Since coming to New York I have been singing some and
getting some good reviews from the musicians I’ve played with and those who’ve
been in the audience.
Positively 3rd Street is getting a lot of views not only in
the U.S., but Germany, Russia, Venezuela, and even Malaysia.
I realize that this writing stream is
supposed to be about New York, but I am taking a moment to plug my album, Karen
Clancy, which can be heard Here and purchased Here.
In addtion to my voice, Geoff Weekes plays Piano and Keys, Mark Hodgson is on Guitar and Harmonica, and Rick deYampert plays the Sitar.
Ah....life is sometimes just what you
thought you hoped for when you didn’t
even know what it was you were hoping for!
After a great day of work at the MetOpera and with much money raised for that most noble of Art forms, I decided to walk over to Central Park since the
cloudless day was so inviting. It was slightly cool in the shade but I was warmed by the sun as
I cut through Lincoln Center. Crossing over to Broadway what did I spy but ÉpicerieBouloud across the street.
Mmmm...it truly is an epicurean delight
of a café piled high with raspberry and pistachio tarts, humble cheeses, not so
humble pâtés and terrines, and oysters and breads andsweetsand ...and...and....!
After laughing and enjoying the camaraderie of others in line I settled on a simple baguette with ham, salted butter and gruyere cheese and picked
a grilled brie and gruyere on brioche with ramps and rhubarb confit for Em Steel who was still at school (on a
Saturday!) working with her Steel Thread collaborator David Chang on a photo
shoot. (More on that in another post)
After Em and I met at Columbus Circle we picked out a lovely bottle of Rosé from Provence, bought a
package of plastic cups and some chips and then hit the Park for a late afternoon
picnic.
It was just
Beautiful!
The flowering trees have
turned to bright shades of green with new leaves but not so thick that the
distant hills were obscured.Roller bladers, bicyclists, children, kites, parents, stripes, bagpipes, horses with Police on them, horses pulling flowered carriages, book readers, kissers, laughter, shiny purple sneakers, people sitting on rocks, under trees, on the grass, on benches, across the park, near us, everywhere! And not a single cloud. Not one.
We stayed
until our bones were the same temperature as the still cool ground and found the
nearest subway back to our place in the Village where we had tea at Café Reggio on
McDougal.
From sandwiches
to tea and we spent only $37!
A very nice
day indeed!
[In case
you are concerned about drinking, ahem, adult beverages in public, according
to THIS article, that, though it is illegal, unless an Officer of the Law can identify by Brand what is in
your cup, you cannot be cited for it.]
Living in The Village Em and I are privy to
all sorts of interesting goings on.Washington Square with its ever changing “scene”, the streets filled
with stores, scents, vagabonds, colors galore, and now Spring with its endless
variety of flowers, greens and acts of freedom displayed by those walking the
streets.
One particular Sunday while it was still fairly cold out
this group stopped on the sidewalk across the street from our apartment.Look in the shadows and you can see the
entourage carrying makeup kits, hair dressing tools and extra wardrobe.The girl against the metal door must’ve been
cold in her summer outfit; you can see the crowd around her is dressed pretty
warmly in coats and layers.
Upon their arrival there was a bluster of activity as they moved the sidewalk barrier into place for a prop, the girl got her hair mussed, makeup refreshed and was directed to her spot. Pedestrians gave no honor to the "set" and walked on through without notice halting the work each time.
The photographer was free with his ideas of where
to pose,
what to lean on and where to sit.He
would wander to the middle of the road and stop the flow of traffic to get his
shot then an impatient burst of horns would rise up from the taxi cabs. At times he himself was lying on the sidewalk
looking up at the model through his lens.She would gloss herself across the door or on top of the purple barrier,
or at times sit spread out in the thin sunlight.
It’s interesting to imagine where these photos will be
published and what sensibilities they will inspire to buy that little
outfit.Such artistry and the sensual
appeal of the thin little girl in the thin little outfit will sell many
clothes.
Oh and here’s the glamorous workaday world of the same stretch of
sidewalk.
I went to work for a couple of weeks enamored of the thought
that I was working for the Metropolitan Opera, albeit, in a very entry level
supporting role.
No complaints, I’m in!
But I was astounded at my lack of observation when I finally
looked up and noticed that the street I walk to every day is called
Thelonious
Sphere Monk Circle.Turns out that the
Jazz Man I most admire lived in this neighborhood for 45 years, first with his mother
and later with his own family.
It was here that he wrote, ‘Round Midnight, Straight No
Chaser and Blue Monk.This is mecca as
far as I’m concerned when it comes to Jazz Piano.I think of him whenever I hole up and practice with the hope that, well,
with the hope that when I get out in public it’ll be worthy.
I am taking a break from writing about my New York
experience so that homage can be paid to a man who deserves a moment of Praise,
on this, his 60th Birthday.
Upon this momentous occasion, when it is easy to look back,
I believe looking forward is what Mark Hodgson does on a daily basis.He looks forward to music he has yet to
create and perform and he looks toward providing a future for those he loves
and holds dear.Though he is often in
the literal spotlight, it is rare that he enjoys the attention when He is the
subject of the praise, rather than his music.
Mark is very successful in the world of music.His talent is known far and wide and he has a
great many fans.But perhaps what is not
known about Mark is his generosity.
When the telephone rings with the offer of a gig, Mark
immediately ups the ante so he can get his fellow musicians on the bill with
him.It’s not easy being a fulltime
musician and Mark feels personally responsible to share the work when it comes with
his friends so they might have a pay day as well.
But the pay day is not only a check.It is working with a professional who raises
the bar of music to a level that the others on stage rise up to.
How many times in a busy crowd have I heard
them fall silent while listening to Mark as he performs Sunday Morning Coming Down or
the band at full tilt boogie on Starless Night or She Can’t Be Loved.
I have heard Mark sing the praises of Danny, or Bryan or
Joe, Chris, Geoff, Michael, Billy, Victor, Ernie, Robert,
Mark, Ronnie, and I’m sorry to those whose names I cannot bring to memory, but
he sings your praises when the music moves beyond what was written and everyone
comes together to create a bigger whole, a symphony, for lack of a better
term.
I think Mark is the catalyst for that musical coming
together.He loves the music to such a
degree that it gets even better when he gives his very talented friends the
stage so they can do what they do best. The band gives the familiar tune a new
dimension which leaves the audience wanting more and more.
So HAPPY 60th BIRTHDAY MARK HODGSON!!
We want many more!! May
you move into this next phase with JOY and with the knowledge that there are
few artists who have shared their gifts with the intensity and dedication that
you have.We are all the richer because of
it.
Me most of all.
With Much Love, Karen
The featured recording is from the album Wednesday Night at
the Boot, which was recorded over a period time at the Boot Hill Saloon in
Daytona Beach.I chose it because of
Mark’s vocal quality and the energy is just great fun.Noble “Thin Man” Watts is in fine form as are,
Joe King on Guitar, Danny Walters on Bass, and the Drummers, Mark Rolfe, Michael
Welch and Ronnie “Byrd” Foster.
The Photograph and composite art is the creation of Tom Bird of T-Bird Photography.
Have you ever walked in to a new place only to feel
perfectly at home?Perfectly happy and
excited to be there?Warmly welcomed by
interesting people who were interested in you and why you had come? Have you
ever had the sensation after walking in to a place like that, that you were at
the very place you were meant to be? That you had made the right decision in
taking the chance of changing your surroundings, your place on the planet, away
from the people you know, to the unknown and unfamiliar?
That very thing happened to me and Em Steel today.
Perfect?
A few weeks ago Em heard of a place called the Art Students League of New York.A friend of hers is moving
to the City to attend classes there.He
was able to just “get in” with no review or portfolio.What is this place we wondered, how can this
be?
This place is wonderful, magical, robust in the very idea
that an artist can arrive and grow with an organic vitality.The light, the space, the friendliness of its
inhabitants were as though a great force of creative energy arose and enveloped
us with an extraordinary power which seemed to be the very essence of love. Love
of the Creative Spirit that artists thirst for and thrive on.
Honestly, we did not want to leave and Em’s hands were
itching to begin.I have to admit, I was
envious of her talent.I want to hold a
paint brush and join them.
I call this musical piece Melancholia, but not in the meaning of
sadness.Like the Blues, melancholy is a
feeling that goes away when the music is played.
Walking around New York City puts me in that paradoxical situation
where I am surrounded by people yet am alone.I wanted the video to give the sense of wandering isolated in the
canyons of the city, even with some risk, and with a heightened sense of
awareness.
Going through my photos I was surprised by how many images
were captured empty of people.Where are
they? Home? Work? In the
restaurants?There are 8 million people
here. I thought there would be more of a crush.
Subways figure largely in my everyday life.They are the cheap link from one part of the
City to the other for me and are an incredible path to exploration. There is
always something new to see when I come up to street level in a new part of the
City.
Down in the tunnels there are always musicians playing.One tall, old man had rice and beans in
painted water bottles and was still there in the hallway shaking them in rhythm
singing Paul Simon tunes when I came home six hours later.
A Jazz Trio is often at my home station, West 4th;
Keyboard, Standup Bass and Drums, sometimes joined by a Tenor Sax.At Union Square is an ever changing mélange of
Street and Robot Dancers, Cellists, Chinese Erhu Players, Mallet Harps, Fiddles
and Banjos.They are, more often than
not, good performances.I think of Union
Square as the Carnegie Hall of the underground.One can only play there after much practice, practice, practice.
I take no pictures of these musicians because I haven’t
thrown money into their buckets. I feel it
would be stealing from them taking their image without a sou and I would be
broke if I put money in all the deserving pots.
Most of the people on the subway cars are like everyone else,
but of course there are always exceptions.Just yesterday, around noon, a woman was on the Lincoln Center platform wearing
a perfectly cut fur coat over her pleated knee length skirt, in stockings and
black stage shoes.On her perfectly
coiffed hair was a Burgundy hat with feathers falling over her face.The way she kept looking around and moving, birdlike,
with her eyes darting here and there while forcing an uncomfortable smile
looking as though she was trying to show us she was perfectly comfortable, I
couldn’t tell if she was in costume or lost.
New York is a cacophonous kaleidoscope where languages,
music, color, angles, noises, scents, and energies of every sort spill into the
street in microsecond rhythms.Ever
changing and unexpected, around every corner is a new frame in the motion
picture I live within.
Since coming to New York I have been singing some and
getting some good reviews from the musicians I’ve played with and those who’ve
been in the audience. 
