Fri. 12-2
Up at 7. Travel day to Rhinecliff. Not going to detail the itinerary, except that we stopped at Bruise Apple books in Peekskill, where I found a 1966 sales convention musical for Listerine, a John Hartford LP, and a large collection of the songs of Paul Dresser, w/ a foreword by his brother. Finished Love for Sale on the train, arrived at the house Jenny + Brian rented (for a 10th anniversary/wedding party reunion) around 5; dinner, card games.
Sat. 12-3
Up around 9, slow coffee/breakfast, eventually walked into downtown Rhinebeck, there's some kind of Dutch pre-Xmas winter festival (Sinterklaas) on -- a life-size cuckoo clock w/ owl-masked rope-pullers is the most Wes Anderson thing I've ever seen in real life. Haven't been up here since I taught at Bard 8-9 years ago; odd to be around old, if short-lived, haunts. Splurged at Oblong Books/Records on new copies of the recent Leonard Cohen and Esperanza Spauling albums, Toussaint's American Tunes from last year, and Robyn Schiff's recent A Woman of Property. Heard the tail end of a Balkan vocal group in a Lutheran church, had a bowl of soup downstairs and perused a Jerome Kern collection that was lying around - "Cleopatterer" has ahead of it's time Wodehouse lyrics, and "Ka(h)lua," from 1921's Good Morning Dearie is AABA (somewhat in the vein of Berlin's "Lady of the Evening.") Managed to catch up in the daybook and answer some email in the late afternoon (but no reading to speak of) eventually returned to town to watch the Sinterklaas parade, which was impressively elaborate - lots of giant owls and bees, among other local/seasonal symbols mysterious to me - to the point of creepiness, esp. given that I had no idea this went on while I lived up here. Evening - dinner, playing music (from Xmas songs to "Ruler of My Heart," "Jive Talkin'" and "New Lace Sleeves" w/ Trip, Dan, Kevin, and Amy.
12.4.16
Didn't pay attention to when I got up; last breakfast, rehearsed "I Don't Care" w/ Bree and played though other songs for the show later in the evening. Kristin & Brian gave us a ride to the station, turned out Kevin was taking the same train. He and Bree talked for most of the ride while I napped, got to 150 in The Sellout, and listened to the Toussaint album - highlight may be a lovely performance of Maurice Gottschalk's Danza (op. 33), which is intriguing to think about in re "The Crave" (Morton) and the B strain of "St. Louis Blues." Arrived at Penn Station around 4:30, at Sid Gold's an hr. after that. W/ about 20 songs/singers, I won't go on at length about David's book event, but I acquitted myself acceptably playing "After the Ball" (at the last minute for Steve Ross from his chart, which I accidentally retained), "I Don't Care" (Bree), "I've Got the World on the String" (Charlotte Preston), "…Cowhand" (which I sang w/ David's guitar), "Video Killed…" (David + Karen's son Nate), and, once again, the closing "Happy Trails." Stuck around a little for piano karaoke w/ Joe McGinty (sang "Psycho Killer"), cab home, cold still lingering enough to be exhausted, lights out by 11:30.