Exile on Main Street (Rolling Stones: Stones in Exile) is on order, and should be at Snell in a few days. So Keith, how about coming to a “Meet the Author” talk at the library?

Musical Talents of Snell’s Own David Jachimiak

David Jachimiak, a staff member of Snell Library, is also an extremely talented and experienced musician. Jachimiak studied music education and received his bachelor’s degree from SUNY Fredonia in 2006, and later went on to receive his master’s degree in jazz performance from the University of Miami in 2009. Additionally, he is an alumnus of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ jazz residency program, Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead. He specializes in saxophone, and has played with a plethora of musical acts over the years, including The Drifters, Steve and Lindley Band, Michael Thomas, Troy Roberts, Michael Feinberg, Gary Keller and Adonis Rose. He also volunteered a jazz performance with his group, the Dave Jachimiak Quartet, at afterHOURS for Northeastern’s Music & Entertainment Industry Student Association’s (MEISA) Jazz Night.  Most recently, Jachimiak has spent his time writing songs and playing bass with Opal Puckett, a new upstart rock band.  Visit YouTube to watch some of Jachimiak’s performances.

Parents Weekend Author Talk Coming Up

To some, Parents’ Weekend is a drag… back to that restricted “my-parents-are-watching” mentality. To others, it’s a relief to have some quality family time again, to take away some of the homesickness. Regardless of if you’re happy about it or not, parents are coming in force this weekend and Northeastern has set up some awesome events, like Howie Mandel, to keep you entertained. If your folks can’t make it, you are in luck because you can still enjoy everything Northeastern has to offer this weekend! Snell Library will continue a Parents’ Weekend tradition on Saturday at 11am with another talk from our Meet The Author series. Northeastern Professor Roger Abrams talks about his book Sports Justice and how the law interacts with the business of professional sports. I for sure will not be missing this one, it should be a pretty active discussion. Check out the Facebook page for more info. You can check the full schedule of Parents’ Weekend events in PDF format here.

Big Citizenship Discussion with Co-Founder of City Year, Thurs. Oct 14

Alan Khazei, co-founder of City Year and CEO/founder of Be the Change, Inc., has written a new book — Big Citizenship — and is coming to campus to discuss the book and highlight Northeastern students who are Big Citizens. “‘Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others,’ Robert Kennedy famously wrote, ‘he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.’ No one better exemplifies the truth of these words than Alan Khazei, the co-founder of City Year. In this stirring call to arms, Khazei lays out a path for the renewal of America, which should provoke conversation, debate and action.” —Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize–winning author and presidential historian. Who: Alan Khazei with Barry Bluestone Where: Curry Student Center Ballroom When: Thursday October 14th, 2:30-4:00pm What: Discussion and Book Signing with Alan Khazei!!

RIP Joan Sutherland

We were saddened to hear about the death of the famous Australian soprano Joan Sutherland last week, at the age of 83. She was known for her big voice and mastery of bel canto repertoire. I first heard her by accident, on a recording of the works of Elgar, which I loved for Jacqueline Du Pre’s playing of the Cello Concerto. Anyway, on that same disc, you can hear Sutherland singing Elgar’s “Sea Pictures,” a lovely introspective and quite modern-sounding suite of songs. A biography of Sutherland is available in Grove Music Online, and you can stream recordings of Sutherland singing with Luciano Pavarotti, with Sutherland’s husband Richard Bonynge conducting, in Naxos Music Library online.