Power to Change: The Black and White Years

As I said on my previous post on this band, based on the large venue performance in Albany and the cd, I thought these guys were about to achieve escape velocity, and at their brief set at Piano's on Thursday, it was clearer than ever, you can feel it and sense it, the BLACK AND WHITE YEARS have something very special and have what it takes to break through. The fact that they can totally impress a boomer like me and my 17 year old son indicates The Black and White Years are really on to something.

Fantastic, original, funny, theatrical, tight, richly textured tunes and performance. Scott Butler - vocals, guitars, keys, words,Landon Thompson - guitars, keys, vocals , John Aldridge - bass, brass, Billy Potts - drums, cd produced by Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads, Modern Lovers).

It was a great rocking, fun, set. They are going back in the studio shortly to record some additional songs, some of which they played at Piano's, and which will appear on an EP in the fall. Their current CD, the eponymous "The Black and White Years" with its amazing ready-for-lift-off tune, "Power to Change" (so appropos in the scheme of things, I am surprised it isn't positioned for use by a presidential candidate, although the lyrics would seem to cut closer to the needs of Al Gore), on Brando Records, currently in limited and iTune release, will go wide later this summer.

These guys currently reside Deep in the Heart of Austin, Tejas, although I believe they also hale in part from New York State and Tennessee (their tune A Dense History seems to address their current home with the affection of Hamlet holding Yorick' s skull or if you were holding and addressing a beloved pet rattlesnake). There is clearly an affinity here. With any luck they will be back to NYC to perform (and who knows, even Brooklyn, where one of the guys briefly resided during a past visit) for more live shows.

Check out their downloads, iTunes, or the cd on release. Post-punk, ska, frenetic, with deeply layered Latin, CW, and other surprises, tightly and earnestly played. Deep in the Heart of These Guys, you can tell they are onto something and it is something big.

Coda: Summer Music: The Black and White Years

Since this is already proving to be a great summer of music in NYC, I am happy to report that the BLACK AND WHITE YEARS, who really fired up an upstate crowd and got them moving at a big outdoor show in late spring, will now be making an appearance at PIANO'S, 158 Ludlow Street, on the lower east side, on Thursday, June 19, at 8 PM sharp. These guys are so original, amazing, with tight music, great vocals, laden with awesome pop-hooks, that I cannot wait to hear them in a smaller indoor venue.

The Black and White Years, an Austin, Tejas -based band, produced by Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads, Modern Lovers), are bringing their post-punk, ska and high-energy, extremely danceable music to New York. Named "Austin's Best New Local Band 2008" (Austin Chronicle) earlier this year, THE BLACK AND WHITE YEARS-[Scott Butler, vocals, guitar, keys; Landon Thompson, guitar, keys, vocals; John Aldridge, bass and brass; and Billy Potts, drums]; will be performing tunes from their eponymous first album, soon to be nationally released in September on Brando records. The band already has an entire new album worth of songs and is likely to perform 3-4 of them that are not on the current album and include titles such as, "me and the abyss," "the grand arch," "steady as you go," and "life debt."

Word has it the band will likely go in the studio to record these new songs in August for a new EP to be released before the end of the year. The national physical release date for the current album (currently available only on iTunes and a few select stores) is set for September 9th.

This should be a great show of original, high energy music. These guys should be achieving escape velocity shortly. See and hear for yourself.

Black and White Years, Thursday, June 19, 2008 at Piano's is located at 158 Ludlow at Stanton Street, 212-505-3733.

Train: F or V to 2nd Ave/Houston St. Exit at Allen St end of the station and walk two blocks east on Houston to Ludlow, then one block south to Stanton. J, M, Z, F to Delancey/Essex. Exit at Delancey/Essex and walk two blocks north on Essex to Stanton, then one block west to Ludlow.

Summer In the Flatbush Forest

The unique and brilliant plumage of birds is only surpassed by the remarkable diversity of their song. The homes in Flatbush, especially in Fiske Terrace and Midwood Park, are nestled in their own wooded and verdant enclave. In the early morning now, as I get up early to start the coffee, empty the dishwasher, and basically set everyone in our home in motion for the final weeks of school, the tree canopy of Flatbush is filled with the tweats, twitters and percussive caws of birds birds birds. Each year, birds migrate and make their way through Brooklyn, on brief stopovers in the evergreens, elms, maples, oaks, birch, spruces, catalpa, cherry, gingko, apple, fig and other varieties that fill the Flatbush forests. It is a concert, combining bird call and response, jazz and scat singing, blues, anthems, and doo wop, a wild mix of bird songs from the mesozoic to the present day. Each year I look forward to, and savor, the few fleeting months of early summer, when I can hang out on the deck in early morning, sipping a home made macchiato, Guinevere the Corgi at my feet who also seems to listen with a huge grin, listening to the wild and crazy birdsong in the Flatbush forest, before I need to get dressed and ready and deal with civilization and its discontents.

Storm Front & Aftermath: Summer Comes to Flatbush

The oppressive heat of the last few days was finally swept away by a violent storm that brought intense lightning bursts and heavy winds to Flatbush, knocking down tree limbs and even some trees (see photo left) as the storm swept over NYC on Tuesday night. It was a powerful, energetic storm that seemed to bring powerful wind and lightning but not much rain to our immediate area.

Wednesday was a dramatically more comfortable day, warm and very sunny, but without the breathless humidity of the last few days. Summer arrives in NYC.

Bob Dylan: The Times They Are Still Achangin'

In an interview in the Times of London, Bob Dylan, 67 years, discusses politics, art and America.

Bob Dylan: "Well, you know right now America is in a state of upheaval,” he says. “Poverty is demoralising. You can't expect people to have the virtue of purity when they are poor. But we've got this guy out there now who is redefining the nature of politics from the ground up...Barack Obama. He's redefining what a politician is, so we'll have to see how things play out. Am I hopeful? Yes, I'm hopeful that things might change. Some things are going to have to.” He offers a parting handshake. “You should always take the best from the past, leave the worst back there and go forward into the future,” he notes as the door closes between us."

The full article appears in the link here:
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article4074327.ece

Bob Dylan + Brooklyn = Yeah Baby

Earlier this year, I think it was in an email to another blogger, I was speculating on the hypothesis that wouldn't it be so cool for Bob Dylan to perform at the Brooklyn Academy of Music? I mean, he plays Sequim Island, Albany, Dubuque, Lewiston, and all points in between on his Endless Tour, so why not Brooklyn, USA ? Shortly afterward, BAM announced that Paul Simon was appearing as a performer in residence, so I thought, well that's great, pretty close, (and it turned out Paul still gives a great show) I guess we will have to be satisfied with Bob's usual appearances at his usual venues in Manhattan, NJ and on Long Island, when he plays the City. Well surprise, surprise.

I was getting ready to get my kids out of the house to school and myself to work this morning when I heard on the NY1 morning wallpaper that Mr. Dylan was appearing at the Prospect Park Bandshell for Celebrate Brooklyn's 30th anniversary of concerts. Dang, I thought, another great event missed. I even missed out on an attempt to get Dylan tix in Albany last year. On my way in, I thought, darn, what are the odds that there would still be any tickets left ?

Well, never say never. Bright and early, after dropping the kids off, and driving downtown listening to Blind Willie McTell and stuff from Modern Times, with that vague sense of impending disappointment, this intrepid blogger decided to mosey on down to planet Dylan. Sure enough, we made it in just under the wire. And it is an outdoor show, without primo seats, and it may be hot, or rainy, and Boomer uncomfortable, but come August 12, when Bob Dylan and his current hot touring band hit the stage, the show will go on and Mr and Mrs Brooklyn Beat will happily be in attendance...more to come

Cai-Guo Qiang - "I Want to Believe" at the Guggenheim

We saw the Murakami exhibit a few weeks back at the Brooklyn Museum. Except for the "flower room" there was not much one would consider exciting or inspiring at this exhibit. From an aesthetic standpoint -- forget the commercialism and the presence of the Louis Vuitton accessories being gobbled up by visiting Eurotouros-- there was something a little too reductive and hollow about the show, like they could have shoehorned most of what was interesting and sincere about the content of this huge show into Manhattan's "Museum of Sex" and still had enough room for (to paraphrase Fred Allen) three carraway seeds and Bruce Ratner's heart.

On the other hand, the soon-to-be closing Cai Guo-Qiang's exhibit at the Guggenheim is remarkable, creative, inspiring, dramatic, and visionary.

The installation at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is remarkable both in Cai Guo-Qiang's work and in the huge and impressive way it has been incorporated into the Frank Lloyd Wright structure. The exhibition of "Inopportune" with its lifesize exploding Ford Taurus's hurtling (metaphorically)from the ground up through the atrium to the roof of the Guggenheim is breathtaking. The life-size clay sculptures of Chinese farmers and landlords lining the ramp of "New York Rent Collection Yard," the incredible rush of a huge pack of life-size snarling (some almost cute) wolves in mid-flight, the re-creation of antique ships and thousands of arrows, or antique ships and tons of broken porcelein, the gunpowder paintings, the videos of the firework extension of the Great Wall in the Gobi Desert -- the artist appears to be an unlimited source of energy and creativity. I guess in these politically complex and confused times, issues can be found with the artist's association with the forthcoming Beijing Olympics (he is involved in the designing of certain key events) which is supported by the People's Republic of China. The artist is being offered a world-wide showcase for his dramatic and inspired vision. There is nothing cold, abstract or exploitative here. Cai Guo-Qiang explores social realism, technology (both contemporary and archaic), nature, and the spirit. His concept of "Everywhere is Musuem" explores locally curated sites (former military bunkers, the Gobi Desert, Chinese waterfront areas) to promote contemporary art with community involvement where art is often not regularly viewed). It will be amazing to see that vision enacted on a world stage. (At the Guggenheim through May 28th)

http://www.guggenheim.org/exhibitions/exhibition_pages/cai.html

The Black and White Years

One of the great surprises of the Albany Tulip Festival was the great free music offered in Washington Park. I have to write a little bit more about The Black and White Years who have a new CD on Brando Records. The band has a strong post-punk feel, their tunes are so amazingly hook-laden that they instantly caught my attention. Strong ska influences, but in a totally American pop style, with lead singer Scott Butler's great vocals, that draw comparisons to David Byrne, but to me were more resonant in the idyosyncratic Danny Elfman/Oingo Boingo style which, to this listener, is high praise indeed. In any case, BWY are originals and if you are looking for a fresh rock sound, give a listen. Especially notable is "Power to Change" which, like much of the album, playfully mines its obscure lyrics but clearly wears its green heart on its sleeve. "Evil Ape," "A Wetter Sea," are among the other great movers and shakers on their eponymous The Black and White Years.

At the show, I picked up the CD, produced by Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads, which I am still exploring. The band originally used synth drums but for the album added the great Steve Ferrone of Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers and Average White Band.

Ya gotta hear this.

Black and White Years is --

Scott Butler - vocals, guitars, keys, words
Landon Thompson - guitars, keys, vocals
John Aldridge - bass, brass
Billy Potts - drums

http://www.theblackandwhiteyears.com/

Video: Power to Change - http://www.switchburn.com/theblackandwhiteyears/powertochange

Brooklyn on the Road Again: The 60th Annual Albany NY Tulip Festival

We hit the road again for My Better Half's Birthday and of course Mother's Day. We picked up our oldest and her pal at their college campus and drove up yonder on the Thruway to Albany NY with our 3 younger kids. Rented a couple of cozy, reasonable 2bedroom suites at a great motel near the SUNY Albany campus. Having set up our headquarters, we proceeded to paint the town pink, and purple, red, and yellow: after all, we were in town to check out the 60th Annual Albany Tulip Festival which our daughter had visited before and was the prompt for this Mother's Day weekend away.

Located in Washington Park, a lovely preserve located in the center of downtown Albany, designed by Olmstead and Vaux, designers of Central and Prospect Park, the Tulip Festival is a local tradition that includes the washing of the streets of Albany, followed by a weekend of fleurs and frolic, and capped by the crowning of the Tulip Queen.

The Tulips are lovely, numerous plantings on a hill in the center of Washington Park (which is about 4 blocks by 3 blocks in size), resulting in fields of lavish color. Lots of photographers out there. But, as Jerry Garcia used to say about the Grateful Dead, and Jagger said about the Stones in Gimme Shelter, the center of attraction, while cool and loads of fun, is really more of an excuse for folks to get together, listen to music, eat food from a variety of vendors and shop like crazy from artisans, craftsfolks, etc. who are set up throughout the park.

The music was great, especially The Black and White Years, produced by Talking Heads' Jerry Harrison, a band that reminded me a little of Danny Elfman's Oingo Boingo, crossed with TH. Performances concluded with an appearance by The Spin Doctors, of the multiplatinum "Pocket Full of Kryptonite," who have a new album coming out soon.

The Tulip Fest was also the site of a Wellness Green, health care and organic foods providers, yoga lessons, etc. Finally, Grannies for Peace held a demonstration for world peace, in which they invited participants to help produce "Peace Soup" by working for a better world. We walked away with great freebies, including organic dog food, too.

Later that night we were invited to fantastic home thrown pizza fest (baked on the barbecue grill)at the home of friends in Albany, plus vino and homemade desserts. It was a fun, lovely and warm evening with a delightful family.

The next day, we celebrated Mother's Day/Mom's Birthday at a great place, Provence, in town. Funny, we were originally trying to find its sister restaurant, Milano, in Latham NY, but got hopelessly lost, and we were heading back into town when we stumbled on Provence, which we had scoped out the night before for its lovely sounding brunch buffet, but which we gave up hope of getting into because of the lateness of our reservation. But, out of sheer desperation we ended up in Provence, its sister bistro, and the manager took pity on us Out-of-Towners, got us a table, where the six of us enjoyed the warm ambiance and great brunch. Just shows you never can tell. Then we headed back to New Paltz and back to the City, thinking about our great weekend away and looking for excuses to visit Albany again

Let's Get Started - It is Time for the 2008 Presidential Campaign to Begin

Whatever happens happens. While I am reluctant to join the "pile-on", I have to agree with the Reverend Al, but, at this late point, for Senator Clinton to be declared the winner would result in the destruction of the Democratic party. So let's get started. In the past 2 elections against the GOP media onslaught, the Democrats put forward candidates who had the full support of all areas of the party. And then the candidates lost.

This time, we have two Democratic candidates who fundamentally would represent enormous change, change that is appropriate to the 21st century. Perhaps because of this, they have fought a tough, tough battle. The party is in ferment. I saw uncommitted superdelegate Donna Brazille arguing with Clinton-supporter Lanny Davis the other night and she could barely contain her anger. Clearly, the stage has now shifted. Regardless of the rhetoricality of "who would be the better candidate in the upcoming general election, " after Senator Obama's strong win in North Carolina and Senator Clinton's squeaking victory in Indiana, and whether it is now media and pundit weariness, or just the general sense that this arm wrestling has gone on long enough, after this last go round, reaching this point in the nominating process, and while it is still Senator Hillary Rodham Clintons' choice to make, it seems impossible for Senator Clinton to prevail. Even were it possible, a decision based solely on the superdelegates that bypasses the democratic nomination process as instituted in the primaries would be nothing short of a disaster for the party. Even supporters of Senator Clinton are battle weary by this point.

The common wisdom suggested that perhaps Senator Clinton is the stronger candidate from the perspective of that old timey, alligator-wrassling, thumb-in-your-eye, butt whupping contest that we have known as American politics up to this point. But in the current nominating process, among independents where they were allowed to vote, as well as among the Democratic party faithful, Senator Obama continues to do well, strategically pulling in the delegates required to maintain a victory margin. Like Senator Clinton, he has some wicked friends and has said some dumb things in unguarded moments. Amnd maybe when it comes down to the general election, the Republicans will use whatever old school, swift-boatin' dirty tricks and negative media that they can against Senator Obama. Maybe lofty rhetoric won't cut it. Maybe politics remains a series of pitched battles. Or maybe Senator Obama is right and people are tired of the politics of the past and are ready to try something new, waged on ideas and possibility instead of 2-party polarization and media blather. Maybe the incredible tension that the nominating process has stirred up will prove to be beneficial, battle-testing Senator Obama and giving voice to the reality that if not now, very soon, a woman will lead this country. I hope so, but I don't know for sure. No one does. But at this point, with all due respect to Senator Clinton, it seems clearer than ever that the primary process is over, and it is probably time to find out which course this country is ready to take.

Let the real 2008 Presidential campaign begin.

Edible Brooklyn: Hoyt Street's Main At"traction"

My cousin's husband has, in the words of Edible Brooklyn, a "License to Till." This is the 3rd article I think I've read about Andrew's antique tractor and my cousin Cathy has yet to make an appearance. A man and his tractor shall not soon be parted. If Cortelyou Road can feature the "Farm on Adderly" than I guess Hoyt Street can have it's own Tractor Pull.

(Keeping it all in the family, I have to sincerely thank my nephew, currently keeping his head down at the Bear, and his inimitable blog, Gotham City Insider, for clueing me in on this item.)

Full article here: http://www.ediblebrooklyn.net/content/pages/issues/spring2008/obsessions.pdf

2008 Brooklyn Blogfest --Tonight's the Night

Tonite. 8 PM. Brooklyn Lyceum. 4th avenue and union/president street. $10. Nuff said. We're blogging, hope you like blogging too...

PRIME GREEN: Spring in Flatbush

Oh, yeah. It is here. The blossoms have fallen away, like ochre on a stone. The buds which had turned to blossoms are nearly withered away, replaced by the fresh, vibrant prime green that comes with the beginning of spring. Not the calendar beginning, but the beginning when the hundreds and hundreds of tulips lovingly planted by neighbors are in a joyful array, and when the roses are beginning to stir, the first flowers are well established. Spring in Brooklyn, a feeling of lightness and buoyancy that mirrors the glorious first coming of a brighter sky, not icy and remote like winter, and not punishing and martial, like deep summer. But a gentle sun in a gentle sky, full of promise.

From Brooklyn to the Schuylkill River: Notes on Philadelphia (& New York City)

I read that John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Edward Rutledge agreed to meet with British General Howe at the beginning of the War of Independence. It took them 2 days to reach Staten Island on horseback from Philadelphia. It took us a couple of short hours on the NJ Turnpike to reach this city near the Schuykill River ("school-kill", Dutch for "hidden river.")

We visited for a couple of days with our younger daughters. We made a point of going to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which sits grandly visible at the end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. We wanted to see the Frida Kahlo exhibit. Although Frida Kahlo, born of Mexican and German/Jewish parents, has long since entered the popular culture, in that regard dwarfing her husband, muralist Diego Rivera, this huge retrospective of her work is very energetic and comprehsensive, quite an experience to view. The show includes works from throughout her life, along with family photographs, lots of informative text, and a cool audio accompaniment.
Organized in celebration of the centenary of the artist's birth, this exhibition of over 40 paintings focuses on Frida Kahlo's extraordinary self-portraits. Also on view are portraits and still-life paintings, in which Kahlo projects her passions, both personal and political, onto other people's likenesses or everyday objects.

Particularly interesting: Claire Booth Luce, editor of Vanity Fair, had commissioned Kahlo to paint a tribute of a socialite friend who had leaped to her death from a hotel. Kahlo's "portrait" of the dead woman, intended as a gift from Luce to her grieving mother, was a painting that portrayed the woman in the act of suicide. Luce refused to accept the painting, wanted to destroy it, but ended up not paying for it and returning it to Kahlo. Kahlo's politics, like her art, appeared to address social and gender/sexual relations and issues, both in her personal life and in society at large. There is a lot here to take in, aesthetically, politically and philsophically. And through her emotional depth and the body awareness that is imbedded in her work, it is grandly aesthetic but with notes of violence, pain and loneliness everywhere. The show is on view through May 18th.

The hotel we stayed at in Philadelphia overlooked Logan Circle, which, according to local history and a plaque in the lobby, was the site of public hangings until 1823. This thought loomed large when we saw the CNN report about the conclusion of the trial of the 3 NYPD police detectives charged in the shooting of Sean Bell. While NY media is so dominant to us, we also learned that a demonstration was held in Philadelphia over the weekend to protest a number of deadly force killings of civilians by the Philadelphia police that have occurred over the last couple of years in Philadelphia. Although not all of the Philadelphia shootings by police mirrored the Sean Bell case (in some instances, the victims in Philadelphia were armed, although apparently the illegal weapon had not been drawn at the time they were shot), the info indicated that despite the numerous occurrences of unjustified deadly force, no District Attorney/ grand jury investigation has ever occurred to look into these matters. In New York City, it appears that Federal lawsuits and civil trials will likely follow, so that, despite the NY Judge's determination that the detectives were not criminally culpable, it is clear that in NYC the repercussions from the NYPD shooting of the unarmed Sean Bell are far from over. Errol Lewis had a great, thoughtful op ed piece in today's NY Daily News, with concrete proposals on how NYC can begin to address this tragic situation, to try to prevent it from occurring yet again. Cops are clearly often in life and death situations, but it is our obligation as a city to prevent the shooting of innocent (primarily minority) civilians. The Errol Louis article is "a must read". It is sobering to note however that in some cities, such as Philadelphia, which was the focus of a lot of attention in the recent Democratic primary, in those instances when apparently unjustified use of deadly force by police have occurred, the investigations have yet to even begin, in some case years after the shootings.

New York City can and must do better. This is an issue that must be addressed head on, with all deliberate speed.

Errol Louis here:

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/columnists/louis/

"PAUL SIMON: American Tunes" at BAM

The Brooklyn Academy of Music presented "Paul Simon: American Tunes," part-tribute concert, part-Paul Simon concert, and mostly an opportunity to hear many of the standards from the Paul Simon solo catalog from a different musical perspective. Simon opened the show with the Roche Sisters and his superb band, with "American Tune" which never sounded so relevant as it does today. When that song was first released on "There Goes Rhymin'Simon", in the era of Watergate and the dismay at the apparent closing of the Age of Aquarius and AntiWar- liberation movements, we thought that we had "issues" as a nation when we realized that our politicans were corrupt and malfeasant in their disruption of the political process, and that the Viet Nam war had lead the U.S. down a dark corridor. Well, who knew then that "we hadn't seen anything yet". This was followed later by "Me and Julio" which was warmly received.

Simon left the stage for a while, as the Roche Sisters, provided lovely interpretations of Cecelia and other tunes. One tune, "Another Galaxy" concluded withthe comment how great it was to be "In Brooklyn--Another Galaxy". "That's right!" someone shouted. Next,

Amos Lee performed "Peace Like a River" from the first post-S&G Simon solo album. Amos Lee, a Philadelphia-born musician has played with Bob Dylan and others. His intense, blues-tinged folk, gave a deep undercurrent of sad truths told joyfully. Grizzly Bear, a Brooklyn-band, took the stage, complex arrangements from a spare 4 piece group.

Olu Dara, combining jazz, blues, Afro-caribbean rhythms, performed "50 Ways to Lose Your Lover" and other tunes. Dara made a peculiar joke to the audience not to litter since his band mates earned money on the side cleaning up after the show. This felt a little awkward, one of a few attempts that Olu Dara made at connecting with his large audience, but this sort of fell flat. At any rate, I guess it seemed like patter for a smaller club and a different audience.

That said, the show was interesting since it attracted a diverse audience with a core of long time Simon fans but it was not strictly a Paul Simon-retrospective performance. In fact, after the 3rd or 4th performances without Simon, someone yelled out "Where's Paul ?" Although all of the musicians appear well established, the show seemed to highlight the irony that rock music, essentially an American and avant garde form, is subject to certain cultural and aesthetic assumptions, apparently not the least of which is based on age.Rock music rolls on. Those Simon and S&G recordings are only a snapshot. The music, like the musician, is ever changing, subject to new interpretations and musical passions. After the first couple of sets, and one realized that Paul would not be on stage all evening, it was great to just sit back and let all of the music happen all around you, hear familiar Simon tunes done by different voices and different, though essentially faithful to the original, arrangements. The fact that new generations of musicians are equally in love with the Simon songbook was just such a powerful statement on the originality and relentless creativity of this great artist.

Josh Groban, a fabulous singer with an incredibly strong and clear voice, brought new depth and range to "Bridge Over Troubled Water". Remarkable too, Gillian Welch and partner David Rawlings, performing "Duncan" with Simon. Stylistically, Welch is an intense and hard to categorize fusion of bluegrass, folk, country and blues.

Simon returned with his band and tore through "Train in the Distance, " "How Can You Live in the Northeast", "Late in the Evening" and more. Mark Stewart, Simon's musical director, of Polyphonic Lounge and Bang on a Can Festival, an remarkable multi-instrumentalist, stands out in Simon's already tight and very high powered band.

There were so many songs it was hard to keep track, but it was a night for, by, and about Paul Simon. It was an amazing amazing show all around.

Paul Simon: American Tunes extends through April 27 at BAM's beautiful Howard Gilman Opera House.