I was a Hanover resident at the time of the Bull's Eye. Many a time...I would walk across town to have one of the incredible burgers. Artie the bartender would always welcome me and Richard would come to my table and sit with me from time to time. I met many artists and Ty.....I probably met you. All good memories. Thanks for sharing.
I bought Monk Underground from a cutout bin when I was about 14 without having any idea who Monk was, mostly because I liked the cover so much. It is probably the most played album in my collection.
Lovely memories of Richard. I had a similar person in my life who opened up jazz to me. Les played at Toulouse, a bar around Rush Street in Chicago. I was just learning what jazz was about - I’d developed a taste for Sinatra and my father’s music - and Les took me much higher. I began performing songs with him in his cabaret setting, where the same group of people would sit around his piano guessing at a song that he’d hint at by playing a snatch of melody. Les would silence loud patrons in the bar who interfered with his amateur singers. That place will remain in my heart forever. Diabetes took Les at a young age, but I am forever indebted to him and think of him often.
thank you for your eulogy/ memory of your mentor and sharing your memories which resonate in their common humanity of our life experiences and those that had some shaping of how we have come to understand the world or at least on occasion see what we are looking at, listen to what we are hearing.
"Mr. Peabody and Sherman!" Ty, your mention of that duo was a wayback moment for me. Rocky and Friends - a great cartoon show (1959-1964) with memorable characters like Bullwinkle the Moose, proudly evil Boris Badenov and his equally nasty Natasha Fatale, Fearless Leader, Dudley Do-Right the Mountie, and segments like Fractured Fairy Tales and Peabody's Improbable History. And that unforgettable institution of higher ed, Wossamotta U. Hilarious dialogue. Thanks for that brief mental flashback!
I came for the insightful movie reviews but your portraits of important people in your life are such a bonus. Your eulogy for your father-in-law is another that stands out. You write about them with beautiful affection and reverence. I quite often find myself making an audible “hmm” sound after finishing one of your posts but especially those. It’s the sound of gratitude.
I loved reading about your time at the Bull's Eye and your jazz mentor. My jazz mentor wasn't a person, but a place: a jazz club in San Francisco that I visited in the 70s. I heard Ornette Coleman, Joe Henderson, Kenny Barron, Yusef Lateef, Woody Shaw, Bobby Hutcherson, and host of others. These days I listen to live streaming jazz from Small's in NYC (smallslive.com). I'll watch Rewind and Play tonight.
Loved the Bull’s Eye but was more often entrapped at Peter Christian’s due to, um, my girlfriend being a waitress there. But amazing place. Kind of wish I had more of a tour guide to the subtleties of jazz, never quite overcame being intimidated by its complexities. As you are a jazz enthusiast and movie nut, I’m curious: is Damian Chazelle helping or hurting the cause?
Loved Strawberry Blonde. And Jack Carson who died way too young.
I was a Hanover resident at the time of the Bull's Eye. Many a time...I would walk across town to have one of the incredible burgers. Artie the bartender would always welcome me and Richard would come to my table and sit with me from time to time. I met many artists and Ty.....I probably met you. All good memories. Thanks for sharing.
Loved your modest restraint when mentioning your college town, but not your college.
Roy Benson ‘67
Beautiful tribute. You may not know why you are sharing, but we do. Thank you.
I bought Monk Underground from a cutout bin when I was about 14 without having any idea who Monk was, mostly because I liked the cover so much. It is probably the most played album in my collection.
Lovely memories of Richard. I had a similar person in my life who opened up jazz to me. Les played at Toulouse, a bar around Rush Street in Chicago. I was just learning what jazz was about - I’d developed a taste for Sinatra and my father’s music - and Les took me much higher. I began performing songs with him in his cabaret setting, where the same group of people would sit around his piano guessing at a song that he’d hint at by playing a snatch of melody. Les would silence loud patrons in the bar who interfered with his amateur singers. That place will remain in my heart forever. Diabetes took Les at a young age, but I am forever indebted to him and think of him often.
thank you for your eulogy/ memory of your mentor and sharing your memories which resonate in their common humanity of our life experiences and those that had some shaping of how we have come to understand the world or at least on occasion see what we are looking at, listen to what we are hearing.
"Mr. Peabody and Sherman!" Ty, your mention of that duo was a wayback moment for me. Rocky and Friends - a great cartoon show (1959-1964) with memorable characters like Bullwinkle the Moose, proudly evil Boris Badenov and his equally nasty Natasha Fatale, Fearless Leader, Dudley Do-Right the Mountie, and segments like Fractured Fairy Tales and Peabody's Improbable History. And that unforgettable institution of higher ed, Wossamotta U. Hilarious dialogue. Thanks for that brief mental flashback!
I came for the insightful movie reviews but your portraits of important people in your life are such a bonus. Your eulogy for your father-in-law is another that stands out. You write about them with beautiful affection and reverence. I quite often find myself making an audible “hmm” sound after finishing one of your posts but especially those. It’s the sound of gratitude.
Wow, this issue hit the Bull's Eye!
I loved reading about your time at the Bull's Eye and your jazz mentor. My jazz mentor wasn't a person, but a place: a jazz club in San Francisco that I visited in the 70s. I heard Ornette Coleman, Joe Henderson, Kenny Barron, Yusef Lateef, Woody Shaw, Bobby Hutcherson, and host of others. These days I listen to live streaming jazz from Small's in NYC (smallslive.com). I'll watch Rewind and Play tonight.
Deep, wide, moving tribute to the man, the Bull's Eye, and its place in the world. Another personal account to savor. Thank you.
Ty your portraits of important people in your life are so beautiful and resonant. Thank you for sharing this.
Loved the Bull’s Eye but was more often entrapped at Peter Christian’s due to, um, my girlfriend being a waitress there. But amazing place. Kind of wish I had more of a tour guide to the subtleties of jazz, never quite overcame being intimidated by its complexities. As you are a jazz enthusiast and movie nut, I’m curious: is Damian Chazelle helping or hurting the cause?