Category: Field Recordings of the Future

We were in the last row of the Dryden Theater to hear Graham Nash talk about the Rock ‘n Roll photo show that he curated at the Eastman House so we were the first ones out of the theater. We had planned on seeing the show again so headed over to the gallery where we were the first ones in the door. Peggi had to visit the ladies room so I was standing at the entrance when Mr. Nash walked in. He stopped to look at the photo above and I thought wow, what can I ask Graham Nash. Then that moment was gone as someone came up to say “I really enjoyed your talk.” He pointed to this photo and said, “I really like this photo.” It was taken by Lew Allen when Buddy Holly performed in Rochester in January of 1958.

I never put it together that the Hollies were named after Buddy Holly and I learned that Carrie Ann was written about Marianne Faithful. One of the audience members asked Graham who he would most like to play music with and he answered Dylan. He called Dylan the best poet, singer and musician of our lifetime. It was interesting to hear the sweet voiced Graham put the word “singer” in that short list. He told a story about David Crosby singing on a Dylan track and how Dylan wouldn’t tell Crosby what the song was until the tape was rolling.

We finally got over to see the Graham Nash curated rock and roll photography show at the George Eastman House. The shot of Hendrix during the soundcheck at Monterrey Pop was worth the price of admission and there were plenty of classic shots and outtakes from famous sessions. Gene Vincent looked liked he invented rock ‘n roll in a 1959 shot. Anton Corbjn’s photos transcended the music aspect. His shot of Joe Cocker was my favorite in the show. Mick Jagger looks silly stretching before a show next to a shot of Iggy doing a back bend in performance. I could only wonder if that was an intentional dig. Graham Nash included a few of his own shots of Neil Young and his girlfriend Joni and he’s going to be here to talk about the show in a few weeks.

An accompanying show in the small gallery as you walk in had five projections of snippets of rock and roll performances from tv shows like Hullabaloo, Ed Sullivan, Dick Cavett, MTV and Hollywood movies. With five screens going at once we darted back and forth to catch the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, Tina Turner, Freddie Mercury, the Stones and Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs.

I was thinking how this thing we grew up with is really our culture now but it’s spread is not complete. It still has not registered for my parents and it never will for them. My father and I were driving back from the Van Gogh drawing show in NYC a few years ago when “Like A Rolling Stone” came on the radio. I said something like, “This song changed everything when it came out” and I remember the blank stare. I hope they had their own touchstones that got under their skin in a similar way.

Joan Rivers is a workaholic and like most she doesn’t want to stop. We watched her documentary the other night and I couldn’t help but hope that something happens to her so she can cool it. John Gilmore rode with us to last night’s Margaret Explosion gig and he had another documentary for us to watch after the gig, this one called “Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him)?”

I wasn’t a fan when he was around but I liked the song he did in Midnight Cowboy and it turns out he didn’t write that one. And I didn’t care for the Altman “Popeye” soundtrack. A friend of ours loved him back in the day and he lived downstairs from us so we couldn’t help but hear quite a bit of Nilsson, that and Genesis and Early Elton John and Phoebe Snow. I lumped it all together and decided I didn’t like any of it. I was way wrong on Nilsson. He had a magical voice and he created gorgeous melodies out of thin air. He was very musical and his his music has aged very well. It’s an “Instant Play” at Netflix.

You need a mind massage. Stop in the the Little Theatre Café tonight for a short warm drink or a tall cool one. Take your hat off and put your feet up. Relax your mind and float down stream. The Explosion will be so gentle you won’t know what hit you.

Jack Schaefer brought his bass clarinet and Pete LaBonne was in town for the holiday so he played the grand piano. Bob Martin was out of town for the holiday so Wednesday night was all new and different for Margaret Explosion. Just the way we like it. We also picked up another gig at Rochester Roots annual dinner party next Friday.

There was an article in yesterday’s paper about Netflix coming out of nowhere a few years ago and going from the Post Office’s largest customer to the internet’s biggest bandwidth hog. If someone raves about a movie they have just seen my inclination is to “Add to Queue” not “Go the Theater.” The Little Theater is a local treasure and they’re hurting. The independent film network is no loner independent. They need your support. If the the theater goes down the café goes with it. Hope you can stop out tonight for the Little Theater Benefit. Margaret Explosion plays one set at 7:45.

I’ve been giving my orange ear plugs a workout in the last 24 hours. I wore them this morning while blowing leaves off the roof and I had them on last night at the Bob Dylan show and then after that I shoved them in as far as they would go for the second set of SLT at the Montage.

John Gilmore bought us reserved seats for Dylan but we never saw them. We arrived while Dylan was half way through his opening number, “Rainy Day Women #12 & #35, and we worked our way through the crowd on the floor to about forty people back. Bob was great, loose and adventurous and mischievous. His band kept him in check.

It occurred to me that you can’t get too good as a working, rock musician without getting into steamroller territory. That’s why Tommy was a better drummer than Marky Ramone. Bob spent half the night at the organ and that was the best half. He’s already got another rhythm guitar player and a lead guitar (who was trying to be annoying with repetitive figures) and a steel player so there was no way he could shape his own songs while on guitar. Was his band trying to make his harmonica playing sound out of tune? Rock can’t be too healthy. It doesn’t work.

“Like A Rolling Stone” was so sensational when it came out, way more than a pop song. It blew me away and I’m not a lyric kinda guy. I never know what bands are singing about. I remember going wild when they played the long version. Dylan finished with that song last night and it is still sensational. It was great to see him.

SLT was the better band last night.

I spotted an article in the paper about Ron Carter coming to the Eastman to receive an honorary “Doctor of Music” degree from his alma mater for his life’s work. He has played on more recordings than any other bass player. His senior year was 1959 and he almost wound up staying here as bassist with the RPO but the Board of Directors was not ready for a black man to anchor their orchestra.

Ron introduced the second song, “My Funny Valentine” as one of his favorites and Jacques Terrasson’s piano intro was astonishingly beautiful. These guys were so under control and on top of their game the percussion player played with his fingers throughout, the drummer played mostly brushes and didn’t even have a clattering ride cymbal. The bass was melodic. No PA for the instruments, just the natural sound and dynamics, makes Kilbourn my favorite place to hear music in the whole world.

Ron Carter plays on some of my favorite Joe Henderson and Alice Coltrane records and one of my absolute favorite albums of all time, one credited to Eric Dolphy and Ron Carter called “It’s Magic”. These guys pulled of some real magic here.