April Newsletter: A Review of the Month’s Culture, Arts + Trends

APRIL’S WONDERS 

Millions of us watched and waited for April the Giraffe’s baby to arrive at Animal Adventure Park. She finally gave birth to her baby boy. What to name him? Vote a minimum of five times at $1 per vote, with the money going to giraffe conservation, the Park, and helping local families with medical expenses. So far top names are Unity, Patches, Apollo, Patch, Peter, Harpur, Geoffrey, Noah, and Ollie.

Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, NY is an interactive educational animal park, where you not only see the animals, but you can pet, feed, and ride them, too. April the Giraffe has plenty of company – there are mammals, birds, and reptiles – over 200 animals representing 70 species.

PINK MOON RISING

April’s full moon, the first full moon of spring, is called the Pink Moon named after the pink ground phlox wildflowers which bloom in early spring. You see here a deep pink moon rising over the snowy grasslands of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in Cold Bay, Alaska. Naming the full moon was a way to gauge the time for many cultures.

CHART TOPPER

Prince has sold more albums than any other artist in 2016 – from his death on April 21, 2016 through April 13, 2017. His albums and songs have sold a combined 7.7 million copies in the US: 2.3 million in traditional album sales and 5.4 million from digital song downloads. People bought the albums The Very Best of Prince, Purple Rain, and 1999. His best-selling songs were Purple Rain, Little Red Corvette, Let’s Go Crazy, and Kiss. Here’s something we can look forward to. There will be a deluxe reissue of Purple Rain with previously unreleased material coming out later this year.

FIRST CLASS

This year’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame ceremony was memorable in so many ways. David Letterman was the last-minute replacement for Neil Young and the only non-musician of the evening to speak. And of course, being Letterman, he summed up what the event really celebrates. While inducting Pearl Jam, he said: “When I came here for rehearsals, I was reminded what a gift live music is. Never take live music for granted.” … Then there was the fabulous appearance of Steve Perry – one of rock’s great voices – joining his long ago band Journey. Oh, if only he would have performed with them. Nonetheless he was first class all the way … The 2017 inductees were: ELO, Joan Baez, Journey, Pearl Jam, Tupac Shakur, and Yes. The always smiling Nile Rodgers received the award for Musical Excellence.

ODE TO A NIGHTINGALE

Did you know that April is National Poetry Month? Here is The Spaniards Inn, one of London’s oldest pubs, found on Spaniards Road in Hampstead, London. It is believed that John Keats was inspired to write Ode to a Nightingale while listening to birds in the inn’s garden. In the poem, Keats sees a nightingale and wants to escape from the world with the nightingale which is flying away. Perhaps symbolizing freedom, he wishes to be like the bird and fly away from his problems.

Forlorn! the very word is like a bell
To toll me back from thee to my sole self!
Adieu! the fancy cannot cheat so well
As she is fam’d to do, deceiving elf.
Adieu! adieu! thy plaintive anthem fades
Past the near meadows, over the still stream,
Up the hill-side; and now ’tis buried deep
In the next valley-glades:
Was it a vision, or a waking dream?
Fled is that music:—Do I wake or sleep?

DON’T BE A FOOL

Why is April 1 April Fools’ Day? And why do we celebrate it with practical jokes? For one thing, springtime seems to inspire lighthearted fun. So perhaps April Fools’ Day started from an ancient spring festival or maybe it was just an excuse to play a prank and trick someone into believing something extraordinary. So, why is April 1 called April Fools’ Day? The bottom line is that no one knows for sure, leaving the door open to make up our own ridiculous and unbelievable stories to explain it. Hey, maybe someone will believe your story … that is until they see your sly smile!

DOG NEWS

NYC’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new “Open Access” policy makes images of artworks in the public domain widely and freely available for unrestricted use, and at no cost. So of course we had a look and found something we could relate to. This is [Dog Posing for Portrait in Photographer’s Studio Chair] a daguerreotype by American photographer Rufus Anson circa 1855. See? Some things never change – it’s always about the dog!

WE CAN HELP

They demonstrate bravery and courage. The Purple Heart, established by George Washington in 1782, recognizes the sacrifice and commitment of combat-wounded veterans. The Purple Heart Foundation’s mission includes programs and services that aid in the recovery of all veterans and serves as an advocate for legislative policies affecting them. Nearly 90% of cash donations fund programs and services such as the National Service Officer Program, National Scholarship Program, service dogs, and recreational and rehabilitative programs. We can help support the men and women who have served our country.

Soundtrack to this Issue

The Main Ingredient’s Everybody Plays the Fool 

Lead singer, Cuba Gooding, Sr. died this month. May his soulful voice sing on and on and on … Listen to them perform on The Midnight Special in 1974.

C’mon, sing along, you know the words:

Ok, so your heart is broken
You’re sitting around mopin’, cryin’, cryin’
You say you even think about dying
Well, before you do anything rash, baby, dig this

Everybody plays the fool, sometime
There’s no exception to the rule, listen baby
It may be factual, it may be cruel, I ain’t lying
Everybody plays the fool

 

 

 Who rescued whom?
So grateful for Barkley coming into my life.
Thanks to Westie Rescue of New England.

Buddha, stay. Good dog. z”l
“…live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”
(Buddha)

 

Sources:
Alaska moon pic: Kristine Sowl/USFWS
Prince pic: KSTP graphic (ABC Eyewitness News)
Steve Perry Before pic: Jason Kempin/Getty Images
Steve Perry Now pic: AP
The Spaniards Inn pic: The Spaniards Inn
Dog News pic: Funds from various donors, 2004
Soundtrack lyrics: Rudy Clark, Kenny Williams, J. R. Bailey, 1971 ©BMG Rights Management

July Newsletter: A Review of the Month’s Culture, Arts + Trends

JULY’S TEARS TURN TO HOPE

These times hark back to RFK’s commitment to racial justice. His advocacy of ending racism reminds us that his message is worth considering now, more than ever. While on the campaign trail, he revealed to the crowd that Dr Martin Luther King, Jr had just been killed, saying: “What we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness but is love, and wisdom and compassion toward one another and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black.”

BASTILLE DAY

Liberté. Égalité. Fraternité … That is what Bastille Day should be all about, commemorating the storming of the Bastille, the prison that represented the despicable Bourbon monarchy, and sowed the beginnings of the French Revolution in 1789 … Growing up I remember going to the parade on the Champs-Élysées with my Parisian father, a crowded and humbling event to witness. And in our home, he proudly raised this flag, honoring La Fete Nationale.

Then day turned to night, fireworks to gunfire, celebration to tragedy, when a truck mowed down scores of people on the Promenade des Anglais in the beautiful southern city of Nice and Bastille Day celebration was no more. “The horror, the horror has once again, hit France,” said President Holland. But she is strong … Vive la France!

ELIE WIESEL

Peace. Atonement. Human Dignity … That was Elie Wiesel’s mission, his message to all of humanity. This from someone who survived the worst of humanity, not even humanity, it was nonhumanity … President Obama eulogized him, “We give thanks that Elie never gave up on humanity and on the progress that is possible when we treat one another with dignity and respect.”

STUART DAVIS

His paintings are like music. They have rhythm. Just look at Swing Landscape (1938) by Stuart Davis. The Gloucester, MA waterfront is shown in bright colors and rhythmic patterns, realistic yet abstract, a modern rendering in American pop culture terms … “For me jazz was the only thing that corresponded to an authentic art in America. I think all my paintings, at least in part, come from this influence.”

PINK FLOYD STAMPS

The Royal Mail issued a set of stamps to celebrate 50 years of Pink Floyd. The album covers made into stamps include The Dark Side of The Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, and The Endless River. Another four stamps show the band performing on tour, including one photo from a concert at London’s UFO Club in 1966!

LOUDER THAN WORDS

Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s timely exhibit, Louder Than Words: Rock, Power & Politics, explores the power of rock to change attitudes about patriotism, peace, equality, and freedom. Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello: “I’d say that 100 percent of music is political, that music either supports the status quo or challenges the status quo, so every artist is political.”

MORSE CODE

Have you watched Endeavor, the latest version of PBS’s longtime Inspector Morse series that also includes Inspector Lewis? It is the story of how Morse became Morse … As all three, Morse, Lewis, and Endeavor, take place in the university environs of Oxford, the Humanities take center stage. Philosophers and historians abound. Everybody here is smart. Most of all, Morse … Even the music is smart. Composed by the great Pheloung Barrington, the music uses Morse code to give us hints of whodunit in the score … And M-O-R-S-E is spelled out in Morse code in the opening notes of the theme melody. Barrington says, “It was just a little in-joke. I put his name at the beginning and then it recurred all the way through. Although a note to The Guardian pointed out that it actually spells T-O-R-S-E, as I’d slightly lengthened the dots on the ‘M’. I mean, honestly, some artistic license please, just because I asked the violinists to play a little more legato!”

GET DOWN, GET FUNKY, GET BACK UP AGAIN

Remember that Billy Crystal line? An essential prescription for life, Keepin’ the Funk Alive, is also the name of Kool and the Gang’s tour. No JT, but original members, brothers Ronald and Robert “Kool” Bell, George Brown, and Dennis Thomas still celebrating. Also on the tour are Bootsy Collins, Morris Day and the Time, and Doug E. Fresh.

On Celebration: “We woke up one morning and they were playing Celebration on the space shuttle! We were scientists of sound!…[From] Scripture where the creator’s gonna create this human thing and the angels were celebrating him for doing so…There was never a song about a cel-e-bra-tion. Everyone around the world, come on, there’s a celebration every second of our lives. Somewhere, someone is always celebrating something.”

REASONS TO CELEBRATE

Thanks to May Pang for grabbing this pic of the coda of an incredibly heartfelt and celebratory service in honor of our great friend, Jon Marcus, longtime executive director of the New York office of the Recording Academy, the Grammy office. We were his happy minions, all enthusiastic members, ready to help whenever he called. A beautiful service, it ended with Charlie Feldman singing Satisfaction with Carlos Alomar on guitar, Jon looking upon his beautiful bride, Deb Whitfield, and all of us, his gathered friends, jumping up and singing, too. A wonderful life to celebrate.

So my Brother from Another Mother and Father (as we long ago called ourselves), Joe Perry, gave us a scare. Performing with Hollywood Vampires, his band with Alice Cooper and Johnny Depp, he collapsed and was hospitalized during their show in Brooklyn. Two weeks later he was back on stage on tour with the band. Celebrating his recovery is a good thing.

Twyla Tharp’s return to the Joyce Theater included early works, Brahms Paganini and Country Dances, both with her signature hip rolls and big brash attitude. Employing classical, jazz, and pop music while blending ballet and modern dance, her artistry celebrates humanity, joy, and life!

DOG NEWS

In Shelter Dogs, photographer Traer Scott’s compassionate portraits of dogs living in shelters make a passionate and compelling appeal to dog lovers. By revealing their expressive emotions, Scott raises awareness of animal rescue causes and the need for more adoptive homes for abandoned dogs … Photographer Nancy LeVine traveled the country, taking pictures of senior dogs along her way. Senior Dogs Across America, a compilation of photos and stories, is dedicated to “anyone who has ever loved a dog, young or old.” … Garry Gross’s photography in Beautiful Old Dogs is a heartfelt tribute that may inspire you to get involved in senior dog rescue and adoption.

WE CAN HELP

Stand Up For Heroes, the partnership between the New York Comedy Festival and the Bob Woodruff Foundation, is a clearinghouse for organizations supporting wounded warriors dealing with physical wounds to long-term PTSD. Make a donation in honor of Jon Marcus to help them continue to help veterans get better and get jobs.

Soundtrack to this Issue

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles’
The Tracks of My Tears

The Library of Congress is honoring Smokey Robinson with the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. His 1965 classic, The Tracks of My Tears, was added to the National Recording Registry in 2007 as a “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant sound recording.”

C’mon, sing along, you know the words:

People say I’m the life of the party
Because I tell a joke or two
Although I might be laughing loud and hearty
Deep inside I’m blue

So take a good look at my face
You know my smile looks out of place
If you look closer it’s easy to trace
The tracks of my tears

Who rescued whom?

At the New York Tartan Day Parade.
So grateful for Barkley coming into my life.
Thanks to Westie Rescue of New England.

Buddha, stay. Good dog. z”l

“…live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”
(Buddha)

 

Sources:
RFK quote: Bobby Kennedy: The Making of a Liberal Icon by Larry Tye (Random House 2016)
Elie Wiesel quote: Boston Globe
Stuart Davis quote: Indiana University Art Museum
Pheloung Barrington quote: crime4u.com
Kool and the Gang’s Bell brothers quote: Rolling Stone, June 29, 2015
Jon Marcus memorial service pic: May Pang
We Can Help pic: Bob Woodruff Foundation
The Tracks of My Tears lyrics: Marvin Tarplin, Smokey Robinson, Warren Moore, William Robinson, Jr. ©Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

April Newsletter: A Review of the Month’s Culture, Arts + Trends

APRIL’S ARTS + CRAFTS

Newly minted Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Ringo Starr and leader of the All-Starr band, out with Postcards from Paradise … “Hold on tight and everything will be all right.” So Beach Boy Brian Wilson reassures us on his latest solo album, No Pier Pressure. Lush melodies? Check. Nonpareil harmonizing? Check. Well-constructed pop tunes? Check. And songs that sound like you’ve been listening to them for years? And check … The formidable and influential Village Voice music critic, Robert Christgau, penned Going Into the City, a memoir recounting the origins of rock criticism, as well as his clear-eyed assessment of 60’s counterculture … Dylan, Cash and the Nashville Cats, the exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, illuminates the alliance of rock and folk with Nashville in the late 60’s and early 70’s – especially the huge hits that came out of it. Pivotal were Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde, Johnny Cash’s TV show, and the session musicians known as the “Nashville Cats.”

THE WEIGHT

A sure sign of spring are flowers. And none more wondrous than those found in the floral paperweight collection at the Art Institute of Chicago. “Some fragment of a dream,” as Truman Capote described them, even taking along a few with him on his travels …

Paperweight artist Paul Stankard exemplifies the craftsmanship of this art form, calling it “poetry suspended in crystal.” This is his Honey Bee Swarm with Flowers and Fruit, featured at AIC.

ABOUT MUSIC WITH CARLY SIMON

Carly Simon just released The Bedroom Tapes (Special Edition) featuring tracks that weren’t on the original 2000 CD. The album’s name refers to where these songs were recorded, in her daughter’s old bedroom now a studio …

She talked about “honest emotions” with Philip Galanes in the New York Times: “I think music may be stronger than any of the other arts for that, than dance or painting or theater. There’s something intangible and mysterious about music. It can get you more; you can sob more. It’s got a stronger engine.” Both agreed that music was “related to the heartbeat.”

FOREVER JOAN

The Next to Last Joan Rivers Album (Buddah Records 1969), out of print 45 years, was re-released by Stand Up! Records for this year’s Record Store Day (April 18). From a set she did at NYC’s Upstairs at the Downstairs in 1968 – talking about diamond rings, being single, cooking, nurses, and stewardesses – it’s remixed and remastered with a new essay by Sarah Silverman.

WE CAN HELP

“The name of the museum is as big as its mission.” …

This is how Bono describes the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. You’ll learn the stories of the people, artifacts, and events that shaped rock and roll. Through Museum exhibits, materials in its Library and Archives, traveling exhibitions, and educational programs and activities, you’ll get inspired.

Soundtrack to this Issue is
Brian Wilson’s The Right Time
From his new album No Pier Pressure (Capitol)

C’mon, sing along:
Yeah, it’s new, but you’ll be singing it within seconds!

Whatever happened to me and you
And everything we’ve been going through
So many pieces but never in a very straight line

Right could it be the right
Could it be the right time
For getting together
Right could it be the right
Could it be the right time
I’m thinking forever

 

Who rescued whom?So grateful for Barkley coming into my life.
Thanks to Westie Rescue of New England.

Buddha, stay. Good dog. z”l“…live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”
(Buddha)

 

Sources:
Paperweight pic: Paul Stankard’s “Honey Bee Swarm with Flowers and Fruit” (2012), Art Institute of Chicago
Truman Capote quote: from his essay, “The White Rose”
Paul Stankard quote: CBS News Sunday Morning
Carly Simon quote: Table for Three, The NY Times, April 26, 2015
The Right Time lyrics: Joe Thomas, Brian Wilson (Capitol Records)

October Newsletter: A Review of the Month’s Culture, Arts + Trends

OCTOBER IS FALL’S CROWNING GLORY

Part spoken word, part concert, Lennon: Through a Glass Onion celebrates his words and music. Happy birthday, John … On the eve of her new album release, Aretha Franklin talked with Clive Davis at the 92Y. “It really is an honor if I can be inspirational to a younger singer or person, it means I’ve done my job.” … Big-hearted Betty Buckley performed six concerts at Joe’s Pub, from her new T Bone Burnett-produced album, Ghostlight … Simon Rattle led the Berlin Philharmonic in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion at the Park Avenue Armory, part of Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival … Everly Brothers honored with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Music Masters award … Bravo, Maestro James Levine on your 2,500th performance with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra … Matisse’s colorful cut-paper collages at MOMA … Yeah, they went their own way, but now Fleetwood Mac is back and on tour … The Who: 50 Years Greatest Hits album, whoa, fifty years? No! … Also out with new albums: Yusuf, Neil Diamond, and Annie Lennox sings American standards … The 3rd annual CBGB Music and Film Festival featured Devo … Speaking of, Mark Mothersbaugh has a solo art exhibition, Myopia, traveling the US … The surprising, enterprising, never disappointing artist known as Prince released two albums at once, Art Official Age and PlectrumElectrum … Esa-Pekka Salonen and the NY Philharmonic play Stravinsky’s The Firebird, let’s see, do the prince and princess live happily ever after? …

The glorious voices of Ladysmith Black Mambazo played Carnegie Hall’s South African music fest … Happy 30th birthday to Def Jam Records, influential and genre-defining … Masters of Hawaiian Music played SubCulture. Can you say ki ho’alu? That’s slack-key guitar to you … A Harlem block is officially renamed, George Carlin Way … Recovered, the Allman Brothers resumed their residency at The Beacon … They gave it away on iTunes then U2 released Songs of Innocence, their 13th album, featuring the single The Miracle (of Joey Ramone). You had me at Joey Ramone … The Beach Boys’ gorgeous classic, God Only Knows,  celebrates the launch of BBC Music with the likes of Pharrell Williams, Elton John, Chris Martin, Stevie Wonder, Chrissie Hynde, Sam Smith, and more, and oh yeah, the great Brian Wilson … Two new breeds in Westminster, Coton de Tulear and Wirehaired Viszla … New postage stamps celebrate Batman turning 75 … The Blood Moon, a total lunar eclipse, rose up bright red … And R.I.P. Jack Bruce, Cream’s singer and bassist, and co-writer of the best song there ever was and ever will be, Sunshine of Your Love.

COMPASSION IS THE SOLUTION

So says my favorite singer/songwriter, Matt Turk. Big congratulations on his latest album, Cold Revival, and his sold-out release party at The Bitter End …

“Opening with a lilting mandolin strum, Cracked Egg turns sharply into a powerhouse of explosive drums and heartfelt singing … When A Boy’s gentle, acoustic picking becomes a more upbeat track with the right amount of organ punched in … The album’s title track Cold Revival has a perfect country feel with restrained slide guitars, understated organ and strings … Say You’ll Live’s minor chords, mandolin and spoken word opening bursts into a dramatic, organ-driven piece.” …

“Matt Turk strikes a fine balance between rockers and introspective acoustic excursions.” … Oh, and Matt is Featured Artist in Guitar Player magazine … Don’t wait, buy Cold Revival at turktunes!

GOTTA READ IT, GOTTA SEE IT

Books on music: Bernstein Meets Broadway: Collaborative Art in a Time of War by Carol Oja, Griel Marcus’s The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll in Ten Songs, Mick Fleetwood’s Play On (timed with his band’s tour), Sheila E’s The Beat of My Own Drum, Neil Young’s Special Deluxe, Joe Perry’s Rocks, David Ritz’s Aretha Franklin bio (timed with her album release) Respect, and Tradition! The Highly Improbable, Ultimately Triumphant Broadway-to-Hollywood Story of Fiddler on the Roof, the World’s Most Beloved Music by Barbara Isenberg …

And new films about music: Andre Benjamin as Jimi Hendrix in Jimi: All Is by My Side, JK Simmons as a music teacher in Whiplash, and Ethan Hawk’s inspiring bio on the equally inspiring 87-year old piano teacher, Seymour Bernstein, Seymour: An Introduction.

FALL’S WELCOME AND FAREWELL

“Even if something is left undone,
everyone must take time
to sit still and watch the leaves turn.”
(Elizabeth Lawrence)

 

WE CAN HELP

Soundtrack to this Issue
Aretha’s Version of Adele’s Rolling in the Deep
(with a dash of Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, oh yeah!)
From the album, Aretha Franklin Sings The Great Diva Classics
©2014 RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment

C’mon, sing along:

The scars of your love remind me of us
It keeps me thinking that we almost had it all
The scars of your love keep me breathless
I can’t help thinking

We could have had it all
Rolling in the deep
You had my heart inside of your hand
But you played it to the beat

Buddha, stay. Good dog. z”l
“…live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”
(Buddha)

 

Sources:
Lennon: Through a Glass Onion pic: Illustration by Aaron Smith
Matt Turk pic: Christina Torpie, October 2014
Matt Turk’s Cold Revival review quotes: Rob Ross/PopDose
Matt Turk’s Magnet Magazine review quote: Magnet October Issue #114
Fall Colors pic: Chris Meloni
Rolling in the Deep lyrics: Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, Paul Epworth © EMI Music Publishing Ltd., Melted Stone Publishing Ltd.

June Newsletter: A Review of the Month’s Culture, Arts + Trends

JUNIE JUNIE MO MOONIE

On the first day of summer, Make Music New York filled the City with more than 1,300 free outdoor performances. The flutists in Central Park ruled (natch) … Elvis Costello solo at Carnegie Hall. About Everyday I Write the Book: “…a song I really hate. I wrote it in 10 minutes, and then it was a hit.” … Maya Angelou’s handwritten manuscript of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings on display at the NY Public Library’s Schomburg Center … Looking for viability and relevance globally, Harleys go electric. But where’s the vroom? … The brilliant Patti LaBelle on Broadway in After Midnight … Queen on a 19-date cross-country tour with Adam Lambert … The NY Phil Biennial was an 11-day festival of new music … Spike Lee directed the live stream of Pharrell Williams at The Apollo … Have you seen the iPad ad with Esa-Pekka Salonen? Software takes him from inspiration to score to orchestra … Bang on a Can collaborating with the Jewish Museum for a year and the Rolling Stones played Tel Aviv. L’chaim! … Dylan’s original lyrics to Like a Rolling Stone handwritten on hotel stationery sold at auction for over $2M – including doodles … You know it’s summer when Gangster of Love Steve Miller plays Jones Beach with Journey, and Ringo and his All Starr Band (Todd Rundgren!) play the Beacon … Caramoor’s American Roots Music Festival of folk, country, blues, and bluegrass featuring Rosanne Cash and my favorite roving troubadour, Matt Turk … And the June Full Moon –called Honey Moon, Strawberry Moon, or Rose Moon – filled the sky on Friday the 13th.

MUSICAL MOVIES

He managed Alice Cooper, Blondie, and Luther Vandross. Mike Myers celebrates his great friend Shep Gordon in Supermensch … Clint Eastwood + The Four Seasons = Jersey Boys, based on the Broadway musical … Toni Colette is a rock music critic in Lucky Them … We Are the Best! has all the wild fun raw emotions that a real punk girl group can muster … Begin Again with movie stars Keira Knightly as songwriter and Mark Ruffalo as record guy, with musician Adam Levine as musician with record deal … Don Cheadle crowdfunding for Miles Davis biopic, to direct, write, and star.

THINKING ABOUT…

“Tonight you’re mine completely. You give your love so sweetly…but will you love me tomorrow?” Gerry Goffin is remembered for writing beautiful songs with Carole King … RandR Hall of Famer Bobby Womack cited his lost friends, from Sam Cooke to Luther Vandross, as motivation to work. “I’m standing up for [them]. I feel proud to represent them. This is what soul music is about. Music has to reach the soul.” … I will always be grateful to Peter Shukat, my great advisor and friend. At the top of the music lawyerdom heap (John, Yoko, Miles, Jimi, Marley), he was ever accessible as he was skillful. Rest easy, Peter … Producer John McClure worked on 200 recordings with Leonard Bernstein: “[Bernstein] is not long on patience and not stingy with blame…[but he was] unfailingly stimulating, educational, maddening, and musically nutritious.” … And a passing of the bow (not baton), as Glenn Dicterow, NY Phil’s concertmaster since 1980, moves to sunny California to teach. I got to say goodbye to him, as did the City at the Beethoven Triple Concerto performances. A great musician, and, oh yeah, a mensch.

 

WE CAN HELP

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum tells the history and significance of rock and roll through its exhibits, library, archives, and educational programs. Become a member or volunteer. You can even donate an artifact!

Soundtrack to this Issue is
The Joker by the Steve Miller Band

Greatest word ever in a song? Pompitous – of course! Listen to the Space Cowboy sing about the pompitous of love, lovey-dovey, playin’ music in the sun, and those peaches.

C’mon, sing along:

 

Buddha, stay. Good dog. z”l

“…live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”
(Buddha)

 

Sources:
Painting of the Strawberry Moon: by Leah Dorion
Supermensch pic: supermenschmovie
Will You Love Me Tomorrow? lyrics: EMI Music Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Bobby Womack quote: LA Times, June 28, 2014
John McClure quote: NY Times, June 24, 2014
Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame pic: 2014 Induction Ceremony poster