BS: Canadian Diary (CarolC)

Subject: RE: BS: Canadian Diary (CarolC)
From: CarolC
Date: 14 Mar 01 - 04:58 PM

James (Jim) Hawkins stood tall at the microphone, his puckish smile dimmed a bit by a wistful, almost nostalgic look. He welcomed the audience warmly, and then announced that the ownership of the Corner Coffee House in Newmarket would be passing to new hands. Thus marked the end of an era in the musical life of that small, but culturally rich community.

The story of Jim's involvement with the coffeehouse is an interesting one. A retired Police Commander from the U.K., Jim is now an author with several successful books in publication. Jim's latest series of books, the 'Detective Bliss' series of mystery novels, was written in the back room of the coffeehouse. After he finished writing the books, Jim bought the coffeehouse. Jim's warm, gracious, and easy manner drew people to his venue. He hosted an eclectic mixture of musicians along with an enthusiastic and appreciative audience during his period of ownership.

Next to the coffeehouse was an art gallery, also owned and run by Jim. Both environments provided a rich mixture of interesting and compelling visual stimuli, as well as a warm, comfortable, homelike setting. Patrons and audience members clearly loved being a part of what was happening in that place. Jim's last two evenings as owner and proprietor were filled with wonderful music, laughter, joy, and a little sadness. I was there on only three occasions myself, but I was sorry to see the end of Jim's era.

Jim is off on a tour of Canada, the U.K., and several other countries to promote his books. If James (Jim) Hawkins comes to a book store in your town for a book signing, I urge you to go and meet him. He is a warm, gentle, lovely, and interesting man. (And buy one or several of his books. I've heard excerpts of some of them, and they are good.) You'll be glad you did. And tell him Carol from West Virginia said Hi!

Corner Coffee House in Newmarket (performance area)

P.S. The Corner Coffee House is still there, under new ownership. I wish the new owner and proprietor the best of luck and great success.

Subject: RE: BS: Canadian Diary (CarolC)
From: hesperis
Date: 14 Mar 01 - 09:56 PM

Beautiful telling of a true tale, Carol. Lovely.

Now, are you going to answer my question?

Subject: RE: BS: Canadian Diary (CarolC)
From: CarolC
Date: 20 Mar 01 - 02:45 PM

flattop was on a plane enroute to Toronto from Montreal while hesperis, Little Hawk and I were on our way to Newmarket. We crunched our way from the car to the Corner Coffee House on a mixture of new and old snow. Stubbornly refusing to give up wearing my clogs while in Canada unless I absolutely had to, I had soggy sock-heels by the time the warmth of the coffehouse reached out to draw me in.

The aroma of coffee and dessert combined with the warm tones of the gallery lighting, the colorful artwork covering the walls, and the sounds of people enjoying themselves, to create a richly pleasing environment for the senses. A perfect setting for the first act, a trio of young performers, playing two guitars and a small drum. One of the guitarists was a university student studying classical guitar. His playing served as the focal point of the performance, with the other guitarist and the drummer accompanying him. He was quite good. And anyone who is familiar with classical guitar knows that's saying a lot.

It's kind of hard to pin down this group's sound for the purpose of describing it. It seemed like a fusion of a lot of different genres. A little jazz, a little classical, maybe even a little new age, mixed in with a little bit of a world music sound. They played a lively, jazzed up version of Pachelbel's Canon in D. hesperis said it was her new favorite version of that piece. The lead guitarist played one straight-up classical guitar piece by Heitor Villa-Lobos. It was a mellow piece, not very dynamic, but softly beautiful. And played, as far as I could tell, without a hitch.

flattop arrived a couple of pieces into Rick Fielding's set. As Rick was telling the audience about the piece he was about to play, he directed his gaze into the middle of the audience and said "just like flattop. Hi flattop." And that was the tone of the rest of the evening. flattop, Little Hawk, hesperis, Duckboots and I sat elbow to elbow around three tables pushed together in the middle of the room, surrounded by the rest of the audience. A little Mudcat oasis in the middle of a room full of strangers.

On stage, Rick has a presence that reaches out to the audience like a warm expansive embrace. While he's playing, Rick isn't really performing. He's having a riveting musical experience up there on the stage and he welcomes you into it to share it with him. The term "folkie" is too limiting to describe the kinds of music he plays. He is probably one of the most versatile acoustic musicians I've ever heard. I would be hard pressed to think of a genre of acoustic music he did not dip into at least a little bit, other than maybe classical. He plays with immense feeling and precision, clearly having complete mastery over his instruments and over his music. All of these qualities put together, along with Rick's warm, slightly self-deprecating sense of humor, combine to create a memorable, compelling, and most enjoyable musical experience.

Duckboots' presence off the stage is equally warm and expansive. It's hard to be around Duckboots and Rick for very long without beginning to feel like family. They sweep you up into their world and their life and make you a part of it, even if only for a little while. Aside from her warmth and her radiance, Duckboots' most noticeable quality is an amazing amount of competence. She appears to be an excellent partner for Rick, providing assistance with all of the unglamorous little details that make it possible for a performer to function smoothly and well. They make a good team.

Explaining that he belonged to a "secret society" of people who use fake names, Rick introduced those of us at the Mudcat table to the audience. Part way through the set, he took a break and asked us to pose for some pictures with him. It felt like a party for old friends.

After the performance, Rick asked us to come to his radio show at the University of Toronto's radio station the next day, to witness the zany spectacle one of the "Rick Fielding and Peter T. talk about Dylan" series of shows. How could we refuse...

Photo album- page one

Subject: RE: BS: Canadian Diary (CarolC)
From: black walnut
Date: 20 Mar 01 - 02:55 PM

Carol....sorry it didn't work out for you and the rest of Orillia to make it down to a Toronto Song Circle. The weather didn't cooperate, did it? Well, I'm thrilled to say it's spring here now, and it's so hot today that we don't need earmuffs. Next time you're in the area, let's try to connect.

~black walnut

Subject: RE: BS: Canadian Diary (CarolC)
From: CarolC
Date: 20 Mar 01 - 07:30 PM

Little Hawk and Rick Fielding stood together in the spotlight at the Corner Coffee House in Newmarket. Rick was playing and singing like a dynamo. A virtual whirlwind of music and song.

Little Hawk stood opposite the microphone from Rick. With his eyes closed and an almost beatific look on his face, he swayed in rhythm to the music and waited for the right moment. When the moment arrived, Rick stepped back from the microphone, and Little Hawk stepped in.

Little Hawk's harmonica sang plaintively and soulfully. Rick played furiously. A look of pleasant surprise lit up Rick's face as he recognized a fellow musician up on the stage with him. The two musicians played their hearts out while the rest of us basked in the wonder and amazement of the moment. We were riveted.

After the performance, Rick told Little Hawk he always loves meeting musicians who know how to really listen.

Photo album- page two

Subject: RE: BS: Canadian Diary (CarolC)
From: hesperis
Date: 20 Mar 01 - 08:10 PM

Carol, thank you so much for your writing all this. It is capturing the memories of your visit for me too. We miss you already! :(

Subject: RE: BS: Canadian Diary (CarolC)
From: CarolC
Date: 20 Mar 01 - 08:41 PM

I probably should say at this point that I love it when other people post to this thread. I think it really adds a lot of beauty to it. But I like the look of it better when I only post diary entries. I hope people don't think I'm ignoring them. If people post something to which a response seems appropriate, I will put it on the CarolC's Canadian Adventure thread.

Thanks everybody,

Carol

Subject: RE: BS: Canadian Diary (CarolC)
From: Little Hawk
Date: 21 Mar 01 - 04:52 PM

Well, that was a thrilling moment for me, playing with Rick, and I'm delighted to read your description of it, Carol.

Rick Fielding is a living, breathing archive of all that is folk music, and a good deal more besides. It was almost like playing beside Bob Dylan. No kidding.

Only Rick is a lot taller than Bob...so I got to be the Dylan clone for the night. :-)

- LH

Subject: RE: BS: Canadian Diary (CarolC)
From: CarolC
Date: 24 Jun 01 - 04:53 AM

The studio was cramped. Six people sat in the outer studio and two people operated the equipment in the booth.

The radiant Duckboots and the lovely Reverend Vicky were in constant motion as they did production magic on the sweet side of the big window. Rick Fielding and Peter T. sat opposite one another accross a big table surrounded by a forest of microphones in the outer studio. There were four onlookers.

One of the onlookers was an old friend of Peter T. Once upon a time, she had produced a documentary film about Tiny Tim. Tiny Tim was a very interesting person. Many people don't know that. If I could remember Peter T.'s friend's name, I could tell you to go talk to her if you wanted to know anything about Tiny Tim. Can't do it. Sorry. But she was very nice and interesting to talk to.

I was among the other onlookers, along with Little Hawk and flattop. flattop was cool and laid back as usual, but with a noticable glint in his eye. Little Hawk looked like a kid who'd just woken up on Christmas morning, all eager to see what was under the tree. His excitement was palpable.

Rick Fielding and Peter T. faced off on their respective sides of the table. Rick's enthusiasm was tempered by the professional demeanor of a long-time veteran of broadcast radio, but his exuberance was clearly evident. Peter T. was aglow. He leaned forward in his seat as he talked, lit up by his love of the subject matter.

I don't remember much of what was said. It was a long time ago and I didn't know much about the subject at hand. But the picture that remains clearly in my mind to this day is the level of sheer joy floating about that studio. And it was joy generated by love of those present for the music of Bob Dylan.

One epiphany followed another as Rick and Peter plumbed the depths and peeled back the layers of this man's huge body of work, with the occasional assistance of the eager Little Hawk. Insights flowed into revelations, each pointing the way down yet another possible avenue of discussion.

From time to time, the discussion was punctuated by Rick's demonstrations of Dylan's technique on the guitar. I didn't need to know anything about Dylan to be able to appreciate what a treat I was experiencing. All eyes and ears were riveted on Rick and his guitar as he performed stringed wonders and we watched in awe and amazement.

This radio show evening was a bubble. Within the bubble, bounded by time and the confines of the studio, magic happened. And the magic went out into the world via the airwaves creating little bubbles of joy throughout the city of Toronto, and wherever the show was heard.

What a night.