UPPER LAKE, Calif. – On Saturday, Jan. 16, an innovative jazz trio led by world renowned reed instrument master Paul McCandless will entertain in the Meeting House next to the Tallman Hotel in Upper Lake as part of the Hotel’s monthly “Concerts with Conversation” series.

The McCandless Trio show on Jan. 16 starts at 7:30 p.m. in the meeting house next to the Tallman Hotel, 9550 Main St.

Joining McCandless for this concert will be jazz guitarist Christian Foley-Beining with Tom Shader on bass.

A gifted multi-instrumentalist and composer, McCandless specializes on the oboe but also plays the saxophone and bass clarinet.

Well grounded in both classical and jazz disciplines, he won a Grammy in 1996 for Best Pop Instrumental as guest artist with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.

During a distinguished three-decade career, McCandless has been integral to the ensemble sound of two seminal world music bands, the original Paul Winter Consort and the relentlessly innovative quartet OREGON.

“Paul McCandless is a world-class musician and a truly great guy,” said Tallman owner Bernie Butcher. “We’re so lucky that he lives nearby and enjoys playing at the Tallman and Blue Wing when he’s not on the road.” 

McCandless recently moved from Redwood Valley to Healdsburg and hooked up with the prominent jazz musicians Christian Foley-Beining and Tom Shader.

Foley-Beining is a powerful and innovative guitarist who has performed with many greats of the jazz world. He also has appeared several times at the Blue Wing in a duo with jazz flutist George Husaruk.

Shader been playing full time professionally since 1970 and lists as his jazz mentors such luminaries as Bob Lucas, Vince Delgado and Mimi Spenser.

“Paul McCandless has performed in our concert series three times previously,” said Butcher, "and each show has been fantastic. I know Christian and Tom to be true jazz professionals so this trio should produce a wonderful evening of music.”

The Tallman Concerts with Conversation series continues monthly through next April and will feature the folk duo of Alisa Fineman and Kimball Hurd over the Valentine’s weekend in February, the Laura Reynolds Chamber Ensemble in March and the Macy Blackman Trio in April. 

The full schedule can be seen at www.TallmanHotel.com/events .

Tickets at $25 plus tax may be purchased by calling the Hotel at 707-275-2244, Extension 0. Coffee and cookies are served prior to the show.

During the 1980s, the network television landscape included popular nighttime soap operas about feuding wealthy families engaged in power struggles in a range of industries from the oil business to multi-national corporations.

Larry Hagman proved so unforgettable as Texas oil baron J.R. Ewing, operating from the Southfork ranch in “Dallas,” that the TNT cable network brought him and other original cast members back for a reboot of the series more than twenty years later.

Whether a series involved squabbling in the California wine industry (“Falcon Crest”) or the Carrington oil family in Denver (“Dynasty”), the formula resulted in similar-type dramas with “Knots Landing,” “Flamingo Road” and “The Colbys.”

Appetite for programming of this nature apparently still exists as ABC came up with “Blood & Oil” on last fall’s schedule, even though Don Johnson’s oil tycoon Hap Briggs is no J.R. Ewing or Blake Carrington.

Showtime, unburdened by network rules, has greater latitude to explore variations of the dramatic formula. Given recent films like “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “The Big Short,” the thought must have occurred to impose the soap opera blueprint to the financial sector.  

“Billions,” a 12-episode Showtime series, takes fascination with American commerce to a new level, going far beyond the mere machinations of family feuding.

At its most basic, “Billions” is a clash between the dicey world of high finance and the exuberance of federal prosecution.

On the one hand, Damian Lewis’ Bobby “Axe” Axelrod, who runs an enormous hedge fund called Axe Capital in Westport, Connecticut, is a self-made man without a great academic pedigree, having worked his way up the ladder by using his smarts to figure out market fluctuations.

On the other side of the equation is Paul Giamatti’s Chuck Rhoades, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District, thereby the chief federal prosecutor who rides herd over investigations into the illicit maneuvers of the titans of Wall Street.

Rhoades is the polar opposite of Bobby Axelrod, having grown up in a life of privilege, graduating from the elite prep school Choate before attending Yale in undergrad and law school. Axelrod is the type of big fish that has come under scrutiny from the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Not given to impulsive actions, Rhoades won’t risk his perfect conviction record even though his sights are on Axelrod. “A good matador doesn’t try to kill a fresh bull,” says Rhoades, noting that “You wait until he’s been stuck a few times.”

Though one would expect that the hedge fund manager to be a villainous financial character and the U.S. Attorney to be a righteous crusader, “Billions” most wisely does not fall into the trap of facile characterizations based on good versus evil stereotypes.

Even though ruthless and ethically challenged to be sure, Axelrod cares about the people in his life and funds the college education of interns without seeking any public fanfare.

Having a few sexual peccadilloes in his closet, Rhoades’ behavior could cause problems in his professional career if his indiscretions were ever uncovered. 

One of the most interesting turns in this high-finance soap opera is that Maggie Siff’s Wendy Rhoades, married to the crusading U.S. Attorney, has a professional role as an influential member of the Axe Capital inner circle. This screams conflict-of-interest, but no matter.

Whip smart and ambitious, Wendy Rhoades is caught between her husband’s convictions and her key position as the in-house psychiatrist for Bobby Axelrod and his merry band of traders, most of them appearing to need counseling to handle the high stress of navigating the market.

For a culture dominated by men, having Wendy Rhoades as the shrewd manipulator of her position between two titans on the opposite end of the scales is a nice touch. The only other female of note is Malin Akerman’s Lara Axelrod, the fiercely loyal and street-smart wife.

At least through the first six episodes, U.S. Attorney Rhoades and hedge fund whiz Axelrod barely meet in a head-to-head confrontation. The battle is waged primarily through intermediaries, but one expects more personal fireworks to come.

“Billions” mines the sarcastic humor and insults that come naturally to the battlefield of these competing interests. The dialogue is often brilliant and intelligent, which underscores that the struggle involves personal agendas and professional ambitions that collide with tremendous impact.

One of the funniest scenes in the recent film “The Big Short” is when beautiful blonde actress Margot Robbie gives a basic primer on mortgage-backed securities while sipping champagne in a bathtub.

“Billions” doesn’t resort to cute tricks to get its point across that the corporate corruption in the financial world is serious business as the driving force for an interesting, compelling drama. “Billions” is worth a look.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

The only passage of scripture that I know by heart is from Ecclesiastes: "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."

Here's a poem about the work of just one pair of our hands, by Floyd Skloot, who lives in Oregon. His most recent book is Approaching Winter, from Louisiana State University Press.

Handspun

My wife sits in her swivel chair
ringed by skeins of multicolored yarn
that will become the summer sweater
she has imagined since September.
Her hand rests on the spinning wheel
and her foot pauses on the pedals
as she gazes out into the swollen river.
Light larking between wind and current
will be in this sweater. So will a shade
of red she saw when the sun went down.
When she is at her wheel, time moves
like the tune I almost recognize now
that she begins to hum it, a lulling
melody born from the draft of fiber,
clack of spindle and bobbin, soft
breath as the rhythm takes hold.

American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation ( www.poetryfoundation.org ), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. We do not accept unsolicited submissions. Poem copyright ©2015 by Floyd Skloot, “Handspun” (Approaching Winter, Louisiana State University Press, 2015). Poem reprinted by permission of Floyd Skloot and the publisher. Introduction copyright © 2016 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Local favorites Bill Noteman and the Rockets will perform at the Soper Reese Theatre in Lakeport on Friday, Jan. 15.

The “Third Friday Live” performance starts at 7 p.m.

The group features "Mojo" Larry Platz on guitars, David Neft on keyboards, Dave Falco on base, Steve DuBois on drums, and stars Bill Noteman, vocals and harmonica.  

This group has been burning up the stages of Northern California for more than 20 years with its high energy blend of Chicago blues and West Coast Jump rock and roll. 

“Raw expressive vocals, searing harmonica, sizzling guitar and cooking keys dipped in the sauce of a smoldering rhythm section,” is how one critic describes this highly danceable group.

The show is sponsored by the Strong Financial Network.

The dance floor will be open.

All seats for Third Friday Live are $15. Tickets are available online at www.SoperReeseTheatre.com ; at the theater box office, 275 S. Main St. in Lakeport, on Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and at The Travel Center, 1265 S. Main, Lakeport, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Local female lead guitarist and songwriter Lindy Day has joined The Killer Queens, the world's first all-female Queen tribute band.

Day said she owes a lot to Lake County for starting her West Coast music career.

“I am very excited to play with The Killer Queens and work with such accomplished musicians playing songs that are so iconic,” said Day. “And I'll also remember playing classical guitar for Jan and Zino Mezoui at Zino's, the Lake County Arts Council and KPFZ. Lake County helped me spread my wings.”

Queen, famous for “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Are the Champions” and “We Will Rock You,” possesses the world record for the most No. 1 hits by a single band.

“I love Brian May's playing and writing,” said Day. “The challenge for me is in honoring his songs by doing more than playing the right notes and solos. It's about capturing Brian May's heart and spirit.”

The Killer Queens, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, will be focusing on tightening their new stage show with West Coast performances and domestic tours while preparing for Japan and other overseas tours.

They are the first band in history to perform the opera section of “Bohemian Rhapsody” live in concert.

Currently they are filming all new videos and hit the recording studio next month.

Their next performance will be at The Chapel on Jan. 15 in San Francisco. Tickets are available via TicketFly.

For more information on Lindy Day and her upcoming solo album and tour visit www.LindyDay.com .

For The Killer Queens' concert schedule and information visit www.TheKillerQueensRock.com .

CONCUSSION (Rated PG-13)

A movie about an immigrant doctor’s discovery of the connection between American football and the severe neurological problems brought on by repetitive head trauma is not exactly cheerful holiday fare.

But, at least, “Concussion” allows the deft portrayal by Will Smith of the reluctant, nuanced medical crusader Dr. Bennet Omalu, who believed so passionately that his breakthrough in the field of forensic pathology could save lives of football players.

It must be granted that “Concussion,” however, has the fortuitous good timing of landing in theaters just in time for the nearly endless parade of college football bowl games and the upcoming NFL playoffs.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is probably not too thrilled with Hollywood’s treatment of this serious issue, considering for one thing that the direction of “Concussion” is in the hands of investigate journalist Peter Landesman, doing double duty as the film’s writer.

Additionally, Goodell may be equally displeased to be portrayed on film by Luke Wilson, whose screen time, though limited, generates no real emotional impact other being another proverbial corporate honcho of dubious moral character.

“Concussion” has an important story to tell for the simple reason that the issue of the health risks to pro players has been percolating in recent years. Will Smith, coming across with naïve yet principled conviction, is the right fit to infuse Dr. Omalu with credibility.

By all indications, Dr. Omalu is a highly educated forensic pathologist from Nigeria who seems overly qualified to be working in the Pittsburgh morgue for the Allegheny County Coroner Dr. Cyril Wecht (Albert Brooks).

Possessed of idiosyncratic tendencies, Dr. Omalu is perceived to be somewhat eccentric by his fellow medical colleagues as he talks to the cadavers while conducting autopsies. His stated reason for this behavior is to intuit the truth of a person’s demise.

Conducting his medical examination on retired Pittsburgh Steelers star center and local sports hero Mike Webster (David Morse), Dr. Omalu reportedly discovers a football-related brain trauma disorder that he names Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).

Granted that I am no medical expert, but it seems to me that awareness of repeated blows to the head have been known for some time to cause permanent damage, both mental and physical, to professional boxers, and by extension to any sport involving physical contact above the neck. 

The story of Mike Webster takes on special meaning in a community like Pittsburgh where the Steelers are widely revered. Dr. Wecht observes to his Nigerian pathologist that the NFL has claimed Sunday as the day of the week that it owns, thereby upping the stakes to any challenge to the prevailing orthodoxy of football supremacy.

Then, it comes as no surprise that Dr. Omalu’s research into game-related brain injuries was certain to stir passions on both sides of the issue, with certain interests trying desperately to discredit the pathologist’s clinical studies.

That Mike Webster, known as “Iron Mike,” who died of an alleged heart attack at age 50, had suffered from severe dementia and was living in his pickup truck at the time of death proved to be merely the beginning of medical fascination to Dr. Omalu.

Other famous cases of CTE include Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Andre Waters and Chicago Bears defensive back Dave Duerson. The characterization of the latter in this film has drawn fire from family members.

Aside from support from the Coroner, Dr. Omalu had few allies in his quest to bring his research into the public light. Alec Baldwin’s Dr. Julian Bailes, a former team physician for the Steelers, joined the cause after realizing the risks to players formerly in his care.

Playing his role with quiet intensity, Will Smith’s Dr. Omalu may be unorthodox in his approach to medical science but his quest for truth is a matter of personal ethics and professional duty.

“Concussion” works best when the focus is on the doctor’s good works and his interaction with medical colleagues, whether they are hostile or favorable to his efforts.

The film gets bogged down a bit in his personal life story, one that lacks much excitement until his church persuades him to provide temporary shelter to new Nigerian immigrant Prema Mutiso (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), who later becomes his wife.

Not that going up against the powers that be in the NFL is any easy task worthy of focused attention, but the story veers off into a subplot of intrigue in which on one occasion Prema finds that she is being followed ominously on back roads. Moreover, Dr. Wecht gets arrested by federal agents on what looks like retaliation.

In the end, Will Smith stands out in a cast with many excellent performances, but “Concussion” leaves the impression that the conflict with the NFL could have been even more pronounced than as it is portrayed.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.