Legends Never Say Goodbye

As we lost the great musical architect, Mr. Jerry Wexler, last week, a significant chapter in the story of the music industry has closed. This is not to say we merely move on or carry the torch into the future with no regard for the past, rather to acknowledge the visionaries that came before us and respect their wholehearted dedication and admiration for the artist community. Early in his career, as a writer for Billboard in the late 40’s, Jerry Wexler blazed a path for a groundbreaking new genre, one that he referred to as “rhythm and blues.” This new sound not only crossed the racial barriers of this country, it destroyed them in the eyes of the record buying masses.

After teaming up with fellow music aficionados Ahmet Ertegen and his brother Nesui at Atlantic Records, Wexler began what would later be known as a masterful career, propelling talents like Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, and Wilson Pickett to instant stardom. He found another musical/production partner in Arif Mardin, and their teamwork spawned some of the most forward thinking, soulful music this nation has ever heard (the Memphis soul sound for example, the tonality and structure behind Springfield’s Dusty in Memphis record). He treasured soul, and his ear for the music that drove his passion was unparalleled.

Mr. Wexler was a part of a team that loved music, the notes and the artist. They would spend countless hours figuring our how to get the sound “right” or whom to pair their artists with in order to make the records pop. Of course they wanted hits, to argue the opposite would be blissfully ignorant, but those hits formulated as the result of a profound respect and admiration for music. Men like Ahmet Ertegun, Jerry Wexler, and Arif Mardin lived and breathed music. They collected and tirelessly sought new records, they constantly attended shows, and were there to support and develop the artist, not just sign a contract and move on to the next client. Their work is evidence of this great love affair. They were true music men, and the fact that they ran a business, well, that happened by default. Again, not to say they did not intend to make a buck, but the motivation was not the buck, it was the note, that one magical note that would bring a smile to those people huddled around the record player.

The industry that was formed as the result of people like Mr. Wexler has morphed into something unrecognizable. There are few men left, which, at the end of the day, are there for the discovery, for the thrill. Does the art suffer? You bet it does, but that is for another essay. Here we say farewell to these great men, but these great men will never say farewell to us. Their music, their passion, their ear and their dedication will always be with us, humming through the notes that made up their lives.

America, Born?

These United States of America were conquered and colonized. This fact, seemingly simple, yet insidiously profound, may in fact dictate our foreign relations. We are at the core a nation of stolen landscapes and evangelicals. We brought alien diseases and plagues to this continent while attempting to "civilize" a people more deeply connected with their environment and spirituality than their would-be conquerors.
Our federal doctrine of law, while brilliant in theory, is based on a system of beliefs originally alien to this lands original inhabitants. Perhaps this was both the beginning and the end to true freedom. What we have, these many years later, is differing levels of freedom that has been fragmented into classifications of race, religion, and other characteristics.



Continued on 8/14/08:

The written laws are a reflection of the beliefs and values held dear by the authors. How can any such doctrine truly include and consider those whose heritage and lifestyle exist wholly separate and outside of the inherent cultural considerations of the lawmakers? Not to say that our founding fathers had no such right to dictate our laws, for their intentions were grand in scope, and mighty in reaching. We need to believe they had the greatest concern for all citizens, and this is seemingly so, according to the majority of written accounts of those times. However, and this is merely a point of consideration (something to ponder), these laws were written in accordance with the current state of the country. Has our nation not changed, and evolved (some would argue the opposite I realize) drastically since their pens met that sacred paper?

The Greatest Project

My wife and I met a Holocaust survivor; Susy, at our temple in Northern California. She and her husband Bob have been married for 50 years. He was in the army in World War II, and was the first soldier that Susy came into contact with (after surviving one of the longest death marches in Poland). She says she knew, upon making eye contact with him, that they would get married and have a family together.

Her story is almost as amazing as she is. Her radiance is wholly unmatched by ANYBODY I have ever met, at any age, and she is well into her 80’s. When I first got a chance to speak with her after Shabbat services I was so enchanted by her I asked if I could write her story for her family. I told her I was a writer, and that it would be an honor to immortalize her tale for generations of her family to come. She was hesitant but thanked me for the offer. I understood her apprehension. This was a personal story that would transport her back into a time of pure hell. I could not blame her. She did not want to re-live that horror.

A few weeks later her husband Bob approached me, and said they found some old tapes; ¼” analog tapes from 1981 that he and Susy had recorded her stories on. Susy sat down with a few drinks and Bob fired away the questions, as she kept her composure as best she could while telling these horrid tales. He asked me if I could do anything with them and I said of course, that we should do an analog to digital transfer in my studio as soon as possible, as the tapes will be corroding soon. I offered to make CDs with manually tracked ID points, mastering (noise clean up, leveling, etc.) and that Alexandra could do some wonderful artwork. They were excited to say the least. I took the tapes home to begin the process. We were told not to play the tapes for ANYBODY. Only Alexandra and I could listen. We agreed of course, and there I was: In the studio, listening, working, and just letting the magnitude of the story take hold.

That has been an experience beyond words for me. For all the music production work I’ve been involved in, this actually felt like the greatest project for which I had the honor to take on. Though I was merely trying to preserve (and improve – sonically) a story told by somebody else I know, this will live on for years in their family. Their children will be able to hear it long after Susy has left this earth. What a gift to be able to share the experience.

I have been pondering all the ridiculous things I stress about, the silliness that finds me arguing with Alexandra occasionally, and the crap that I consider important. I realize what Susy went through to have a life, and how joyful she is. What right do I have to get down on myself when times get rough? Really, look at what this woman, and MILLIONS of others lived through. I am fortunate to be strong in my faith, and it has brought my own consciousness and marriage to a wholly different level, beyond anything I could have imagined previously.

I do not preach that which serves me to others, but I wish it upon all my friends and family: Embrace your heritage, live it, and remember those who lived before you so that you may have the chance to carry the torch, and keep the flame burning. I am thankful to call her my friend.