Outside the Box

This year I was given a comedy CD called "Teen Comedy Party" which included a cut that I was involved with by singing the part of the character "Tony Rosatoni" in a commercial about his appearance in the econolodge behind the airport . It featured clips from some of his "big tunes" , almost as if it were a commercial that was selling a CD. Listening this morning I remembered playing a place on Long Island called "Foxes and Hounds" where I sold Sinatra songs . It seemed I was thrust into this character back then in 1972. I have often said that I don't "play by ear" but "for fear" and this is an example of one of those occasions where I was trying to continue to support myself by singing though I wasn't really the character I was portraying . The "Foxes and Hounds" was a trip in itself which brings memories of sounds and taste , the taste of the bacon cheeseburgers I couldn't pass up as I drove across the bridge out of Manhattan's upper East Side toward Long Island and a town called "Rockville Center" , another recurring name for me . I drove a lot of the days of the week out there ,including Sunday when I had a weekly afternoon job during that time playing at the "Village Vanguard" with Noah Howard and his band . The contrast of the two identities from the piano might have brought about a deep schizophrenia in other , more susceptible pianist but I played by fear , anyway . I would drive to Long Island after playing the Village gig many times already spent by the music played there .

Noah has been consistent as recognisable a free jazz alto sax player . His work on ESP Records in the mid-sixties is still a classic representation of that era and genre . The construct of the tunes were quite loose and brought about a creativity that is still exciting when you listen to the live recording that was eventually done from the location . It is hard to believe that I would pull in the reins and sing on Long Island after playing such abstract music that was outside the box . One of the drummers that played the Long Island job with me was Joe Gallavan , another free jazz , outside player in his day gig . Driving back from that job I was pulled over by the police who went through all things in search of drugs that weren't found . He said that the reason he pulled me over was that I was speeding away fro the light though the car really didn't have much power with the organ and amps in it . It was a 1964 Dodge Dart with that push button transmission . It was painted brown by hand with a brush and not very attractive like the police car which happened to be a brand new Cadillac with no markings . I had Pennsylvania tags which got me around the exorbitant price of insurance in New York City and that was probably what really got the Long Island cop's attention at three in the morning .
 

From 1972 on I seemed to have a different band every night . I couldn't keep men together but did get work from agents and by knocking on doors . I had a lot of "Rock" work as well playing top forty or pop songs . I tried to keep the same drummers as long as I could but the world kept on turning and there was no solid ground for me for several years of this madness . Playing in Teaneck New Jersey where there were trees reminded me of Silver Spring Maryland and I eventually moved down here only to find that the Silver Spring in my memory didn't exist any more . Silver Spring reminded me of Teaneck and I am sure that Teaneck has gone the same way as Silver Spring .

I don't remember when I did the initial recording of the "Tony Rosatoni" character for Dave Nuttycomb but it was quite a while ago . It might have been as far back as the late eighties while the CD itself was released in 2000 which included material written by Dave and his witty friends . There are forty cuts on the side and "Tony" is only one of the characters . I really wasn't aware that there was a CD made and there was a lot of water over the dam since then . This was also the case with Noah Howard , in a way . I knew when the recording was originally made at the "Village Vanguard" and heard the playback that night which was supposed to be released someday but I never saw it in record form . In about 1998 my friend ,Len Cohen ,who was a web master among his many talents , contacted Noah Howard in Brussels . Noah was friendly and eventually came to New York to play the " Knitting Factory ", a Free jazz television show , among his gigs in the US . He promised to burn me a CD copy of the record and left the copy with a friend of his in NY but I never got a copy . The CD of "Noah Howard Live at the Village Vanguard" was made and released in end of 2004 by a fellow in Chicago who sent me a copy and I was able to hear it after thirty years or so . The recording did hit the spot though I had remembered it a little different . The listing has one drummer , Rashid Ali , while I thought we had two drummers , the other guy being the guy who was with us week after week , Bobo something ... sorry , I can't remember his name anymore at all even though it was unusual . I also remember a third horn ,Benny Maupin , playing the bass clarinet with Noah Howard on alto and Frank Wright on tenor . I wondered if the CD had been edited to exclude Maupin but I keep forgetting to ask Noah . The music is out of print again and just more baggage to worry with if you dwell upon the incidentals .

In the last ten years I have gotten involved with a computer and found out more about communications online .I am happy to be in touch with Noah again as well as Dave Nuttycomb . Perhaps some of the blanks will be filled in and perhaps it is better to look forward and not backward . Len Cohen died in March 2003 but he initiated me into the Internet . When I play "My Man's Gone Now" sometimes I think of Len but today I realised that sometimes I am thinking of myself ,looking back . My grandmother told me not to look back too much because I would probably bump or trip over something as I was walking forward in life. Memories are not what they appear . Impressions of the past can be better or worse than they really were at the time .Things aren't what the seem to be right under your nose day to day . Whatever happens , you have to take one step at a time to go forward.