Attended the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in 1969, became an educator for 35 years after graduation from college, and am retired now and often volunteer at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts which is on the site of that 1969 festival.
The Beatles flew from sunny warm Miami, to wintry New York, and then to dreary London. Their British Beatlemaniacs swarmed the airport (a time in history when swarming the tarmac was possible) to greet their returning heroes, the conquerors of America. Getting off the plane, they carried a bunch of albums and I’d love to know what they were.
An interview was conducted and during it they refer to meeting Cassius (three syllables) Clay and Sonny Liston. It had been on February 18 that they visited Ali at his training facility. As famous as the Beatles had become, Ali was not that yet. He soon would be. Ali was 22. Ringo and John 23. Paul and George 21. Yikes!
Here’s the transcript from that part of David Colman’s interview.
DC: We’d like to hear what you thought about Mr [Cassius] Clay.
John: Very tall.
Ringo: Oh, he’s a big lad.
Paul: He’s a great laugh, more than anything. He’s a big lad.
George: He’s gonna get Sonny Liston in three.
John: He said.
Ringo: So he said.
Paul: That’s what he said. I don’t think he will, though.
Beatles Back In UUUK
Beatles Back in the UK
The whole interview is wonderful. Part of the Beatle charm was their charisma: a delightful sandwich that included some respect, humor, and sarcasm. Among other highlights of the Coleman interview are:
an inopportune reference to John’s wife. It was still supposed to be a “secret” that he was married. Such an image fit in better.
Coleman asks Paul about “the tastes of fans over there” and John responds “He never bit any.”
the difficulty of their concert in Washington, DC
Ringo’s use of his “Ringo-ism” Tomorrow never knows. In two years, it will, of course, become the closing title on the Revolver album.
The Beatles and Dylan kept changing the equation. In 1967 Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Band said, Do what you want. Segue songs together. Put lyrics on the album. Add sounds. Add more instrumentation. Or not.
Al Kooper was there when Dylan went electric. Kooper accidentally added the iconic organ on Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone.” It was Kooper and Steve Katz’s underground masterpiece Projections [produced by Tom Wilson] with the Blues Project that got people searching for more when they left the Project. Where had they gone?
Blood, Sweat and Tears was where they’d gone and had given birth to…
BST Child Father Man
Child Is Father to the Man
Rolling Stone magazine’s reviewsaid “This album is unique. More precisely, it is the first of its kind — a music that takes elements of rock, jazz, straight blues, R&B, classical music and almost anything else you could mention and combines them into a sound of its own that is “popular” without being the least bit watered down.”
The All Music review states: “This is one of the great albums of the eclectic post-Sgt. Pepper era of the late ’60s, a time when you could borrow styles from Greenwich Village contemporary folk to San Francisco acid rock and mix them into what seemed to have the potential to become a new American musical form.”
And though Al Kooper wrote most of the songs, he had a great ear from whom to cover. My quick thoughts are in blue following each title.
Overture
“Overture” (Kooper) – 1:32…I don’t know about you, but even the Beatles hadn’t done something as crazy sounding (to that point) as that loony laughing during the Overture.
I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know
“I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know” (Kooper) – 5:57…How sweet this was. To this adolescent’s innocent ears (I’ll admit it), the passion behind Kooper’s voice was so cool. And those horns! “I could be President of General Motors!”
Morning Glory
“Morning Glory” (Larry Beckett, Tim Buckley) – 4:16...a nice segue into this song. “I lit my purest candle…” And oh yea, recognize that organ sound? Like a Rolling Stone???
My Days Are Numbered
“My Days Are Numbered” (Kooper) – 3:19…more of those horns. I’d never heard (remember those innocent ears) horns used with such strength.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=782yCOaAiJw
Without Her
“Without Her” (Harry Nilsson) – 2:41…This was the first time I heard Nilsson and “Without Her.” I’d come to love his version more, but at that moment, such a cool beat.
Just One Smile
“Just One Smile” (Randy Newman) – 4:38…Didn’t realize that a Randy Newman song could have such strength! And side one ends after over 22 minutes. About how long some entire albums were. Getting my money’s worth.
I Can’t Quit Her
“I Can’t Quit Her” (Kooper, Irwin Levine) – 3:38...cool guitar, bumping bass, and more cool horns. I could get used to this.
Meagan’s Gypsy Eyes
“Meagan’s Gypsy Eyes” (Steve Katz) – 3:24…I loved the Blues Project’s “Flute Thing” and this had that same feel for me. Gurgling vocals. Neat. Mee-gan, not Meg-an.
Somethin’ Goin’ On
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbzDl8DvSbQ
“Somethin’ Goin’ On” (Kooper) – 8:00…Eight minutes. Very nice. This is not American Bandstand.
House in the Country
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssdtM2UAOFo
“House in the Country” (Kooper) – 3:04…I was a straight suburban kid who loved the country (part of Woodstock’s appeal) and this song with all its sound effects was another reason that I knew I was headed in the right direction. Who was that kid?
The Modern Adventures of Plato, Diogenes and Freud
“The Modern Adventures of Plato, Diogenes and Freud” (Kooper) – 4:12…Taking a break.
Father of my morning, Once my child to the night I see that you have minds to cop And I can only watch the sickened sorrow Little do you know Of the progressions that you teach The people that you reach are tired Of livin’ in a world of elastic towers Dance with them and sing a song of changes And talk with them of life and all its dangers Surround yourself with now familiar strangers Who kiss and who hug and eventually mug you of your time
So Much Love”/”Underture
“So Much Love”/”Underture” (Gerry Goffin, Carole King) – 4:47...I’d heard of the term Overture. Never Underture. One hell of a way to split after over 49 minutes of amazing music.
Soloff was born in Brooklyn and raised in Lakewood, NJ where he began studying piano at an early age. When he was ten, he took up the trumpet, eventually attending the Juilliard Preparatory School and, later, the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY.
He became one of the most respected jazz musicians of his generation.
After one year of graduate school at Julliard, Lew became involved in the New York Latin jazz and jazz scene, playing with artists like Maynard Ferguson, Joe Henderson, Tito Puente and Gil Evans.
He joined Blood, Sweat and Tears in time to be part of their second album, Blood, Sweat & Tears (he replaced Randy Brecker). The album won GRAMMYs for Album Of The Year and Best Contemporary Instrumental Performance (“Variations On A Theme By Eric Satie”).
cover of Blood, Sweat & Tears
From February 10, 1969
BSTLew Soloff
Woodstock Music and Art Fair
Blood, Sweat and Tears performed early Monday morning at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair after Johnny Winter and before Crosby, Stills, Nash (and Young).
For some artists, Woodstock was a pinnacle. Blood, Sweat, and Tears did not get much traction out of Woodstock as they did not appear in the movie or on the album, but they were already Grammy successful.
Soloff remained with BS & T for four more albums and remained in music playing with dozens of different bands for the rest of his life.
BSTLew Soloff
Much more later
The Allmusic.com site synopsis states: Soloff was closely associated with Gil Evans from 1973 on, and also played with George Gruntz’s Concert Jazz Band, the Manhattan Jazz Quintet, and Carla Bley; he was also teamed with the colorful trombonist Ray Anderson on several often-humorous recordings.
Daniel E Slotnick wrote in the New York Times, Mr. Soloff had little use for genre limitations. He was a session musician for Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra and Lou Reed; he was the lead trumpeter of both the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra; he tackled Bach as a member of the quintet Manhattan Brass.
The man play A LOT! Here is his discography at Wikipedia or here for the AllMusic list. Your fingers will tire.
BSTLew Soloff
Death
Lew Soloff died of a heart attack in Brooklyn on March 8, 2015. His daughter, Laura Solomon, wrote the following at her Facebook page:
Tonight I lost my dad. We flew to New York to spend the week with him and my sister, enjoyed the day together, had dinner at our favorite grub spot. On the way home, he suffered a massive heart attack and collapsed into my arms on the sidewalk in front of my husband and children. I performed CPR with the help of a passerby and continued to assist after EMTs arrived. He died at the scene, was resuscitated, made it through an angioplasty but couldn’t stabilize afterward and passed away just before 1:00 AM.
My dad was amazing. He could drive me fucking crazy, but that didn’t make him any less essential to my life. He loved his grandkids. He loved my sister and me. He was one of the greatest trumpet players in the world and I’m so proud to be his daughter. I’m so happy to carry on a fraction of his musicality in the now rare moments that I pick up my violin.
Dad had more friends than anyone I know. He was always on the phone. Always. Even when it was totally inappropriate. He was so loved by so many. His life overflowed with people who cared for him. I am so thankful for you all.
I am devastated. I can’t picture my life or my kids’ lives without him in it. It doesn’t seem real. It’s definitely not fair. But I am so grateful to have spent my dad’s last day on Earth together in New York City.
Please keep my family in your thoughts and respect our privacy during this awful time. We’re hurting badly.
BSTLew Soloff
Lew Soloff
Lew Soloff performs the Hoagy Carmichael classic, “Georgia on my Mind” at the Velvet Note in Alpharetta, GA. Kenny Banks on piano, Che Marshall on drums and Kevin Smith on bass. Photographed and edited by Richard Angle.
