Tag Archives: Keith Richards

Roundup: At-Home COVID Kits, Tree Recycling, Keith Richards …

Posted on December 29, 2021 | 11 comments

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The State of Connecticut has procured 500,000 at-home COVID test kits; each contains 2 tests. Westport’s allotment 3,420 kits.

The kits will be distributed to Westport residents tomorrow (Thursday, December 30) at Staples High School, beginning at 1 p.m.

Each vehicle will receive 2 kits, on a first-come, first-served basis. A driver’s license will be required to receive the test kits.

As early as next week, the state will also distribute N95 masks. Details are still being finalized.

Connecticut Public Health Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani says:

I strongly encourage people to limit gathering sizes during this holiday week. Because of the scarcity of these kits, I ask residents to please take only the kits that you need for your immediate family so that we can distribute as many as possible to help flatten the Omicron curve.

Residents testing positive via the home test should stay home or isolate for 5 days if asymptomatic, followed by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others. There is no need to obtain a follow up PCR test.

Given the highly infectious nature of the Omicron variant, it is vital to wear a mask both in public, and when interacting in close contact with individuals outside of your household. For the latest CDC guidelines, please click here.

Westport Public Schools families should report positive COVID cases of students using the district’s reporting voicemail or email (click here for details). It is not necessary to report positive results from at-home testing to the Westport Weston Health District. (Hat tip: Ernie Lorimer)

An at-home COVID test.

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COVID did not stop you from buying a Christmas tree.

And it won’t stop Boy Scout Troop 39 from hauling yours away, either.

The Scouts’ annual tree pick-up project — one of the town’s most-awaited post-New Year’s events — is set for Saturday, January 8.

It’s simple: First you register (click here).

Then put your tree by your mailbox by 6:30 a.m. on January 8. Tape an envelope with a donation (suggested: $20 per tree) to your front door (cash or check, payable to “Boy Scout Troop 39”).

They’ll do the rest. Scout’s honor! (Hat tip: Jenny Rago McCarthy)

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This has been a tough year for many. It’s been especially difficult for the Colletti family.

Chuck and Roe Colletti have been active with Westport organizations, events and charities since 1974. Their daughter Cassie is married to Sean Mecsery. They have 2 children, 6 and 2 years old. For the past 2 years Sean has battled stage 4 brain cancer for 2 years.

They’ve shuttled between hospitals on both coasts for surgeries, chemotherapy radiation and trial medications. It’s been brutal.

Cassie has been strong, focused and committed throughout the ordeal. Meanwhile, she’s managed Sean’s family’s business — Cos Cob TV & Audio — to help keep the family afloat. COVID has made that especially hard.

Many daily medications and infusions are not covered by insurance. A GoFundMe page has been set up, to help. To donate, click here.

Sean and Cassie Colletti Mecsery, with their kids.

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The “06880” tagline is “Where Westport meets the world.”

It doesn’t get more global than this.

Bert Spenkelink lives in Amsterdam. He loves the Rolling Stones. He has 25,000 photos of them in his library, and posts about them often on Instagram.

He just uploaded this one:

The photographer — uncredited — took this shot of Keith and his daughter Theodora the other day, at Sherwood Island State Park.

Avid “06880” reader (and Stones fan) Fred Cantor sent it along to me. He got it from our former Staples High School classmate Alan Bravin, who now lives in California.

So, to be clear: A fan in the Netherlands found this photo of Weston’s most famous resident, celebrating the holidays in Westport — and it came to me, a couple of miles from where it was taken, by someone on the West Coast.

Happy holidays, Bert, Fred, Alan, Keith and Theodora!

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As reported on “06880” last month, Savannah Bee has left its hive.

The Bedford Square store — which branched out from (great) honey products to become both an educational center and gathering place for ecologically minded Westporters — was shut by the owners of the largely Southern chain.

There’s a big hole in the heart of Church Lane today. No word yet on what will fill that very sweet spot.

Meanwhile, just a few feet away, Franny’s Farmacy closes Friday (December 31). Click here for details, reported earlier this month on “06880.”

It too is for rent.

The former Savannah Bee. (Photo/Sal Liccione)

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Fourth-generation Westporter Jonathan Maddock died December 19, after fighting a courageous battle against ALS. He kept his positive attitude and wonderful sense of humor until the end. He was 66 years old.

Jon grew up here surrounded by the love and friendship of his grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins,  sisters and parents Larry and Fran Maddock, who he believed were the best parents anyone could have.

Jon loved the outdoors, and enthusiastically embraced life. He bicycled more than 5,000 miles from Westport to California and back, alone. He served as commodore of the Sandy Hook (New Jersey) Catamaran Club, sailing and racing catamarans.

He skied, mountain biked, ran long distances, ice skated, and enjoyed trout and fly fishing. He was an avid photographer of nature, as well as silly things. Jon was a skilled woodworker, building furniture and special wooden boxes as Christmas gifts. He loved listening to music, played trombone (which he laughingly balanced on his nose), and long ago enjoyed being part of the Fred Robinson Big Band.

Jon graduated from Staples in 1973, then from the University of Maine in 1977. After following a variety of career paths he and his family settled in Wolfeboro. New Hampshire, where he was employed as senior designer at Lars Heating Systems. He worked there for 20 years, and made good friends who supported him through his ALS journey.

Jon is survived by his wife Karen; daughter Kelsey; loving sisters Becky (Ray) Racine, Judy Anderson and Sandy Hasket, and many nieces an nephews and good friends. He was predeceased by his parents.

Until the end Jon was was loving, kind, understanding, compassionate, smart, funny and brave. To help carry on Jon’s fight to stop ALS, click here.

Jon Maddock (Photo/Barbara Marks)

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For a few days now, a Christmas tree has dangled from a crane over the boatyard near the railroad station.

(Photo/Nancy Vener)

There must be a back story. But I sure don’t know it. If you do, click “Comments” below.

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We like serene scenes for our “Westport … Naturally” feature — especially at the end of this chaotic year.

It doesn’t get more calming than this:

(Photo/Bobbi Essagof)

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And finally … in honor of the Keith Richards/Amsterdam/California story (above):

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Posted in Beach, Downtown, Entertainment, Local business, Obituaries, Saugatuck

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Harvey Brooks: A Bassist’s View From The Bottom

Posted on July 21, 2020 | 6 comments

It sounds like a New York Times “Styles” section wedding story.

Growing up in 1950s Queens, Bonnie and Harvey were friends. But she only dated college guys. He figured she was out of his league.

In the late ’80s, after life’s twists and turns for both — Bonnie contacted Harvey. They reconnected, a bit awkwardly at first. It took a while for Bonnie’s daughters to warm up to this new man. She herself was not ready to commit to a guy who had lived all around the world, and still enjoyed a free, unfettered life.

But they had great chemistry. Harvey moved into Bonnie’s Compo Road North home. Her girls eventually came to love him too. They lived happily ever after, even after they moved — first to Arizona, then to Israel.

Bonnie and Harvey Brooks

It’s a charming tale. It becomes even more intriguing when you learn that Bonnie Behar was well-known locally, as marketing director for Bridgeport’s Discovery Museum, and a Cablevision public access coordinator covering arts and politics.

And that Harvey is Harvey Brooks, a bass guitarist.

You may not have heard his name. But you sure have heard his music.

Harvey has played and/or recorded with Jimi Hendrix, Richie Havens, Stephen Stills, John Sebastian, Seals & Crofts, Mama Cass Elliot, Boz Scaggs, Judy Collins, Loudon Wainright III, Phoebe Snow, John Cale, Phil Ochs, Al Kooper, Mavis Staples, and Peter, Paul and Mary.

Al Kooper, Buddy Miles and Harvey Brooks at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival. Miles and Brooks were the rhythm section for The Electric Flag, which debuted at the festival and inspired Kooper to form Blood, Sweat and Tears. (Photo by Pat Murphy)

He’s featured on Miles Davis’“Bitches Brew,” the best-selling jazz album of all time. He laid down some of the most famous lines in music history — including “Like a Rolling Stone” — and his work was the hook on the Doors’ “Touch Me.”

On July 4 (his birthday), Harvey published a memoir. “View From the Bottom: 50 Years of Bass Playing with Bob Dylan, the Doors, Miles Davis and Everybody Else” is a music-lover’s romp, from Greenwich Village to Monterey Pop. What could sound like name-dropping is instead a fascinating look behind the scenes of some of rock, jazz, folk and pop’s most memorable moments.

Harvey is the real deal.

But this is “06880,” so I’ll focus on the chapters that deal with Westport.

The globe-trotting musician settled down to life as a suburban stepdad. He drove Bonnie’s daughters to school. He went to yard sales. But he always came back to music.

At one of those yard sales, for example, he saw Weston resident Keith Richards. Harvey’s around-the-corner neighbor was Eric von Schmidt, who he knew from his folk days at Boston’s Club 47. Bonnie threw him a surprise birthday party at Eric’s bocce court; Keith, famed songwriter/session musician Danny Kortchmar, and legendary local guitarist Charlie Karp came too.

I wanted to know more about Harvey’s Westport life. Responding from Israel, he talked about his friendships with music industry heavyweights like Chance Browne, Gail and Terry Coen, and rock photographer Michael Friedman.

Writer Max Wilk and his artist wife Barbara were friends. Max was also a jazz musician. Harvey played at one of his Westport Arts Center concerts. They wrote a country song together: “You Can’t Cut a Deal With Jesus.”

Harvey had a side gig, teaching young musicians. He must have been great: Staples High School grads Dan Asher, Trevor Coen and Merritt Jacobs have all gone on to professional careers.

Harvey had a fulfilling life in suburbia. He and Bonnie now enjoy Israel. It’s a world away from Queens — but then, so was Westport.

He is certainly not without a home. And — after more than half a century in the studio and on stage, and now with the publication of his book — Harvey Brooks is definitely not a complete unknown.

(To order “View From the Bottom,” click here.)

6 Comments

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3 Million Records — In Westport?

Posted on January 10, 2020 | 23 comments

A few days ago, the New York Times ran a story about the Archive of Contemporary Music. The non-profit houses one of the world’s largest collections of popular music: over 3 million recordings, plus music books, memorabilia and press kids.

There are “shelves upon shelves upon shelves of vinyl records and CDs, signed Johnny Cash records… boxes of big band recordings, world music and jazz and original soundtracks.”

Keith Richards

It also holds the bulk of Keith Richards’ famed blues collection. (He’s on the board of advisers.)

But rising TriBeCa rents are forcing the mammoth collection elsewhere. They’ve got until June to find a new space.

Nile Rodgers —  the record producer and co-founder of the band Chic — is also on the Archive’s board.

Which raises an intriguing idea, first proposed by alert “06880” reader Jeff Mitchell. With those 2 luminaries so involved — and living in Westport and Weston, along with other great recording artists like Michael Bolton and Jose Feliciano, not to mention our long musical history of legendary concerts from Bo Diddley to the Doors; REO Speedwagon writing 157 Riverside about their time here; Johnny Winter and Joe Cocker recording and rehearsing in Westport — why not invite the Archive of Contemporary Music to set up shop here?

I’m (semi) serious. We already have a Museum of Contemporary Art (formerly the Westport Arts Center). a Westport Museum for History and Culture (most recently the Westport Historical Society), plus the Westport Country Playhouse (unchanged after 90 years). This would be one more cultural attraction.

Where would they go? That’s for wiser heads than mine to decide. But we do have an unused building sitting smack in the middle of Baron’s South.

And we keep talking about all those vacant stores on Main Street…

New home of the Archive of Contemporary Music? (Photos/Chip Stephens)

23 Comments

Posted in Arts, Downtown, Entertainment, Organizations, People

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Lachat Lets Loose

Posted on September 29, 2019 | 7 comments

Sure, you weren’t invited to Keith Richards’ daughter’s wedding.

Neither was I.

But us peons can still hang out there. Or at least at Lachat Town Farm, the site of the biggest event in Weston since, um, ever.

Lachat is a grassroots, volunteer-run initiative. It began when officials decided to tear down a 1770s homestead that had been deeded to the town by dairy farmer Leon Lachat.

But a group of citizens had a vision: turn the beautiful 40-acre site back into a farm.

Friends of Lachat raised enough money to restore the farmhouse. It opened in 2016.

Since then, Lachat Town Farm has become a local gathering place. A 50-plot community garden was built. A grant paid for a greenhouse. A large dairy barn was also restored.

Once a month in summer, an early evening farmer’s market with live music, children’s crafts and food trucks draws a crowd. Music in the Meadow concerts feature a variety of performances. In the winter, there’s a Fireside Concert series. Adult and children’s programs range from tai chi to pickle making.

Lachat Town Farm

It’s all done without tax dollars. The Farm is self-funded through programs, donations, grants and fundraisers.

Lachat’s major annual fundraiser is this Saturday (October 5, 4 to 8 p.m.). All ages are invited to a country barbecue and hoedown. Renowned square dance caller Eric Hollman will be accompanied by the Flying Fingers Jug Band.

The ticket price includes dinner from Odeen’s Barbecue of Ridgefield, plus wine and beer. There are no tickets at the door; click here for reservations.

NOTE: Keith Richards’ family donated $15,000 to Lachat, after the wedding. It was a great gift — but hardly enough to keep the farm operating.

Saturday’s event is great — and important.

Wild horses shouldn’t drag you away.

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Weston Gets Some Satisfaction

Posted on September 8, 2019 | 19 comments

“06880” seldom covers weddings. Even celebrity ones.

And it’s rare that we venture beyond our town borders. Even for a celebrity wedding.

But it’s not every day that Keith Richards’ daughter gets married next door.

Alexandra Richards is a celebrity in her own right. She’s following in the footsteps of her mother: Supermodel Patti Hansen is married to the Rolling Stones’ guitarist.

Theodora, Keith and Alexandra Richards. This photo is NOT from the wedding reception.

But she’s still a local girl. According to the New York Post:

Although both of their parents were international superstars, the Richards girls were raised in quiet Connecticut, where Keith and Patti still live, and where Alexandra and her director-cinematographer fiancé Jacques Naude, who hails from South Africa, go on the weekends to get away from fast-paced NYC.

“I loved growing up there,” she says. “A lot of people think I was raised in LA, but I’m like, ‘Noooo. I’m a Northeastern kinda chick.’ We had this little house in the woods, and we were so disconnected from the hustle and bustle. Although I didn’t know what that meant until we were obviously a lot older. Now I’m running home every weekend to my parents, like, ‘We’ll cook for you!’ It’s cozy. I’m a family girl.”

Alexandra loves Weston so much, it’s where she decided to get married. The reception was held last night at Lachat Town Farm.

An alert “06880” reader joined neighbors who watched from a distance. The Richards’ house is not far to the farm. Golf carts shuttled guests from the house. Other people arrived by small buses, earlier in the day.

The neighbors — who got their information from security guards — said the main course was lamb. Cheers could be heard, apparently during speeches and toasts.

The wedding tent at Lachat Farm.

Two people said Richards paid the town $15,000 to rent the farm, and another $20,000 for improvements.

Guards also said they did not think Mick Jagger was there.

A few of the people watching had garden plots at Lachat. They had been miffed at being discouraged from visiting their plots for a few days, as the site was readied for the reception.

Their spirits rose when they found out why. One woman said, “Alexandra could have had her wedding anywhere in the world, but she chose our little farm. What a feather in the town’s cap.”

Our correspondent did not have any information on the band that provided dance music.

Or whether the father of the bride joined in.

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Charlie Karp Tribute: A Levitt Concert For The Ages

Posted on June 19, 2019 | 5 comments

The Levitt Pavilion has been the site of countless great concerts.

But in its over-40-year history, it’s never hosted — on one night — artists who have played with the Beatles, Doors, Michael Jackson, Sting, Elton John, Van Morrison, Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, Linda Ronstadt, The Band, Pete Seeger, Smokey Robinson, Rascals, Aerosmith, Buddy Miles, Billy Joel, James Taylor, Elvis Costello, James Brown, Jon Bon Jovi, Cheech & Chong, Michael Bolton, Barry Manilow, Herbie Hancock, Liza Minelli, Cher, Marvin Gaye, Chaka Khan, Mamas and the Papas, Paul Simon, Foreigner, Grand Funk Railroad, Eartha Kitt, Dave Brubeck, Whitney Houston, Roberta Flack, Lenny Kravitz, Chuck Mangione, Harry Chapin, Arlo Guthrie, Bee Gees, Edgar Winter, Grace Slick, Jefferson Starship, John Sebastian, Joe Cocker, Ted Nugent, Mötley Crue, Boz Scaggs, Amy Grant, Sinéad O’Connor, Vince Gill, Carole King, Orleans, Johnny Winter, Emmylou Harris, Chieftains, Lou Reed, Joan Jett, Larry Coryell, Rosanne Cash, Buckwheat Zydeco, Shawn Colvin, Julio Iglesias, Michael McDonald, Luther Vandross, Usher, Jean-Luc Ponty, Jose Féliciano, Herb Alpert, Bad Company, Paul Winter, Taj Mahal, Badfinger, Rick Derringer, Blue Oyster Cult, James Cotton, Bruce Hornsby, Spyro Gyra, Muddy Waters, Eric Weissberg, Wynton Marsalis, New York Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops Orchestra, Vicki Sue Robinson, Aztec Two-Step and James Montgomery.

Just to name a few.

The key is: Nearly all of the musicians who played with those greats also played with Charlie Karp.

And on Saturday, July 6 (7 p.m., Levitt Pavilion) they’ll honor Charlie’s memory, rocking a sure-to-be memorable concert for the ages.

Charlie Karp, in his Buddy Miles days.

Charlie left Staples High School at 16 to play guitar with Buddy Miles. He hung and played with Jimi Hendrix and Keith Richards, and wrote songs for Joan Jett and Joe Perry, before returning home to earn a fanatic following with bands like Dirty Angels, White Chocolate, Slo Leak and the Name Droppers.

He simultaneously earned Emmys as a producer of music for sports networks, documentaries and feature films, and became a guitar teaching mentor to generations of aspiring young stars.

Charlie died in March, at 65. He had been diagnosed a few days earlier with liver cancer.

Nearly everyone who ever played with Charlie — and a few other big names who were influenced by him — will appear together on the Levitt stage. Over 70 strong, they’ll reimagine the rock and R&B Charlie recorded, played and loved so much.

The mammoth, not-to-be-missed show includes Barry Tashian. Seven years older than Charlie, he fronted the Remains. They opened for the Beatles on their final 1966 tour, and were — in the words of legendary critic Jon Landau — “how you told a stranger about rock ‘n’ roll.”

The Remains were a major influence on Charlie. He and good friend Brian Keane — now a Grammy-winning composer and producer — played their songs in a Coleytown Junior High band. Later, Charlie and Barry became friends.

The Remains’ Barry Tashian (left) and Vern Miller, while touring with the Beatles.

Barry has not played in Westport for several decades. He’s flying up from Nashville for this show.

The cast also includes Roger Ball of the Average White Band, Joe Bonadio of Sting, Michael Mugrage of Orleans, Motown recording artist Ada Dyer, Tim DeHuff and Roger Kaufman.

Of course, members of Charlie’s beloved bands from the ’60s through 2019 — guys like David Hull and Rick Castillo — will play too. The Fun Band, Slo Leak, White Chocolate, Dirty Angels and Name Droppers — it’s a trip down memory lane. And a reminder that great music never dies.

Charlie Karp (Photo/John Halpern)

Mandrake Root — a seminal Westport band — will reunite after 50 years. Tony Prior is coming from North Carolina to join in the jam.

The Reunion Band will be there too. Comprised entirely of Charlie’s classmates from Staples’ class of 1971 — all of them noted professional musicians — they were there with Charlie 2 years ago, for one of the Levitt’s best nights ever.

Charlie’s high school sweetheart, Debbie Sims, will introduce “I Still Love You Anyway.” Charlie wrote that song for her, on Buddy Miles’ iconic “Them Changes” album. It — and “Runaway Child,” which Charlie wrote with Buddy — will be performed by the popular local band, the 5 O’Clocks.

Joey Melotti will be there. The musical director for Michael Jackson and Michael Bolton had a huge Westport following with his 1980s band Sunsight.

Chris Coogan’s Good News Gospel Choir will round out the amazing evening.

Guitarist/producer/songwriter Danny Kortchmar can’t be there — he’s on tour with James Taylor and Carole King’s rhythm section. He sent a note to be read from the stage.

So did Keith Richards. He too is sorry he can’t attend. His band, the Rolling Stones, is out on tour.

Charlie Karp and Keith Richards. (Photo/Ray Flanigan)

Every musician is donating their time. Some turned down lucrative gigs to come.

Proceeds will benefit two organizations. The Charlie Karp Memorial Fund promotes promising area musicians, by offering studio time at the Carriage House in Stamford and Horizon in West Haven. The other beneficiary is the Levitt Pavilion.

That’s fitting. Charlie Karp played to adoring Levitt audiences many times.

On July 6, he’ll pack the place one more time.

(The Charlie Karp Tribute Concert is a ticketed event. Click here to purchase, and for more information.)

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Posted in Arts, Downtown, Entertainment, Organizations, People, Staples HS

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Doobies, Meatloaf, Buckwheat And Willie Share A Westport Stage

Posted on July 14, 2014 | 6 comments

On Sunday, Jose Feliciano lights a (figurative) fire under the new Levitt Pavilion stage.

The singer/guitarist/songwriter is a very appropriate act for the already-sold-out grand opening of the redesigned bandshell (and — be still, my heart and bladder) actual bathrooms. He’s popular, talented and a fantastic performer.

Jose Feliciano (Photo/David Bravo)

Jose Feliciano (Photo/David Bravo)

But the Weston resident — who is donating his fee back to the pavilion’s building fund — is hardly the 1st Very Big Name to appear at the Levitt. In fact, a look back at nearly 40 years of headliners reads like a Billboard Who’s Who.

Foreigner. Frankie Valli. The Doobie Brothers. Southside Johnny. Blues Traveler. Tom Jones. Don McLean. Kenny Loggins. Smokey Robinson. Roberta Flack. Tito Puente. Judy Collins. Al Hirt. Cab Calloway. Andy Williams. Ray Charles. Count Basie. Buddy Rich. All have performed benefit concerts (the only time the Levitt sells tickets, though some folks sit on Jesup Green and enjoy the concerts gratis).

Some artists did not have to travel far. In fact, they could have walked to the Levitt. Michael Bolton, Ashford & Simpson, Meatloaf, Corky Laing and Neil Sedaka are Westporters who headlined Levitt shows. Dave Brubeck lived in Wilton.

Keith Richards

Keith Richards

Weston’s Keith Richards made a memorable appearance at a Willie Nelson concert. (Willie drove here in his famed tour bus.) Keith ambled onstage with his guitar, said “I’ve always wanted to play with Willie,” and performed 2 memorable duets. You can’t make this stuff up.

Some of the shows were not as memorable — hey, it happens. The Drifters and Temptations may have included an actual Drifter and Tempt, but they were clearly past their sell-by date.

So were the Beach Boys, who had the misfortune of being moved to the stifling Staples fieldhouse because of bad weather.

Chuck Berry and Little Richard were the actual guys, but they too were a bit long in the tooth.

Yet those few dogs are more than overshadowed by the dozens of great shows. Not many suburban towns boast open-air, summer shows by Huey Lewis & the News, America, Dave Mason, the Four Tops, Dickey Betts, the Chieftains, Chuck Mangione, John Sebastian, Robert Goulet and Tony Bennett.

Buckwheat Zydeco

Buckwheat Zydeco

My favorite memory, though, may be Buckwheat Zydeco. It’s a long way from Louisiana to Westport, and this might have been the whitest audience he ever saw. But he and his band — with their accordion, guitar, keyboard and (my favorite) washboard — had hedge fund managers, housewives (and househusbands) dancing in the grassy aisles.

Those aisles are now re-sodded. There’s a new stage, concession stands, and (did I mention this earlier?) actual bathrooms.

On Sunday, there will also be Jose Feliciano. And the start of another 4 decades of remarkable entertainment, down by the river.

(No free tickets remain for Sunday’s Jose Feliciano concert. To join the wait list, email levitt@westportct.gov. The lawn opens to ticket-holders at 5 pm. Click the Levitt Pavilion website to see more upcoming attractions. )

 

 

 

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Fairfield Museum Unites Leonard Bernstein And Keith Richards

Posted on January 15, 2014 | 4 comments

In 2014, the town of Fairfield celebrates its founding 375 years ago.

And nothing says “1639” like rock ‘n’ roll, soul, jazz and show tunes.

The Fairfield Museum and History Center kicks off the 375th anniversary with a “Rockin’ Top Ten” exhibit. Among the area musicians honored: former Westporters Ashford & Simpson, and the Remains, a half-Westport band that still inspires awe nearly 50 years after touring with the Beatles.

The exhibit features rare photographs, videos and artifacts from other artists who lived next to Westport, and spent (or are spending) plenty of time here: Weston’s Keith Richards and Jose Feliciano; Wilton’s Dave Brubeck; Fairfield’s Leonard Bernstein, Richard Rodgers, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth (Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club), Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards Chic), and Donna Summer.

It’s safe to say that, before this exhibit, all of those names had never before appeared in the same sentence.

The Remains included Westporters Barry Tashian (3rd from right) and Bill Briggs (far right). Rock critic Jon Landau said the band was "how you told a stranger about rock and roll."

The Remains included Westporters Barry Tashian (3rd from left) and Bill Briggs (far left). Rock critic Jon Landau said the band was “how you told a stranger about rock and roll.”

Over the next 3 months the museum show — partially sponsored by Westporters Deej and Deborah Webb — will include musical performances, lectures, artist evenings, films and more.

It kicks off tomorrow (Thursday, January 16, 6 p.m.) with a show featuring Chris Frantz. Other events this year include appearances by Caravan of Thieves, Mystic Bowie and the Zambonis; a performance and lecture tracing the influential friendship between Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland; the story of Bridgeport’s once-famous Ritz Ballroom dance palace, and an evening with Jose Feliciano.

About the only thing missing is Hall and Oates.

(For more information click here, or call 203-259-1598.)

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Time Is On His Side

Posted on December 18, 2013 | 6 comments

Today is Keith Richards’ 70th birthday.

To celebrate, here’s one of my favorite Onion stories of all time. Published on July 6, 2012, and datelined “Weston, CT,” the headline says it all:

Keith Richards’ Housekeeper Has Braced Herself For Finding Dead Body Every Morning Since 1976

Here’s the story. But hold your fire!

  1. I love Keith Richards. I particularly love seeing him around town in his white Rolls, and more than once at — yes, it’s true — the drugstore.
  2. The Onion is satire.

WESTON, CT — Since her first day on the job in October 1976, Keith Richards’ housekeeper Rosemary Velasquez, 64, has mentally and emotionally prepared herself every single day to find the hard-living Rolling Stones guitarist lying dead somewhere in his home.

Keith Richards

Keith Richards

“Each morning before I leave for work, I look in the mirror, take a deep breath, and think to myself, ‘Rosemary, you could very well find Keith Richards’ dead body today,” Velasquez told reporters Thursday, adding that from the moment she was first hired by a “nearly comatose” Richards, she began steeling herself for the inevitable discovery of the guitarist’s wiry corpse in his bedroom or kitchen. “It’s never been a question of if I would find him dead, but where and how soon.”

Velasquez said her workday begins as she pulls into Richards’ driveway and braces herself for the potential sight of his stark-naked cadaver sprawled out on his front lawn. From there, after gathering her supplies, she takes a quick peek into the backyard, where she fears she will find Richards floating lifelessly face down in his swimming pool.

The housekeeper said that as she goes about her work, she takes a moment to collect herself before opening every door and pulling back each shower curtain. If a door is locked, she noted, she leaves it be and prays it’s not locked the next day.

According to Velasquez, anytime she smells an odor other than alcohol or stale cigarette smoke, she immediately imagines a scenario in which the odor gets stronger and stronger, leading her to a closet with a week-old dead body inside.

Keith Richards, back in the '60s.

Keith Richards, back in the ’60s.

“In the late ’70s, especially, there were a few close calls where I would find little droplets of Mr. Richards’ blood leading to his bedroom, and I would tell myself, ‘Today is the day,'” Velasquez said. “He’d usually be lying there with a needle sticking out of his arm, but somehow he would always still be breathing. So I would call an ambulance.”

“I’ve had to call 911 at least 30 times since I started working here,” she added. “I have to admit, over the years there’s been a lot more gunplay around this place than I’d care for.”

Besides resigning herself to one day discovering Richards’ corpse, the housekeeper of 36 years said she has also remained alert to the possibility of stumbling across the dead bodies of his bandmates and friends. She confirmed there have been several mornings on which she’s found a heap of naked bodies in the living room, all belonging to people who were unconscious but not dead….

The story goes on from there. To read the entire piece, click here. 

Happy 70th, Keith!

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Sally’s Place To Close; A Westport Era To End

Posted on July 11, 2013 | 57 comments

Sally White has been selling music on Main Street since 1956.

Sometime this summer, her song will finally end.

The beloved owner of Sally’s Place — the record/CD store where Keith Richards and Mary Travers shopped (and schmoozed) with Sally, and any other music lovers who wandered up the steps at 190 Main Street — is closing down.

She’s not sure when (probably later this summer). And she has no idea what she’ll do with the hundreds of posters, autographed photos and musical tchotchkes that line the way (maybe sell them?).

Sally White, standing underneath a photo of one of her all-time favorites: Frank Sinatra.

Sally White, standing underneath a photo of one of her all-time favorites: Frank Sinatra.

She does know, though, that she’ll leave a business she’s loved from her 1st day at Melody House, a few doors away, 57 years ago.

She also knows why she’s closing. The internet dragged too many customers away. The stagnant economy dragged business down further.

Sally’s Place has a niche in Westport that will never be replaced. I walked in this afternoon at the same time as another customer. She wanted a vinyl copy of “Rubber Soul.” Sally promised it would be in by Saturday.

When Melody House closed in the late ’50s, Stanley Klein offered her a job in his department store’s record section. Raising 2 sons alone, she said she could work only 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. She also told him how much she needed to be paid. He hired her on the spot.

She worked there for more than 20 years. Her gentle nature, loving presence and encyclopedic knowledge of music influenced generations of Westporters — myself included.

Sally's Place is at 190 Main Street -- on the right, just past Avery Place.

Sally’s Place is at 190 Main Street — on the right, just past Avery Place.

When Klein’s record department closed in 1985, she decided to open her own store. Her brother-in-law wrote a business plan. She showed it to the president of Westport Bank & Trust.

He gave it right back. “We don’t need it,” he said. He trusted her word.

She offered her house as collateral. He refused. He was happy to back Sally’s Place without it.

It’s been an “amazing” 27 years, Sally says. “The bank, the record companies, my landlord — everyone has been fantastic.”

Especially her customers. “They make me feel special,” says Sally. “But I’m just doing what I love.”

Another customer this afternoon asked Sally for a turntable needle. She handed him a phone number. “This is the Needle Doctor,” she said. “He has everything.”

Sally’s musical roots run deep. She’s seen Frank Sinatra on stage. Also Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw.

Brubeck and Gerry Mulligan were close friends. So are many customers who never played a note. All are bound by a love of music — and the treasure that is Sally.

Sally doing what she loves most: interacting with one customer. Another one browses in back.

Sally doing what she loves: interacting with a customer. Another browses in back.

“I’ve been working since I was 14,” Sally says. “I’ve been a part of this town for a long time. This is my heart and soul. I wouldn’t trade places with anyone.”

She’s survived as long as she has on special orders. Bluegrass compilations, rap, the “Roar of the Greasepaint” soundtrack — all are hand-written, in old-school logbooks. People find her from around the country.

She does not charge for mailing. “It’s my way of saying thanks,” she says.

As if on cue, a customer requested “old Polish-American polka music” for a wedding. She mentioned a composer. “S-t-u-r-r,” Sally spelled. “Right!” the woman said.

There is plenty of new vinyl -- and CDs, and random stuff, and musical knowledge -- at Sally's Place.

There is plenty of new vinyl — and CDs, random stuff, and musical knowledge — at Sally’s Place.

She does not stock Lady Gaga. “You can get that at Walmart for 10 bucks,” she says.

You can get it online, too — along with virtually everything Sally sells. Which is why she has written this message (by hand):

After 27 years of business I have decided to retire. The economy and internet sales have made it impossible for me to continue.

I thank you for your support, and hope you wish me well in retirement. I’ll miss you.

“Quick and easy,” she says. “I don’t need the schmaltz.”

But we need to say “thank you” to Sally White. Please hit “Comments” to share  your memories, or offer praise.

And then — whether you’re a longtime admirer, a former customer who faded away, or someone who always meant to stop by but never did — go see Sally.

She’ll be glad to see you.

And her broad, loving smile will make your day.

(Click here to read a previous post about Sally’s Westport Arts Center award.)

Back to the Basics: A Portrait of Sally White from Claire Bangser.

 

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Posted in Arts, Economy, Entertainment, Local business, Looking back, People

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