The O-town Scene

March 31, 2011

The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY

Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/28554

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 8 of 29

Continued from Page 10 Have you heard that comparison made before? Oh yes, many times. He was one of the great bandleaders, and, as a drummer, put his stamp on everything he ever did. And so many amazing musicians came out of his group (The Jazz Messengers). You could say the same thing about someone like Horace Silver, another catalyst whose music always sounded like him. Even though he had so many different musicians around him over time, he always put his own personality in everything. So was there ever a point in your career when you were conscious of that idea, that your status as a musician also included being somewhat of an educator to the various players that cycled through The Blues- breakers before starting their own bands? I never did think about it. It’s not something you think about, it’s just what you do. But did you ever feel like you were at least imparting some element of yourself or your sound, as a leader, onto these other musicians? Oh, I don’t really know how to answer that. As a bandleader, that’s the privilege that you have, getting to shape your own music and to choose who you want to play with. That’s just part of the territory of being a bandleader. So would you say that you got used to having various members cy- cling in and out of the band, as opposed to one that was unified over a long period of time? Well, yeah, you see, I don’t know anything else. You grew up listening to American blues, boogie-woogie, and jazz pioneers like Pinetop Smith, Lead Belly and Eddie Lang, and that sound had a huge impact on your development as an artist. Do you ever think about your place in that long cycle of music history, now that art- ists of this generation might see you in the same light? Sure, that’s quite possible, that there are people who see me like that. I think that just comes with the number of years you’ve been playing, and the body of work you’ve amassed. So I guess I could fall into that category at this point, yeah. But it seems to me as if you’re always looking forward. Well, I just love playing. It’s nice to get together with everybody. We (Athas, Rzab and Davenport) haven’t worked together since, I think, November, so we haven’t seen each other since then, and it’ll be really nice to start work again tomorrow. What makes this group special compared to your past bands and the artists that were involved in them? It’s just great fun. Great musicians, great fun, and we have a great time. So we’re gonna share that with the audience, and that’s really what continues to attract everybody. Is music all about fun? It is fun. It’s joy. That’s what it is. After being honored as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2005, you were quoted as saying that it was the only real award you’d ever gotten throughout your career. Those material awards, the Billboard hits, Grammy wins, etc., all seem to have filtered down to the musicians that went on to become icons in their own right after the time they spent working with you. Do you feel that your musical lega- cy exists as much in their honors and accolades as it does in yours? Well, I guess so. I mean, I’ve got a large body of work behind me, and I’m very happy with everything that I’ve done. The fact that it hasn’t been recognized very well in terms of the industry awards is kind of irrelevant. As long as I enjoy playing the music and continue to have the freedom to do it, well, then that’s just wonderful. _ Sam Spokony Vinyl Vault ‘Silver Apples’ Silver Apples Kapp, 1968 The first warning that “Silver Apples” is not your typical ’60s record is the cover _ mirrored silver foil, with a black paint splat- ter stencil of two apples and no text. The back cover is full of lyrics as poetry, arranged to form the mirror im- age of the cover. It seems too modern for the 1960s, too anarchic, too plain. The Silver Apples seemingly came out of nowhere, then disappeared as quickly. They were outsider musicians, who cobbled together their instru- ments and left a legacy that continues to in- fluence musicians today. Of the two records they released in their brief two year career, their self-titled debut is a major (albeit obscure) landmark of American psychedelia, a record that is certainly a product of its era, but hardly defined by it. Silver Apples was formed in New York City in 1967 by the artist Simeon, recruit- ing drummer Dan Taylor to add percus- sion to his electronic compositions, which he performed on a synthesizer of his own design dubbed “The Simeon.” The duo took their name from the W.B. Yeats poem “the Song Of The Wandering Aengus,” and soon began collaborating with the poet Stanley Warren for lyrics. Though Simeon and Taylor were well-connected within the New York art world, the bizarre nature of their instruments soon garnered considerable attention by the media, notably The Village Voice. According to the record’s liner notes, The Simeon “presently consists of nine audio oscillators and eighty-six manual controls ... The Lead and Rhythm oscillators are played with the hands, elbows and knees and the bass oscillators are played with the feet.” Taylor’s drums were far from orthodox as well, playing “thirteen drums, five cymbals and other percussion instruments that [are used] to develop ... mathematically pulsating systems, creating both Rhythm and Melody.” As the duo attracted attention in New York, Kapp records, perhaps looking to cash in on psychedelic rock, signed the group, and un- wittingly released one of the strangest rock records of all time. Kapp Records was better known for its soundtracks and middle-of-the-road art- ists like Roger Williams and Rod McKuen than rock and roll, which makes the 1968 LP “Silver Apples” that much stranger. There are some aspects of the music that certainly date it: Simeon’s husky baritone vocals, stream-of-consciousness lyrics about dreams and nature, and the instruction (or warning) “Play Twice Before Listening” printed on the back cover seem to be all products of the era, but overall, the music is more akin to electronic dance music of the ’80s and ’90s than ’60s rock and roll. Silver Apples followed up its debut with the LP “Contact” in 1969, and broke up soon after. A resurgence of interest in the group’s music prompted a reunion in the late ’90s, ending with the death of Dan Taylor in 2005. The self-titled debut is truly unique: part past, part contemporary, part future. It is un- bridled experimentation within the rock and roll form. In 1968 it was unlike anything that came before it. Today, it is unlike anything that has come since. _ James Derek Sapienza James Derek Sapi- enza is a 25-year- old musician in four bands. He has been collect- ing vinyl records since he was 8. They were outsider musicians, who cobbled together their instruments and left a legacy that continues to influence musicians today. March 31, 2011 O-Town Scene 11

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of The O-town Scene - March 31, 2011