I got to hang out backstage with Etta James at a music festival I was covering for The Paper. The Russian River Jazz Festival, I think. There was also a RR Blues Festival which I also covered. Paper editor Nick Valentine said to go hang out backstage and take lots of photos of musicians.
Gulp. I was shy and I hardly knew anyone—let alone, knew if they were famous. Or what for. I was a complete naïf. Lots of down time between sets. Lots of time to hang out and talk about poetry and music. I was working as an artist in the schools at Mark West School and I gave them some kid poetry anthologies I made.
I think Etta was headlining the same year Dave Brubeck and Blossom Dearie were on the stage. I remember chatting with pianist Adam Mankowitz, and Bob Doboro—he had me at Do Not Remove Under Penalty of Law. A song about a mattress tag, FFS, She did her famous song—what's it called? Not At Last, though she did sing it. The one that has the chiki-chiki bits in it—in Lebanese? No, that was Eartha Kitt, another fabulous musician I got to hang out with backstage. Crossed wires. Shows you what I knew about jazz musicians.
I knew zip and zilch about jazz, but Dave took me under his wing, and introduced me around as a poet. I was thrilled. It also made my job much easier with the camera, which can be intrusive. I am not interested in photos where people pose for the camera. I prefer catching candid images of them in action, that passionate moment where there is a rapport with them, their art form, between me, the camera, the film, and the photo. A marriage of light and shadow.
Somewhere I have a letter from Dave Brubeck commending my photos and story of the Russian River Jazz Fest in The Paper. Somewhere. And no, I don’t have a tear sheet of that story. but he did write to me personally as well, letting me know that he had sent the letter in to the paper. I was flummoxed and flabbergasted and proud as I got paid next to nothing for my work, especially my photos. I never could even pay for my supplies.
I remember when I was about 5 or 6, my mom explaining to me what Take Five meant—we were in the Gate Playhouse theater in Sausalito. After a rehearsal, the director, Skip Rognlein said: "Take 5." I guess she also must’ve explained the context for Dave Brubeck's piece too because I knew the two were inexorably linked.
I remember the album cover from when I was four. Apparently, I loved that album cover so much I carried it around with me. Dave was from Concord, Ca., so, everybody knew each other in those days. It was a small world. When Dave played that piece, I was transported back in time. I told him later of that story, he threw back his head and laughed and laughed.
Take Five Etta and Johnny. Few know that Johnny Otis discovered and promoted Etta James.
https://mohurley.blogspot.com/1983/11/letter-from-dave-brubeck.html
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