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THEWALL STREET JOURNAL. * * Friday, January 3, 2014 | A17

On a lark in 2003, JessicaLamb-Shapiro joined her child-psychologist father at an Atlantaconference led by the creator ofthe “Chicken Soup for the Soul”franchise. Her father, who haspublished some 40 books with-out a commercial breakthrough,wanted tips on how to write asuccessful self-help title, but leftuninspired.

The occasion was more fatefulfor her, leading to a comic arti-cle in the literary magazine Be-liever, and later to her firstbook, “Promise Land: My Jour-ney Through America’s Self-HelpCulture.” The memoir, which Si-mon & Schuster releases nextweek, takes the writer throughan assortment of encounterswith, as she titles one chapter,“a fellowship of nervous freaks.”

Ms. Lamb-Shapiro walks overhot coals at a camp for teenag-ers. She takes dating notes fromthe authors of “The Rules” andconquers her fear of flying. Shedescribes all this while providingan offbeat history of self-helpfrom the Victorian Age to the

“Hang in There, Baby” kittenposter evoked on the bookjacket.

She also, unexpectedly, self-helped herself. “When I startedthis book, I had no idea it wouldend at a cemetery with my fa-ther, at my mother’s grave,” Ms.Lamb-Shapiro, who is 36 yearsold and lives in the West Village,said over brunch at a Chelseacafe. The book’s climactic epi-sode, which required breakinginto a Maryland graveyard, con-fronted something she had longavoided: the emotional impact ofher mother’s 1979 suicide.

“I’m still shocked by howblind I was to this,” she said.“The self-deception thing is soamazing. I was reading books ongrief thinking about my mother,and did not think it was relatedat all.”

The confessional element iswhat distinguishes “PromiseLand” from the more straight-forward book she had first in-tended. Ms. Lamb-Shapiro re-flects on a quirky childhood inPhiladelphia with an entrepre-neurial father who invented a se-ries of games for children, suchas “feelings puppets” aimed atpromoting emotional intelli-gence.

Others were more avant-garde. “When I went to the realworld,” she said, “that’s when Irealized: I cannot believe that Iposed with a biofeedback ma-chine in my dad’s catalog.”

Ms. Lamb-Shapiro, whosewriting has been published inMcSweeney’s and Open City,maintains a conversational, non-judgmental tone, whether dis-cussing family secrets or the ec-centricities of her fellow seekers.She found a role model in the19th-century philosopher Wil-liam James.

“He went to a psychic. He was

into seances. He’d try any kindof drug,” she said. “I’m very sus-picious and skeptical, but thatopen spirit, that generosity wasinspiring. What would WilliamJames do? That was my motto.”

That spirit impressed AndrewSolomon, who befriended Ms.Lamb-Shapiro when they met asfellows at the MacDowell Colonyin Peterborough, N.H. “She’s an

incredibly keen observer and canbe quite sharply funny,” said Mr.Solomon, who won a NationalBook Award for his 2001 book ondepression “The Noonday De-mon.”

Her book, he added, “succeedsat being caustic, without everbeing mean.”

Her father, Lawrence Shapiro,whose professional and personal

travails are a theme of “PromiseLand,” can appreciate that. Itwasn’t easy, he said, having hisdaughter write about him.

“It’s been a very close rela-tionship,” Mr. Shapiro said. “It’sbeen very hard for her over theyears to say or do anything thatmight jeopardize that relation-ship. This was a pretty boldthing for her.”

Ms. Lamb-Shapiro found thatthe book’s sometimes uncom-fortable candor strengthenedtheir relationship.

“We were always trying toprotect each other,” she said.“You can only be so close tosomeone when you’re on yourbest behavior all the time. Thisis like my big rebellion.”

BY STEVE DOLLAR

Writer Unexpectedly Joins the Self-Help Club

Author Jessica Lamb-Shapiro discusses her new memoir at a Chelsea restaurant last week.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Marilyn MayeWith Billy Stritch,‘Marilyn by Request’ The Metropolitan Room34 W. 22nd St., (212) 206-0440Through Jan. 12The exuberant Marilyn Mayemakes every night into NewYear’s Eve. And spending timewith Ms. Maye in early Januaryis particularly meaningful; there’sa transformative power to hermusic that makes her the perfectaccompaniment for the start ofthe new year. When she singsthe dreaded “Here’s to Life” (andsomehow all octogenarian singersfeel they must), it isn’t self-aggrandizing malarkey, but rathera touching and life-affirminghymn of gratitude.

A Blue Note Records75th Anniversary Concert The Town Hall123 W. 43rd St., (212) 307-4100Wednesday

A high-profile concert positionedtwo nights before the officialopening of the Winter Jazzfest,starring two very different, high-profile 30-something contemporary

piano icons, Robert Glasper andJason Moran, and special guests:singer Bilal, saxophone star RaviColtrane, drummer Eric Harlan andbassist Alan Hampton. Ten years

ago, it might have all added up tosomething called the “cuttingedge,” but now it’s no longer clearthat the term has any relevanceanymore. The music is now aboutvery distinctive individuals craftinga very personal, very meaningfulbody of work that’s complete untoitself—and perhaps that’s the bestlegacy that Blue Note Recordscould have.

Harry Allen Quartet The Kitano66 Park Ave.212) 885-7119FridayIs Harry Allen the last of themajor swing saxophonists?Sometimes it seems that way. Onone side of the 47-year-old tenortitan, you have the younger hotjazz clarinetists, who stop whereSidney Bechet ended; on theother side, he’s flanked by ageneration of “Winter Jazz”-stylemultireed players, who more orless begin where Lee Konitzleaves off. But Mr. Allen is aceaselessly inventive improvisor, aferocious combatant on up-temponumbers and an incurableromantic on slow ballads. Hislong-running quartet, with bassistJoel Forbes, drummer KevinKanner and the brilliant pianistRossano Sportiello is one of themajor ensembles of thecontemporary era.

Frank Wess CelebrationOf Life Memorial St. Peter’s Church619 Lexington Ave.(212) 935-2200SaturdayFrank Wess, who died in October,was in many ways thearchetypical 21st-century jazzmusician, who juggled a career assideman—most famously withCount Basie—and as a leader ofhis own bands, played at leastthree horns brilliantly and was agifted arranger and composer aswell. Mr. Wess’s 90-plus years onthe planet aren’t only cause forcelebration (his peers, thetrumpeter Jimmy Owens andfellow reed giants Jerry Dodgionand Jimmy Heath, will see tothat), but so too is the release ofwhat might be the tenor great’sfinal session, “Magic 201,”recorded in 2011. His 91 yearshardly seems like enough time forMr. Wess to have achieved all hedid.

THE JAZZ SCENE | By Will Friedwald

Celebrating Jazzmen and Swing Giants

Bucky Pizzarelli will be joined by Frank Vignola, Ed Laub and Gene Bertoncini at his birthday banquet.

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Bucky Pizzarelli88th Birthday Bash The Cutting Room44 E. 32nd St., (212) 691-1900TuesdayThe passing of Frank Wess reminds us to celebratethose few remaining swing giants who still walkthe earth—even if they are walking on replacement

knees. The venerable Bucky Pizzarelli, a fellow bigband-era veteran, inspired, mentored and siredmultiple generations of contemporary players. Awizard on his special George Van Eps seven-stringinstrument, Mr. Pizzarelli is all the guitarist any ofus ever need to hear, and therefore the addition ofthree Pizzarelli-ite plectrists of various generations—Frank Vignola, Ed Laub and Gene Bertoncini—willmake this into a spectacular birthday banquet.

Octogenarian Marilyn Maye makes every night a party.

for about a month. Mr. Ali, forexample, wore out his opponentswith chatter, said actor RogerCasey. “He would talk to you,frustrate you. He was above you,the greatest of all time,” he said.“That constant barrage of insultsis hard to get around.”

“Both Tyson and Ali wereplaying characters,” Mr. Far-rington said.

The actors also had to masterthe fighters’ stances and move-ments. “Tyson’s style was thepeek-a-boo style. He was verycompact,” said Mr. Farrington.“Ali was a dancer. He wouldmove around the ring gracefully.”

Mr. Casey and fellow actorsFemi Olagoke, Dennis A. Allen IIand Jonathan Swain had differ-ent levels of stage-combat expe-

ContinuedfrompageA13 rience, but they all spent monthstraining at Gleason’s, a Brooklynboxing gym where both Mr. Ty-son and Mr. Ali once worked out.

“There is boxing fit, and thereis regular fit. I thought I was fituntil I boxed,” said Mr. Casey.“Three minutes, with one minuteto recover, is like running for anhour.”

“Tyson vs. Ali” is a co-produc-tion of Performance Space 122—it is part of its COIL Festival thismonth—and the arts group 3-Legged Dog, which is also film-ing the show in 3-D.

“We try to find a way thatthis work can be produced so itexists on multiple platforms,”said Kevin Cunningham, execu-tive artistic director of 3-LeggedDog. That helps broaden the au-dience beyond its theatrical run,

since each performance seatsonly about 80.

A similar process led to thesuccessful film project “Charlie

Victor Romeo,” for which 3-Legged Dog was an executiveproducer. A chilling 1999 playthat re-created dialogue retrievedfrom black-box recordings beforesix airplane crashes, it wasfilmed in 3-D and shown last yearat the Sundance Film Festivaland New York Film Festival.

Film Forum will screen it fortwo weeks, starting Jan. 29. “Weare trying to create a catalog ofNew York experimental artistsand get that work out to thepublic,” said Mr. Cunningham.

“Tyson vs. Ali” will similarlybecome a movie, with footagetaken from this month’s live per-formances. The participantsaren’t giving away spoilers.

“They were both such skilledboxers,” said Mr. Casey. “Itwould be just who slipped first.”

What Might Have Been in the Ring

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Director Reid Farrington

The book introducesher to ‘a fellowshipof nervous freaks.’

Robert BattleArtistic Director

Masazumi ChayaAssociate Artistic Director

Antonio Douthit-Boyd. Photo by Andrew Eccles

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FINALWEEKEND

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the music tells a story.be part of it.

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BACH AND BEYONDsunday, January 12, 2014, 5:00 pmalice tully hall

J.S. BACH ricercar in six Voices from Musical Offering,bWV 1079

J.C. BACH Quintet in G major for flute, oboe, Violin,Viola, and continuo, op. 11, No. 2

DITTERSDORF Quartet No. 5 in e-flat major for strings, K. 195C.P.E. BACH concerto in a major for cello and strings,

W. 172BOCCHERINI Quintet in c major for two Violins, Viola,

and two cellos, G. 324, “la musica notturnadelle strade di madrid”

MOZART Divertimento in D major for oboe, two horns,and strings, K. 251

Gabriel shuford, harpsichord; mark holloway, viola; andreas brantelid, cello;Kurt muroki, double bass; Jupiter string Quartet (Nelson lee, meg freivogel,violin; liz freivogel, viola; Daniel mcDonough, cello); sooyun Kim, flute;stephen taylor, oboe; michelle reed baker, Julie landsman, horn

CM Y K CompositeCompositeMAGENTA CYAN BLACK

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