Cabell “Cab” Calloway III was born on Christmas Day, 1907 in Rochester, living on Sycamore Street. His mother was a teacher and church organist and his father was a lawyer. When Calloway was 11, they moved to Baltimore. After he was caught playing dice on the church steps, his mother sent him to a reform school in Pennsylvania.
When he returned to Baltimore, Calloway began private voice lessons and continued his study of music throughout school. He soon began performing at nightclubs in Baltimore and was mentored by Chick Webb and Johnny Jones.
In 1927, Calloway joined his older sister, Blanche, in a tour of Plantation Days. She achieved success first, he often credited her as an inspiration to enter show business. His parents wanted him to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a lawyer. Therefore, he enrolled to college in Chicago, but spent his nights at the Dreamland Ballroom, Sunset Cafe, and the Club Berlin. At the Sunset Cafe, he was an understudy for Adelaide Hall. He also met and performed with Louis Armstrong.
Harlem
In 1929, Calloway moved to Harlem, performing with the Alabamians band. They opened at the Savoy Ballroom and broke up soon after. With help from Armstrong, Calloway established himself as a vocalist by singing “Ain’t Misbehavin’” by Fats Waller. Soon after, The Missourians asked Calloway to join and front them.
The following year, the band name shifted to Cab Calloway and His Orchestra. In 1931, the band replaced the Duke Ellington Orchestra at the Cotton Club while they were on tour. Due to the increased popularity, they were offered a permanent position there.
The band also performed regularly on radio broadcasts on NBC. Calloway also appeared on radio programs with Walter Winchell and Bing Crosby became the first African-American to have a nationally syndicated radio show. During the heights of the Great Depression, Calloway was earning $50,000 per year at the age of 23.
The 30’s and 40’s
In 1931, Calloway recorded his most famous song, “Minnie the Moocher.” This is the first single song by an African-American to sell one million records. Three of his songs, “The Old Man of the Mountain,” “St. James Infirmary Blues” and “Minnie the Moocher”, were performed in Betty Boop cartoons.
Calloway soon received the nickname “The Hi De Ho Man.” He performed in the 1930s in short films for Paramount. In these, Calloway performs a gliding backstep dance move, a possible precursor to Michael Jackson’s moonwalk.
Calloway’s band in the 1930s and 1940s included many notable musicians, such as Ben Webster, Ed Swayze, Cozy Cole, and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1940, Strike Up the Band, starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, has a line of “You are not Cab Calloway” after playing poorly.
In 1941, Calloway fired Gillespie from his orchestra after an onstage fracas erupted when Calloway was hit with spitballs. He wrongly accused Gillespie, who stabbed Calloway in the leg with a small knife.
In 1956, Clarence Robinson, who produced revues at the original Cotton Club and the Apollo Theater, and choreographed the movie Stormy Weather, cast Calloway as the main attraction for his project in Miami. The Cotton Club of Miami featured a troupe of 48 people, including singer Sallie Blair, George Kirby, Abbey Lincoln, and the dance troupe of Norma Miller. The success of the shows led to the Cotton Club Revue of 1957 which had stops at the Royal Nevada Hotel in Las Vegas, the Theatre Under The Sky in Central Park, Town Casino in Buffalo.
Later Years
The Cotton Club Revue of 1959 traveled to South America for engagements in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. They also stopped in Uruguay and Argentina before returning to North America which included a run on Broadway. Directed by Mervyn Nelson and choreographed by Joel Nobel, this edition featured Ketty Lester, The Three Chocolateers. The revue toured Europe in 1959 and 1960, bringing their act to Madrid, Paris, and London.
Calloway remained a household name due to TV appearances and occasional concerts in the US and Europe. In 1961 and 1962, he toured with the Harlem Globetrotters, providing halftime entertainment during games.
In 1985, Calloway and his Orchestra appeared at The Ritz London Hotel where he was filmed for a 60-minute BBC TV show called The Cotton Club Comes to the Ritz. Adelaide Hall, Doc Cheatham, Max Roach, and the Nicholas Brothers also appeared on the bill. A performance with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra directed by Erich Kunzel in August 1988 was recorded on video and features a classic presentation of “Minnie the Moocher”, 57 years after he first recorded it.
On June 12, 1994, Calloway suffered a stroke at his home in Westchester County. He died five months later from pneumonia on November 18, 1994, at age 86, at a nursing home in Hockessin, Delaware.
Awards and Accomplishments
In 1990, Calloway was presented with the Beacons in Jazz Award from The New School. The NYC mayor at the time, David Dinkins, proclaimed the day “Cab Calloway Day.”
The New York Racing Association (NYRA) annually honors the jazz legend, a native of Rochester, with a stakes races restricted to NY-bred three-year-olds, as part of their New York Stallion Series. First run in 2003, The Calloway has since undergone various distance and surface changes. The race is currently run at Saratoga Racecourse, one of America’s most popular, premier racetracks. The Cab Calloway Stakes celebrated its 13th renewal on July 24, 2019.
Albany-based analog funk band Oobleck has been in Capital Region faces with their funk for 16 years and they don’t plan to quit anytime soon.
Oobleck, founded in 2008, is an original, analog funk band out of the Capital Region. Known regionally for inciting dance parties wherever they land, they boast a big, in your face sound inspired by New Orleans street music. It’s a melee of horns, super heavy drums and bass and your favorite type of chunky guitar riffing that leaves your bum shaking and your face grinning.
Bass driven. Horn laden. Layered textures and dark melodies. Funk to fuel your soul. The band is made up of five members – Sam Parker on guitar, Kevin Van Genechten on drums, Scott Vorwald on tenor sax, Audrey Van Genechten on trumpet, and Josh Radigan on bass. The band meshes effortlessly to create sound that is found nowhere else in the Capital Region.
Oobleck has four albums to date – Tell Your Mom I Said Hi (2012), Rise & Shine (2013), Don’t Mistake the Barn for the Basement (2015) and their most recent Down the Rabbit Hole which released January of this year. Down the Rabbit Hole contains 11 jaw-dropping tracks that are guaranteed to immerse the listener in something fun.
The band just finished recording a new single “Purse Candy” and are hoping to release in January, with an accompanying video filmed during the recording session that is also slated to release shortly. For the LaMP show at Lark Hall, the band worked with Frankie Cavone of Mirth Films and just released a multi-cam video of the full set which can be seen below.
On November 8, the band supported LaMP on their tour stop through Albany at Lark Hall. The band has only one upcoming show left in 2024.
At 8:00pm on December 6 at UNIHOG in Hoosick Falls, Oobleck hits the stage with rock & soul group Tops of Trees. Together, these two musically powerful groups create explosively funky grooves that’ll have you moving well into the night.
Oobleck has shows in 2025 with the Sugar Hold scheduled for January 10 at Ophelia’s in Albany to kick the New Year off with a dose of super funk. Oobleck plans to be back at The Eleven (Lark Hall’s downstairs bar) in Albany in early April, and at Single Cut Brewery in Clifton Park in the spring as well. The group is working on getting back to Vermont and potentially hitting up Ithaca for the first time later this spring.
For more information on Oobleck’s upcoming shows and to hear some of their tunes, click here.
Ari Joshua is on a mission to release 24 songs in 2024. Over the course of the last ten months, the South African-born, now American-based songwriter has been consistently releasing these singles, some of which contain multiple tracks and several stand-alone remixes. Each release features a unique line-up of all star musicians, including members of Trey Anastasio Band, Medeski Martin & Wood, and Joe Russo’s Almost Dead.
Photo by Joshua Hitchens – Bolt of Sunshine Photography
I had the wonderful opportunity to chat with Ari who shined a light into his musical process, spoke on his luminary collaborators and opened up about navigating the music industry and the world he has dedicated his life to.
“I’m super honored to be at the point in my career where I can share all the art I’ve been making. When I think about my art and the message that I want to give with it – something from the soul – it reminds me of creating an organic garden, planting seeds, and harvesting foods. If you scale it out one can imagine being an artist today is like sending a rocket ship or a satellite into orbit. I feel like once you’re in orbit as an artist, or once your seeds are harvesting fruits, you can feel like you are achieving your job – each note, each song, has the potential to propel things further. In a way all the legends are in orbit. In order to get up there, to resonate with listeners, you need a tremendous amount of fuel, and it’s a full time pursuit to manifest that.”
That need to resonate through the music inspired Ari to found The Music Factory, a Seattle-based music school giving lessons to hundreds of kids each week. He is a huge proponent of music education and has continued to grow the school since its inception. Ari has found himself at a point where he is able to take a step back and shift focus on his career being an artist and performer. “After years of juggling duties and taking continuous small steps forward I’ve found myself at a balancing point investing more time into creating meaningful and soul-fulfilling art.”
Left to Right: Medeski, Martin & Joshua – Photo by Chris Bittner
Ari’s first three releases of the year, “Dragon’s Layer”, “Country Stroll” and “Elephant Walk,” feature John Medeski and Billy Martin. These Woodstock, NY recorded country and jazz influenced instrumentals are defined by their laid back grooves and catchy melodies. Ari has spent his life studying diverse artists across all genres and setting the foundation for himself so that he can be both over prepared yet able to let go of everything in the moment. When asked about his process of going into the studio with the high caliber collaborators he shares his body of work with, he makes it clear that he wants to allow the space for them to shine and be who they are. It’s their unique voice that he wants captured in the studio. “There’s a certain kind of magic that comes from not knowing what’s going to happen and knowing that the musicians you’re working with are at a certain point. You’re free to trust the process and provide the space for them to do what feels right, and speaks for them.” These songs feel like an extension of the MMW universe – Medeski, Martin & Joshua. “Country Stroll” and “Elephant Walk” showcase tasteful soloing by all three musical juggernauts.
Ari holds the artists he has worked with to the highest regard. No collaboration is the same. No circumstance is the same. Improvisation usually takes the wheel. When working with artists on complete ends of the spectrum, you have to be able to adapt. Some of his collaborators prefer being sent audio and charts prior, while others only care about the moment once they’re all together. “Each person and each group of people that I get to work with is a totally different situation.” He compares this to making a child. “We’re going to go in there [the studio] and we’re gonna mix up our DNA, ideally with good intentions and love, and ideally a good level of pleasure [laughs]. And we’re going to come out with something that’s its own thing – a new creation.”
Ari’s songwriting knows no bounds. There is truly something for everyone. This is evident with the release of “Elon’s Musk”, his psychedelic, Tipper-inspired electronic single released under the moniker Guitari with ill.gates and Cory Cavazos. Ari’s follow up, “Rare Groove” once again shifts genre and lineup entirely. This funk, R and B-inspired instrumental features Skerik, Grant Schroff and Delvon Lamarr. A recurring theme in Ari’s song writing is his ear-worm melodies, his focus on improvisation and the prominence of organ players. “I am obsessed with really great organ players. There’s just this match made in heaven for me. I really studied that stuff so heavily and I just have this natural gravitation towards it.” “The Clinic” and “Audio Bicycle Day” were also released with the same ensemble. These singles can be categorized by their funky, yet more sinister progressions and feature fantastic improvised solos by all. “Audio Bicycle Day (Suncatchers Version)” is a unique take on the same song but recorded with Joe Doria and Brad Gibson. The Suncatchers Version has a more whimsical, airy quality. He continues this onward trend of eclecticism with his release of “One Dub”, a reggae-inspired instrumental groove that features John Kimock, Andy Hess, and Eden Ladin. There are four remixes of “One Dub” currently available on streaming services.
Ari has also worked and recorded alongside Russ Lawton and Ray Paczkowski of Trey Anastasio Band. When talking about his unique songwriting approach when working with different artists, he spoke about how Russ would send drum recordings to Trey over the phone, and then Trey would write parts based on Russ’ recordings. This is the approach that Ari wanted to take in the studio, and he had Russ send him a bunch of demo ideas prior to their session in that spirit. These sessions, which originally took place during the pandemic, resulted in over 25 songs, many of which have yet to be released. “Starlight Mountain” is the first release of the year that features Ari on lead vocals. These emotionally delivered vocals, along with his well-crafted distorted guitar solo are extremely powerful and moving. “The TriCeraphClops” was released with the same all star lineup – dubbed the RAAR Trio. This funky and crunchy instrumental showcases the band’s virtuosity and their chemistry as a unit.
Left to Right: Paczkowski, Joshua & Lawton – Photo by Ben Collette
What you see of Ari’s art is just the tip of the iceberg – “almost 90% of it is underwater.” He relates each piece of music to a blank canvas that he’s constantly revisiting, which could take years, if not decades to complete. “Tagine,” recorded with Marco Benevento and Joe Russo over 15 years ago, is just now seeing the light of day. This psychedelic soundscape takes the listener on a sonic journey through the unknown. It exudes imagery of exploring a distant alien planet.
With no slowing down in sight, Ari has recently announced a brand new supergroup, The All’s Eye, consisting of Ben Atkind (Elephant Proof) and Kris Yunker (Bearly Dead) formerly of Goose. The trio fuse boogaloo funk, soulful organ grooves, Afrobeat, bluegrass, and alternative rock. Fresh off a recording session at Carriage House Studios, the trio is set to release a series of singles over the coming months. They just announced their first official run, four dates on the East Coast and will be sharing their latest single “West Hill Road” on November 20th. When taking the deep dive into Ari’s catalog, you may find yourself pleasantly lost in a rabbit hole of musical and auditory goodness – a yellow brick road of art and sound.
Left to Right: Atkind, Joshua & Yunker – Photo by Mclee Mathias
The Adirondack Wind Ensemble’s Eleanor Marcus Memorial Concert was held on Sunday, Sept. 22 at the E. Glenn Giltz Auditorium in Plattsburgh.
The Adirondack Wind Ensemble (AWE) celebrated Eleanor Marcus’s love of music through its annual Memorial Concert. Marcus graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh in 1943 and loved music, attending almost every music event at E. Glenn Giltz Auditorium for decades until her passing. Since its founding in 2002 by Daniel Gordon, a member of the music faculty at SUNY Plattsburgh, AWE has performed an annual concert in E. Glenn Giltz Auditorium.
AWE is a professional musical ensemble of wind and percussion instruments comprised of music educators and other outstanding community musicians from around the North Country. Its performers represent every public school district in Clinton County as well as several communities beyond. AWE is dedicated to providing quality concert performances by members of this community for this community.
From 2010-20, AWE performed its program at a second venue in either Lake Placid or Saranac Lake.over the years, AWE has also performed at Battle of Plattsburgh Commemorations (2002-2004), in annual fall concerts at Plattsburgh High School (2007-2009), at First Night Saranac Lake (New Year’s Eve 2014), and as part of the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival (2020). These geographic expansions have made AWE a true “Adirondack” Wind Ensemble.
Program: “Home in the Adirondacks”
Gustav Holst (1874-1934):
Second Suite in F, Op. 28b (1911) – March – Song without Words “I’ll love my love” – Song of the Blacksmith – Fantasia on the “Dargason”
Maurice Whitney (1901-1984):
Introduction and Samba (1951) – for alto saxophone and band
Todd Pray, soloist – Intermission –
Ian Deterling (b. 1990)
Images of the Adirondacks, Op. 25 (2024) – Autumn Colors – Mountain Sunset – Tempest
– AWE Commission, World Premiere –
Charles Ives (1888-1897) arr. Elkus
Old Home Days – Waltz (1874-1954) – The Opera House – Old Home Day – The Collection – Slow March – London Bridge Is Fallen Down!
Buffalo-based KISS Tribute band Kiss This! has announced the release of Buffalo Rock City box set slated for KISSmas – December 25.
Performing a full KISS tribute show (with makeup and costumes) under the guise of KISS THIS! – The Starchild, Kevin Blakita – lead guitar/vocals, The Space Ace, John Jeffrey – lead guitar/vocals, The Catman, Billy Eberts – drums/vocals, and the Demon, Taylor Stursa – bass/vocals; bring all of theatrics and bombast of a classic KISS show to fans all around the country. The Buffalo-based tribute band presents their Buffalo Rock City box set which releases on KISSMas – December 25.
A limited pressing of 100 copies of the “Buffalo Rock City” Boxed Set, and the entire “BRC” collection being made available digitally for the first time. “Not the Originals” is a 4-album collection featuring the 2 studio albums, the live recording, “Buffalo Rock City ALIVE! (Music Is Art & More),” plus a fourth bonus disc, “Solo Obsession.” “Solo Obsession” features 12 previously unreleased covers, specifically crafted for and exclusive to the Boxed Set.
While the first two “Buffalo Rock City” albums both featured recordings of songs done by the co-writers of the tracks they helped create, Boxed Set producers John Jeffrey, Dave Comer & John Peace decided that In addition to working with other great Western New York musicians, they wanted to push the envelope once again, and this time, actually recruit original performers who had played on some of the original tracks, to recreate their parts for “Solo Obsession.”
For more information on the upcoming release of the box set and to purchase digitally, click here.
Ithaca-based band Rev Ezra is gearing up for the release of their second studio album with a brand new single titled “Edge of a Knife,” out everywhere today.
Rev Ezra is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Josh Chamberlain. The project takes many forms with Chamberlain performing both as a solo artist and with a full-band. “Rev” invokes Reverend, a calling to the many religious themes in Chamberlain’s work. Ezra is “just a cool name,” Chamberlain says.
In 2022, Chamberlain released his first album as Rev Ezra. The record, titled “These Days” garnered tens of thousands of streams after being placed on multiple official Spotify editorial playlists.
“I kind of lacked a little bit of a confidence to really take myself seriously as an artist,” Chamberlain said. “I’m so glad I did [release the album]. That changed, like, everything for me.” he said.
Two years later, Chamberlain is preparing for his second album set to release this December. “Edge of a Knife” is the first single off the record.
“One of the lyrics is ‘How long can you live at the edge of a knife before you get cut too deep,’” Chamberlin explains. “It’s all about having too many late nights, not taking any breaks working every day… just feeling like I was at my wits end.”
At least that’s how Chamberlin says he felt before making a major change this year: namely, quitting his job of five years and making music his top priority. “Man it frees up your mind,” Chamberlain said. “I knew that I put in my time and that I was ready to be done with that chapter … and I’m a lot less stressed now.”
Rev Ezra performing at Red Ants Pants Music Festival in Montana. Photo by Nicole Rossi
This new chapter sees Chamberlain with his hands full of numerous projects including his upcoming second album, as well as a second record he has planned for a group he co-founded called Cast Iron Cowboys. Since leaving his job, Chamberlain has also played several music festivals including the Finger Lakes GrassRoots festival in Trumansburg, NY and Red Ants Pants Music Festival in Montana.
Although originally from Pittsburgh, Ithaca has become Chamberlain’s new home since he moved there in 2021.
“This place has an incredible music scene, and I knew kind of pretty quickly that it was somewhere where I wanted to stay,” Chamberlain said.
The Cast Iron Cowboys pose for a photo (From left to right: Nate Marshall, Joe Hayward, Josh Chamberlin, Max Moses, Margaret Harper and Zeb Whitford.) Photo by Jessie Koch
The town has popular live music venues such as the Deep Dive as well as the State Theater. However, in recent years, other popular music establishments like the Haunt, Lot 10 and the Range have closed their doors to the dismay of many locals. Chamberlain has worked to expanded his reach to many of the wineries in the Finger Lakes region.
The Cast Iron Cowboys performing live at the Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival. Photo by Jessie Koch
Chamberlain says living in Ithaca has affected his songwriting in more ways and one.
“Life transitions make their way into songwriting, whether you like it or not, so living in a new place and being surrounded by different things absolutely impacted me,” Chamberlain said. So in a way, ever since I moved here, every song I’ve written is about Ithaca in one way or another, and it’s also about the people that I know here.”
The new album also has ties to Ithaca, recorded at Electric Wilburland in the nearby town of Newfield. The Cast Iron Cowboys also released a live EP released earlier this year, recorded primarily at Deep Dive.
When he’s not doing music, Chamberlain works part-time on a few small farms, baling hay, spreading manure, chainsawing downed trees and occasionally wrangling horses. In short, he’s not afraid to put in hard work to accomplish his goals.
“I saved up a bunch to make it viable, but now I’m able to work part-time, and I’m able to treat music as my number one thing, and I really like that better.” he said.
With music at the forefront, Chamberlain has been able to really focus on his second album, which he says delves into themes of personal growth and supporting others in a sustainable way.
It’s a lot of introspection and taking a critical look at how life looks and saying … what kind of ground work do I want to lay for future generations,” Chamberlain said. “I don’t know what the future holds but I know that I want to make it better than it is.”
Photo by Zach Ulibarri
As far as Chamberlain’s own future, he has big plans for the coming year and hopes to do more music festivals and perhaps even a tour. Additionally he plans on releasing a full album with Cast Iron Cowboys in 2025.
“I’m kind of asking myself, you know, how far can I take this?” Chamberlain said.
Chamberlain will be releasing a single ever single week (besides Thanksgiving) leading up to his album release in December. He will also be having a single release party for cuts like knife at South Hill Cider in Ithaca on November 2nd from 6-8pm.
Mimicking Mars is a four-piece psychedelic indie-rock band formed in 2020 and currently playing out of Syracuse. The band originated in Monroe, NY and first came to notability in 2021.
Mimicking Mars is known for their unique sound which blends indie rock with elements of psychedelic and alternative rock. The group started in 2020, with original members Jeremy Lanuti, James Dawson, Josh LeVisuer, and Bobby Malone, as a creative outlet, and quickly became something much more important to each of them. The group is now based in Syracuse NY, as they conquer a new phase for their career.
The band started writing and performing, and since starting has released 7 singles and is constantly performing live. Their shows are a must-see, as the band’s energy is infectious, and their music comes to life on stage. Mimicking Mars is not just a band, they are a collective of artists who strive to create an experience that is both authentic and meaningful. They’ve just released their debut studio album Janky Jones & the Blackjack Blues, which is currently available on all streaming platforms.
Their debut studio album Janky Jones & the Blackjack Blues showcases the dedication, passion, and good vibes that this group has developed over the past three years. The band sees three upcoming shows for the remainder of the year. On October 31, they play at Al’s Wine and Whiskey in Syracuse. November 29 the group sees the stage at Barrel 28 in Florida, NY and then in Milford, PA on November 30.
For more information on Mimicking Mars’ upcoming shows and to give their tunes a listen, click here.
Roger Bryan and The Orphans is a Buffalo-based rock band that boasts sounds of alternative flare and indie spirit.
They are comprised of vocalist Roger Bryan, drummer Mike Sobieraj, Matt Lavin on bass and Dave Calos on guitar. The band originated in Buffalo in 2008 and have cycled through members before finally finding the core four Orphans.
The name Roger Bryan and The Orphans comes from the idea that the bandmembers were originally parts of other bands, but these groups dissolved, bringing them together as orphans of their past. The band’s sound contains a mix of soft indie and edgy alternative. The combination of this sound does the band well as they use their dynamic sound to express their musicianship over the years.
Over the course of 5 albums, multiple EPâs and singles, they have created a catalog of ragged glory that continues to grow and evolve while managing to keep a heart still stitched on its worn sleeve. Their latest album Days or Nights/That’s Life! combines songs from their 2023 EP That’s Life! along with some recent, polished tracks.
Around seven years in, there were big changes within the band. Mike and Roger found themselves reduced to a duo wondering where exactly to go. Eventually, the duo built it back up with Matt Lavin. Dave Calos was the last to join a couple weeks later.
Since then, Roger Bryan and The Orphans have released many works, each with their own unique sound. The group does not conform to a single sound, they have dynamic songwriting techniques, and a variety of sound to output. That said, the group’s overall tone is recognizable as something of their own.
The band has a couple upcoming shows in October and November, both in Buffalo. On October 11 at Jackrabbit music venue and eatery, Roger Bryan and The Orphans see the stage with Johnny Nobody for a live recording of their catalogue. November 16, at the Cave music venue, the band performs for their label Harvest Sum’s 20th anniversary show.
To learn more about Roger Bryan and The Orphans and to hear their works, head to their Bandcamp by clicking here.
In 1969, Bert Sommer, an American folk singer and songwriter, was immersed in a moment when peace, love, and hippies flowed through Bethel, N.Y., at a three-day-event known as Woodstock.
Performing music had been Sommer’s passion since a teenager. Riding the wave of Beatlemania, Sommer took a train from Hartsdale and went to Central Park in Manhattan where he met semi-truant and aspiring musicians, Leslie West, Larry (Weinstein) West, Peter Sabatino, Roger Mansour, and Jerry Storch. Together, the boys formed the garage band, The Vagrants.
From Left to Right: Michael Brown, David Warren Schierhorst, Bert Sommer, Michael McKean. Photo courtesy of the Estate of Michael Brown, courtesy of Yvonne Brown
Although Sommer was not a performing member of The Vagrants, he penned a dozen songs and more for them, including “And When It’s Over”, featured on the band’s first LP. The Vagrants performed gigs in the Long Island club, The Action House.
Simultaneously, in Washington Square Park, Sommer met two more musical semi-truants, Tom Finn and Tom Feher who formed the classically-influenced “Baroque Pop” band, The Left Banke. Sommer formed a writing partnership with the band’s youngest member, Michael Brown, and wrote songs for The Left Banke.
Internal artistic disagreements amongst band members caused The Left Banke to reform under Michael Brown. Joining Brown in The Left Banke included Sommer, Michael McKean and David Warren Schierhorst. The band recorded several songs, including Feher’s “Ivy, Ivy”, and Sommer’s “And Suddenly”. Although “And Suddenly” was rising up the music charts, the original members sued the new version of the band.
After his stint with The Vagrants and The Left Banke, Sommer went to Los Angeles, CA to perform in HAIR, first as a member of the Tribe before moving on to play the character of Neil “Woof” Donovan.
In January 1969, Sommer, on Capitol Records released his debut album, The Road to Travel, produced by music executive and Brooklyn native, Arthur Kornfield. Kornfield left Capitol Records to co-create the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival alongside Michael Lang. Kornfield then invited Sommer to perform at the opening of the festival on Friday, Aug. 15, 1969, where he sang the song, “Jennifer”. Sommer wrote “Jennifer” for his HAIR co-star, Jennifer Warnes, and he received the first standing ovation at Woodstock. Sommer performed a 10-song set at the festival.
The Book cover of Sharon Watts’ memoir of Bert Sommer: “The Rather Magnificent” Bert Sommer Woodstock’s Lost Treasure – Cover courtesy of Sharon Watts
After Woodstock, Sommer recorded three additional albums, had his single, “We’re All Playing in the Same Band” reach No. 48 on the Hot 100 Chart in September 1970, and while at SUNY Brockport in 1974, met Waterford resident and singer/songwriter, Johnny Rabb (real name: Gary Roberts), through friend Rob Landis. Together, the trio performed at clubs and cafes in and around Brockport for several years. The trio also went to Los Angeles to work on a Capitol LP produced by Ron Dante, who had just produced 13 Barry Manilow hits.
Eventually through Rabb’s encouragement, Sommer moved to Albany in August 1983 where he continued his music career until his death from a nearly life-long pattern of juggling addictive tendencies on July 23, 1990 at the age of 41. Musicians who knew Sommer within the music circuit would have their own intricate memories to share and tell to a super fan who became inspired to write about the late singer.
Entering Sharon Watts
Growing up in a suburb of Harrisburg, PA, the then 16-year-old teenager Sharon Watts barely had the Woodstock festival on her radar. Watts, who later became an illustrator and writer, lived in New York City for 30 years before moving upstate to Beacon where she currently resides.
In December 2017, Watts visited The Museum at Bethel Woods for the first time to learn more about the festival and its performers. She was inside the hallway of performers and read their information and realized at the time that she didn’t know half of them. After her museum trip, she returned home with a book that she took out from her local library with every performer, in order of appearance. With her iPad and her two cats, she sat on the sofa and began reading the book until she reached Sommer’s name.
A young photo of Bert Sommer taken by Tom Flynn in 1966. Photo courtesy of Tom Flynn of The Left Banke
“When I got to Bert, I was simply blown away. Something in his delivery reached into my core, and I needed to know who he was, and why had I never known of his existence,” Watts recalled. “There was not a lot of info on him on the internet, but I started going down rabbit holes and found people who knew him – starting with his Woodstock bandmate, Ira Stone and his wife, Maxine, who were onstage during their set.”
Watts was drawn to Sommer and felt that he really could have been a contender in the music world. Sommer was a mystery for her to solve, and she wanted to shine a light on a musician whom she called a “forgotten treasure”. Watts decided to do more research and tell his story through the assistance of his musical peers.
The origins of her research
Watts first wrote a personal essay that she shared on her writing website in 2018. In 2019, she pitched an article idea to the United Kingdom’s Shindig Magazine. The magazine’s editor asked Watts for a piece that coincidently timed with Woodstock’s 50th Anniversary. Her article, “Hair”, based on the play that Sommer starred in, also centered around the festival and living in the mid-1960s.
Through her continued research, she found Sommer’s time living in Albany “equally if not more fascinating.”
During the Covid lockdown, Watts continued to collect stories from Capital Region musicians who knew Sommer and had performed with him during the mid-’80s–90s.
Watts then made connections with several of Sommer’s band members and friends, including Rick Bedrosian, who provided her a personal photograph he took of Sommer and Rabb in the early ‘80s to use for her book.
Kevin McKrell’s wife, Carla, told Watts about Sommer, “Even if you only met him for 10 minutes, you (will) never forget him.”
The book summary of Sharron Watts’ memoir of Bert Sommer: “The Rather Magnificent” Bert Sommer Woodstock’s Lost Treasure – Cover courtesy of Sharon Watts
The tales told by Johnny Rabb
Rabb recalled the moment when Watts first reached out to him about his friend.
“(Sommer), he’s an angel, a bad angel, but an angel. I spent years with him, I lived with him in the same college house in Brockport and at several other places over there,” Rabb said. “I lived with him in Los Angeles and it was pretty wild.”
Rabb met Sommer while attending college at SUNY Brockport near Rochester. They became friends and got into bands together.
Rabb, along with Rob Landis and Sommer went from jamming at the Brockport Crypt inside the basement of a church to New York City’s Schaefer Music Festival, the Capitol Record building in Hollywood, and The Troubadour on the Sunset Strip, Watts said.
A few months before Sommer moved to Los Angeles, music producer Artie Ripp encouraged him to audition for the role of Flatbrush, a character of the factitious rock band, Kaptain Kool and the Kongs, based on the children’s Saturday morning variety show, “The Krofft Supershow” in 1976. Sommer was only on the show for one season, and did not reprise his role for its second season. He also released his final album while living in Los Angeles, “Bert Sommer”. The album was ultimately unsuccessful and Sommer was dropped from Capitol Records.
Living the dream in Albany…
Rabb convinced Sommer to return to Albany where people would appreciate him. Once he left Los Angeles in July 1983, he hitched a ride from New York City to Albany with his friend and musician, Dave Durocher and his wife, Jeannie Durocher. Once Sommer was at Rabb’s house, Sommer knew he had found his “forever home” in the Capital Region.
While in Albany, he started performing at open mics until he met Kevin McKrell and his wife, Carla. They, along with Rabb and additional members Rick Bedrosian and Bill Pulchinski (formerly “Broadway Blotto” in the band Blotto) formed The Fabulous Newports. Sommer also performed with Kevin as “Irish Bert”. Once Sommer became friends with Rabb’s friend Eddie Angel, they formed The Poor Boys alongside Rabb, Bedrosian, and Buck Malen.
Sommer performed all around Albany, Schenectady, and Troy at clubs and venues like 288 (Lark Street), The Grinch, Dulan’s, Billy’s Pub, The Gemini Jazz Cafe, J.B. Scott’s, The Boat Slip, and later Quintessence, a retro diner in Albany where he sang and played the piano to restaurateurs.
“He had an amazing life – 41 years. He had an amazing life and he wouldn’t take credit for it because he screwed it up somehow when he didn’t get the money, but I think it’s survival,” Rabb said. “He was a survivor, and he took the wrong path with the drug thing, you know. That just killed what he had.”
Sommer was buried next to his father at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, near Westchester.
Rabb called Watts a master as a writer and a fan of Sommer. He provided Watts plenty of stories of his friend over the phone and provided her some personal photos to use for her book. He said reminiscing about his friend was very cool.
Sommer’s connection to Sarge Blotto(Greg Haymes)
During his time in Albany, Sommer met many area musicians and one of those notable friends was musician, artist, and journalist, Greg Haymes. Sara Ayers, Haymes’ widow, said that her husband might have met Sommer through Rabb.
Haymes hosted Sarge Blotto’s Hot Seat, an interview segment featured on George Guarino’s monthly local cable access show, Real George’s Back Room. In May 1985, Haymes featured Sommer on his talk show for a one-on-one interview.
The interview segment opened up with Sommer’s song, “Don’t Take Candy From Strangers” that he co-wrote with Eddie Angel. In the half-hour segment, Sommer would be seen showing off the program for the 1969 Los Angeles production of “Hair” which featured his own head and hair on the front cover, and his debut album, “The Road to Travel”. He even performed “We’re All in the Same Band” on the acoustic guitar for both Guarino and Haymes.
“What a guy. I love this guy,” Sommer said of Haymes.
Sommer recalled the moment he first met Haymes when he arrived in Albany. Aside from knowing Rabb, Haymes was one of his first Albany friends that he met in the local music scene.
“So I came to Albany and right away, I started working and the first guy I met in Albany was this man (of Haymes). This man is family.” Sommer said. “I came to town and he said, ‘I know who you are!’ and right away, he made me feel good.”
Sommer’s interview with Haymes can be watched on the Nippertown YouTube channel.
Ayers didn’t know Sommer well and by the time he was living in Albany, Ayers was working a day job and not hanging out in the clubs. She knew that her husband was friends with Bert and that he wanted to debut his interview series on Guarino’s show with him since he had “such a poignant story” and that he was “gregarious enough to be a fabulous interview.” she said.
In the interview, Haymes said that Sommer was born to be a star.
Sommer’s Legacy
Even though Watts never met Sommer in person, her collection of memories that she gathered from his friends and bandmates who still remember him with a big smile, made her feel like she knew him on a deeper level.
“The stories I’ve collected for my book are what give it any weight,” Watts said. “People’s memories and stories flesh out a man (in many ways still a kid), who had a mega talent, a golden glow, and some ‘demons’ clanking along his ankles. Had he not fallen through the cracks by not appearing in the Woodstock film or soundtrack (or any subsequent director’s cuts), Bert could have been as big a star as anyone.”
The Book
Watts titles her book, The Rather Magnificent Bert Sommer – Woodstock’s Lost Treasure. She calls her book about Sommer an “impressionistic portrait.” Although the stories told about him are nonfiction, she adds in a little creative leeway as she sometimes will write a scene that will help the reader in a “you are there” position, she said.
The book is more than likely going to be self published. Although she still has some loose ends to tie up in it, she wants to release the book in August 2025. Watts said that there is also a documentary that is taking seed, and her book will support the documentary on Sommer.
Watts also has released a limited issue Zine, also titled “The Rather Magnificent Bert Sommer – Woodstock’s Lost Treasure”. It was originally conceived for the 55th anniversary of Woodstock. The Zine includes a small section of a story that helps bring Bert’s Woodstock experience to life. To receive a copy of the Zine, contact Watts through her website while they remain available.
An online flip-book of the Zine is available now and is free to view online.
Future readers will be directed to obtain either a hard copy or E-book through her website, sharonwattswrites.com for brick-and-mortar and online purchase, as well as the Woodstock Museum at Bethel Woods gift shop.
The takeaway
“I am not trying to “sell” Bert, but to bring him into the spotlight, and into the archives of history where he deserves to be.” Watts said.
What is most heartening to Watts was that Sommer never gave up performing and he always remained upbeat in the face of many adversities.
“But the most interesting thing was that he was literally three degrees of separation of anything and anyone who was happening over the course of three decades.”
Watts wanted to write Sommer’s book now because she felt that it was time to do something to help draw people to his music, share his voice and monumental personality, and also, help recognize him and his contributions to Woodstock. Watts added that Sommer even has a following of new young fans in Europe who have grown to love his work and she finds that heartening.
“He deserves to be part of the Woodstock Monument and he deserves to be more than ‘Bert Who’? There were so many rumors floating around about what happened, why was he omitted from the Woodstock documentary and the soundtrack,” Watts said. “I tracked down every thread I could to solve the mystery as best it could be solved.”
She concluded, “This is partly about righting a wrong, getting Bert’s rightful place in the annals of Woodstock history.”
Horn-rock New Paltz band What? has been part of the DIY scene for more than five years and they continue to rock the Hudson Valley today.
Who are What?
With new bands forming every year in New Paltz, What? is a fan favorite in the small college town. Its band members are Dan Steen on guitar, Ryan Perrone on vocals and trombone, Jeremiah Mahoney on bass Alex Endres on drums, Owen Moore on tenor & baritone saxophone, and Jared Nelson on guitar and percussion, They all met at the local university SUNY-New Paltz through the music program. Previously, most members were part of musical groups in their high schools but What? is the first band they’ve been a member of.
The band has been operating under the name, What?, since 2016. They released their first album Lavender Lounge in 2020 including some fan favorite songs like “Napkin Party” and “The Cloud.” They confirmed that a sophomore album is in the making which will likely come out early this upcoming year.
The entire band contributes to their original music, but Perrone does most of the writing. “When I write a song, I really have this band in mind. It’s structured, but it’s always loose because I want everyone to kind of give their voice into the piece,” he told NYS Music.
Tours
Although they frequently travel outside of the state, they stay true to their New Paltz beginnings. They got their start playing at bars in New Paltz like Snug Harbor and Bacchus. Whenever they return to these venues, they always pull a packed audience with them. On Aug 23 they will be back in their hometown at a newer bar and restaurant, The Lemon Squeeze.
Touring to Portland, Maine and Burlington, Vermont, the band spends a lot of time on the road but sharing their music beyond the bars of New Paltz is something they aspire to continue. Last year What? performed at the iconic Mercury Lounge in NYC and this past March they played at another historic venue, Colony in Woodstock. “That fulfills something in my heart and soul just to be able to go to some random spot in upstate New York with five other fellas,” Steen said.
Next month, they will be back for more shows in the Hudson Valley like Kingston, NY on Aug 8 as well as Wakefield, RI on Aug 11. You can watch all of their performances on their YouTube channel and keep up with What? through their Instagram here.
