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What's Up 05/20/11 Last year was one of my busiest ever. I toured the USA and Japan, played a slew of Canadian festivals and made two trips to Holland to work on a recording project. As briefly as I can, I’ll give you a rundown of last year’s activities… In March, I traveled to Vancouver for a Mississippi Sheiks Tribute, a two-day event that teamed me up with old friends John Hammond, Dave Alvin, Van Dyke Parks et al. Lots of fun and no hassles, thanks to bandleader Steve Dawson and concert promoters Fiona Black and Kevin Mooney. These guys know how to put on a show. Later in the month I traveled to Austin, TX to play the Austin Music Awards Show with The Texas Sheiks. As you may already know, this band is very dangerous. I love playing with these musical treasures. It’s like hopping a freight train and letting 'er ride. The album, "Texas Sheiks," still holds up well in my mind. If I were a salesman type I’d urge you to buy a copy if you don’t already own one… but I’m not. Those Incredible Texas Sheiks...
In May I headed east to play a few dates with Jim Kweskin in Newport RI, Cambridge, MA, Saratoga, NY, and Stockton, NJ... all prime stuff. Playing with Jim is way easy, not like hopping a freight train in this case. More like lying in a hammock. When he straps on that guitar he gets comfortable. It’s just that simple. He’s so relaxed when he plays, he could just as well be tying his shoes or eating mashed potatoes. As Frank Stokes once said, “Ah, it’s so easy to be easy when you are easy.” During this jaunt I also found time to visit friends in Maine, record frogs and birds in the Berkshire Mountains (more about that at another time), work on my chamber music in Washington, DC, and visit my family and friends on Martha' Vineyard. After The Vineyard, now early June, I was off to Amsterdam to rehearse with my chamber ensemble. We’re rehearsing for an album that will consist (generally) of my original compositions as settings for poetry, and arrangements of American jazz and blues classics. I’ve really lucked out with this group of accomplished musicians. These folks can play – in the words of Bob Dylan – “…the bird off the wire and the rubber off the tire.” For all their talent and craft, though, they do not hold it over me. They are tolerant of my shortcomings and very eager to swing.
Amsterdam Rehearsal Jan-Erik Altena-Lans – Violin We needed a banjo for the rehearsals in A’dam so I rented one at Palm Guitars. This funky little shop is owned by an ex-pat Dane named Søren Venema. Søren collects some pretty wild instruments and musical memorabilia. The store is so cluttered that it’s almost impossible to navigate without bumping into something. One suspects he has rigged it so that anyone who dares tiptoe around the place is bound to cause recompensable damage. “You break it, you own it.” But it is not so. It’s just a funky store. Søren is a very cool guy with an extra-dry wit. Here’s a picture of my album producer, Gert-Jan Blom, trying out a bass banjo (or balalaika or mandolin) while I, Alet (a member of my Dutch Family) and Søren observe. Actually Søren seems to be acting like he has nothing to do with the whole thing…
Outside of Søren Venema’s Shop – Palm Guitars
After a very productive time in Amsterdam and the usual good fun to boot, I headed back to The States for another couple of gigs with Kweskin in Chicago and Minneapolis. Then I headed home for a brief 4-day rest. Back up to Canada, where I performed again at Capilano College, this time with Jim. Mississippi Sheiks Tribute Project bandleader, Steve Dawson, sat in with us on a few tunes, as expected, had no problem with anything we played. Once again, the production team of Fiona Black and Kevin Mooney made everything real easy. We drew a lot Vancouver geezers out for this one… eh? Jim flew home and I hung out in Vancouver for a couple of days before flying to the Winnipeg Folk Festival. There I met up with old friend, Randy Woods, an extra-special poet and performer. I don’t know how he puts up with the place – the brutal winters and hot buggy summers. But Randy has an enviable mien with sharp features and a weathered look that only comes from braving the elements. So the Canadian prairies must be agreeing with him. The Winnipeg Folk Festival is huge… seventy-five thousand blissful, sunburned Canadians having a great time in the out of doors with their little pals, the mosquitoes (actually, they weren’t so bad this year). I played solo performances and as a member of the Mississippi Sheiks Tribute Project band. In addition to the core lineup led by Steve Dawson, w/ Daniel Lapp (fiddle, mandolin, and trumpet), Keith Lowe (bass) and Matt Chamberlain (drums), we were joined by a gospel group called The Sojourners, plus Del Ray and Alvin Youngblood Hart. Quite a group I’d say. The big surprise for me, though, was the appearance of Debashish Bhattacharya on our workshop. Debashish is from Calcutta. He plays a self-invented slide guitar w/ extra Indian bobtrilling extraspantial doodly-bops on it (or whatever they are). This guy can go real deep, but he also possesses a smart, lighthearted humor. We all joined him for his version of Santo & Johnny’s “Sleep Walk.” (Later in the year I would play the same tune in Japan with Amos Garrett) After the Winnipeg Festival, I flew home to LA for a week and a half, then returned to Canada for the Calgary Folk Festival. I’d never spent much time in Calgary, and certainly hadn’t seen it since the tar sands oil boom of recent years. The festival housed performers in a fairly posh downtown hotel, and after a few days of walking the nearby streets lined with corporate headquarters, banks and law firms, I’d have to say that if I were a hooker, I’d move to Calgary. The festival has a beautiful permanent home on Prince’s Island Park jutting out onto the Bow River. I hooked up again with the Mississippi Sheiks Tribute Project band and, in addition to Del Ray’s reappearance for our show, we were joined this time by Robin Holcomb who, incidentally, performed the spookiest “I’ve Got Blood in My Eyes For You” I’ve ever heard. I also played workshops as a solo and had a particularly good one with Ian Tyson, Tom Russell and a painfully good-looking Alberta cowboy named Corb Lund. I would look out into the audience from time to time and notice that all the women were gawking in my direction. This felt pretty good until I noticed that they weren’t looking at me at all. I was sitting next to Corb. I tend to bump into Russell from time to time, but I hadn’t seen Ian in ages. After leaving the Toronto country/folk scene in the 70s, he’s been living his dream, ranching and raising horses on the high Alberta prairies. It shows. He’s a rough-cut and handsome man. Ian’s got some wear and tear and an edge to his voice, but he’s gained in timing, conviction and authenticity. When he sang on the workshop, I listened to every word and I believed him. That’s most of the deal right there, isn’t it? After the Calgary Festival finished up, my old band mate, Amos Garrett (Butterfield’s Better Days), picked me up at my hotel and we drove south to High River, Alberta, a small, peaceful town. Amos lives there in a charming house on a charming street with his charming wife, Denise. We rehearsed diligently for the upcoming Canmore Folk Festival the next weekend as well as our upcoming fall tour of Japan. You may know Amos from his guitar work with Maria Muldaur on “Midnight at the Oasis,” but that’s only a small part of what he’s put out there in the way of extraordinarily unique and tasteful guitar work. No one plays like Amos. No one. He can really sing too, with those low dulcet tones. The drive High River to Canmore, at the foot of the Canadian Rockies, was stunningly beautiful...
Canmore – Three Sisters
I’d played the Canmore Festival before so it was great to be back, and to see director Ken Rooks and his warm-hearted crew again. This is a sweet little festival. From the various stages, I could look past the audience and up into the mountains. One can’t be too uptight in these circumstances. Performer highlights for me were a hot jazz guitarist named Mark Atkinson, Texas singer/songwriter Ruthie Foster, a French Canadian string band named Le Vent du Nord and that All-New-Orleans-All-The-Time singer, John Boutté. John is a Creole from the Seventh Ward. He sings with a soulful style that will thrill you. He’s not easy to catch, though, unless you go to New Orleans because John likes to stay home, close to the source. Now that he’s raking in the coin from singing the Treme TV show theme, it’s even harder to get him to leave New Orleans. Some people are like that. I remember Better Days member, Ronnie Barron (from Algiers, LA across the river from N.O.), telling me about a conversation he had had with Alan Toussaint who was living in New Orleans with no intentions of ever leaving. Alan asked Ronnie where he was living and Ronnie told him Los Angeles. Then Alan replied, “Well, Ronnie, if you have enough New Orleans in you that you can live in LA, then that’s alright.” Amos and I headed back to High River after the festival, this time on a route more beautiful than the last – over mountain passes to the Bow Valley, and along rivers where Amos spends much of his spare time fishing. Along the way, we stopped in Longview, Alberta and I picked up a nice leg of lamb for dinner. The girl who sold me the lamb had entered it (the whole lamb, not just the leg) in the local 4H Roundup. I asked her if the lamb had had a name. She looked nervously (if not sheepishly) downward, then turned to her mother who, having already heard my question, gave me a cold stare. It was time to pay up and get back on the road… After a few more days of rehearsing in High River, Amos and I headed up to Edmonton for yet another festival. The Edmonton Folk Festival is a big one like Winnipeg… with tens of thousands attending, here packed into a natural grass-covered bowl right in the city. I played with The Mississippi Sheiks Tribute Project band again, also as a solo and in duet with Amos. There was plenty to do. I caught a few acts, but it wasn’t as easy this time. John Hammond was part of the Sheiks Project workshop and it was great to see him again. He really throws himself into each song. After all these years, he could be doing it all by rote, but he isn’t. John’s conviction really draws people in. On this workshop – slightly out of his wheelhouse -– he sang a hokum tune called “Rag Mama” which I thought was in the sole jurisdiction of Jim Kweskin, but evidently not. John nailed it pretty good. Another friend, Van Dyke Parks, joined us on the workshop and presented his sophisticated musical renderings with pizzazz. Van Dyke's an engaging character with a high-IQ humor and he's a pro's pro. Mr. Parks has done it all, or at least a good portion of it; sung in choirs, acted in Hollywood movies, written scores for TV, stage and film, been a record company exec and producer, authored children’s books, recorded his own albums and collaborated with scores of noted musicians. But he remains a workaday guy, self-effacing and about as funny as anyone can be and still maintain credibility. He’s out and about in the world now, performing in Japan, Europe, Australia and the North America. I’m proud to say that my daughter, Clare, and her husband, Olivier Manchon, share the stage with Van Dyke at a good number of those performances.
Geoff & Van Dyke at The Edmonton Folk Festival
I also hooked up with Howard Johnson and Larry Campbell at the festival. They were both playing in Levon Helm’s band, so I found them in the backstage dressing area and we spent some time lollygaggin’ and reminiscing. I first met Howard during the “Better Days” recordings in Woodstock. It was he who wrote those incredible horn charts for my performance of “Please, Send Me Someone to Love” and for Ronnie Barron’s “I Broke My Baby’s Heart.” We’ve worked together off and on over the years since then. I met Larry when I was doing my first documentary film score for “We Dig Coal.” Once again, the sessions were in Woodstock. He played everything just the way I wanted it whether he was playing guitar, fiddle, mandolin, whatever. Larry Cambell is definitely the Jerry Adair of American Roots music. Later that evening, Howard and Larry joined Levon and the rest of his band for an inspirational musical performance. Now that’s one show I could not miss. Levon squeaked and scratched a bit on his vocals, due to physical misfortunes of the throat, but it didn’t matter. He had his heart and soul in everything he did. When he’s at the drums, I can’t take my eyes off him. On every backbeat, Levon lifts himself off his seat, raises his left arm and shoulder, cocks his gloved hand and fires it at the snare drum, every shot a catharsis. It’s as if his life depends on it. I flew home from Canada mid-August and had a little time off until flying east again in early September to join up with Kweskin. We played a gig in Northampton, MA and then joined up with The Texas Sheiks at the Rhythm & Roots Festival in “little old” Rhode Island. This was a small, but hip festival. The Sheiks were strong on stage and well received. Jim and I did a Jug Band workshop after the Sheiks’ set and the tent was jammed with “old people and their parents” (Martin Mull). How do those geezers find us? Actually, there were folks there of all ages. Don’t know how that happened. In any case, I got a little weepy with all the love flying around the place. Members of the Sheiks – Suzy, Johnny and Bruce – sat in with us, which only made things even better. After Rhode Island, Jim and I had a couple of more festivals to do; the Sisters Folk Festival in Sisters, OR – a very cozy scene indeed – and the Louisville Jug Band Jubilee where we received lifetime achievement awards. After Louisville I flew home, then took off for Japan the next day. Whew!
2010 Geoff and Amos Poster by “Ashura”
I’ve written about my Japan trips before so I will not go on too much about this one. I’ll relate less about events and more about the people who make these trips interesting. Very few “Gaijin” (foreigner) artists have had the good fortune to tour the full extent of Japan. Most acts just play Tokyo and Osaka and maybe a couple of other major cities in the center of Honshu. But Amos and I have been very lucky over the years, playing and exploring Japan from stem to stern. This particular trip took us as far south as Kirishima near the southern tip of Kyushu (southern island) to the little village of Tsurui (near Kushiro) on the northern island of Hokkaido, a distance of over a thousand miles. We returned to some of the long established clubs in Japan: “Thumbs Up” in Yokohama, “Tokuzo” in Nagoya, “Mokkiriya” in Kanazawa, “Taku Taku” in Kyoto and “Satin Doll” in Sendai. The owners of these venues are sentimental characters, in it for the love of the music. Without these guys there would be no place for acts like ours. Our promoter and driver was Hiroshi Asada. We’ve worked with Hiroshi in various iterations since 1978. Over the years he’s brought some fine musicians to Japan; Doc Watson, David Linley, Maria Muldaur, Levon Helm, Dr. John, Donny Fritz, Dan Hicks, to name a few. Hiroshi is a musician himself and very hip. But touring with Hiroshi can be grueling. He is indefatigable. In his mid-sixties, he still races motorcycles. He needs very little sleep. He’s also endowed with a high-performance cyborg-like metabolism that enables him to consume great quantities of food without gaining weight. After a couple of weeks traveling in the van, with long mileage between gigs and tight schedules, it became all too clear – at least to me – that Hiroshi, unable to understand the limitations of mere mortals, was going to kill us!! I eventually accepted my fate. After all, were I to die in Japan I might possibly be buried next to my great grandfather, Alonzo, in the Yokohama Foreigners Cemetery. But die, we did not. Amos and I survived and we had a great time to boot.
Hiroshi on the Road Near Mt. Fuji
Hiroshi Drives – Geoff Sleeps
Hiroshi’s partner, Audrey Kimura, was much easier on us, but she too was a ball of energy, born with an efficient little motor in her small body that would move her along at an amazingly swift pace. Keeping up with her in train stations and on sidewalks could be difficult. I would look at her – always from behind – and her little legs would be in a scurry, moving her along like a shore bird. I gave her the nickname, “Sandpiper,” on this tour.
Audrey Kimura the “Sandpiper”
We had a rather ornate show planned for Tokyo with expanded rhythm section, female vocalist and five horn players. It required a few rehearsals, a couple early on in the tour and one just before the performance. To assist us in all of this, Hiroshi hired a good friend from previous tours, Hajime Ishizaka. Hajime was our road manager when I toured with Fritz Richmond and Tony Marcus in 2004. Speaking of which… We were driving to a gig during that tour and someone in the back of the van uttered something that gave Hajime cause to say, “I open up can of whoop ass on you.” Fritz was shocked! He hadn’t heard that expression since he was in the army. He asked Hajime, “Where did you learn that?” Hajime told him that he had gotten it from a group of Texas musicians he had driven around. Well, that made sense. Then I asked Hajime, “Have you ever toured with a band from New York?” He said, “No.” It was then that I began to teach Hajime some very important New York phrases. By the time the tour was half over, Hajime had us reeling with laughter in the van. His finest effort – in my opinion – was, “You call this a fucking sandwich!?!” Hajime is a funny guy, but also very on the ball. He takes care of the business with a good-natured style.
Mr. Hajime Ishizaka
Another old friend joined us when we were in Tokyo. His name is Benimaru “Ashura” Itoh. Ashura is very accomplished in the world of video games, having been a director and card designer at Pokéman, Nintendo and Game Boy. He’s also a “manga” artist, musician (he owns 600 guitars!) and who knows what else. When I met Ashura on our first tour in the late 70s, I found him back stage flat-picking Doc Watson’s “Black Mountain Rag” on one of our guitars. He never ceases to amaze. Over the years, in addition to creating some terrific poster art for our tours, Ashura has been generous in helping me learn about Japan, not that I will ever figure the place out. We go many places together: museums, department stores, restaurants, bookstores, odd specialty shops, the Kabuki Theatre. It’s always an eye-opener and the best of fun when we’re out and about with our good friend, Ashura. In this picture, he is helping us rehearse “Midnight at the Oasis” by assuming the role of Maria Muldaur…
Amos, Geoff & Ashura – Rehearsal Tokyo
Following the first rehearsals in Tokyo, we played Yokohama the next night with the rhythm section and singer we were to use later on in Tokyo. In a way, it was another much-needed rehearsal. We were also joined by Haroumi (Harry) Hosono. Harry is a killer musician, songwriter, arranger, producer who plays bass, marimba, guitar, etc. We were introduced to his wonderful albums in the seventies… romantic, funky and respectful music honoring the golden age. Harry moved on from there to many different genres and became internationally know as a member of the Yellow Magic Orchestra. At this show in Yokohama, Harry sang Elvis Presley’s “Love Me.” He also shared the vocal with Amos on “Hong Kong Blues” and backed me up on “Small Town Talk” with his wonderful marimba sound. We are always honored to have Harry join us. Ren Takada, the pedal steel player with the YMO, sat in with us as well. Great night, ragged but right. “Thumbs Up” is easily one of the best clubs in the world. On the nights following Yokohama we played Nagoya, Kanazawa, Osaka and Hiroshima. Five gigs, five days, lots of driving but lots of fun. We had a day off in Hiroshima, then headed to the southern Island of Kyushu. Kumamoto was the first stop… a club called “Felisha.” After the performance, our local presenter, Mr. Yamada, took us to dinner. Kumamoto has some wonderful restaurants, including those with Okinawan influence, but unfortunately for me, they take special pride in eating horse. I’ve mentioned this before in “What’s Up.” I don’t know why I am so squeamish about horsemeat, but every time I’m at a table where there is horse being served – Italy, Japan, wherever – I think of Mr. Ed. I just can’t commit. The Japanese eat every part of every animal, and horse is no exception. At this restaurant, in addition to deep fried horse McNuggets, we were served horse carpaccio and – oh boy! – horse stomach with garlic. Sorry, no can do. But the end all was the horse liver sashimi! If one has to offend their hosts, this is a good time to do it. “So sorry Yamada-san, no horse liver for me right now. I’m trying to quit.”
Liver of National Velvet Sashimi w/ Trigger Carpaccio
Before leaving the next day for Fukuoka, we had a little time to explore Kumamoto with our new friends Shu and Miyu. They took us to the Shimada Museum and Glassworks and to the grave of famous 17th century samurai, Miyamoto Musashi. The grave was in the backyard cemetery of the Hosokawa family estate. This prominent clan goes way, way back to feudal times and has wielded considerable political clout over the centuries. A recent member of the family, Morihiro Hosokawa, was Japan’s prime minister in the 1990s. That night in Fukuoka, we ran into our very dear pal from Miyazaki, Oishi Takafumi, better known as “Mr. Tasty.” I saw him on my last tour down in Kyushu, and I hope I see him on every tour I do. Oishi-san is a warm-hearted Jug Band freak – this is a good thing – and he was a special friend to Fritz Richmond. He also collects too many guitars!
Mr. Tasty and Geoff in Fukuoka
The next day Oishi-san rode south with us to a secluded hideaway on the top of a mountain called the Kirishima Society Hotel where we put our feet up for a while. They put out quite a spread in the dining room.
Hiroshi, Amos and Mr. Tasty at The Kirishima Society Hotel
On our way back to the main island of Honshu from Kyushu, we stopped for lunchtime noodle at one of the many great rest areas that one finds along the highways of Japan. Hiroshi took this opportunity to snap a slightly offbeat portrait of Amos and me…
Amos & Geoff
We played in Yamaguchi the next night. I’d worked with local presenter, Mr. Kohara, a few times before, most notably at the Buddhist Temple on the outskirts of town with Fritz and Tony Marcus in 2004. Mr. Kohara is another one of those true hearts keeping music alive in his town. Yamaguchi is a small, laid back southern Honshu city of 200,000 people. Its population density is 194 per sq. kilometer. By contrast, Osaka has a density of almost 12,000 per sq. kilometer. In addition to the country feel of the place, another attraction is Yamaguchi’s famous soba noodle… my favorite, and the soba water from the pot is very good for estomac de route. I don’t know why I didn’t notice them before, but it was on this trip with Amos that I first spotted some curious looking manhole covers in the streets of Yamaguchi. If one had a local guide and plenty of time, these artfully engraved metal plates would reveal local history, folk tales and customs. I became consumed, wandering the streets and snapping photos…
Yamaguchi Manhole Cover with Fox
The next stop was Okayama, a new place for me. The gig at “MO-GLA” was packed and terrific. Ren Tanaka, the pedal steel player who sat in with us in Yokohama, played again with us here. It was a good night. Amos and I hit our stride on this gig. For some reason the club had a Viking vibe. I can’t explain it…
Amos & Geoff in Okayama
Back at our hotel – well wouldn’t you know – I spied some very interesting manhole covers nearby with my new manhole-cover-spotting eyes. I’ll set this next picture up with a background story… Okayama is the home of a popular folklore character named Momotaro, or Peach Boy. The story goes something like this: One day an old woman found a very large peach floating on a river. She grabbed it and took it home where she lived with her husband. Before dinner, she started to prepare the peach, and when she went to cut it open a voice from within shouted, “Please don’t. You’ll hurt me.” Then the peach split open and a cute little child jumped out. The couple was startled. He told them, “Don’t be afraid, I have been given to you because you are childless and lonely.” They chilled out and named him Momotaro. He grew into a very nice boy and everyone was happy. When Momotaro became a teenager, however, their village became consumed in a crisis. Oni (ogres) from the far off island of Onigashima (ogre island) were looting them and taking villagers as prisoners. Momotaro courageously decided to attempt to save the village, so he took out on a journey to Onigashima with full resolve to kick some ogre butt. Along the way, he met a dog (inu), monkey (saru) and a pheasant (kiji). With the help of his animal companions, Momotaro, overtook the ogres, freed the prisoners and returned to his village with all the stolen loot. What a guy. Go Peach Boy! Hence this Okayama manhole cover…
Manhole Cover with Momotaro, Dog, Monkey and Pheasant
The next stop was Kyoto and a club called “Taku Taku.” This venue occupies an old saki factory and is loaded with character… and local music buffs. All went well with due credit to the audience. A performance is a two way street. A good audience can wish the best stuff right out of you, and this one did. When we play in the Kansai district, which includes Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe we are fortunate to have two of the sweetest young ladies on the planet Earth help us with our CD and merchandise sales. Their names are Miwa and Shizue…
Miwa and Shizue at “Taku Taku” in Kyoto
After our performance, I was standing next to Shizue. She turned towards me, came in close and softly whispered, “I ruv your voice.” I almost dissolved. These tours can be rough on a man. The next morning, Audrey (she joined us in Kyoto), Amos and I caught the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Tokyo. Our intrepid driver, Hiroshi, had foregone sleep and driven the van for seven hours through the night to his office in Shibuya. We humanoids arrived Tokyo around lunch hour, just in time for a full band rehearsal followed by an interview. Club Quattro was jammed with Tokyo hipsters the next night, standing shoulder to shoulder. What a sight. It was standing room only for everybody! Our rhythm section held tight during the show and the horn section, The Black Bottom Brass Band, destroyed the place. Our talented vocalist, Mari Nakamura, helped with background vocals and sang a spot-on rendition of “Midnight at the Oasis,” with Amos playing his famous solo to roars of appreciation. I sang “Please, Send Me Someone to Love” with the horn section playing Howard Johnson’s chart, and Amos performed his pyrotechnical, multi-string-bending version of “Sleep Walk.” The Black Bottom Brass Band took it out, marching through the crowd with a great New Orleans style version of “Just a Little While To Stay Here.” It was a memorable night for everyone.
On Stage at Club Quattro Tokyo
Backstage with the Whole Band
The day after Tokyo, we took our seats in the van for the last time and drove north to Sendai. It was raining cats and dogs, but the gig at “Satin Doll” was warm and friendly as usual. My #1 Japanese Fan, Eri Sakai, came by train from Tokyo to see us. I am a sucker for her dedication. I didn’t get any pictures of Eri in Sendai, but here she is with me in Yokohama a while back…
#1 Japanese Fan Eri with Geoff
After the show, we all got together for dinner with club owner, Kyojiro Okazaki, a music stalwart and devotee of American jazz. My heart goes out to Mr. Okazaki and all his family and friends in Sendai. I hope they all got through the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami with no serious mishaps. Long live “Satin Doll!” After Sendai, we flew to the northern island of Hokkaido to play in Sapporo. This northern city is more western in style than other places in Japan due to the many gaijin settlers that arrived there after 1868. That’s when Japan was compelled by political and military pressure to open itself up to the rest of the world. It was a smart move on the part of the new Meij government to use Sapporo as a landing place for immigrants. “Hey everybody! Welcome to Japan. Looking for a nice place to settle? We’ve got some really terrific land for you on our frigid northern island!” You get the idea. The immigrants produced some interesting architecture though and – here we go again – some odd-looking manhole covers.
Manhole (Utility) Cover in Sapporo
The day after our gig in Sapporo we flew a short hop over to Kushiro on the eastern shore. There we were picked up by our host, Makoto Ando, and driven to Hickory Wind Wilderness Lodge in nearby Tsurui. Tsurui is home to the Japanese Crane. I’ve written about those beautiful cranes in past journals. So too about Hickory Wind, with proprietors Makoto and Shinobu Ando and their daughter, Mutsumi. It’s an idyllic setting, good for deep breaths and peaceful thoughts. Makoto is a charter guide for fishing, bird watching and almost anything else having to do with the flora and fauna of his area. He is strong and reliable, but with a romantic side to him that has led him to the world of music.
Makoto Ando
Shinobu manages the Inn and cooks incredibly fresh and healthy meals for her guests. She’s a country lady, with all the attendant skills. I hope she will not be embarrassed for me to tell you this, but Shinobu also has a beautiful, warm singing voice.
Shinobu Gathering Mushrooms for Dinner
Amos and I played for a small group in the Inn, including guests that had come on a package deal for the weekend. We ate Shinobu’s delicious, home-cooked meals together, and the day after our performance, a few of the guests joined us for an excursion up to Lake Hyotan in the mountains above the Kushiro plain. There we canoed, looked for birds and watched Amos apply his considerable fly-fishing skills to the catching of trout. Here are a few pictures of our stay in Tsurui… including, of course…
Kushiro Airport Manhole Cover (Japanese Cranes)
After-Gig Dinner with Special Guests at Hickory Wind – "Campai!"
Before heading up to Lake Hyotan the next morning, we had a terrific breakfast courtesy of Shinobu: rice and ginger porridge, with little goodies to dab into it… plum, sea weed, Chinese pickle, eggplant, salmon, Japanese green vegetable. And a hot cup of “kohi kudasai.”
Rice & Ginger Porridge with Extra Goodies
Then we headed up to Lake Hyotan…
Lake Hyotan (Gourd Lake)
Upon arrival, Makoto-san quickly located a black woodpecker. These birds are common across most of Europe and Asia, but evidently uncommon in this part of Hokkaido. We dashed over to take a look…
Spotting a Black Woodpecker
There He Is (red cap barely visible)
Eventually we got out onto the lake and Amos began fishing with Hiroshi and trusty guide, Koichi. There wasn’t any action for a while, but after our picnic lunch things picked up…
Amos is “On”
Amos with Trout as Hiroshi Looks On
By the time we left, Amos had caught just enough for dinner…
Two Beautiful “Rainbows”
Shinobu coated the trout with the finest Japanese sea salt and cooked it up. Some of the gang posed with the main course. Koichi the guide is sitting next to Amos…
Back at Hickory Wind
Trout Spirit Enters Human Digestive System
Time to say sayonara. Leaving Japan is always a difficult thing to do, especially from Hickory Wind. Our heartfelt thanks to Makoto and Shinobu…
Makoto and Shinobu
And much thanks to Hisoshi and Audrey for a “Wonderful Time!”…
Hiroshi and Audrey
We flew back to Haneda airport for our transfer to Narita and our departure from Japan. One more picture if you don’t mind…
Store in Haneda Airport
If you’d like to see some good pictures of the Geoff & Amos Japan tour, please go to: After arriving back in LA, I had a glorious one-day vacation at home before flying to Texas for the Austin String Band Festival in nearby Driftwood, TX. There I met up again with Jim Kweskin. This was another sweet one, ultra traditional. When I arrived at the festival, Jim was running through a few of our tunes with Tracy Schwartz of the New Lost City Ramblers. Nice idea. I love Tracey’s playing. He joined us for a good portion of our set and all were thrilled including Jim and I. We stuck around Austin for an extra day so we could catch Stephen Bruton’s old band, The Resentments. They were playing at the Saxon Pub, a place I try to visit whenever I’m in Austin. The Saxon is a truth vortex, at least when The Resentments are holding court. Jim and I sat in with the boys: Bruce Hughes, Scrappy Newcomb, John Chipman et al. Afterwards I took a chair near the stage. A young lady across the table leaned towards me and slurred a few words my way, “Say, you’re reee-al gooood. Whah, you coulda been a Resentment.” The honor was mine. Finally I got a couple of weeks off back in LA to decompress. Various jet lags worked their way out of my mind and body. Once refreshed, it was time to head to the East Coast for more dates with Jim. We started in New England and made our way to NYC, then back up to New England. Our good friend, John Sebastian, sat in with us in Albany and NYC. We love John. He’s always been a Jug Band kinda guy and was a very close buddy with Fritz Richmond. BTW, if I haven’t told you before, it was Fritz who named The Lovin’ Spoonful. John fought against all convention and the “powers that be” for that name, and deserves many spoonfuls of credit. After Jim and I finished our gigs back up in New England, I flew from Boston to Amsterdam for more rehearsals with my chamber ensemble. My friend, Roger Kasle, flew over to meet me. He was interested to see what I was up to. Roger has been a guitar collector for many years, but he was also involved in a Michigan enterprise named the Great Lakes Banjo Company. Roger and luthier Dennis Lake founded the company in the 70s. Banjoist extraordinaire, Bill Keith, played a Great Lakes top tension banjo as his main ax for many years and still pulls it out on special occasions (so to speak). These banjos have become collectors’ items. Imagine, a banjo being a collectors’ item. It boggles the mind. Roger and I made the best of our time in Amsterdam, visiting Søren’s instrument shop…
Geoff & Roger at Palm Guitars
… walking the canals with my Dutch Family patriarch, Peter Steultjens…
Peter and Roger on the Canals
… dining with my album producer, Gert-Jan Blom, and with my Dutch Family. We also made a special trip out into the country to meet banjo expert Wim van de Weg and his wife, Willemien. And of course there were the chamber ensemble rehearsals. The musicians really hit their stride this time around. The group is finding its voice and adapting well to my stylistic tendencies. The more we get acquainted, the easier it is for me to write for them. Here’s a shot of Gert-Jan (producer), Jan-Erik (violin on back) and Margreet (bassoon on back) after our last rehearsal. I can’t help but love them…
Gert-Jan Blom, Jan-Erik Altena-Lans and Margreet Bongers After Rehearsal
I flew back to Boston from A’dam, then drove to Connecticut for a solo gig at The Roaring Brook Nature Center in Canton. I’ve always regarded Connecticut as a basically “gig-less state” but, lo and behold, here was a gig in Connecticut and a good one. I don’t know why I had never played this place before. It was definitely my meat, playing for nature-loving folkies. I have much in common with audiences like this one, including the fact that they are generally a liberal bunch. But this was Connecticut so there might have been a few rich Republican interlopers in their midst. One can never be too careful. The next day I headed up to Maine to visit my friend, John McAlevey and his wife, Penny. John is a honest-to-goodness fulltime professional woodworker. I met him in Henniker, New Hampshire the 60s through our mutual friend, Eric Von Schmidt. John is the real deal. He crafts functional, traditional furniture but with a refined flare of his own design. On this trip, John and I – mostly John – worked on a bird’s eye maple Lazy Susan for my daughter Jenni. As usual, John did the real work while I held a few things in place for him and then did the finishing. I also purchased a beautiful John McAlevey butternut blanket chest for my daughter, Dardy, and her husband, Si. Mary and I bought it as a present for their new home on Martha’s Vineyard. In a few days, we would see them and the rest my family (American, not Dutch) for Thanksgiving.
Jenni's Lazy Susan
John McAlevey w/ Draw Knife, Fashioning a Spindle for a Windsor Chair
It was time to drive to Boston to pick up my partner, Mary, and her daughter, Elizabeth, at Logan Airport. From Logan we headed down to the Cape to catch the ferryboat to The Vineyard. I’ve been riding that ferry (well, not that exact ferry) for my entire life, every year of it. The ride across Vineyard Sound almost always brings a feeling of well being and belonging. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to be on “The Island.” We feasted, enjoyed family and friends, took walks, held the grandchildren… the best. As a matter of fact, I don’t remember anyone having an audible disagreement with anyone else about anything. I swear it. Impossible, I know, yet true. Here’s a pictorial accounting of my progeny to date. My three daughters and Dardy’s two sons…
Clare, Quinlan, Jenni, Corrick and Dardy
And here is Mary with her daughter, Elizabeth, on Tisbury Great Pond…
Elizabeth and Mary
Life is good. After the festivities wound down, we took the ferry back to the mainland, drove to Logan and flew back to LA. I joined Jim Kweskin for a gig in Chicago a week later, then it was on to Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Hey, how about that Pittsburgh? Great town. It’s also a great music town… once home to Errol Garner, Billy Strayhorn, Ray Brown, George Benson, Art Blakey, Paul Chambers, Roy Eldridge, Billy Eckstein, Earl Hines, Maxine Sullivan, Mary Lou Williams, not to mention Stephen Foster! That’s one city. Check it out… the most notable musician from the entire state of Connecticut, not just one city, is Michael Bolton. Pittsburgh has recovered from its economic troubles of the 80s and 90s. People there complained to me that Pittsburgh had been let down by the steel mills and other large companies in the area; that these industrial-base employers had either collapsed or left town for cheaper labor. I reminded them that those jobs were questionable at best and often demeaning, that they were handed a gift… an opportunity. In any case, I don’t know how Pittsburgh made the transition but their economy is chugging along very well now, considerably above the US average. High technology, health care and education have replaced steel, defense, oil and chemicals as the lifeblood of the area. Way to go Pittsburgh! Jim and I finished up the year on the West Coast with dates in San Diego (w/ Dan Hicks, love that guy), Berkeley and Portland. It was time for the holidays after a very good year. That’s about it. I kept it as short as I could. I’ll let you know when I’m out and about again. Best wishes to you all,
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