Monday, March 31, 2014

Preserving Musical Heritage

The sound of Shearing... created through the
artist's home Bösendorfer piano!
Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.
So, you'll be happy to hear that my musical education has continued to grow this past month. 

During my big video production weekend (see last post), I trekked out to New York City to film an interview with Ellie Shearing, the widow of famed jazz pianist, Sir George Shearing. Conducted near New York's Museum Mile, the gig came about through a good friend/mentor from Massachusetts, who is helping out with the upcoming Berkshire Gateway Jazz Weekend. This year the festival will be highlighting "The Sounds of Shearing," and they thought that a videotaped interview would make for a nice compliment to live performances from original members of George Shearing's classic quintet.

I must confess that I was not familiar with George Shearing before being approached to help out with the project. When my friend mentioned his jazz standard, "Lullaby of Birdland," that old number from 42 Street is all that came to mind ("broadway" not birdland). As I discovered, Shearing was, in the words of The New York Times, "a British piano virtuoso who overcame blindness to become a worldwide jazz star."


Tea and talk- post-interview.
Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.
As I have done with all of my music interviews over the years, I spent a couple weeks of heavy research, learning all I could about the pianist. His autobiography (released several years before his death in 2011) was helpful, as were the various radio tributes and YouTube clips I was able to put my hands on. It turns out that he composed over 300 titles, and recorded multiple best-selling albums from the 1950s to 2000s; he was also knighted for his services to music in 2007.

I don't pretend to be an expert on jazz, so it was fortunate that we had a jazz aficionado along during the interview. A musician in her own right, Ms. Shearing recalled several interesting stories, including tales of such jazz greats as Benny Goodman stopping through their beautiful Manhattan apartment. Also interesting and relevant, George and Ellie had a second home for many years in Lee, Massachusetts (maybe that's why she looked so familiar). I thought the interview went well, and it was a treat to get a little "behind the scenes" in the life of such an important jazz musician-- I couldn't help wondering if my father, an accomplished pianist himself, knew of Shearing's unique style of playing?


Hamish's Celtic art on display-
at the merch table, Albany, NY.
Photo ©Jeremy Clowe.
A few days later, we received a special guest at Norman Rockwell Museum—Hamish Douglas Burgess is an illustrator in his own right, specializing in traditional Celtic art. Burgess happened to be driving through the area, on route with the Irish/Canadian band, The Irish Rovers. The name sounded familiar yet, like Shearing, it wasn't music I could put a finger on. Burgess seemed quite impressed with our art and hospitality at the Museum, and generously offered me a couple tickets to see the Rovers perform the following evening at the Egg in Albany... it was a couple weeks past St. Patrick's Day, yet my luck seemed to be holding out!

The Egg is a beautiful venue—inside and out; it certainly is striking while driving past the Capital City skyline. I have seen a couple great shows there, including Ray Davies of the Kinks, and They Might Be Giants (who debuted a rather memorable song about the venue that evening!). The Rovers' jokes were cornier than Irish beef cabbage, but Sarah and I had a fun time... the band's festive Irish folk song style was a nice way to wind down the evening. I even knew a couple of their old standards: "The Unicorn" and "Drunken Sailor"- I seem to recall singing those ditties back in elementary school (if you can believe it).



Apparently this concert was part of the Irish Rovers' farewell world tour, and they seemed in fine form (including excellent accordion, pipes, and banjo). Burgess, who has been designing their recent album covers and tour merchandise, remarked that they were having some great, sold-out gigs, and I asked whether they might be having second thoughts about their decision to wind down... I've seen it happen with musicians! It must, however, be a challenge to be out on the road so much—the group has actually been around for over 50 years, with a couple original members still part of the band.. that's a lot of roving.

Band logo by Hamish Douglas Burgess.
All rights reserved.

March 2014 was a cold month indeed, but thankfully, music kept me circulating...

Related Links:

www.georgeshearing.net

http://irishroversmusic.com

www.mauiceltic.com

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

A Richer Life Through Art

I know, things have been quiet on this blog lately... in reality, this month has been as busy as it has been cooold!

This past weekend I was on a bit of a video production tour, with stops in Connecticut and New York City (not to mention The Capital Region). Last Friday I visited the headquarters of Cortina Learning International, based in Wilton, CT, which recently donated the art and archives of the Famous Artists School to Norman Rockwell Museum. Along with the Museum's chief curator, I interviewed Cortina's owners Robert and Magdalen Livesey about this very generous gift, which includes more than 5000 artworks (including original art by Norman Rockwell), course materials, photographs, and other important objects. The couple, who have led the popular art correspondence course since 1981, shared stories about the program and the many talented artists they have worked with over the years.


Norman Rockwell wants YOU. FAS ad, c.1970s.
The Famous Artists School (FAS) was founded in 1948 by illustrator Albert Dorne and 12 of his peers, including Norman Rockwell. In its heyday, FAS became America’s most popular art correspondence course during the mid-twentieth century. At its peak enrollment in the 1950s and 1960s, FAS served as many as 40,000 students. I actually remember seeing the school's "We're looking for people who like to draw" ads in the back of comic books when I was a young kid in the 70s!

Norman Rockwell Museum has nearly doubled its collection through this new acquisition, which offers a wealth of knowledge and undiscovered materials about Rockwell and the field of American illustration art. The press has taken note, and I even landed a big feature in last Sunday's New York Times about the addition to our collection. As the Museum's press manager, this was a big coupe for me, and I'm very happy for the exposure—thanks to Times writer Randy Kennedy for the great article and interest.

Hilarious 1950s-era commercial for FAS! 

In addition to press, it has been great to play around with our new Sony PMW-100 camera and accessories. I have also been learning a bit more about lighting options for video, film and photo shoots, and will write more about that in the future.

On that note, I'll end here. To satisfy my own "communication needs," I have belatedly started a Twitter page, which should allow me to more easily share info on my current doings... hell, at this rate I should be jumping on Instagram and Tumblr in another year-! I do like the format of Twitter (keep it simple, sucka) and there are some great artists to follow over there. Still figuring out a proper website, so this should be enough to tide you over for the time being... #Ciao!


Related Links:

“The Draw of a Mail-Order Art School,” New York Times, March 20, 2014



Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Something So Strong

Hot licks for a cold night: JD McPherson and band rocking the Ale House,
Troy, NY, March 3, 2014. Photo by Jeremy Clowe.
March is in like a lion! Last night JD McPherson was back in town, for a return engagement at Troy's Ale House (where they first played last July). Once again, we had a blast listening to his classic rhythm and blues sound in this charming, intimate venue (awesome chicken wings), and enjoyed chatting with the band afterwards.

I was particularly interested to find out from the pub's staff that McPherson's drummer, Jason Smay, is originally from my hometown of Rochester, New York. It turns out that Smay used to play with one of my favorite bands from the area, The Frantic Flattops, and I can see how jamming with those rockabilly greats would serve him well in his current gig (amazing how he can simultaneously shake a maraca and pound the drum skins, while keeping perfect rhythm). 

The band was on their way to Rochester from Troy, and this afternoon I was able to hear a live streaming of an interview McPherson gave to WBER, the station where I used to DJ in the mid-90s. Hopefully JD and the boys will be back in the area soon—I wouldn't mind a chance to interview the band myself (signed, sealed, signified).

Speaking of interviews, I just posted an uncut version of an interview I conducted with Neil Finn, one of my long-time musical heroes. I have been a fan of this beloved New Zealand singer/songwriter since I first heard his band, Crowded House back in the mid-80s. Coincidentally, this morning my alarm went off to the sounds of their hit, "Something So Strong" playing on the radio— not a bad way to start the day.


My video interview was conducted at Wilco's Solid Sound Festival, held at Mass MoCA, where Finn had performed with his side project, The Pajama Club back in June 2011. An honor to interview Finn, I enjoyed learning more about his new band and musical family, which includes sons Liam and Elwood, who are embarking on successful music careers of their own (I have some nice footage of Liam playing in the museum galleries during the festival—I hope to share soon).

This past month, Neil Finn has continued his creative journey with the release of his third solo album, Dizzy Heights. Our local station WEXT has been playing the album's first single, "Flying In The Face of Love," and it's sounding good... as always. 

Inspiring to hear artists keeping it real... and strong... after all these years.



Sunday, March 2, 2014

Museum Studies

We are now truly an art museum family.

This past week Sarah started her job in the education department at Albany Institute of History & Art (AIHA)—we are thrilled, since it brings her back to her original course of study. A talented artist, she is also great with kids—so hopefully this is the beginning of a positive experience for her.

Erastus Dow Palmer sculpture exhibition
at Albany Institute of History & Art. Photo by Jeremy Clowe.
Founded in 1791, AIHA is one of the oldest museums in the nation. Its holdings are said to form the best collection in the United States documenting the life and culture of the Upper Hudson Valley region from the late seventeenth century to the present day. It's a beautiful building and intriguing collection—my favorite are the works by Nineteenth-Century American sculptor, Erastus Dow Palmer (1817-1904); a grand, cascading stairwell in the museum frames an elegant grouping figures created by the artist, who lived for many years in the Albany area. In addition, there are a considerable number of works by contemporary artists. Last week we attended an evening lecture, where many of the exhibited artists spoke about their work—it was an interesting talk, which struck me as slightly different in tone from those offered at my museum, which focuses on art of a more narrative nature.

Things have been busy at Norman Rockwell Museum as well. We recently announced a major gift from the Famous Artists School, one of the largest art correspondence courses of the twentieth century. Norman Rockwell was one of the featured instructors for the program, which was in business from the late 1940s through my childhood (I remember their "We're Looking For People Who Like To Draw" ads on the back of my comic books). The donation nearly doubles our collection, with more than 5,000 un-catalogued artworks, including several original works created by Rockwell, plus an archive of hundreds of thousands of items. This past week I coordinated a visit for a major press contact, which hopefully will result in great exposure for the Museum and our mission.

From The Dean & DeLuca Sketchbook, Lynn Pauley, 2001.
All rights reserved.
My other big accomplishment this past week was finally picking up a new HD video camera and accessories for the Museum. We are now the proud owners of a beautiful Sony PMW-100 XDCAM, made possible through the generosity of one of our National Council members (who has a background in broadcast television production himself). This upgrade should enable me to produce more quality promotional and exhibition videos for the Museum—I'll cross my fingers. 

Actually, the day after my pilgrimage to B&H Photo in New York City (where I picked up our new items), I was already putting the video equipment to good use. I set up and captured an interview with Lynn Pauley, an illustrator known particularly for her reportage-style work. The camera picture looked wonderful, and Pauley proved to be a interesting subject—I enjoyed her sense of humor and learning more about her work, which held an constant, energetic line quality.

Some promising new opportunities ahead for me and Sarah. I'm looking forward to taking it to the next level. 


Related Links: